“Leaving already?“ You hear a familiar voice taunt. “Just pitiful.“ Another voice adds.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon round either side of the statue, arms crossed, with smug, judgmental glares pointed at you.
“Have you even seen anything other than this boring old school?“ Diamond Tiara asks with a flick of her wrist. Silver Spoon spreads her arms out and slowly spins in a circle, “This world is amazing! And you’d throw away this opportunity, just like that?“ She crosses her arms again and shakes her head at you.
You tell them you found who you came here for. Now you just want to go home.
“Did you?“ Diamond Tiara turns her head and looks at you from one eye. “Did you really?“ Silver Spoon glances toward Diamond Tiara, “Didn’t she come here looking for two ponies?“ “Did you think that too?” Diamond Tiara begins to circle around behind you, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but that’s what I thought as well.“ Silver Spoon laughs, but somehow it doesn’t seem as mean-spirited as normal. “Quitting is for commoners, Little Liza. It doesn’t suit you. And it doesn’t reflect well on your traveling partners either.“ “Especially after they went through so much trouble-” “Sneaking away from that stick-in-the-mud you dragged along-” “Hiking into town.“ “Finding Lyra all on our own.“ Your eyes widen and they both smile. “Oh, so you do remember?“ Diamond Tiara stops next to Silver Spoon and puts her arm on her shoulder, “Well? We can take you to her. It’s not far.“
You promised Bon-Bon, but…
You kneel down and wrap your arms around Aunt Bon-Bon. You don’t fully understand what’s happening here, but it hurts you to see her in so much pain. You tell her it’s okay and give her time to calm down.
After she stops crying you both stand back up and talk about what to do next. Bon-Bon asks you about the ponies you came here with and, after describing her, says she’s seen Blossomforth. She hasn’t seen the Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon you came with, but says not to worry.
“I’ll find everypony you came here with one at a time if I have to. But Liza…“ She puts her hand on your cheek, “This world is a lot more dangerous than ours. And you’ve already gotten hurt once.” She reaches out to the statue and puts her hand into it. You see an image of her hand turned back into a hoof before she pulls it back out. “I want you to go home. Tell Princess Twilight. I’ll suffer whatever punishment I’m due.“
You argue with her. Lyra was the one that went through first. She should be the one that’s punished when everypony gets back!
Bon-Bon looks away, “… I don’t think Lyra is coming back… But don’t worry. She’ll be okay. I promise. For now, I’d feel a lot better if you went home. Will you trust me?“ You nod instinctively. “Then I’ll trust you to go back on your own. Stay safe, and I’ll see you soon.“
Aunt Bon-Bon gives you a tight hug, turns around and races off back toward the school. You watch her until she disappears from view. Then you turn toward the statue and stare. Your hand reaches out toward the statue, and…
The two of you reach the statue in front of the school as you get to the part where you found Bon-Bon and Lyra. You weren’t really paying attention to her while you were talking. You take another good look at Aunt Bon-Bon’s face. She… looks like she’s in so much pain. Her face is red and twisted. You ask her if she’s alright. She looks over at you and smiles through the pain. Then drops to her knees and puts her hands on your shoulders.
“I’m… so sorry, Liza.“ She sobs and shakes her head. “I never… I only meant to come here, find Lyra, and bring her back. But…” She swallows. “At first I was angry. Then confused. Then…“ Bon-Bon’s eyes glaze over and she stares out into the distance, “She’s just like her. She’s funny. And sweet. And smart. And she cares… so much.“ Bon-Bon looks deep into your eyes, like she’s trying to see if you understand. “It was like a dream,“ she whispers. “Here… It was everything I ever wanted. It was like a dream… and I didn’t want to wake up.“ Her eyes go wide and she covers her mouth, like she said something she didn’t mean to. She breaks eye contact and sobs quietly into her hand.
You quietly slide your pack over your shoulders and walk out of the clinic. A few steps down one hallway and a few steps down another places an exit right in front of you. You almost expect an alarm to go off when you push the door open, but everything seems clear! That was easy! Now, the hard part will probably be leaving the school’s grounds. And even if you do, where do you go from here?
That might be a little more difficult. Clothes still cost money, right?
As you step away from the building someone walks past you and heads inside. It startles you, but they barely give you a backward glance. There are other people outside, too. Probably students. You try to hide at first, but a few of them look right at you. They don’t seem to care, though. You must not look out-of-place to them.
