Strands of Light

Chapters

Tragedy in Manewood
Discovery in the Ruins
Between Life and Dreams
A Veiled Gift
Asking the Question
New Friends
Something Not So Real

Tragedy in Manewood

Chapter 1: Tragedy in Manewood

There were lights. So many that no individual could ever comprehend a number in which to describe the quantity that existed. Their shape were like strings, weaving complex patterns through the nothingness. Some were wrapped close together like yarn. Some were only connected to several other strands. Others were alone altogether. The intensity of their glow would brighten or fade, much like the stars in the night sky. These strands moved. They spun and rotated. They changed direction. They ebbed and flowed.

A particular yarn began to stir. Its white glow flared with intensity, and then dimmed. Over a hundred strands that had been woven together began to fray. Several seconds passed and the yarn was completely unraveled. Most of the strands shriveled and faded into nothingness.

One strand, however, still retained its glow.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set over the little village of Manewood. Buildings, integrated with the trees and cliff sides, bathed in its orange light. Foals played in the streets while ponies prepared their evening meals.

Manewood was known for its arts and crafts. Clay was gathered from the great pit to the north-west. The forest to the south held many plants to extract dyes. The sandy coast provided the means to make beautiful objects out of glass. Everywhere, the signs of artistic talent could be seen, from the unique sculptures that decorated the village to the painted murals on the walls.

A small earth pony colt lay down outside on the grass. His coat was the color of deep green grass and his mane was brown, like the clay from the pits. A piece of paper with multicolored content was underneath his gaze. A box of crayons rested beside it. There was no amount of tension in his body as he relaxed in the sun. His head was tilted slightly as he delved deep in thought.

"Little Shine! Mom says it's time for dinner, Bro."

Little Shine looked up from his paper and let out a sigh. "Aw, Stone Pillar! I was just about finished. Can't I have a few more minutes?"

There was a soft thud as a grey colored pegasus dropped onto the ground beside Little Shine. He had a white and tan colored mane. He took a brief glance at the paper beneath Little Shine before smiling, and gently rested his hoof on Little Shine's shoulder.

"You've been working on that project for a long time now, haven't you?" he remarked.

"Uh-huh, ever since I got home from school," replied Little Shine.

Stone Pillar looked back down at the paper. It was a map. It had been carefully hoof drawn with different colors representing different elements of the village and its surroundings. Every major landmark was labeled as well as all the major buildings. At the bottom left corner was a color key.

"Looks awesome, Shine. I think that Mom and Dad would like to see it."

"I was going to show them when I finished."

"That's good. But if you wait too long your food's gonna get stale. You can always finish after."

Little Shine looked up at his brother and a small smile spread across his face. "I guess I am a bit hungry."

Tensing his hooves, he forced himself upward. It was an action that, for most ponies, was easily accomplished. But for Little Shine, it was a great challenge. Strength of body was not a strong attribute and his hooves shook as they struggled to carry his weight. Generally, this struggle was cause for much teasing from the other schoolyard foals. And had Little Shine lacked a loving family to love and encourage him, he may have drowned beneath their ridicule.

Once fully stable, Little Shine carefully rolled up his map and gently balanced it on his back. Satisfied with its placement, he then trotted toward the front door of his home, Stone Pillar falling in suit behind him.

Their house was not by any means a large one, but it suited their needs. The door opened up to the main living area while beyond was the kitchen, separated by a half wall. To the left side was a door that lead to the crafting zone where Radiant Wing, Little Shine's mother, spent most of her time. On the opposite side of this door was the main stairwell that led to the main bathroom and all three bedrooms were.

A plethora of mouth watering smells greeted Little Shine's nostrils upon entering. His eyes darted over to the kitchen table and locked on the source. What lay on the table was not just a meal, it was a feast. To Little Shine, it appeared that every type of food from every corner of Equestria was represented on that table. There were so many that he didn't even know had existed until then, and much less knew the name of. Radiant Wing sat patiently at the head of the table.

Stone Pillar's eyes widened for a moment, taken aback by the sheer amount of food. "Whoa! Mom, when you said to tell Shine that dinner was ready, I didn't . . . What's the occasion?"

"The occasion, Pillar, is that your mother was just recently invited to showcase her latest piece in the Canterlot Royal Art Gallery next week. And we had to celebrate somehow, didn't we?" a voice said.

A large yellow earth pony descended the stairs with a proud saunter. He sat down beside his wife and pressed his lips against her cheek. The two ponies gazed into each other's eyes, sharing a brief moment before turning back to their children.

Little Shine's body was filled with a rare energy. "Oh Mom! That's what you always wanted, wasn't it?"

Radiant Wing giggled. "Yes, Dear. You see, when one works hard enough and focuses enough, their dream will come true."

"And we all get to go to Canterlot!"

"That's right."

Little Shine could no longer contain his glee. He bounded twice, and then shuddered. His legs couldn't hold the amount of excitement and punished him. He collapsed to the floor with a thud.

Stone Pillar's reactive hoof shot protectively toward Little Shine, but then relaxed as he chuckled softly. "You know, just because your excited doesn't mean that you have permission to face plant on the floor."

"Uggg, I think my head agrees with you," Little Shine grumbled.

"Hey, it's okay."

Little Shine felt two strong hooves wrap around him, and realized that he was no longer touching the ground. He gazed into Stone Pillar's eyes and then rested his head upon his chest, caring about nothing else in the world. It was their own special moment, a moment of pure love between two brothers, and best friends.

Radiant Wing and Brass Hoof watched the scene and looked back at each other. A silent message passed between them. He's going to be okay.

Stone Pillar flew toward the table and carefully dropped Little Shine into one of the chairs and then landed on one for himself. He raised a glass. "I propose a toast. To Mother, and her dream finally coming true."

"Toast!" The three other ponies raised their glasses in unison.

After taking a small sip, the family began filling their plates and satisfying their stomachs. For several moments the only sound that could be heard was the sound of utensils clanging against plates or of munching and slurping.

After several long minutes, these tell-tale signs of eating slowly ground to a halt and Brass Hoof cleared his throat with a big gulp of water. "So Little Shine, did you do anything interesting at school today."

Little Shine's ears perked up. He had planned on showing them all his map when it was finished. But since they asked. . .

"Well, Ms. Holly assigned us an art project," Little Shine said slowly.

"That sounds like fun. What does yours look like?" asked Radiant Wing.

Little Shine turned in his chair and faced the door. His map had fallen off his back just before he had collapsed earlier. It still lay on the floor, untouched. He began to climb down from his chair but Stone Pillar stopped him with a hoof.

"Let me get it, Little Shine," said Stone Pillar.

Returning to the table with the map, Stone Pillar turned it so that its contents were facing their parents. Radiant Wing extended a hoof, and Stone Pillar handed it over. He could almost feel Little Shine vibrating in his seat, filled with anticipation.

After a careful moment of contemplation, Radiant Wing spoke. "This is extremely detailed, Little Shine. I am so proud of the effort you put in to this. May I ask how long you spent on this?"

Whatever anticipation had build up inside Little Shine had now vanished, leaving only fiery pride. "I started working on it as soon as I got home!"

"I have to say, your accuracy is fantastic, Son. If I didn't know that it was done by you, I would have though an experienced cartographer made this," Brass Hoof remarked.

Stone Pillar could hardly believe that a smile could get so large. He looked at Little Shine, and then winked. "I told you they would like it."

Little Shine beamed back Stone Pillar and then turned to face his parents. "It's not quite finished yet."

"That's okay, Little Shine," said Radiant Wing. "I know you'll do it."

Stone Pillar turned to his father. "So Dad, anything interesting at work today?"

"Hmm. Well I had to make some shift arrangements for next week while we are away. Besides that, I spent most of the day training a new employee."

A snort escaped Stone Pillar. "It's a clay mine. How much training do you need?"

"Son. With some ponies, you'd be surprised."

A chuckle escaped all ponies present, and was followed by a calm silence. Radiant Wing had one more topic of conversation that she wanted to cover this meal, but she thought carefully on how to bring it up. Little Shine was in a good mood right now, and she didn't want to compromise this.

"Little Wing," she said slowly. "Did you see Thornbush today, by any chance?"

"Um. . ." Little Wing looked up thoughtfully. "No, not really. I mean, I saw him but he didn't really talk to me at all today."

Radiant Wing let out a small sight of relief. Thornbush was a foal in Little Shine's school. Although he was still a young colt, his physical prowess was superior to most his age, and his ego was equally as strong. He was the prime culprit responsible for teasing Little Shine, and his bullying had recently transcended into physical violence. Several weeks ago, Thornbush challenged Little Shine to a contest of strength He refused to take 'no' for an answer and the end result was a hospital bed with Little Shine's name on it.

Thornbush had been suspended from school and forced to write an official apology. Today had been his first day back in school.

"I suppose no contact is good contact, right?" suggested Brass Hoof.

"I was scared at first," admitted Little Shine. "I thought he was going to go after me as soon as he came back, but he seemed different today. I can't put my hoof on what it was, but he seemed unusually quiet. It was almost like he was avoiding me."

"Well, whatever it is, it's good to hear," stated Radiant Wing.

The evening meal was over and everypony did their part to clean up. Plates and utensils were gathered and set on the counter. The sink faucet ran with hot water and the dish soap was brought out. Excess food was wrapped and stored in the fridge. Determined that his part in this after meal ritual was over, Little Shine gathered his map and headed up the stairs to find comfort in his own room, where he wouldn't be disturbed while finishing his prize.

Brass Hoof and Stone Pillar worked in tandem to wash and dry the dishes while Radiant Wing settled on the couch, preparing a list of things that they needed for next week.

"I can't believe that we're going to Canterlot!" exclaimed Stone Pillar. "Little Shine must be so excited. He's always wanted to go."

"Yes. We'll have to plan some fun things to do while we're there," said Brass Hoof.

"Have either of you been to Canterlot before?"

Brass Hoof put his hoof to his chin. "I've only ever been there once, and that was a long time ago. That was back when your grandfather and grandmother were still alive."

"What is it like?"

"Very fancy. High class stuff. It is the capital city of Equestra, after all. I think I was about the same age as Little Shine when I was there."

"What were you there for?"

"Your grandparents were taking me to-"

The floor beneath them vibrated. There was no warning. No chance to think. No chance to comprehend what was happening. Cupboards opened and slammed violently. Multiple objects fell to the floor. Glass shattered. A giant tremor ruptured underneath the floor, throwing them all to the ground.

"Dad! What' going on?" Stone Pillar screamed, his eyes darting in all directions.

"Earthquake!"

"Where's Little Shine!?" Radiant Wing screeched.

An ear shattering crack deafened them all. All three ponies snapped their eyes upward. For a second, there was no sound. Then the entire second floor came crashing down around them.

* * *

Manewood writhed in agony. A fissure ripped its way through the earth and erupted in it's midst, sundering the village. The cliff, so deeply integrated with Manewood, was once a symbol of unyielding strength and stability. But now, it would be a danger beyond anything that the village had ever witnessed. The churning earth undermined its internal structure and it began to crumble. Giant chunks of rock plummeted down on Manewood, crushing all things in their path. No amount of architectural skill could have hoped to save the buildings from their fate.

Within a few minutes, nothing of the proud and beautiful village of Manewood remained. Save for broken wood, jagged rocks, and dust.

