"Is that it?" I asked, in disbelief of everything she had said.

"I told you all I know," Rarity explained. We were sitting in the remains of Sugarcube Corner. At least, Lyra, Bonbon, Rarity and I. Highlight had gone to help with repairing the town hall, and Octavia and Vinyl had gone to their respective houses to observe damage. Although whatever befell Bonbon's house had rejuvenated all the damage done within, the other houses had simply been left unchanged, or worse, crumbled. A good example was Sugarcube Corner, which had been devastated by various claw markings and something heavy that appeared to have fallen through the roof. The store was essentially in shambles.

And yet, we still sat there, in chairs set up across the remains.

"A better question is, why are we here?" Bonbon asked. "My house is completely unharmed, and this place is a wreck!"

"Nostalgia, I suppose," Rarity sighed. "I feel so awful."

"Nostalgia?" Lyra repeated. "But, you were gone for like, maybe... three..."

"Three days, I know," Rarity confirmed. "It's just... I don't feel... happiness anymore." A pony walked by with a load of half-rotten apples. All the residents of Ponyville had returned, led by the Mayor Mare, and reparations were underway. It took a lot of explaining to convince everypony that it was safe to enter.  Most of the citizens had gone back to what they had been doing before, but the atmosphere seemed more tense, more gloomy. We continued to support Rarity, who was still frail, until she decided that she needed to come to Sugarcube Corner, which is where we were now.

"Even my craft, it feels drab and bland. It is dreadful when even beauty and elegance has faded from your eyes." She put a hoof onto the nearby counter, and sighed deeply.

"Hello, dears," Mrs. Cake passed by the counter, "would you like anything?" Her usually singsong voice when addressing customers had disappeared, and I could tell she was distraught with something immediately.

"No, thanks," I replied courteously. She nodded curtly, and disappeared into the workroom. I was about to ask Mrs. Cake about her cause of distress, but I decided against it for now.

        "Hey guys," Vinyl waved from outside the shop. She was accompanied by Octavia. As they entered, I saw that Vinyl was patting Octavia on the back, who was holding a large, long black case.

"So my house is ok," Vinyl started, "but Octavia's..."

"I'll be fine," Octavia shrugged. "I found my cello, and that's as far as it goes." I could tell Octavia was pained by the loss of her house, but she refused to show it.

"I'm... so sorry," Rarity said slowly. I felt concern for her. She must've been taking everything very hard, especially since she was to blame for most of the damage done to Ponyville. At least, as far as we could attribute it to. Although, I knew better.

"No, really, it's ok," Octavia reassured, and I noticed her biting her lip. "I was behind on my rent anyway, and the garden was simply falling apart. I didn't have the bits to afford that house in the first place."

"But," Lyra asked, "where will you live?"

"I got that covered," Vinyl cut in. "Octavia can stay at my house for a while. No problem at all."

"We should have known better..." Rarity began. "I could not do anything to stop it. Nopony could."

"What, exactly, happened?" Bonbon asked. "Why were you... whatever you were?"

"And what did you do to the missing ponies?" Lyra added. I suddenly remembered Highlight saying something about how the monster brought ponies to the center of the town.

"I... don't know..." Rarity stammered. "I don't remember anything, let alone what I did as... what did you call me when I woke up?"

"A hideous two-faced freak that deserves to rot in a hole?" Octavia quickly recited.

Once we had discovered Rarity was involved with the monster back at Bonbon's, Octavia was quick to make assumptions about her motives. However, the more Rarity described the situation with her friends, the more confusing everything became.
-----
"We first encountered it once we got to Canterlot," Rarity had explained. "It was a haze of darkness, that had literally engulfed the castle like a wool knit scarf.
"We were foals to think we could face the darkness by ourselves. The elements hadn't the time to react to its surprise. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were taken first, captured and knocked out. Rainbow Dash and Applejack put up a resistance, but they succumbed as well. Twilight and I were the only ones left, as we both were concentrating our shield spells."
"The last thing I saw before my shield charm broke was Twilight being carried off somewhere," Rarity finished, and as she spoke, a tear came to her eyes. "With Twilight gone, there is no hope left."