There’s about four different groups sitting, standing, or leaning against the building. They’re talking and laughing and everyone genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves. Is this what recess looks like for big kids?
In the distance, there are two students far away from the other groups, standing very close. Something about the way the colors of their hair, skin, and clothes blend together sticks out in your mind. You head toward them.
The nurse slips behind the curtain and out of sight. You can’t hear what she’s doing, so she probably can’t hear you. You take this opportunity to stand up and practice walking back and forth. It’s… not so hard. Kind of like balancing on your forelegs if your forelegs were your hindlegs. Running is still out of the question, though.
You start to hear the nurse talking quietly and curiosity gets the better of you. One quiet step after another, you slowly sneak up to the wall next to the curtain and listen.
“If I knew that I wouldn’t have called.“ There’s a pause. “She won’t give me a phone number and she won’t tell me anything about her parents.“ Another pause. “It’s not terrible, but it could have been self-inflicted, or she was-.“ This is starting to sound bad. “I didn’t know who else to call! She’s not a student here and legally she’s not allowed on campus!“ This is starting to sound really bad. “It was either Social Services or the police. I didn’t think I’d get much out of the latter.“
Social Services?! The whole reason you started this crazy adventure was to avoid anypony getting in trouble! You can’t seem to catch a break here!
“The story isn’t consistent either. I think she’s withholding information.“
Okay, it sounds like it’s time to go. There’s a map by the door. It shows a side exit not far from where you are. Best to slip out now while she’s still busy.
You hear a bell ring just before the pair lead you into what must be the clinic. There’s a desk, a few chairs and a few of those uncomfortable school beds. The lady at the desk looks up as you enter and stands up right away.
“Goodness! What happened here?!“ Her voice and appearance reminds you of Nurse Redheart back in Ponyville. She points to one of the beds and the pair set you down on it. “She had a bit of a fall and she can’t walk on her own,“ the boy says. With a flick of her wrist, the nurse gestures for the two to back away and begins examining your bandage, “What’s her name?“ “Her name’s Tootsie, but she doesn’t go here.” The girl replies, “She said she’s Bon-Bon’s niece.“
The nurse turns her head back to look at the girl, but you could swear you saw her eyes flash in that angry way that adults do when you say something they didn’t want to hear. When she turns back to you, it’s gone, “I’ll handle this in a moment, let’s get you two back to class.“
The three of them step into the hallway. You can’t hear much of what they’re saying, but you definitely pick out, “-can’t be here. Not allowed.“ They’re out there for a while, and only the nurse comes back. She gets some things out of her desk and brings them over to you.
She talks to you while she re-bandages your cut, “Tootsie is your name, and you’re Bon-Bon’s niece. You got chased all the way here? Where are you staying?“ Uh… “Where are your parents? What’s their cell number?“ Um… “Can’t tell me that either, huh?“ She finishes with a sigh and walks over to a separation curtain, “Well, don’t worry about it right now. I need to check something; I might be a few minutes. You just relax and try to get some rest. Everything will be alright.“
The wrong Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? Is that a thing that can happen here? No one said that was a thing that can happen here. They were wearing the same clothes. Looking back maybe they were a bit… cleaner than you remember. But who knows how long you were asleep and what they could have done in that time. They work fast.
You haven’t seen Blossomforth again, yet. No one you’ve asked even recognizes the name.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon race down the hall on their hindlegs while you’re helped along in the opposite direction on yours. When you get a chance, you need to try walking on your own. You haven’t taken a single step by yourself since you got here.
As Blossomforth said before, there are posters all along the walls. There’s no ponies, or griffins, or cattle, or donkeys; they’re all the same thing. The thing you are. They’re all wearing clothes and standing or sitting in poses that look a little too happy for whatever the setting of the picture is.
“So what grade are you in?“ The boy suddenly asks. Distracted by the posters, you answer “third” without thinking. “Third year? You must be home-schooled.“ The girl rolls her eyes, “I think she meant third year of junior high.“
How old do they think you are? You can’t help but ask.
“Hmm…” The girl looks you in the eye when she answers, “Fourteen?“ The boy nods, “Yeah. Fourteen/fifteen.“
Holy crap they think you’re almost twice as old are you are! You do some math in your head as fast as you can. Fourteen to fifteen would put you in either eighth or ninth grade. That means you could pass off as a freshman! You can’t resist daydreaming for a moment about all the cool stuff you could do if you were that old.