Discovery in the Ruins

Chapter 2: Discovery in the Ruins

Twilight Sparkle, Equestria's newest princess, was sitting on a train seat looking intently at the scroll in front of her. Her eyes scanned the page, determined to make sure that nothing had been missed. It was a detailed checklist, outlining her relief plan to Manewood and any mistake could cost lives.

She turned her head, and gazed out the nearby train window. Equestria's landscape was rich with green fields and tall mountains. The sun was just peaking over the horizon. Twilight, her companions, and the rest of the relief effort had traveled straight through the night from Canterlot. Over four hundred ponies were on the train.

The door to the sleep car opened and Applejack entered the compartment. She took one look at Twilight and rolled her eyes before sitting down on the seat opposite to her.

"Did you get any sleep last night, Sugar Cube?" she asked.

"Just a few hours. I got up early and wanted to look over the plan again," Twilight replied.

Applejack shook her head before speaking. "Twilight, you've been over that thing a thousand times. How much more are ya gonna add to it?"

Twilight looked up from the scroll and turned to Applejack. "I just want to make sure it's perfect. A lot is riding on this and, well, I'm scared it's not good enough."

Applejack walked over to Twilight and nuzzled her. "Ah know your stressed, Twi. Ah don't think that any plan is gonna be perfect, but this one's a good one. Don't you worry about nothin'. It's all gonna be alright."

Twilight sighed. Her horn illuminated a soft glow and the scroll neatly rolled up and settled itself inside her saddlebag. "I hope your right."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to nothing but the ambient noise of the train. The silence was then broken as the compartment door opened again and Rarity stepped inside. She gracefully trotted down the center aisle and seated herself front of Twilight and Applejack. Her mouth opened in wonder as she gazed outside.

"Oh my, what a gorgeous day. Applejack, will you be a dear and open the other curtains?" she asked.

"Ah suppose we won't get a chance to enjoy it while we're there." The light in the compartment intensified as Applejack unveiled the rest of the curtains.

"How much longer until we get there anyway? It's been awfully dull trapped on this train," Rarity complained.

"About an hour," Twilight answered. "It's just beyond that mountain range."

The three ponies turned their heads as the door opened a third time. Rainbow Dash trotted inside, followed closely by Fluttershy.

"Hey guys!" Rainbow Dash greeted as she seated herself.

"Hi Rainbow. Hi Fluttershy. Did you girls get a good sleep?" responded Twilight.

"Like a foal in a crib," said Rainbow Dash.

"Um, I slept okay, I guess," said Fluttershy.

"That's good," Twilight said. "Hey, where's Pinkie Pie?"

"I'm right here, silly!" a voice rang out.

Rainbow Dash nearly just about fell out of her seat as she snapped around. Pinkie Pie was behind her with a big grin on her face.

"Pinkie! How do you do that?" Rainbow dash exclaimed.

A chuckle escaped Applejack's lips. "Rainbow, you've known Pinkie for years. Ah'd a though you woulda've been used to that by now."

"It still doesn't stop it from being creepy," Rainbow dash mumbled.

A short time passed before anypony spoke. They were all waiting for the train to arrive at their destination and it wasn't for a happy reason. Twilight couldn't remember the last time a disaster like this had occurred in Equestria. The harmony between land and ponies was usually a solid one.

Applejack broke the silence first. "So, Twilight, what's the first thing that we're gonna do when we get there?"

Twilight's horn brightened and levitated the checklist out of her saddlebag. She quickly glanced at the top. "We need to have all the ponies organize into their assigned groups," - she continued down the page - "Rarity, you will lead the hospitality team and help set up the tents. Fluttershy, you will help the medical group care for injured ponies and animals. Rainbow Dash, you will lead the search team from the sky. Applejack, there's probably going to be a lot of rubble and debris, so we'll need your team's strength to clear the way and to pull out any trapped ponies."

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down. "Ooo, what about me, Twilight. What about me?"

Twilight smiled. "You, Pinkie Pie, get to do what you do best. You can keep everyponies' spirits up. Make them laugh and smile. They'll need it."

"All right! I knew there was a reason that I packed my party canon."

Twilight rolled her eye.

"Twilight, do you think. . . I mean, well, are there going to be a lot of hurt ponies?" Fluttershy's timid voice was very barely audible.

"Ugg, Fluttershy, an earthquake just smashed the town. Of course there's going to be a lot of hurt ponies." Rainbow's harsh voice caused Fluttershy to cringe.

Twilight shot Rainbow a sharp look. "Rainbow, that's not helping."

"My dear, you haven't a thing to worry about. You are absolutely fabulous when tending to injured animals. Ponies are no different and besides, you won't be alone. There will be lots of nurses and doctors there, too," Rarity said.

"Rarity's right, Sugar Cube. You'll be alright. Ah know you will," Applejack agreed.

The train slowly decelerated and then halted. The external doors opened and there was a rush of hooves. The six friends hopped off the train and took in their surroundings. Fluttershy and Rarity gasped as one.

The scene could have been a out of a magical war zone. There was rubble everywhere and dust polluted the air. Bits and pieces of stone fragments and wood chips scattered the land. Trees had been trampled by rock slides. A great chasm split the center of the valley. It was hard to believe that this place had once been a beautiful village.

Twilight inhaled deeply and then evoked her royal Canterlot voice. "ATTENTION EVERYPONY!"

All idle chatter ceased. There was a moment of rumbling and shuffling before all the ponies present assembled themselves into rough ranks facing their princess. Satisfied that she had their attention, she continued in a normal voice.

"Thank you, everypony. As I'm sure you all can see, a terrible tragedy has happened. I know that I can trust you all to do your very best. You all know what teams you are in and who your team leaders are. So, let's group up and save the ponies of Manewood!"

Cheering erupted throughout the crowd. Ponies broke off from the crowd and formed their smaller groups. Supplies were unloaded from the train and ponies began the construction of tents. Nearby, a group of pegasus ponies gathered around Rainbow Dash.

"Okay, gang. There could be a lot of hurt ponies out there, so lets get up there and start searching. Let's fly!" A rainbow trail traced the sky as she dashed off and a squadron of pegasi followed.

One of them, Sparklight, peered down at a particular ruined building. Wait, what was that shimmer? She circled lower and landed on a splintered wooden beam. She stumbled through the rubble a short distance and rubbed her eyes. Something was partially buried in front of her, something that looked like silver strands. She dug with her hooves, clearing the dirt and rock below her. She coughed as dust puffed up but was determined to find out what was there. She found more silver strands and removed one final rock and stared at what she had found. It was the face of a mare.

She was dead.

Sparklight was frozen in place. Her mind couldn't find a way to protect her from this sight. A maelstrom of emotion gathered in her heart as the tears began to fall. Her legs buckled and she fell to the ground, weeping like a foal.

"Sparklight, what's wrong with you? Did you hurt yourse-" Upon seeing what Sparklight had uncovered, Rainbow Dash's scolding evaporated.

Sparklight looked up at Rainbow Dash, sniffling. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. . . I . . . I didn't even think about, what I'd. . . or if." She dropped her head and sobbed more, unable to compose herself.

Rainbow Dash walked slowly over and gently cupped her hooves around Sparklight's face. "Look at me. No pony wanted this to happen. I know it's a horrible thing, but you can't help her anymore; She's gone. What I need you to do right now is to get a hold of yourself. Find one of the ground teams and they can deal with the body. Can you do that, Sparklight?"

Suppressing a sniffle and wiping her tears, Sparklight steeled herself. "Yes. I'm sorry Rainbow. I'll find one of the teams."

"That's it, girl."

As the hours went by, more and more bodies were found. The once serene village was now a graveyard. Still, some ponies lived. They were pulled out of the ruins by Applejack's team and hustled to the medical tents. There, they were treated by doctors and nurses , who had volunteered to help.

Twilight patrolled around the tents and surveyed the scene. Stepping inside one of the tents, she approached the head of the medical team, Doctor Salve Horn.

"Give me a status update, Doctor," Twilight commanded.

"Hmm, there's good news and bad news, I suppose."

"Let's hear it."

"Well, the good news is that all the ponies that we found still alive, so far, are going to make it."

"That's good to hear. And the bad news?"

"Well, bad news is that there are a lot of dead ponies."

Twilight tensed. "How many?"

Salve Horn closed his eyes. His voice was barely a whisper. "More than the amount of patients I've ever had. Hundreds, maybe even thousands."

Twilight took a step back. As a new princess, she was still getting used to the hard responsibilities that came with it. This feeling, however, was something new. It wasn't sorrow for a lost friend of family member. It wasn't the feeling of condolence. It was a feeling of failure. Her subjects, who loved and trusted her, had died. And she couldn't save them.

Not that it was her fault, she knew. If she could have done something to prevent it, she would have. It had happened without warning and no pony would blame her for that.

Salve Horn cleared his throat. "Princess, you may want to check on your friend. Fluttershy, I think her name is. She's taking the losses pretty hard."

"I will. Thank you doctor."

Twilight walked out of the tent and headed toward the outskirts of the complex. She looked around briefly before spotting her mark. Fluttershy was nestled by a big great mushroom shaped tree. All matter of woodland creatures surrounded her, cuddling her. As Twilight approched, Fluttershy looked up, her face stained with tears.

"Oh, Twilight. It's horrible. Just horrible!"

Twilight lay down beside Fluttershy and draped her wing over her.

Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut. "I've never seen a dead pony before. It's just so wrong, Twilight."

"I know, Fluttershy. It hurts me too. But you have to remember, death is just as natural as life. It's a cycle that cannot be broken, no matter how much we want it too."

Fluttershy opened her eyes again and sniffed. "I know."

"You need to be strong, Fluttershy. You can't help the dead, but you can help the living if you get back in there. Are there any animals that you can take care of?"

Fluttershy blinked, and the a small smile appeared on her face. "Actually, no animals were hurt according to Mr. Squirrel here."

"Oh?"

"Oh, yes. The animals felt the earthquake before it happened and fled."

"Well, that's good news."

"Yes. I . . . I guess I'll go and see if anyone needs help caring for the hurt ponies."

"That's the spirit, Fluttershy."

After shakily getting to her feet, Fluttershy trotted towards the tents. Twilight watched her leave with a hollow smiled before heading toward the ruin sight. Despite the casualties, everything was going fairly smoothly and she wanted to actually help. As she approached the edge of the ruins, she could see Applejack hustled together with some other strong earth ponies.

"Twilight! Thank Celestia, you're here. There's a great big boulder that we can't seem to move and ah think that there are some ponies trapped behind it. Could ya lend us some o' your magic?" Applejack asked.

"Of course!".

They galloped down through the ruins and halted before the giant rock. It was half the size of the barn at Sweet Apple Acres and was embedded within the remains of a building that looked to be a home. Twilight closed her eyes and lowered her horn. A lavender glow flared from it while a similar aura enveloped the bolder. Slowly, it lifted off the ground. Dust and smaller rocks streamed out and settled on the ground. The bolder moved slowly forward, away from the home and then out to the side. It then dropped to the ground and the magical aura surrounding it vanished.

Twilight opened her eyes and gazed inside the house. Most of everything was destroyed and the stairwell to the upper floor had collapsed. Applejack moved up beside her. "Twilight, ah can't get up to that second floor. Can you take a look up there while my team sweeps the ground?"