"Why's that?" I had asked.

"She was the one that brought all of us together when we faced other perils," Rarity explained. "But now she's gone. And the elements are scattered throughout Equestria." As Rarity wiped a tear from her eyes, I noticed her expression was still emotionless, blank, as though something had sucked the life out of her.
-----
"Yes, that," Rarity sniffed, and I was brought back to the present.

"I feel so miserable, I cannot even express my own feelings..." She said so quietly that she was almost whispering. "I came here, to Sugarcube Corner, because I thought it would make me feel something. But Pinkie Pie is gone. I saw her being taken away... she's gone."

Another group of ponies walked by Sugarcube, whispering amongst each other. Some of them looked at us, and then returned to their private discussion. I again thought back to the events preceding this discussion. What had happened? Where did the light come from? Why did the others seem to think I was the one that saved them? I hadn't done anything!
And yet, all the ponies that I had talked to had credited me with saving the town. I could tell the other ponies around town had been informed about the events, and were talking about me. I slumped down in my chair to hide myself from them. I didn't deserve this attention.

"I don't believe it," Bonbon said, finally.

"Well, at least Leafwing was able to save you," Vinyl comforted.

"Again," I clarified. "I didn't do anything! I didn't do it."

"Are you feeling alright?" Octavia asked, concerned. "You don't seem very well."

"Well," I muttered. I considered explaining to them that a normal person would already be stressed out by the disappearance of five ponies, ones that were specifically on a mission to investigate Canterlot, let alone taking the stress of being the supposed savior of the town. "Whatever do you mean?" I said, slightly mimicking Octavia's refined talk.

"You're kinda slumping," Lyra noted, and I had to do all I could to stop from exploding.

"Hello, dearies," Mrs. Cake stopped by again, interrupting the conversation at a favorable moment. "Did you happen to mention... Pinkie Pie, by any chance?"

Everypony in the room went silent for a few seconds, not sure how to respond. Finally, deciding to be honest, Rarity whispered, "I guess we were, weren't we."

"It's all good," Mrs. Cake said nervously, looking behind the counter. "I couldn't help but overhear your... conversation."

"We're really sorry about Pinkie, Mrs. Cake," Lyra said sympathetically.

"I'm all fine. Everything is... still fresh, and... I think..." She remained silent for a long time, just staring at the counter.

"Are you ok?" Lyra asked politely.

Mrs. Cake tried to explain. I could feel distress and grief pouring out from her, but somehow she had managed to hide the feelings for as long as she did. "I could normally cope without Pinkie Pie, but..." She started to break.

Mrs. Cake looked away. "I... I'm so terribly sorry..." I watched a lump form in her throat. "You shouldn't see me like this..." she wept softly.

"No, no, it's ok." I walked around the counter to her. "What's wrong?"

"It's just that..." Mrs. Cake tried to say between sobs. "Mr. Cake... he's gone..."

"What?" we all said in unison.

"He decided to stay back and make sure the store was safe..." Mrs. Cake explained. She teared up again, and her dialogue degenerated into cries of sorrow. Although I had seen grief before, this felt so much worse. It was terrible to watch a fully grown mare cry and not be able to do anything about it.

"Have you seen him since?" Bonbon asked. Mrs. Cake shook her head, and dried her eyes with the sleeve of her apron. Lyra offered Mrs. Cake her handkerchief, and she accepted it with shaky hooves. Or, tried to. Unable to hold it without falling over due to her instability, Lyra walked around the counter, and held it up to her nose for her to blow.

"Hey dudes, the town hall is fixed, and we found the missing... ponies?" We turned to see Highlight walking into the store, now confused. "what's going... on?"

"Mr. Cake is gone..." Octavia said quietly.

"How?"

"We think that he was abducted by that wretched monster..."