The boy kneels down close to you, “I think… Maybe you hit your head a little harder when you tripped than you thought. Maybe you’ve seen those two before and just though you knew them?“
He pauses to check your reaction. You don’t know what to say. Looking at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon… If they are just acting like they don’t know you, it’s an award-winning performance.
“I think we need to take you to the nurse right now. Is there anyone else you might know? Anyone you could call?“
You agree to go see the nurse and mention Bon-Bon and Lyra. While the boy helps you to your feet, the girl asks how you know them. At this point if what you say isn’t true they’ll just think you’re nuts. You tell her that Bon-Bon is your aunt and her eyes go wide.
“Bon-Bon’s mentioned a niece before!“ She clasp her hands together and points to you, “Tootsie, right?“ Your expression must have given away your excitement because she smiles, “We’ll get you to the nurse and get this sorted out. Don’t you worry!“ “Can we go then?“ Diamond Tiara asks, pointing to the door, “We’re gonna to be late for class.“ The girl cringes, “Shoot! Class! Right! You two hurry along!“ She looks back to you again and helps the boy shoulder your weight while the three of you walk together, “We’ll get you to the clinic anyway. The nurse will handle the rest. She’s nice! You’ll like her!“
You don’t have much time to think about that at the moment. The girl from before returns with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon! You somehow manage to be happy to see them and greet them warmly, but they only look at you in confusion.
“This is her?“ Diamond Tiara questions and they both look at each other. “I-I’ve never seen her before.“
You’re completely devastated, though it’s hard to place why. You probably should have seen this coming. Of course they’re going to act like they don’t know you. They’re them and you’re you. Jerks.
“Is she alright, though? Is there something we can do to help?“ Silver Spoon looks sincere when she asks. They both do. At least they really do care about you. Or can at least fake it. You ask if they’ve seen or “know of” a Blossomforth, but they only stare at one another and shrug in response.
Everyone present looks around at one another, avoiding eye contact with you. No one seems to know what to say. You catch a glance from Silver Spoon and it looks… strange. Maybe they really don’t know who you are. What if they lost their memory?
Well that’s a weak way of looking at things! You’re Liza Tootsie Flute Doolots and you’re not about to so easily admit defeat!
You make up a story that you were on your way home last night and noticed you were being followed. When you tried to run, they started chasing you! You were afraid of them following you home, so you ran and ran until you lost them. You got lost yourself in the process, but you recognized the school and sneaked inside.
He stops you several times and you clarify on the spot. You slipped at one point when you were running and cracked your head. You must have lost the one chasing you before then. The belts and wash cloths were from an arts and crafts project. Your home wasn’t very far from where you were and you didn’t bring a coat. You found the clothes lying around and changed into them. He never mentions the knife, so neither do you.
All-in-all a pretty good story, if you do say so yourself. Although, you might be a little too good at lying.
“I’m glad you’re safe now, but that’s insane,“ He runs his fingers through his hair and pulls a little, clearly stressed, “I have to tell the resource officer. That wacko could still be on the loose out there!“
Oops. If they don’t know who Blossomforth is and they find her running around…
You try to ask who they are, but the words don’t seem to form past a quiet “Wh’ sound. Your mouth feels dry.
“Should we tell Principle Celestia?“ The boy asks. “No way!” The girl shouts back, “They’ll call her parents! What if she’s been abused?“ “What about the clinic then?” “Same thing!“
You interrupt them to ask about your missing friends you came with, naming off each one.
The boy turns to the girl who puts a hand to her head in thought, “Diamond
Tiara and Silver Spoon are freshmen. I don’t know a Blossomforth,
though. Are you a new student? Do you know Diamond Tiara and Silver
Spoon? We can take you to them.“ The boy shakes his head, “What she needs to see is a nurse. She’s obviously hurt and that bandage needs to be changed.“
Principle.
Freshmen. Student… You’re in a school! Probably a high school or a
college. This must be their library. They know where Diamond Tiara and
Silver Spoon are, but everything they’ve said is making you nervous. If
you just walk around the hallway, someone is going to notice you don’t
belong here. I mean, you’re just a grade school kid, right?
You
ask if they can bring Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to you, which the
girl agrees to. The boy says he’ll stay with you in case you need
anything.
Once the girl is gone, the boy sits down in the chair next to you, “So… What happened to you?“
That’s a good question. What do you tell him?