Not even taking the time to answer, Twilight opened her wings and flew. She landed and immediately squinted. It was much darker up here as the roof was still partially intact. The sun was beginning to lower, contributing to the darkness. There was a ruined bed, shattered windows, and a broken down closet.

Twilight's gaze scanned the room, only to find that no pony other than herself was present. A piece of paper, however, caught her eye. She lifted it with her magic and drew it closer. It was ripped and only half of it was intact, but some of the contents could be made out. It was hoof drawn map of Manewood. It wasn't masterful work, but it was clearly detailed and color coordinated.

Twilight turned away and prepared her wings to descend to the ground floor when a sound compelled her to stop. It was the faintest of a cough. Twilight turned back around and followed the sound to a pile of broken floorboards and concrete blocks. Above this spot, the roof had completely collapsed. She listened closely and thought she could hear the sound of faint breathing.

Summoning her magic, she cast aside the debris, and her heart all but stopped at the sight.

It was a small green colt with a brown mane. His eyes were closed but his chest was slowly expanding and contracting. Small trickles of blood dripped from his nose and from several gashes on his body. Just in front of his mouth was a blue crayon and a ripped piece of paper. The other half of the map.

Twilight slowly suspended the colt and drew him into her hooves. She rubbed the dust off his face and the blood off his nose. She rocked him back and fourth, as a mother would her child.

The colt's eyes fluttered and then opened. "Mommy?"

The effort of speaking caused a spasm to shudder his body and he coughed more violently. Small dribble of blood escaped his mouth.

Twilight's eyes widened in alarm. She quickly wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke. "Don't try and talk, Sweetie. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

The colt mirrored Twilight's wide eyed stance. "You mean, Princess Tw-"

"Hush now, child. And yes. Princess Twilight Sparkle."

The colt's breathing became more raspy and erratic. His body shuddered again and his eyes welled up with tears.

"Am I going to die?"

Twilight gripped the colt tighter and nuzzled him. "No, sweetheart. I won't let you. I promise."

As if her words held magic of their own, the colt's body responded. The shuddering slowed and his breathing stilled. He leaned his head on Twilight's chest and coughed one more time. His eyes slowly rolled back into his head.

"No, I won't let you die," Twilight whispered furiously to herself. She empowered her horn and light filled the broken room. She could feel the life force leaving the colt and knew it was only a matter of time. Healing magic was not something that she had much experience with, but perhaps she could buy some time.

She directed her magic into the colt. She could feel many injuries in his body. There were several internal ruptures in addition to the surface lacerations. She altered her magical weave from a sensing one to a soothing one. She could not completely heal him, but she could halt the bleeding until she got him to the doctors.

Knowing that she could do no more, she opened her wings and flew at a speed that would make Rainbow Dash proud.

"I won't let you."

Between Life and Dreams

Chapter 3: Between Life and Dreams

Little Shine slowly came out of the darkness of sleep. His mind was still frazzled, unable to form clear thoughts. His eyes were sealed shut, and no amount of effort would compel them to open. He turned his attention to his sense of touch. Clearly, he was no longer on the wooden floor of his bedroom, as he could feel a soft material embracing him. Still unable to will his eyes open, he began the process of sliding one of his hooves across the fabric.

His hoof didn't move one inch before he was assaulted by pain. It was like the blade of a knife slicing him from the inside. His whole body seized up and refused to move. Just as quickly as the pain had come, it died down, and was replaced by a new feeling.

It was a sickening tidal wave. It started in his gut and then cascaded high into his chest. When it climbed even higher into his throat, Little Shine was sure that he was going to eject his stomach. Luckily, this was not to be, but like the pain before it, it faded and was replaced by one more feeling.

It was the biggest head rush he had ever experienced. If Little Shine could have widened his eyes, he would have. It was an explosion in his mind, and whatever clear thoughts he had formed scattered.

He lost all feeling, and once again sunk into the darkness of sleep.

* * *

The coastal water washed against Little Shine's hooves as he gazed out at the descending sun. He particularly liked the feeling of the warm sand under his belly. He was all alone at the beach, and the sound of the waves was like a soothing lullaby to him.

Beside his right fore-hoof, a little shell lay in the sand. It was flat and circular in shape, but unlike the other shells that were scattered along the shore, it was jet black in color. Little Shine stared at it intently. Every other shell is white. So, what's up with this one, he thought.

Normally, Little Shine's perception was very acute. Between his deep contemplation and the soft sand, however, he failed to notice the hoof-steps of another pony approaching. This realization occurred when a violent shove upon his side rendered him breathless. He rolled onto his back and let out a grunt. A lightning bolt shot through him briefly, and his body contracted for a second.

"Aw, I didn't hurt you, did I?" the other pony said.

Little Shine slowly rolled back over and got back on his hooves. The amount of effort it took him to stand was painful, and he shuddered at the top. He shook his head and glanced at his attacker. It was an orange colt.

"What did you do that for, Thornbush?" Little Shine asked.

"Oh, I just wanted to see how long it would take you to get back up," Thornbush sneered. "What was that you were looking at, a little baby shell?"

"I think it's a really pretty shell, and it's black, too."

"Oh, it's pretty, is it?"

Thornbush trotted over to where the little black shell was resting. He tilted his head and examined it for a bit, and brought his hoof down. The shell shattered into countless pieces. Thornbush lifted his hoof once more, and kicked the sand. There was no longer any trace of the shell as the pieces sank down through the water of the shore.

"Hey! I was going to bring that home and show my mom and dad!" Little Shine said.

"Aw, Shiny Whiny was gonna bring a little shell to mommy and daddy. What a little baby."

"I'm not a baby!"

Thornbush laughed and took a step toward Little Shine. "You're such a baby. You're so weak that you can't even buck the apples off a sapling."

Little Shine's ears drooped. "It's not my fault that I'm not strong. But I'm good at other things."

"Oh ya. Like what? Daydreaming? Whining?"

Little Shine stomped his hoof into the sand. "You know what? If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all!"

"Aw, is that something that mommy and daddy said to you?"

"Yes, actually."

Thornbush reared his head back and laughed again. "Your such a wimp, Little Shine. You can't do anything without your mommy and daddy holding your hoof. You should just give up on life. Face it. Your not going to get far."

Little Shine's calm demeanor began to crack. The hint of tears were beginning to form. "Why can't you just leave me alone? Pick on someone else."

Thornbush snorted. "Someone else might actually stand up for them self. You're too easy, Shiny Whiny. You are a baby, after all."

It was too much for Little Shine. No response was improving the situation and he didn't know what else to say. The only option left for him was to walk away. Unfortunately, this course of action did not agree with Thornbush's plan.

As Little Shine turned to leave, Thornbush galloped in front of him. Little Shine tried to move around him, but to no avail.

"Get out of the way, Thornbush. I want to go home."

"Aw, running away to mommy and daddy. Typical. Well, that's not going to happen. We need to do something first."

Little Shine tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "And what would that be."

"We're going to play Last Buck."

Little Shine's eyes widened. Last Buck was a game that Thornbush and his friends liked to play. Each pony would take turns bucking each other until one gave in. It wasn't allowed in school, of course, due to its violent nature. But that didn't stop Thornbush and his friends from playing when the teachers weren't looking.

Little Shine shook his head. "No."

"Aw, come on! I'll even let you go first, Shiny Whiny."

"No, Thornbush. I don't want to play."

"Ok. I guess I'll go first."

Thornbush spun around and reared his hind legs. With a triumphant growl, he bucked.

* * *

Consciousness bubbled up through the haze of sleep. Little Shine could still feel the soft fabric cocooning him, while cold air brushed against his face. He lay there motionless, afraid to move, as he didn't want to repeat the same awful experience twice. Several minutes passed and the sound of crickets was his only companion. He listened to them, as there was nothing else to do but wait.

His mind was a lot more clear then that last time he had woken, and questions began to form in his mind. Where am I? How did I get here? Where's mom and dad? Where's Stone Pillar?

As he pondered each question in turn, a new sound reached his ears. It was the sound of a tent zipper opening, and then a flutter of wings along with the trotting of hooves. He was still scared to move, and didn't dare attempt to open his eyes. There was a thud as the fluttering ceased.

"Is he, um, going to be okay?" a soft female voice asked.

"Yes. His heart rate is much more stable now then a few hours ago. His breathing is a lot stronger, too," a deep male voice answered.

"Oh, that's just wonderful. Twilight was really worried."

"Indeed. The princess looked quite rattled. She's been hounding me every five minutes."

"Well, he was really injured. I'm so happy that you were able to save him."

"Hmm, yes. The surgery went quite well," the male voice affirmed. "I have some more rounds to make. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Oh, yes. Well, I mean, Twilight asked me to and I've had a lot of experience tending to animals, so, I should be okay."

"Very well then. If you do have any problems just call one of the nurses."

"I will. Thank you doctor."

The sound of heavy hoof-steps faded to nothing, and then the zipper closed. Softer hoof-steps grew nearer. It was at this point that Little Shine decided to try and open his eyes. It was a painful process, but slowly, his eyelids obeyed his command. After a few blinks, his eyes stayed open, and for the first time in several hours, he was able to see the outside world.

A yellow pegasus with a pink mane and three butterflies as a cutie mark stood before him. He was inside a small tent, and was wrapped in a blanket resting upon a mattress. He turned his head and saw that the tent was illuminated only by an oil lantern, and it was clear that the night was in full swing. He turned his focus back onto the pegasus. She smiled at him and trotted closer.

"Oh, your awake. How are you feeling, Sweetie?" she asked.

Little Shine contemplated the question for a moment. He didn't feel any passive pain, and he had been able to open his eyes.

"Okay, I guess," he said. "I haven't tried moving yet, though."

"I think it would be best if you didn't move just yet. What's your name?"

"Little Shine."

"Little Shine. That's a nice name. I'm Fluttershy."

Little Shine tentatively stretched a hoof. Unlike his first attempt, there was no sharp pain. It did feel like every muscle was drained of energy, and his leg ached.

"Oh, Sweetie. I don't think you should move too much," Fluttershy said.

Little Shine obeyed and fell still. He didn't mind not moving too much at the best of times, and the blanket was very comfy.
It was the only one in the tent, he realized, which then lead him to an alarming thought.

"Where's mom and dad? Where's Stone Pillar?" he asked.

Fluttershy looked down at the floor and dug at the ground. "Um . . . Well."

Fluttershy didn't continue. Little Shine waited. She still didn't say anything. A slow realization crept into Little Shine's mind, and a blade pierced his heart.

"No."

Fluttershy put a hoof around Little Shine and held him gently. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. You were the only one that Twilight found and-"

"NO!"

When one is emotionally charged, physical shortcomings can sometimes be temporarily forgotten, and others can sometimes feel this emotion as their own. Despite the aches and pains, Little Shine threw his hooves around his head and wept, while Fluttershy fought hard to keep back her own tears. The thought of losing one's whole family was almost too much for her to bear. She wrapped her wing around Little Shine and pulled him close.

"Shhh. . . It's okay."