I looked outside as Octavia began to fill Highlight in on the situation. Everything seemed so forlorn, and bitter. A colt ran by, knocking over a mare on the street that was trying to comfort her baby. The wails of the baby only added to the melancholic feel, as the mare struggled to pick herself off the ground.

"But, dude, that doesn't make sense! We found all the missing ponies tied up at the town hall!"

"Then where is my husband?!?!?"

I was about to get up to pick the fallen pony up, when a pegasus swooped down from the cloudy sky to assist her. She thanked her, and went on her way. The pegasus looked around a bit, then spotted the Sugarcube Corner. As I stared at the helpful pony, I realized one of her eyes was not matching her other, giving an almost aloof appearance...

"DERPY!" I exclaimed. "You made it!" As I said that, I suddenly remembered she was likely with the doctor. I realized I gave away my position. My gut started to dance.

"There you are Leafie!" she said, sparkling with excitement. "Let me get Doctor Whooves. I'll be back." She quickly zoomed off, confirming my suspicions. I gulped, and felt a lump of dread start to form in my stomach.

"Hide me." I said. "Now."

"Why?" Bonbon asked.

"JUST DO IT," I panicked. The other ponies looked at me, even more baffled by my strange response to Derpy. Finding nowhere else to run, I hid behind my chair, just as Derpy returned with a startled Doctor Whooves.

"Woah!" the Doctor seemed rather unsettled, as he was dragged at light speed to the front of the confectionery establishment. He adjusted his tie. Despite me trying not to look, I was immediately drawn to his bright azure eyes. "We were looking for you, Leafwing! Where did you go?"

It took me a while to realize that he was talking to me. I shook myself back to attention, and smiled.

"I'm s-sorry," I apologized sincerely, stammering a bit. "Hey, didn't see you there, doctor..."

"Are you stuttering, Leafie?" Lyra asked.

"What are you doing under that chair?" Derpy asked, cockeyed.

"Oh, this is a chair?" I giggled nervously. "This isn't... a chair...it's a..."

"What is it?" Bonbon asked, bewildered.

"Uh," I started to slink out from behind the chair. Quick! I have to think of a distraction! I thought. "Hey, look, its a..." I looked around for something of importance. Then I spotted it. "A... a thing!"

"A thing?" a murmur of confoundment spread throughout the room.

"A THING!" Derpy finally understood what I was trying to say, even though I didn't, and started zipping around the room. "Where is the thing?"

As the other ponies looked at Derpy with flustered facial expressions, I fled to the side bathroom. I sprinted inside, and quickly closed the door as fast as I could without slamming it, and threw the lock on.

"Whew," I felt so relieved. Finally, I was away from that colt! My anxiety wavered, and I sighed.

Suddenly the lock jiggled, and then the door swung open, revealing Derpy and the rest of the confused ponies.

"AHHH!" I screamed.

"AHHH!" the other ponies screamed in reply.

"AHHH!" I screamed, and shut the door.

"What are you doing in the bathroom, Leafie?" I heard Lyra ask.

"Uh," I fiddled with the lock, trying to get it to work again. Darn hooves! "Uh, taking a number two!"

"A what?" a concerned Vinyl piped up.

"Never mind!" I screamed. "Just don't come in-"

The door opened slowly again.

"Silly," Derpy laughed, "I knew what the thing was all along!"

"R-really?" I stammered, once again chuckling anxiously. "W-what was it?"

"It's obviously the key to the bathroom!" she guffawed, and I laughed along with her, trying to sound as normal as possible. "I figured it out as soon as you went into the bathroom! You are just so great at giving hints. That was a great scavenger hunt, Leafie, let's do it again!"

"Um, excuse me, ladies," the other ponies moved, revealing Doctor Whooves. "I believe I need to speak with Leafwing in private." I felt increasingly disturbed by his presence.

"No, he doesn't," I tried to start, but he cut me off. "This isn't an argument," he stated harshly, but calmly.

"C'mon dudes, they need some alone time," Highlight whispered, and they left.