You awake with a start. Your vision is flooded with red, but it quickly pulls away to reveal a red shirt. Worn by…
“Hey? Are you alright?“
There’s two… things… in front of you. Things like what you are now. You don’t recognize them.
“Can you hear me?“ The other ones says.
You sit up, preparing to run, but quickly remember your current state. You wouldn’t get two steps like this.
“Did you run away from home?“ The one in the red shirt sort of looks… male? “Did
someone hurt you?“ The other one must be a girl like you. But she’s taller, like Blossomforth was. They both are. “It’s okay. You’re safe here.“ “We won’t tell anyone you broke in, either.“ The two glance at each other and nod.
You look around the room for Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, or Blossomforth, but they’re nowhere to be found.
“Are
you looking for your bag? It’s right here!“ She lifts up the bag you
found on your back. “We put everything back and cleaned up the mud!“ “You made quite a mess last night.“ The girl elbows him in the ribs, “Ow! Well she did!“
You don’t seem to be in danger, so you need to start thinking ahead. Should you look for the ponies you came here with, or the ponies you came here for?
You spend the next few minutes in the other bathroom with Blossomforth cleaning up, drying off, and changing. You get a look at your face in the mirror. It looks so foreign. The bandage above your temple doesn’t look very good either.
If there is, you didn’t notice. Things appeared to be more obvious and in the wrong place, but nothing compares to basically having your knees bend backwards. And these huge feet…
Fur. Your coat. These tiny little hairs… No wonder you’re so cold, even when dried off.
When you both walk out of
the bathroom you’re wearing a dark blue jumpsuit, kinda like a
parachuter, with a lighter horseshoe and a gold “C” stitched into the
chest. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are waiting by the table. You notice the window you came in from is closed now.
“I think it’s safe to say at this point that we’re not going to be getting any searching done tonight.“ Blossomforth pulls out some blankets from a bag she brought back with her, and a book. “Try to find a place in here to get some sleep.” “There’s some sofas in that corner!“ Diamond Tiara points behind a bookshelf. “Good. I’m going to see if this book can help me figure out what, where, or even who we are.“
You follow Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to a set of chairs and sofas arranged in a circle. You pick the one against the wall and lay your head down. You hear Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon whisper for a moment, but it doesn’t last long before you drift away into a dream.
You didn’t hear her coming, but you see Blossomforth running back, on her hindlegs again, carrying some things. She puts everything down in front of you and pulls your hand away.
A wave of relief seems to relax her face, “Oh thank Celestia. It’s not as bad as I thought.“ She turns
her head to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, “There’s a… There’s a
bathroom across the hall. Go wring out your cloths and try to dry off.
Then put them back on and come back here.“ “Can’t we just take them off?” Silver Spoon asks, hesitation in her voice. Blossomforth’s
reply sounds tired, “No… There’s a… There’s a lot of pictures and
posters in the hallway. Everyone is clothed in them. I… I think they
just always wear cloths here.“
The two turn to walk away, but Blossomforth calls after them, “And… and I’m sorry for yelling.“ She turns back around to you and opens a box she brought with her. Under her breath, she mutters, “… not very good with stress…“
While you sit in silence waiting, something starts to dig uncomfortably into your back. You reach your hand up and realize that the straps on your shoulder aren’t part of your outfit and slide right off. Evidently you were wearing some sort of hiking pack. You push it into the floor next to you, but can’t seem to get your fingers to cooperate and pick it up.
Silver Spoon sees what you’re doing and, with some difficulty, picks up the pack and puts it on the table. Water immediately pools around where it was placed. You must all be soaked.
She opens the bag up and shouts, “A towel!“ She shakes the belt off of it and pushes it over to you. At first you don’t know what to do with it, but she picks it back up and puts it in your hand, “Put it on your head!“
She must mean the cut. You turn your wrist up, still gripping the towel, and place it where the throbbing is. This sends a shiver of pain shooting across your whole body! Good night- does that ever sting!
While you fight against your body to keep still from the rolling pain, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon pull everything out of your pack. Three more wash cloths, the four belts, the knife and holder, and the water bottles. And they’re all bone dry. You had no idea your saddlebag was so water resistant! Or, maybe it’s only water resistant in this world? Wait, did your saddlebag really turn into a hiking pack? That’s ridiculous. You wonder if it’ll turn back when you leave.