Over an hour passed while Little Shine let out his sorrow. Fluttershy couldn't imagine what was going through his mind. He was just a young colt, and he had lost everything. She sat there, gently stroking him with her wing, trying to come up with something else to say other than "it's okay". When a tear drop plopped onto Little Shine's head, she realized that she, too, was crying softly. The sound of the tent zipper opening took her attention away from Little Shine, and Twilight walked inside. She slowly approached the two ponies, glancing back and forth between them.

Fluttershy glanced up at Twilight. "Little Shine, look. The princess is here."

She looked back down at Little Shine, only to find that his eyes were closed. He was no longer crying, and his breathing was deep.

"Oh, I guess he cried himself to sleep," Fluttershy said.

"It sounds like you almost could have done the same, Fluttershy," Twilight closed the gap between them and sat down. "Are you okay?"

Fluttershy sighed. "It's just so sad, Twilight. He lost his whole family. It would be like me losing you, or Rainbow Dash, or Rarity, or . . . or anypony. I can't imagine what that would be like."

"I know," Twilight said as she stroked his mane with her hoof. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"It'll take a while for him to accept what's happened, I think. What is going to happen with him?"

Twilight looked up at Fluttershy. "Well, we need to find out if he has any extended family or guardians to take care of him. His name is Little Shine?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Okay, when we get back to Canterlot, I'll check the Equestrian census records."

Twilight stood up and headed toward the exit. Before stepping through the opening, she looked back at Fluttershy. "You're doing a great job, Fluttershy. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Twilight."

* * *

Little Shine lay in a hospital bed that was centered in the room. Stone Pillar sat on the bed with him, holding his hoof. Both Radiant Wing and Brass Hoof stood beside the bed, looking down at their injured son.

The room was a small but private room in the hospital. The walls were a light blue color, similar to Radiant Wing's coat. There was a small bedside table beside Stone Pillar, and a window just beyond that. The bright morning sun filtered through and saturated the room. A small shelf of foals' books was in the opposite corner to the window, and a private bathroom door lay just beyond the base of the bed.

The sign of fatigue could be seen on both parents. They had spent the entire night here with their son, and the ordeal had taxed them mentally and physically. Radiant Wing was forced to cancel a late art class that she was teaching when she heard the dire news. Brass Hoof had been preparing for a meeting that was to occur the next day with a sales representative from the clay mine.

It had been a friend of Stone Pillar, Beryl Wind, that had found Little Shine alone on the beach. She had been giving her little sister a flying lesson, and spotted his crumbled form. Immediately she had rushed to find Stone Pillar.

Stone Pillar looked down at his brother. "How are you doing, Bro?"

Little Shine stared at the wall. "As long as I don't move, I'm fine."

There was not much he could do to move anyway. His chest was wrapped like a straight jacket in bandages. Several of his ribs had been broken, and one of the bone splinters had pierced his lung.

"Why? Why did he do that? I don't understand," Little Shine asked.

"I don't know, Shine," answered Stone Pillar.

"Well, I intend to have a long talk with his parents," Brass Hoof said.

Radiant Wing put a hoof on her husband, and looked into his eyes. "Just be careful, Dear. I know you're angry, but you don't want to lose your temper and say something you'll regret."

"Don't worry, Wing. I won't deny that I am angry, but I also know that creating family feuds won't help. I've dealt with a lot of, 'interesting' ponies at the mine before."

"Does he really hate me that much?" Little Shine sniffed.

Radiant Wing and Brass Hoof turned back to Little Shine. Radiant Wing sighed. "I don't think he hates you, Little Shine. Something else is going on with him, I think. I'm just not sure what."

Stone Pillar huffed. "Mom. He bucked Little Shine across the shore, and didn't even stay to help. How is that not hate?"

Radiant Wing was silent for a while before answering. "True hatred is a very rare thing, Stone Pillar. And it's even rarer in a pony that young. Clearly, Thornbush is a bully, and bullies usually have something that they're hiding. That's why they do it, to cover up their own weakness."

"What could Thornbush be hiding?" Little Shine asked.

Radiant Wing smiled. "If I knew that, Little Shine, we would've solved this a lot sooner."

A soft knock caught the attention of everypony. A light green mare carrying a saddlebag stood just outside the door. She timidly poked her head inside.

"Beryl Wind! Come in, Dear." Radiant Wing extended her wing and waved her in.

"Thanks, Radiant Wing." Beryl Wind trotted right beside Little Shine and smiled warmly. "Oh, I'm so glad that you're okay. Glimmer was so worried about you. She practically cried herself to sleep."

Little Shine could barely believe what he was hearing. A filly was worried about him?

"Really?" he asked.

"Of course, Little Shine. She wanted me to give this to you. She hopes you'll like it."

Beryl Wing undid her saddle bad, pulled something out with her teeth, and then plopped it on the bed in front of Little Shine. It was wrapped up and topped with a little blue bow. Little Shine stared at it curiously, and then at Stone Pillar.

"I got it, Bud." Stone Pillar scooped up the present and gently unwrapped it. Inside was a small box of crayons.

Little Shine's eyes lit up like fireflies and he let out a squee. Crayons were his favorite objects in the whole wide world, and several days ago, Thornbush had thrown away his last box.

"Oh my gosh. Thank you, thank you! Where is Glimmer?"

Beryl Wind chukled. "She's in school right now, Little Shine. But maybe she could visit later today. Would you like that?"

"Oh, yes please."

Stone Pillar slid the crayons over to Little Shine, and any conversation around him was lost. He inspected every crayon to admire their distinct color, and was dutifully satisfied. Perhaps this day would get better after all.

A Veiled Gift

Chapter 4: A Decision in Canterlot

Little Shine stepped off the train, and stared down the brightly colored street, his eyes in a state of wonder. Ponies prowled around in fancy dresses and magnificent suits. The buildings towered ominously over his head, dwarfing anything that he had seen back in Manewood. The scale was nothing like anything Little Shine had ever felt before, and its vastness sent a wave of unease through him.

In Manewood, there had been an unshakable sense of peace. At any given time, one could have strolled around the village and listened to nothing but the sound of the birds singing or the wind through the trees. There had been the occasional laughter of school foals playing, or a family enjoying their time together. In the evening, one could have relaxed by the town center, where activities such as group singing and dancing had occurred. In a small village, almost everypony knew each other, and a strong sense of community bound them all together.

This place, however, was completely different. It felt like a machine. Everypony knew their place in the order of things. There was sense of formality that dominated each and every encounter. Everywhere Little Shine looked activity was occurring, and thus, the noise was a lot more prominent then he was used to. Carts and carriages rumbled through the streets, and ponies were everywhere.

It was a place that Little Shine had always dreamed of going. It was a name that had always filled his mind with desire and wonder, and at one time, he had been the happiest colt alive to find out that his family planned on visiting here. This was Canterlot.

It had been one week since the disaster at Manewood. Little Shine moved with a crippling limp, but he could walk. His strength, as weak as it was, was starting to come back. He had to be careful, of course. As his injuries had not fully healed, one wrong fall would set him back for a long time.

Fluttershy hopped off the train behind him. She noted the wondrous stare he was wearing, and smiled.

"You've never been to Canterlot before, have you Little Shine?" she asked.

Little Shine looked back at her. "No. We were planning on coming as a family, before. . . you know."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something painful."

"It's okay. I promised myself that I'm not going to cry anymore."

Despite his declaration, he found it difficult to suppress the tears that were attempting to form in his eyes. The memory was a painful one. He had been so happy when he had found out, and then his whole world had turned upside down.

Fluttershy put her wing over him and nuzzled him. "I'm really proud of you, Little Shine, and I'm glad that you're trying to be strong. Just remember that it's okay to cry. Even grown ponies do it sometimes."

Little Shine leaned against her. "I know. My mom used to cry sometimes. My dad would always comfort her." Little Shine looked up into Fluttershy's eyes. "Thank you for being with me."

"Oh, you're welcome, sweetheart."

The two of them continued to walk down the street. Little Shine was content to watch all the ponies that passed by, and marveled at their high class couture. Half an hour passed, and they finally reached their destination.

It was a white and gold complex. Great towers reached for the sky, and were connected by giant walkways. The main gate loomed over a drawbridge that drew a safe path over top of the water. Little Shine's eye widened as they walked through the gate.

"Here. We get to stay here!" he exclaimed.

"That's right."

"But. . . This is the royal castle of Canterlot!"

"Oh, yes. Princess Celestia offered us all rooms here."

Little Shine stopped walking. "Wait . . . Princess Celestia. As in the Princess that raises the sun every day? As in . . . The pony that rules all of Equestria."

"Along with her sister, Princess Luna, yes."

For the first time in a week, Little Shine forgot the tragedy. It was the single most exiting piece of news that he had heard, and had he not been so recently injured, he would have jumped up and down out of joy.

"Oh, wow! We get to stay in Canterlot Castle!" Little Shine's voice suddenly dropped. "Do you think we'll get to meet the Princess?"

"Um, she might come in and say 'hi', I suppose."

Fluttershy noticed a drop in Little Shine's stance. He was silent as they stepped up the stairs to the main entrance.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I never actually thought that I would meet the Princess, and . . . well, I guess I'm a bit nervous."

Fluttershy giggled. "Oh, don't worry about that. She's the nicest pony you will ever meet."

"Really?"

"Really."

It was a long trek up the spiral stairway leading up to one of the tower suites. Little Shine shivered as the wind of higher elevation whisked across his body. They reached the top of the stairs, and opened the door leading inside.

"Wow! I've never seen anything so fancy," Little Shine said.

The room was large, and was decorated to suit royalty. Each of the four beds had beautifully embroidered blankets, along with multiple frilly pillows. The floor was covered with a carpet that bore the sigil of the sun and moon. There was a private bathroom with a glass shower and gold bordered mirrors.

Little Shine felt like a king. Upon noticing the third and fourth bed, however, he up at Fluttershy questioningly. "Are there other ponies staying with us?"

"Oh, Rainbow Dash and Rarity will be staying here, too. I hope that's okay," Fluttershy said.

"Um, I guess."

"It's okay, Little Shine. Rainbow Dash is a really nice pony. She can be a little bit cocky sometimes, but she has a good heart. Rarity is a bit of a fashion queen, but she's also got a gentle heart."

"Okay."

Little Shine jumped up and lay down on one of the beds. He rested his head on his hooves. "Feels good to just relax."

Fluttershy trotted beside the bed. "That's good, sweetie. You walked a lot today. Now, I'm going to go out for a bit. Will you be okay here."

"Ya, I guess."

"Is there anything I can get you while I'm out?"

Is there anything I need? Little Shine scanned the room and contemplated his answer. After a few moments with his hoof to his chin, his eyes lit up.

"Do you think you could get me some crayons, and paper?"

Fluttershy smiled as she headed toward the door. "Of course."

Little Shine rested his head once again on his hooves and closed his eyes. The bed was so soft. Is this what pegasi feel when they lay down on a cloud?

* * *

"Fluttershy, my dear, you really ought to stand still. Otherwise this will take a rather long time."

"Oh, right."

Rarity gripped a roll of fabric with her magic, and draped it over Fluttershy's body. She stared at it inquisitively, then returned it to its place on the shelf. She repeated this process several times with different colors and textures. She looked at her design on the paper she was suspending, then around the store. A multitude of small objects, like flowers and beads, floated toward Fluttershy. They circled around, testing new locations on her, trying to find the perfect spots.