"Can I come in?" the doctor asked. I nodded hastily. He walked in, and closed the door.

As soon as the door closed, I started to cry.

"I'm so sorry..." I tried to say between sobs. "I should've..."

"It's ok," he comforted, "it's ok."

"No, I just..." I tried to finish off my sentence. "I should've listened to you two at the hut. The poison joke hadn't worn off, and I..." I fell quiet.

"It's ok," he repeated. "Look." He looked right into my eyes. "You're ok. You just need some time."

"No, it's not just that," I murmured.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"I...I..." I tried to say it, but words wouldn't come out.

"Speak in sentences, Leaf," he encouraged. I took a deep breath.

"I...I really really like you!" I blurted. As soon as I said it, I covered my mouth.

My life was over. I closed my eyes. I would be doomed. I just... I ruined everything! How could I do this to myself! How?

"No, no, no, no, no!" I sobbed. "Why did I do that?"

"It's fine!" I felt the doctor rush to my side. "You're ok."

"Why did I do that? Why did I?" I moaned, trying to enunciate words between sobs.

"You're ok," the doctor helped me down onto the floor. "You're going to be fine."

"No, my life is over." I stopped. "I won't... I can't go on..."

After what seemed like hours, I finally opened my eyes. I had stopped crying, and he was there again, his mane flowing, his brilliant eyes watching me with concern. No, I fought back. I couldn't do it again. I wasn't under any poison joke. This time, there would be no excuse.

"No, I can't do this to you." I finally said softly.

"But I can," he replied, and lurched forward.

"No I ca-Mmmpghhmm..." the Doctor locked lips with me, and explosions went off in my head. My stomach was turning over and over. This isn't right... I thought, and I tried to move, but I found I was immobile. I tried to push him away, but my rational side quickly lost resistance, and I kissed him back, and the sounds of kissing filled the bathroom. It felt timeless, as though I was floating in bliss. Blood rushed to my face. My heart fluttered, as did my wings, and I whined, as he shifted closer, bringing his arms around my back. I hugged him back, and we finally broke, as we both panted for breath.

"That was..." the doctor struggled for words as he breathed, "breathtaking."

"Breathtaking..." I repeated, still floating around in euphoria. My lips tingled, and yearned for more action. He turned, and I threw myself onto him, kissing him again. I squeaked as I felt something wet and protruding touch my lips, but his hooves tenderly massaged my neck, calming me.

"You're ok with this, right?" the Doctor whispered, eyes half-lidded. I paused for a beat, and then nodded slowly. My lips parted, and his did too, and our tongues mingled. As the smacking noises echoed in the small chamber, my wings flapped uncontrollably, cooling me off nicely, as I was growing uncomfortably hot. The excitement gripped my legs, which went numb as I tried to remain balanced. I nearly fell over, but the doctor gently pushed me against the wall to balance me without my paralyzed limbs. We kissed, and he continued to lap at the inside of my mouth, and I built up enough confidence to gingerly return the favor to him.



After what felt like an eternity, we released again.

"I... we..." I stammered, after a long pause. "We should... go..."

"Yes," he agreed, and stood there, awkwardly, as did I. Not sure of what to do, I finally found courage to speak again.

"We... shouldn't talk about this..." I started.

"Agreed," he nodded quickly. I walked to the door, and fiddled with the lock. The doctor stopped me.

"Let me do the honors," he walked forward, opened the lock, and raised a hoof, motioning for me to leave. "Ladies first."

I blushed again, and left.

As I walked out, the doctor followed right behind. Before anyone could say anything, he started talking.

"It's all good," the doctor assured. "We just wanted to make sure Leaf was safe." Turning to me, he winked, and continued talking. "When we discovered that your tracks led here, we were so scared when we saw that cloud. We decided to head in, but then suddenly there was a, a, a..."

"Something magic!" Derpy finished for him. "It completely knocked out the dark mist, and we could see again!"

"Yeah, just when it was getting weird," he muttered. "I could've sworn I was seeing faces everywhere..."

"There were birds everywhere!" Derpy continued. "They were flying around, chasing away the faces and clouds and everything!"

"That was Leafwing, guys!" Lyra asserted happily. "She was the one who did it!" I groaned, and shook my head.

"For the last time, I didn't even do anything!" I slowly walked back to my seat, where immediately Lyra and the others crowded me.

"What happened in the bathroom?" "What did he tell you?" "Is he a spy?"

"We just talked about... things," I looked back to him, and he nodded.

"THINGS?" Derpy leaped out of her chair again. "Where are they?"

"I... well..." I was starting to get frustrated. I wanted to be left alone, but they continued to crowd me, firing questions at point blank. "Derpy, I think the doctor has them."

As she left, I slumped deeper into my chair. Vinyl snickered.

"It looks like you're melting in your chair, Leaf!" she stifled another giggle with a hoof.

"I wish I could," I murmured. I was sick of the attention. "C'mon guys, stop putting all of the credit on me," I tried to elucidate. "You guys were there too, you helped with everything."

"But you were the one with the sorcerer magic," Octavia commented.

"Again, are you sure you're not secretly a unicorn?" Vinyl joked lightly. I felt a wave of amusement coming from all my friends, and I had to smile. Well, almost all of them.

Strangely, from that comment, I felt a twinge of discomfort coming from Highlight. I decided not to look into it, as it seemed she was uncomfortable with about everything before, and continued to pay attention to the conversation at hand.

"There's still a lot of damage to some of these buildings though." the doctor shook his head. "I was lucky to find my store undisturbed."

"Actually," Derpy piped up, "it was really messy."

"Well, that might have to do with the fact that you haven't come in these last few weeks to clean it!" Whooves retorted. "In fact, you didn't even help me clean after we got back!"

"That's because I was helping fix the town hall!" the cross-eyed pegasus replied happily, and as I looked to everypony else, I could see them wincing. That was a curious reaction, and I decided to wait to comment on it.

The doctor turned, and noticed Rarity comforting Mrs. Cake. "Why is Mrs. Cake so upset?" Doctor Whooves asked.

"Mr. Cake has gone missing," Octavia explained.



"But I saw him two minutes ago!" Derpy said.

"WHERE?" everypony asked.

"At the library! Duh!" Derpy laughed.

Life returned to Mrs. Cake's eyes, and it seemed that energy had been restored to her. "OF COURSE! I SHOULD'VE KNOWN!!" she leaped over the counter, and galloped down the road faster than a bullet. Before we knew what was going on, she had vanished.

"The library?" Rarity repeated, confused. "But that's where... wait..."

Her eyes suddenly began to water. "SPIKE!" She cried. Before we could think of anything to say, she had disappeared as well, leaving a dust trail and a cloud shaped somewhat like her.

"What's with her?" I asked.

"An interesting story," Octavia explained. "They are lovebirds."

"Spike and Rarity?!?" I started giggling.

"Yes." Octavia replied. "It's adorable, really."

"Quick, let's head down there!" Lyra interrupted. "We should make sure they're ok."

We all started off towards Twilight's library.
-----
"So, what happened in that bathroom, Leafie?" Lyra asked for the fifth time as we headed down to Twilight's house.

"Ugh..." I growled. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Oh please oh please oh please!" she begged. "I promise I won't tell anypony about it."

"You sure?" I said, unconvinced.

"Of course!" Lyra said. "I'm the best at keeping secrets!"

"Really?" I was unsure whether to trust Lyra. She was the most accommodating pony that I had met since I got here, and we were probably the closest out of all the others, but I still wasn't sure if she could be trusted.

"Well, after Pinkie Pie," she said, smiling again, but with less certainty. I thought again for a second, decided that she was being honest enough about her ability to keep quiet, and took a breath.

"Okay..." I leaned in close to her ear, and whispered. "Doctor Whooves and I... we... uh..." I stopped, and Lyra frowned.