"That's better, Fluttershy. Thank you for being so helpful. These inspirations come quite suddenly, you see, and I didn't want to wait until we got back to Ponyville," Rarity said.

"I don't mind. I just need to pick up a box of crayons before I head back," Fluttershy responded.

Rarity took one last look at her design sheet and then levitated all her chosen items into a shopping bag. "Whatever do you need crayons for, dear?"

"Well, Little Shine asked me if he could have some. And some paper, I guess."

Rarity trotted up to the cashier, a young mare, shopping bag in tow. She smiled, laid out several bits for her to take, offered her thanks, then headed toward the exit with Fluttershy.

"Hmm, I can't help but feel awful for that colt. I can't imagine what he must be feeling," Rarity said.

"He seemed pretty calm when I left him. Actually, now that I think of it, he was pretty good the whole trip here."

"Well, it has been a week, I suppose." Rarity snared the door handle and opened it wide. "It's good to hear that he's starting to adjust."

The two mares exited to the street of Canterlot. They trotted, side by side, until they reached the Living Art. It was a magnificent looking crafts store positioned just a few blocks down from the fashion store that they just left. A brown stallion carrying a bundle of paint brushes came out of the door. He smiled and held the door open, allowing Fluttershy and Rarity inside.

"Why, thank you kind sir," Rarity said.

"My pleasure ma'am."

Rarity allowed her eye's to follow his movements for a moment, before shaking her head and following Fluttershy into the store.

Fluttershy made her way down to the aisle where the crayons were. Despite the many different boxes to choose from, she trotted toward the first one and prepared to grab it in her teeth. She was quickly stopped, however.

"Fluttershy! You can't just take the first one you see. We have to find just the right one," Rarity scolded.

"Um, I don't think he'll really mind what-"

"We simply cannot allow anything less than absolute fabulosity to grace his artistic will!"

"But-"

"Honestly, Fluttershy. He just lost his family and home. We can't just give him something that's just mediocre."

"Oh, okay. If you say so"

The next few minutes were filled with the sound of many different variations of the word 'no', and the occasional sigh. Several more minutes passed, and every crayon box in the store had been thoroughly analyzed. Upon comparing several most likely picks, a victor was finally chosen.

"Oh, yes. This is the one. Don't you agree, Fluttershy," Rarity said.

"Yes."

"Look at it. It's got the most variable of colors. They're the perfect size for a little colt his age. And, oh, look at this!" Rarity looked at the back of the box. "'The only box of crayons endorsed by River Veil.' Oh, how fabulous."

"It looks nice."

"Do you even know who River Veil is?"

"Not really."

Rarity's mouth dropped open. She didn't even hear the store door open behind her. "River Veil is only the most established artistic talent in all of Canterlot! Her work is absolutely fantastic."

"Well, I don't know about 'all' of Canterlot, but thank you for your kind words," a soft voice said. "I didn't know that my work was so well known. I don't really pay attention to that fame stuff."

Rarity snapped around, and her eyes became dinner plates. Standing before her was the very unicorn that she had praised so highly of. Her pink mane sparkled in the sunlight, and she stepped toward the two. "I'm River Veil. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Rarity blinked, then lightly smacked herself with her hoof and extended it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too. I'm Rarity."

"I'm Fluttershy."

River Veil accepted Rarity's hoof. "Rarity. Why do I know that name? Oh, yes! Fancy Pants mentioned you. You're a pretty big shot dress maker from Ponyville, aren't you?"

Normally, Rarity was able to keep control over her excitement. But being regarded as a 'big shot' by a very high status pony in Canterlot was just too much for her. Her legs wobbled and her eyes glazed. Fluttershy quickly jumped beside her to offer a stable support, which Rarity instantly took. She took a moment to stable both her body and mind before responding.

"Yes, I . . . Um, I do live in Ponyville. Fancy Pants mentioned me?"

"Yes. He came to support my newest unveiling at the Royal Canterlot Art Gallery yesterday. We got talking for a bit afterward, and your name came up."

At the mention of the Gallery, Fluttershy tilted her head. Hadn't somepony mentioned the Gallery to her not too long ago? "Um, excuse me, Miss Veil. Was your art the only piece being shown yesterday."

River Veil looked up in thought. "Hmm, now that you mention it, there was supposed to be another pony unveiling her work. She never showed up, though."

A pang of emotion shot through Fluttershy, and she was the one who needed support. Rarity put her hoof around her, and River Veil extended a concerned hoof.

"Are you alright, dear?" River Veil asked.

Fluttershy was unable to answer right away. Rarity spoke in her stead.

"You see, Miss Veil, Fluttershy is currently looking after a small colt, a survivor of Manewood," -River Veil's eyes widened- "and his mother was going to showcase her newest work in the Royal Canterlot Art Gallery sometime this week. Unfortunately she . . . didn't make it."

River Veil put her hooves around both Rarity and Fluttershy. She lowered her voice. "That's just awful. I'd heard about the tragedy in Manewood, but I didn't stop and think . . . is there anything I can do?"

Fluttershy met her eye, and was finally able to speak. "No, it's okay. I don't know why I'm so sad. I barely know the colt. I've only been taking care of him for a week, and he was asleep for most of that."

The three ponies stood in silence together. River Veil took her eye off of Flutterhshy and down at the box of crayons. She chuckled. "That, is my son's favorite artistic tool in the world."

Fluttershy perked up. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. He loves drawing. I always buy him that type because it lasts the longest. The company offered me some bits if I endorsed them, so I thought 'sure, why not." River's eyes lit up as an idea presented itself. "Hey, would you like me to sign the box for you."

"Oh, I bet Little Shine would like that," Fluttershy said.

River's horn lit up and drew out a quill and ink. She then suspended the box in the air and began to write. Fluttershy and Rarity waited patiently, and looked upon the message once River was done.

To a little shining star.
-River Veil

* * *

Fluttershy entered the tower suite. She gazed at the bed where Little Shine was sleeping, and trotted closer. Rarity was just behind her, levitating the box of crayons and a roll of paper.

"Oh, what a little darling he is," Rarity said.

"Isn't he?"

Rarity placed the box and paper down on the small bedside table. "What is going to happen with him?"

"Twilight said that she was going to check the equestrian records when we arrived to see if he had any family."

"And if he doesn't?"

Fluttershy looked stunned. "Rarity, how could you say something like that?"

"My dear, obviously I don't want to think that he has no other family, but all the other survivors from Manewood met theirs when they got off the train in Canterlot, or they left on their own accord to reconnect." Rarity looked down at Little Shine's sleeping form. "But with Little Shine, there was no meeting at the train station. No one came to find him at the camp. There wasn't even any letters of concern regarding him from anypony. Did he ever mention any others?"

Fluttershy looked at the floor. "No."

"So my question still stands. What does Twilight plan on doing if she can't find anything in the records?"

A cold chill passed through one of the windows. It was as if the weather, itself, could somehow sense the grim situation for the poor colt. Rarity shivered, and shut the window with her magic.

"The only downfall with staying in a suite so high, I suppose," she murmured to herself.

"Rarity, do you think that if . . . you know. . .do you think that he could come home to Ponyville with us?"

Rarity pulled Fluttershy into an embrace.

"If it comes to that, then we'll make it happen."

Asking the Question

Chapter 5: Asking the Question

Twilight flipped a page, and sifted through its contents. Several volumes of the Equestrian census records lay scattered about the table. It was still midday, and a window illuminated the room with warm light. Many books and records were organized on shelves in this room. It was the administrative section of the Royal Canterlot Archives.

It was a daunting task, trying to find the record of a single pony among the ocean of names throughout all of Equestria. To Twilight's dismay, the system of organization relied completely on family grouping rather than alphabetical organization, and made what should have been a relatively easy search, into a painfully dull process.

She had begun her search as soon as she had arrived at Canterlot Castle earlier that morning, not even stopping to eat. The only pony that she had stopped to talk to was the royal guard in front of the archives, and that had only consisted of one sentence: "Let me in."

For the next several hours she sat in silent study. The only sound in the room was the magic of her horn flipping pages and lifting books. I've got to remember to revise this whole system sometime, she thought to herself. Flipping another page, she continued her search, and then froze.

There it was.

She stared at the page for a moment. Her hours of searching was finally over. The flare of excitement over finding her prize, however, quickly melted into apprehension. It was now time to find out the truth that she had been seeking.

Name: Little Shine
Classification: Earth Pony
Location of Birth: Manewood
Mother: Radiant Wing
Father: Brass Hoof
Siblings: Stone Pillar (brother)
Extended Family: None

The last line of the entry burned into Twilight's mind. Her ears drooped and her body stiffened. She read the entry over again, and after still not believing her own eyes, read it a third time. It just didn't seem to be possible.

He was alone. He was completely and utterly alone.

It was the opposite of everything that Twilight had known. The magic of her friendship was such a powerful force in her life, and the thought of having no one was beyond her understanding. It was true that she had spent a lot of her earlier life with much fewer friends than in her later years, but she still had had Spike. She had had Princess Celestia, her mother and father, and Shining Armor.

Soft hoof steps echoed behind her, and a voice called out. "Twilight?"

Twilight looked up from the book to behold her mentor. Celestia stood just inside the door, her mane flowing in the air.

"Princess Celestia." Twilight got off her seat, trotted over to her, and they shared an embrace.

"The guards told me that you've been here since this morning," Celestia said.

"Yes. Finding the name of anypony here is crazy. It's not even alphabetical!"

Celestia chuckled. "Something tells me that that's going to change soon." She paused for a bit before continuing. "What pony are you looking for?"

Twilight looked down. "I was looking for Little Shine."

"Ah, the colt that is staying in the suite with the others."

Twilight nodded.

"Did you find his record?" Celestia asked.

Twilight didn't respond with words, instead picking up the book with her magic and levitating it over. She turned it so that the open page faced Celestia.

Celestia glanced down the page to where Little Shine's entry rested. She read the contents, then looked back at Twilight.

"Where are his parents, Twilight?"

It wasn't that Celestia didn't already know the answer. It was obvious to her what had happened, but she wanted to see how Twilight would respond. In the last year, Twilight had taken to her new role as princess quickly. She had dealt with the new responsibilities without a hitch, and Equestria had seen great days since her ascension. However, this was the first time that a disaster had happened in a long time. Celestia strained her memory to remember when something like this had happened even in her rule.

Twilight met Celestia's gaze, the hint of a tear forming. The book dropped to the floor. "They're gone." She dropped the book to the floor and gazed down again. "He has nopony else, and I wasn't able to save-"

"Twilight. There was nothing you could have done."

Twilight looked back up. The strength of Celestia's soft words succeeded in soothing Twilight's pain, and she listened.

"What happened in Manewood was beyond your control. Even I did not see it coming, nor Luna. You shouldn't blame yourself for it." Celestia moved around Twilight so that they were face to face. "You did a wonderful job at helping the ponies that could be helped. How many did your group save?"

"Um, I think there was about forty, or fifty," Twilight mumbled.

"Exactly. Without you and your leadership, those ponies would have died. Think about that, Twilight. You saved over forty ponies."

Twilight tilted her head up in contemplation. "I guess I never thought about that."

"As a leader, we cannot always prevent all the bad in this world. We just have to do what we can to make the best of it." Celestia sighed. "As a princess, it's always harder. We have the responsibility of many ponies in our hooves. Many of these ponies we haven't even met, and when we fail them, it's the worst kind of disappointment."