"Oh, tell me tell me tell me!" Lyra bounced up and down.

"You actually can't stop now, I have to know."

I jumped as I realized Vinyl was talking.

"You too?" Vinyl looked to Lyra, and then both of them looked at me eagerly.

"I really want to know!" Vinyl pleaded. "You guys were in the bathroom for like seven minutes! What were you guys talking about in there?"

"Uh..." I wasn't so sure about telling anypony anymore.

"No, you're telling me," Vinyl said. "I didn't just eavesdrop for two minutes just so you cut yourself off!"

"Ugh," I looked around suspiciously, and then back to the other two.

"The doctor was... helping me cope with... a particular situation..." I explained.

"Oh!" Lyra exclaimed, "does it have something to do with you two and Derpy going into the Everfree forest?"

"Uh, sorta," I started to paraphrase what happened. "I stepped into some...poison joke..."

"Oh," Vinyl lamented, "Poison joke is the worst."



"And it made me kinda... kinda... silly, I guess." I reasoned they wouldn't get it. I figured if I made it obscure enough, they wouldn't persist with questions.

"You and the doctor made out, didn't you?" Vinyl asked, smiling devilishly. WHAT? HOW DID SHE KNOW?

"What? No no no no no... I didn't..." I tried to refute. I looked to Lyra, then to Scratch. If they weren't sure before, they were now, and they only needed my confirmation. Defeated, I sighed. "Ok fine, I did."

Instantly Lyra and Vinyl Scratch squealed in excitement. "You too were kissing?" Lyra asked eagerly.

"In the bathroom or the forest?" Vinyl pressed.

"Uh, both..." I answered, and they covered their mouths with their hooves. "But, like, the first time was because of the poison joke, and the second-"

"Looks like we have another set of lovebirds, don't we, Lyra?" Vinyl raised both eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"No! It's not like that."

"Yes it was," Lyra giggled, "and you know it."

"C'mon, girls, whisper," I tried to warn them, but it was too late.

"Know what?" We all turned from our slight huddle to see Bonbon, who was looking at us, confused.

"Oh, Bonbon has to know!" Lyra declared.

"No she doesn't!" I hissed back. I turned to Bonbon, and smiled. "Uh, nothing..."

"You know Lyra and I are like best friends, right?" The cotton candy colored pony looked
at me dubiously.

"Oh yeah," Lyra said sadly, "about that whole secret thing..."

"What?" I replied, flustered.

"Well, any secrets that I know, Bonbon will eventually know," Lyra explained guiltily. "I'm sorry Leafie."

"Still..." I was starting to get more worried about this conversation leaving our circle.

"If you don't tell me, Lyra will," Bonbon beamed. All of my resistance obliterated, I took a deep breath, and then unleashed a dam of information.

"So the doctor and me went looking for Derpy when I walked over a patch of poison joke and then I went and started getting all romantic and stuff and then I kissed the doctor and then I blacked out and the doctor brought me to Zecora's and then I ran away because I thought that Derpy and the doctor were together or something although I didn't know for sure because the poison joke stuff hadn't worn off yet and then in the bathroom earlier today I didn't want to see him because I was so embarrassed which is why I tried to hide from him but he found me anyways and then we made out in the bathroom and then we agreed not to talk about it at all but I just told you guys so if this gets out my life will be over!" I finished my run on sentence, and wheezed for breath.

After I had recovered sufficiently, I looked up at the other ponies. They stood there, slack jawed.

"Um..." I tried to snap them out of their trance, waving a hoof in their faces.

"What is going on over here?" Octavia walked over. Lyra, Scratch, and Bonbon left their trance like state, and Scratch started whispering in her ear. The more she heard, the larger her irises grew, until she was also induced into a slight coma.

"Oh my..." Octavia mumbled.

"No! I told you not to tell anypony!" I yelled, annoyed.

"It's too late for that," Bonbon smirked. "Vinyl is the loudmouth of the town."

"Am not!" Scratch retorted.