Twilight slowly nodded. "I know. That's how I felt when I found out about the disaster, and when I found Little Shine. I kept thinking about how I could have prevented it, how I could have saved them, and that I failed to do so." Igniting her horn, she levitated the record book back onto the table. "I realize that there was nothing I could have done, but . . . it still hurts. Just thinking about Little Shine with no one left, I couldn't imagine what that would be like."

"Losing your family is one of the most painful things that a pony can endure, and enduring it alone makes it even harder," Celestia said. "What are you going to do with Little Shine?"

"I . . I don't know. I thought about bringing him back to Ponyville to stay, but . . . I just don't know," Twilight said.

"Well, I think that's a wonderful idea."

"You do?"

Celestia laughed and put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. There was a cheeky grin on her face. "You didn't turn out to bad in Ponyville, did you?"

Twilight stared blankly, then slowly began to smile. "I guess not. I just don't know if I'll have time to take care of him. I mean, I have so many responsibilities."

"And are you the only pony in Ponyville, Twilight?"

"What? Of course not."

Celestia moved toward the window and gazed out across the land. She motioned for Twilight to come closer. "Look out across Canterlot and tell me what you see."

Twilight stared out the window. "There are a lot of buildings. There's the mountain and the waterfalls." She looked up at Celestia. "What are you trying to tell me princess."

"What else do you see?"

Twilight looked again. It was midday and many ponies were out on the streets, making their way to various shops or to their work. "There are lots of ponies, I guess."

"That's right. Now, even though Ponyville is very small compared to Canterlot, if you looked upon the streets of Ponyville at this time, would the sight be similar?"

"I suppose."

"So, what am I really trying to say?"

Twilight thought for a moment. She didn't have time to take care of Little Shine all the time, but perhaps she wouldn't have to. Her eyes widened as the dots connected in her mind. "I'm not alone."

Celestia smiled. "The magic of friendship is what has made you what you are today. You didn't defeat Nightmare Moon alone, did you? You didn't battle Discord alone. You are not alone. You never have been." She stepped closer to Twilight. "I think that Little Shine will need you and your friends to make it through this."

Twilight returned the smile. "Your right, Princess. He'll need us all to be there for him." She nuzzled Celestia. "Hey, how did you know that he was staying in the suite?"

"Oh, I just dropped in to make sure your friends had everything that they needed. I have to say, he's a very sweet little colt."
Celestia turned toward the door. "On that note, I have some matters to take care of."

"Of course, thank you."

"You're very welcome."

With that, Celestia trotted out the door, leaving Twilight to think about the future.

* * *

Little Shine sat on the bed with a crayon in his mouth. He worked on the little piece of paper in front of him. He stared around the room and took in every little detail. He transcribed his vision down onto the page, switching colors when needed.

Rarity stared down at him dumbfounded. He was so young, yet his ability to replicate what he saw around him put him near the level of master artists in Canterlot. His focus was far beyond any colt his age that she knew. The most astonishing feet was his attention to detail.

The picture was a small section of the suite near one of the windows. The border was magnificently engraved with abstract design. The light from the lowering sun beamed through it, and Little Shine reflected this in his drawing with color shades. His eye for detail became even clearer to Rarity when he began to draw the buildings in the distance through the window. Everything was perfectly proportioned. It was as if he was tracing and coloring in a photo.

Rarity could no longer remain silent. "Little Shine, darling, where in Equestria did you learn to draw like that?"

Little Shine looked up from the page and tilted his head. "Um, I don't know. I've always liked drawing for as long as I can remember. My mom was a painter, so I guess I got some of it from her."

"Well, I can safely say that you have an absolutely brilliant talent for art. It's a wonder that you don't have your cutie mark yet," Rarity said.

Little Shine looked back down. "My brother used to say that. I don't really know why I don't have a cutie mark. My whole family thought it would have been in drawing."

"Well, it'll come in time, darling. You'll see."

"I know. Mom said that it will come when it is ready, and that I can't force it."

"Your mother sounds like she was a very smart mare. She's absolutely right. A cutie mark will come when it is time. If only a certain other group of fillies" - Rarity rolled her eyes - "would take the same advice."

The door to the suite opened, and Fluttershy entered, along with a cyan pegasus that Little Shine had never met. They were deep in conversation.

"So anyway, Spitfire asked me if I wanted to come and train in the advanced session next week. So awesome!" the pegasus was saying.

"Oh, that's so wonderful. I'm so happy for you Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said.

Little Shine watched Rainbow Dash intently. Ponies come in all different colors, but he had never seen a pony with a rainbow colored mane before. She walked with absolute confidence in every step.

"Why, hello Rainbow Dash. It sounds like you had an exciting day today," Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash trotted over to one of the beds and flew on top of it. "It was awesome, a great day with the Wonderbolts."

Little Shine's ears twitched. Did she say Wonderbolts?

Rainbow Dash rolled over on the bed and noticed Little Shine for the first time. She examined him for a quick second and then smiled. "Hey, kid. You must be Little Shine. Fluttershy told me about you. I'm Rainbow Dash."

"Are you really a Wonderbolt?" Little Shine asked.

"Nah, not yet. But I'm training to be. Spitfire says that in a few more months I'll be ready," Rainbow answered.

"That's so cool!" Little Shine exclaimed, then shuddered. It looked like a lightning bolt struck him as his body twitched. His eyes snapped shut.

"Woah, are you okay, kid?" Rainbow asked.

Little Shine shook his head several times. His body began to relax and released the stored tension. Where did that come from?

"I'm okay, just exited to meet a cool pony like you. Fluttershy says I'm still recovering," he said.

"Cool pony, huh. Well, you better take it easy," Rainbow said.

Fluttershy trotted over to Little Shine's bed and looked down at the drawing. "Oh, Little Shine. This is wonderful."

"Isn't it," Rarity agreed.

"Let me see," Rainbow said.

Fluttershy gently curled up the drawing in her hooves and passed it over. Rainbow Dash looked at it intently. "This is pretty cool, Little Shine."

"You really think so?" Little Shine asked.

"It's better than anything I could do," Rainbow replied.

At that moment, the door opened again. The four ponies looked around, and saw Twilight carefully entering the room. She looked around and spotted Little Shine. Approaching slowly, she smiled. "Hi, everypony."

"Hey, Twilight. How's it going?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, I'm here to ask Little Shine some things," Twilight arrived at the bed beside Little Shine. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"Not too bad, I guess," Little Shine replied.

"Little Shine, I need to ask you some questions. Is that okay?"

"Sure."

Twilight took a deep breath. "Little Shine, as far as I can find, you have no extended family. Is that true?"

The pain on Little Shine's face was evident. He drooped his ears and lowered his head. "Yes."

Twilight nuzzled closer. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know this is painful for you. Do you have any appointed guardians?"

"Not that I know of."

Twilight sighed. "Well then. I guess there's just one more question to ask."

Little Shine looked up. "What?"

"Would you like to live in Ponyville?"

Little Shine thought for a moment. There really isn't anywhere that I can think of going to, and I really like Fluttershy and Rarity. They live in Ponyville, so . . .

Little Shine nodded his head. "Yes. I. . . I would like that."

Fluttershy dove at Little Shine. "Oh, that's so wonderful." She gave him a big hug and then parted. "Rarity and I were talking about that, too. You can say with me."

"I think that's a brilliant idea," Rarity said.

"So, it's settled then. Tomorrow morning is the next train to Ponyville," Twilight said.

Little Shine closed his eyes. His life was going to be different from now on, but perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

The strand of light was barely visible in the infinite glow of the void. Slowly, it began to brighten, and drift across the nothingness. Several other strands formed to meet it. Slowly, they guided it, until they reached a new cluster of light.

Here in this new yarn, that strand of light began to weave itself into the pattern.

New Friends

Chapter 6: New Friends

The first day of school for a foal that had recently moved to a new town is always one filled with apprehension. Several times during Little Shine's school years back in Manewood, new students from other villages had joined his class. He had always regarded these new foals with little interest, preferring to keep within the comfort of the small circle of friends that he had. Today was a very frightening day for him, as today he was the new foal.

Little Shine was stood stationary at the door to the classroom, his eyes darted around inside. There were already fillies and colts sitting in the many desks that resided within, and could feel the strong bonds of friendships between certain groups. They were chatting and laughing among each other, leaving Little Shine feeling very out of place. He tentatively took several steps inside.

Almost immediately, Little Shine could feel eyes on him. Whispers began to filter throughout the room, pondering the appearance of this new colt. Little Shine wanted to shrink into a hole and hide. He never imagined that this experience would be so awkward. A tiny giggle of laughter drew his attention to a pink filly with a purple and white mane. She looked beside her to the grey filly with glasses, whispered something, looked back at Little Shine and laughed again.

Little Shine felt his face burn like a sun. Involuntarily, he took a step backward, and was met by a spasm in his hind hoof. No. Not now. Anytime but now!

He shuddered, but managed to stay on his feet. Unfortunately, his blunder did not go unnoticed as the pink filly shrieked with laughter.

"Wow! Here I was thinking that you were just another pathetic blank flank, but you're a total klutz, too," she said.

Little Shine closed his eyes. He was used to such teasing, but coming from a filly was something completely new to him, he wasn't prepared to deal with it. He didn't cry, nor did he run away, but just stood still with his eyes closed. It was almost as if he was weathering a storm, and barely holding firm as the hurtful word washed through him. The vibration of laughter ranged through his ears.

"You're not going to cry are you, blank flank?" the pink filly said.

"Hey! Leave 'im alone, Diamond Tiara."

Little Shine opened his eyes. A filly across the room had risen from her seat and was narrowing her eyes at his verbal aggressor. She was yellow in color, with a red mane topped with a pink bow tie. The most prominent feature that caught Little Shine's eye, however, was the lack of a cutie mark on her flank.

Diamond Tiara huffed and slunk back deeper into her chair. The yellow filly turned to look at Little Shine, and her expression softened. "Hey, why don't ya sit 'ere with us?" She waved her hoof to an empty desk to her right. On the other side of her was a white unicorn, and beside her was an orange pegasus.

Little Shine smiled weakly and trotted over to the desk. He pulled out the chair far enough for him to sit down in it. "Thanks."

"Aw, don't worry about it. What's yer name?"

"Little Shine."

"Pleasure to meet ya, Little Shine. I'm Apple Bloom," -she motioned her hoof toward the other two fillies- "and this is Sweetie Belle, and that's Scootaloo."

Sweetie Belle smiled at Little Shine. "Don't worry about Diamond Tiara. She's nasty to pretty much everypony around here."

"But she won't tease you now that your with us," Scootaloo piped up. "She doesn't like to tease us anymore."

Little Shine stared at her. "Why not?"

Apple Bloom chuckled. "Well, last time mah cousin, Babs Seed, was over, she laid into her pretty hard. Threatened to tell on her mother and such. She's pretty much left us alone after that."

"Wow, that's amazing," Little Shine said. He paused for a moment to picture that image in his head. "So, who's our teacher? Is she nice?"

"Oh, Miss Cheerilee? She's the most awesome teacher in all of Equestria!" Scootaloo said.

"Ya, she's really nice. She really cares about us," Sweetie Belle agreed. She looked over at Diamond Tiara and made a face. "Even her."

"My old teacher was pretty nice. She was a little dull, though," Little Shine remarked.

"Oh ya, your new, aren't you?" Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom planted her forehead firmly on her hoof, and Sweetie Belle just shook her head.

"Well, duh. That's why we're introducing each other and stuff," Sweetie Belle said. "So anyway, where are you from Little Shine?"

"Um, well. . .I,"

Little Shine hadn't anticipated that talking about his home would be so difficult. Although, he realized that it shouldn't be so much of a surprise, considering that the cataclysm had only happened eleven days ago. After sorting out a few things in Canterlot, notably arranging an official guardianship under Fluttershy, he had traveled straight to Ponyville. Arriving at the beginning of the weekend, he had had a few days to familiarize himself with his new home before starting school. It had been a quiet few days, and Little Shine was so caught up in the experience of being somewhere new, that he had temporarily forgotten about the tragedy. Sweetie Belle's innocent question, however, brought back the memories.

Little Shine slowly rested his head on the desk and stared at the chalkboard. "I'm from . . . I was . . . from Manewood."

A soft gasp escaped Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's eyes widened. Scoolaloo covered her mouth with her hoof.

"Are you the orphan that Applejack told me about? The one stayin' with Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom asked.

Little Shine responded only with a short nod, refusing to take his eye off the wall.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked back and forth at each other, unsure as to what to say next. Neither of them had ever dealt with that kind of a loss before, and this lack of experience rendered them unable to find the right words to comfort Little Shine. Apple Bloom, on the other hand, could relate. She slowly reached out her hoof and took Little Shine's. Her gentle touch was enough to bring his eyes away from the wall, and into her own.

"Ah'm so sorry," She said. "Ah know what it's like to lose someone. Ah lost both my parents when ah was really young."

She's lost family, too? Little Shine never considered the possibility that he would ever meet somepony else that had shared his experience, let alone on his first day of school. Radiant Wing had always told him that dealing with difficult situations in life were always much easier when there was a friend who could relate.

"Thanks." Little Shine said.

Sweetie Belle perked up suddenly. "Hey. Do you want to join our club?"

Little Shine tilted his head. "What's your club?"

"Well. Obviously you don't have a cutie mark, but that's okay. None of us have one either. We call ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Sweetie Belle explained.

"Ya! We do all sorts of fun and awesome things to try and get our cutie marks," Scootaloo added.

"We even have our own club house in an old area of Sweet Apple Acres," Apple Bloom said.

"What do you say, Little Shine?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Little Shine thought for a moment. His first impression was that these fillies were going about it the wrong way. A cutie mark was supposed to come when it was ready to happen, not by trying to find it, and that a pony should just let it come on its own. But if it lets me spend time with Apple Bloom. . .

"Sure, I'll join."

His response was met by a sharp squee from Sweetie Belle. Little Shine couldn't help but smile. For the first time in eleven days, he felt like he was a part of something again, and not drowning in a sea of uncertainty.

Hoof-steps caught the attention of all the students as a purple and pink mare entered the classroom and stood in front of them all. She had three smiling flowers on her flank.

"Good morning, class," she greeted.

"Good morning, Miss Cheerilee," the class responded.

"I hope everypony had a very good weekend. Wasn't the sun just gorgeous? Anyway, before we get to our lesson, I would like to introduce you all to a new student. Little Shine, if you could please stand?"

Little Shine didn't much like the idea of being the center of attention, especially after his rather unpleasant entrance. But he didn't want to disappoint, either. Slowly, and with much effort, he rose to his hooves.

Miss Cheerilee smiled at him. "Everypony, this is Little Shine. He just moved to Ponyville this weekend and will be in our class from now on. Make sure you introduce yourself to him and make him feel as welcome as possible."

Diamond Tiara met Little Shine's eye, and stuck her tongue out at him. Little Shine ignored her and looked back at Cheerilee. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Oh, you're very welcome, dear. Now, on to the wonderful world of mathematics. Today we are going to. . ."

* * *

The doors to the Ponyville Schoolhouse burst open, and a tidal wave of young ponies rushed forth into the sun. A torrent of dust puffed up from the earth as scores of hoofs trampled the ground. Ponies scattered in all directions, eager to get on with the more exiting portions of their day.

Little Shine trotted along with the Crusaders down the road leading to the center of town. Scootaloo let out a sound somewhat between a sigh and a grunt.

"Don't get me wrong. I like Miss Cheerilee as much as the next pony, but that math stuff is just booooring." She stretched out her little wings and flexed them.

Sweetie Belle looked over at Scootaloo. "It wasn't that bad."

"Really, you actually like that stuff?" Scootaloo questioned.

"Hey, I didn't say I liked it. I just said it wasn't that bad," Sweetie Belle said.

"Ah just don't understand it. All the numbers and symbols get all jumbled in mah head," Apple Bloom said. "It's not bad enough that we gotta deal with normal numbers, but now we gotta add up parts of numbers? It makes no sense. Ah don't even remember what they're called."

"Fractions," Little Shine said.

"Ya, that's the ones."

"Ugh, let's not talk about school. We have to whole day of adventuring to do!" Scootaloo said. She look at her friends. "So, what should we do?"

"Well, obviously, we have to get ready a membership ceremony for Little Shine," Sweetie Belle declared.

"Of course! Just like we did with Babs," Apple Bloom agreed. "It'll be great."

"And we have to make him an official Cutie Mark Crusader cape," Sweetie Belle said. "I'll see if Rarity has some extra fabric."

"And I'll see if Twilight has any extra quills and scrolls for the speech," Scootaloo said.

"Sounds great. What do you think, Littl-" Apple Bloom stopped in mid sentence. Little Shine was several feet back from them. He was breathing heavily, staring at the ground, and wasn't continuing forward. His body was shaking, and looked to be on the verge of collapse. "Hey, Little Shine. Are you alright?"

Little Shine looked up. "Sorry. You're. . . just going. . . too fast. I can't. . . keep up."

The Crusaders looked questioningly at one another. Apple Bloom trotted back to where Little Shine was huffing. "What's wrong?"

Little Shine's breathing was stilling, but he squeezed his eyes shut. His body was still trembling from his exertion, trying to keep up with the fillies.

"I look pathetic, don't I," He said. A single tear slowly traced his eye.

"Ya, you kinda- ouch!" Scootaloo was stopped dead by a quick hoof jab from Sweetie Belle. Her glare was boring into Scootaloo's brain.

Apple Bloom positioned herself so that her and Little Shine were face to face. Her face wore an expression of concern, and her voice dropped to a soft whisper. "Yer not pathetic, Little Shine. Please, tell me what's wrong. Ah want to help. That's what friends do."

She. . . She's already calling me a friend? A warm glow radiated in Little Shine's heart upon hearing her words, and in that moment, all his feelings of self doubt were washed away. His condition was not one that he commonly confided into others, he hadn't even told Fluttershy. But now, he felt confident enough to share.

"I'm. . . I've always been different to the other colts. I tried to be like them. I tried to do sports and play games with them. But I could never do what they could do. It feels like," Little Shine paused for a moment to think, "whenever I try to do something, my body is purposely resisting me. You know that feeling when you get super tired because you've been playing a really hard game, or doing a really long chore? It only takes me a little bit of work and that's what I feel. Even getting up to my hooves takes so much effort."

Appleb Bloom listened to every word he said with worried interest. She had never heard of any such condition in a pony before. "Do you know what's causing it?"

Little Shine shook his head. "No, my Mom and Dad took me to the doctors in Manewood and had me examined head to hoof. My muscles are working perfectly and nothing seems to be wrong. They said that, if we wanted, we could see a specialist. I can't remember where. Canterlot or Manehatten or somewhere. Anyway, we didn't go because we didn't have enough bits to spare for the train ride. And it isn't life threatening, so. . ." His voice trailed off.

Apple Bloom didn't say anything for a moment. Then, she shifted herself so that she was right beside him. "Well, we'll just walk slowly with you then."

Little Shine looked at her and smiled. No pony in Manewood ever did that for me. Well, other than Stone Pillar and Mom and Dad, I guess.

"Thank you, Apple Bloom. That's means a lot to me."

"Yer welcome."

With that, they trotted onward, slowly. Several minutes passed before they reached the center of town, and it was there that they were ready to part ways.

"Okay, Little Shine. We're going to have yer ceremony of joining tomorrow, so remember to ask Fluttershy if you can come. Ah'll come over around five-o-clock to show you to the clubhouse, alright?" Apple Bloom said.

"It's going to be awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Thanks, guys. I'm really excited," Little Shine said.

"You better be," Sweetie Belle said.

"Oh, I will. See you all then!"

"Bye, Little Shine!"

"See you, Little Shine!"

Apple Bloom smiled, "Don't forget to ask."

Little Shine returned the smile

"I won't."

Something Not So Real

Chapter 7: Something Not So Real

Little Shine was sitting down on the grass, gazing out at the school yard before him. A fair distance away, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were huddled together. They were laughing and talking to each other, no doubt planning the ceremony for his joining into the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The sun was shining down on the land, and Little Shine felt quite comfortable in its glow. A soft breeze had been passing through, and caused the grass beneath him to sway and tenderly stroke his legs and belly. He looked up to the sky and stared at the puffy white clouds. There was just enough of them to provide small pockets of shade, but few enough that a pony could enjoy the sun, as Little Shine was doing now. He couldn't help but wonder what it felt like to lie in the clouds, like a pegasus. Surely it was the softest substance known to ponykind.

All around the school yard, ponies played. Some were galloping and racing each other. Some were skipping or playing hopscotch. Others still, were just enjoying the company of their friends, laughing and conversing. Recess was a glorious time for a young school pony, and although Little Shine was not currently engaging in activities with the other ponies, he felt a sense of peace and a sense that he wasn't alone.

"Little Shine?"

The entire world around Little Shine stopped. All sound failed to reach Little Shine's ears. It was a voice that he had heard a thousand times before. It was a soft, but strong male voice. It shattered all sense of reality, all sense of possibility.

Stone Pillar? Little Shine turned his head around toward the source of the voice.

And there he was.

He stood not four feet away, and a smile spread across his face. The white streaks in his mane glimmered in the golden rays of the sun, and the tan accents absorbed their glow. His body was the color of the lightest grey rock in a cobblestone road, and his eyes were a golden hue. The soft breeze gently blew his mane. He looked like one of those old Equestrian heroes, so righteous and kind.

Little Shine ignored his screaming muscles as he bounded to his hooves, galloped at full speed, and launched himself at his brother. He wrapped his hooves around Stone Pillar, and buried his face in his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and allowed all his sorrow to unload, and yet, filling himself with joy.

Stone Pillar completed the embrace, slowly wrapping his own hooves around Little Shine's back and holding him close. Several minutes passed before either one of them moved. Finally, they drew apart, and Little Shine looked into his brother's eyes. Tears of joy streamed down Little Shine's face, and he laughed. He laughed so hard and jumped around, then cried again.

Stone Pillar put his hoof on the side of Little Shine's face. "I've missed you, Little Shine."

He stroked his hoof down and curled it around Little Shine's neck. He pulled him in tight once more. Little Shine, exhausted from his outburst of physical exertion, leaned in and rested against Stone Pillar. He tried to say something, but the words died in his throat.

Scooping Little Shine up with his hooves, Stone Pillar extended his wings, and flew. Little Shine snapped his head down to see the shrinking ground. They flew higher and higher toward the sky, and then began to slow down. A single cloud floated ahead, and grew as they approached. Stone Pillar hovered for a second over the cloud, landed, and immediately rolled on to his back, cradling Little Shine like a foal.

Little Shine was on his side. He closed his eyes. "I missed you too, Stone Pillar. So much." His voice was barely a whisper. "I . . . I thought you were dead."

Stone Pillar chuckled. "No way. No earthquake is gonna take me away from you, little bro."

Little Shine opened his eyes and rolled onto his belly. If Stone Pillar is alive, then maybe. . .

"Where's Mom? Is she okay? What about Dad?" he asked, his eyes widening.

Stone Pillar smiled. "They're both okay. They're just talking to the mayor. Don't worry; they'll be here to see you soon."

It was as if the weight of all of Equestria faded from Little Shine's heart, and was filled with completeness. Everything was as it was supposed to be. His brother was alive. His mom and dad were okay. They would live in Ponyville and be a family again. Everything would be as it was.

Little Shine jumped up to his hooves, and Stone Pillar let out a grunt. "Hey, I'm still here, remember."

"Come on, Stone Pillar! I want to show you everything!"

"Hehehe, okay, okay. Up you go."

Stone Pillar cradled Little Shine once more and took off. They glided gracefully to the ground and landed with a soft thud. Little Shine hopped out of Stone Pillars arms and bounded off. "Come on, Stone Pillar!"

Little Shine looked behind and saw his brother trotting up beside him. They stopped in front of the schoolhouse and Little Shine extended his hoof. "This is my new school."

Stone Pillar nodded approvingly. "That looks very nice. How's your teacher?"

"Oh, she's really nice. Her name is Miss Cheerilee. She's a lot more exciting than Miss Holly."

"That's great, Shine," Stone Pillar said. "Where have you been staying?"

"I've been staying with Fluttershy. She's also really nice. She's so calm and gentle. All the animals are really cute, too."

Stone Pillar tilled his head. "Animals?"

"Oh ya. She's the pony that takes care of all the animals in Ponyville. She's so good at it. She seems to understand them."

Stone Pillar nodded again. "That sounds good. We'll have to thank her very much for taking good care of you." He paused for a moment. "I heard that you spent some time in Canterlot."

"Yes, two days." It was Little Shine's turn to pause. He looked up, searching his mind. "Princess Twilight said that you were all gone. But you're here now?"

"Don't worry, Little Shine. Even princesses can make mistakes."

"What happened after the earthquake, how did you survive?"

Stone Pillar put his hoof around Little Shine reassuringly. "Don't worry about that right now, Little Shine. There'll be time for that when we all get together. In fact, we should head toward the mayor's office now."

Little Shine looked up in confusion. "But, recess is going to be over soon. I can't just leave school."

"Hush, bro. It's okay. I'm sure Miss Cheerilee will understand."

Little Shine thought for a moment. "I guess so."

They walk away from the schoolhouse, across the field and onto the main road. As they were walking, Little Shine noticed that there were no ponies playing anymore. In fact, the field was completely empty. The bell didn't go off did it? I didn't hear it. Oh. . . well maybe it went off when we were on the could.

They walked down the road toward the mayor's office. The wind sent a shiver down Little Shine's spine. He shuddered.

Stone Pillar noticed the movement. "You okay, Shine?"

"Ya. It's just a lot colder all the sudden."

"It's okay. You'll be fine."

The office came in view, and Little Shine began to vibrate with excitement. He was going to see his parents. As they approached the door, he noticed that is was dark inside. Not a light illuminated the building. Reaching the door, Little Shine carefully entered and looked around.

It was not a sight that he expected. He squinted to see in the darkness. Not a soul resided inside, and the chill of the air seeped into him. He looked back at his brother. "Where are they?"

Stone Pillar's face grew serious. "Not here, obviously. Perhaps they went to Fluttershy's cottage?"

Little Shine hopped toward Stone Pillar and leaned on him. "Let's get out of here. I don't like this place."

They stepped out of the building and traveled the road that lead to Fluttershy's place. There was a silver glow in the air, and Little Shine looked up to its source, the moon. Tendrils of darkness settled all over the town.

Wait, wasn't it just recess about ten minutes ago. How is it dark already?

Something was not right. Not only was the chill settling through Little Shine's body, but it was creeping into his mind as well. The shadows shifted menacingly around them. Little Shine periodicity darted his eyes around, his body on full alert.

"I wish Apple Bloom was here," he said.

"What was that now?"

"Apple Bloom. She's a friend of mine. She saved me from a bully on my first day of school."

Stone Pillar stopped walking. He turned toward Little Shine and narrowed his eyes. "Really."

"Yes. She and her friends asked me if I could join their club. I was going to do that today, sometime after school."

"What's this club about?"

"Well, they call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Basically, they go around and find different activities to try and get their cutie marks."

Stone Pillar snorted. "Blank flanks, huh."

As the sound of the phrase, Little Shine snapped his eyes on Stone Pillar. "Hey! Don't call them that. That's mean. I don't have one either, remember?"

"I know. You're my brother. I'll always support you. But it sounds like your 'friends' have a terrible idea about getting cutie marks. Didn't you even listen to Mom?"

Little Shine took a step back. The venom in his brother's voice was so unlike him. "I . . . I know that they're not going about it the best way, but they're my friends. I just wanted to hang out with them."

"They sound like losers. If you want your cutie mark, you best stay away from them."

Little Shine stomped his hoof. "They're not losers! Don't call them that. What's wrong with you?"

A blinding pain shot through Little Shine's jaw. He crumbled to the ground. His mind couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Did he just hit me?

"I will not tolerate that kind of tone, Little Shine. Now, I don't want to hear any more about these friends of yours. Besides, we're moving away tomorrow anyway, so you won't see them again."

Stone Pillars words hit Little Shine like a jackhammer. He was too stunned to even talk back. In all his life, Stone Pillar had never talked to Little Shine with such anger, let alone hit him. Something was very wrong.

Tears began to roll down Little Shine's face, and these were not the joyful type. "Why did you hit me?"

Stone Pillar rolled his eyes. "Because you were being stupid, Little Shine. It's my job as your big brother to protect you, painfully if necessary."

"Why are you being so mean!" Little Shine sobbed.

"Shut up, bro."

This was wrong, so very wrong. The brother he knew would never act this way. Questions flashed through Little Shine's mind, trying to comprehend what was happening. Was he a changeling?

"Who are you?"

Stone Pillar stared in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Stone Pillar would never treat me this way. You're being such a bully. Apple Bloom is much nicer than you!"

Stone Pillar didn't say anything for a while, only stared at him with a dark gaze. Little Shine could hear the deep noise of breathing, and his feeling of confusion and anger slowly drained, and was slowly replaced by fear.

Stone Pillar finally spoke, and his words were like ice. "Apple Bloom is much nicer than me, huh. Is that how little you think of me? Do you hate me so much, Little Shine?"

Little Shine shrunk back. "I . . . I didn't-"

"Are you happy with her then? Was it so easy for you to forget me? Did you forget about Mom and Dad too?"

"No, I didn't-"

KABOOOOM!

Little Shine cowered beneath the thundering boom of the night sky. He buried his face into the earth and covered his head with his hooves. After several long seconds, he poked his eyes up, and beheld a nightmare.

Stone Pillar's entire body drained of color and faded to pale. Black tendrils festered along his skin, spreading like some twisted disease. It was like watching black lightning in slow motion. His main and tail blackened and grew, flowing around him like a cloak. The bones in his body pressed outward against his stretching skin, creating a skeletal visage. The last to change were his eyes. The once golden irises shriveled and glistened like ink, soulless portals to the abyss. The abomination glided toward Little Shine, its hooves not even touching the ground, riding a cold wind.

Its presence filled Little Shine with a feeling beyond that of fear, beyond terror. It was a reaper, and when it spoke, it spoke with the emptiness of the grave that not only chilled Little Shine's ears, but his heart, and his soul.

"Eleven days, Little Shine. That's all it took for you to forget us."

Little Shine squeezed his eyes and prayed for the monster to go away. "Please-"

"Do you think that we wouldn't feel, even after death? Did you think that we would just be gone, into nothingness? We've been watching you, Little Shine, and we are displeased."

Little Shine covered his head. "No! I didn't forget! I could never forget."

"And yet, here you are, acting like everything's alright, playing with your new friends as if we never existed. Would you like to see Mother and Father?"

Little Shine opened his eyes and looked up. The monster extended its hoof, and a grey mist swirled around them, blocking out all signs of Ponyville. Two transparent apparitions appeared in front of Little Shine, a stallion earth pony and a mare pegasus, his parents.

Little Shine shied away. "No."

Brass Hoof looked at Little Shine, and glared. Bale fire ignited and raged around him.

"You pathetic son. How dare you. You pathetic creature! I wish that I had never sired you, you ungrateful little beast! We raised you! We protected you! And you just forget about us, just like that?"

Little Shine wailed. "No! Please Dad! I never-"

"Look at your mother, Little Shine! Look at what you've done to her!"

Radiant Wing was covering her face, sobbing. Little Shine's heart sunk into his hooves.

"Mom, I never forgot you. I love you," he said, reaching a hoof out.

Radiant Wing uncovered her face and stared at his hoof. Ghostly tears continued to stream down her face. "Why, Little Shine. How could you?"

"Mom, please! I love you. I love you all. You know th-"

"Enough."

The abomination reached out both its hooves and a swirling black maelstrom formed. A scythe materialized out of the mist, and the abomination grasped it.

"You will know pain, Little Shine. You will know suffering. You will know fear, and you will know our wrath."

It advanced on Little Shine, scythe held up high. Little Shine buried his face and quivered.

"You . . . will . . . pay."

* * *

The shriek pierced the walls of the cottage, and outside into night's veil. Small animals scattered. The chickens in the coop stirred.

Fluttershy awoke in utter alarm. She threw off her covers and bolted out of her room toward the source. She opened the bedroom that Little Shine was sleeping in, the one where the Cutie Mark Crusaders has stayed in years ago. She widened her eyes at the sight.

Little Shine was quivering. It was the same type of action when a pony was standing in the cold wind after being doused with freezing water on a chilly day. Only Little Shine was underneath warm blankets. His eyes were sewn shut, twitching, and he was sobbing the same word over and over.

"No, no, no, no."

Fluttershy rushed to his bedside and held him tight. "It's okay, sweetie. I'm here. I'm here."

Her attempts to comfort the colt failed. He was still quivering and shaking, and a new symptom began to appear. His usually deep green color was starting to pale into a faded green. The blood in his body was retreating to the inside.

"No, no, no, no."

"Little Shine. You need to wake up. . . Little Shine. . . You need to wake up now." Fluttershy gave him a gentle nudge. "Little Shine, sweetie, you really need to wake up now. . . Little Shine. . . Little Shine!"

She gave him a harder shake, but to no avail. She could feel his body dropping rapidly in temperature. The calm demeanor of a nurturing mother shifted to panic. Something was wrong.

"Little Shine, please! Wake up! . . . TWILIGHT!"

A yellow streak bolted down the stairs of the cottage, out the door, and ascended to the night sky.