"Are too!" Bonbon stuck her tongue out.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"What are you dudes arguing about?" I groaned. Highlight had joined in.

"Leafwing here is crushing on the doctor," Scratch blurted.

"Oh no..." I groaned.

"This proves my point," Bonbon sighed.

"Wow, dude," Highlight said in a monotone voice. "That's neat."

"Just stop it!" I screamed.

"What's going on over here?" the doctor walked towards us. I cringed.

"Guys, whatever you do, don't let him know!" I whispered to the group of gossiping ponies that I had somehow told my secret to.

"Don't let who know what?" I spun around, and Doctor Whooves was right there. I shrieked.

"Oh, nothing!" I laughed, although it sounded a bit like cats dying. "We're just hanging out, talking about... things."

"Oh! Things!" Derpy appeared beside the doctor in a flash.

"It's nothing, really," Lyra said. I felt a little better that Lyra wasn't blatantly telling straight up what was happening, like Scratch. I looked to see where Vinyl was, and found her wrestling with Bonbon over control of her mouth.

"Uh, what's going on over there?" the doctor asked, pointing to the half-brawl.

"Absolutely nothing!" Octavia wore a fake, suspicious smile, stepping in front of the fighting, and I hoped the doctor didn't notice.

"Well," the doctor looked me in the eyes, and paused for a second, "keep it to yourselves, then."

"Yup! See you!" Derpy bounced away, and the doctor followed.

I breathed out in relief. "That was too close-"

Derpy reappeared behind me. "Hey guys, just wanna clarify," she faced Bonbon and Highlight, who had both pinned Scratch to the ground, "that's not how you find the things." Bonbon and Highlight nodded fervently, and Derpy beamed, and left as fast as she had come.

"Are you CRAZY?" I yelled at Scratch as soon as she had left. Bonbon and Highlight released her, and she sat up, shaking her mane slightly.

"I'm sorry," Vinyl Scratch replied shamefully. "I can't help myself."

"Well," Octavia came to her defense, "there isn't any harm letting Mr. Whooves know if he already has...well... been close with you..." she repeatedly looked to Vinyl for comfort.

"We both agreed not to TALK ABOUT IT!" I growled back. "If I let him know that I've told somepony else, my life will be ruined!"

"Aww come on, it can't be that bad..." Vinyl said, still apologetic over spilling the beans.

I stared at the ground, steaming with fury. Why did she have to do that? The secret would only be easier to get out this way. Still, somehow, she had still managed to find out about it  anyways, without me telling her.

"How did you..." I started to ask, when Scratch laughed.

"It's one of my secret talents," Vinyl replied, chuckling to herself. "I just know when ponies are kissing on each other. I actually have like this sense, whenever I'm running a show. I tend to get more when I play slow music, although that isn't really my style."

"I can imagine," I mumbled, and as Bonbon and Scratch argued over what rules were appropriate for gossiping, I suddenly imagined myself, in a dance hall, with Doctor Whooves, promenading on the shiny ballroom floor. I was dressed in a beautiful ball gown, and he was suited with a handsome tuxedo. We danced, and he looked at me with those stunning eyes.

"Will you accept my love?" he asked in a smooth, soft voice.

"Yes," I replied, content. And then we...

Realizing I was getting caught daydreaming again, I shook my head.

"Leafwing?" Bonbon asked curiously. "What are your wings... doing?"

I looked back at my wings, and flushed beet red.

"Obviously," Octavia used a hoof to block her smile, "they're protruding... outwards!"

"You have a wing boner!" Vinyl Scratch roared with laughter. Lyra tried to stop herself, but burst out cackling. Before long, I was once again surrounded by six very humored friends. I even felt amusement from Highlight, despite the fact she still looked as dreary as always.

"What does that mean?" I asked, although I already had a sinking feeling of what it meant.

"It means you've been daydreaming about that special somepony!" Octavia said in a sing-song voice, and I cursed my awkwardness.

"Come on!" I moaned, looking at them again, trying to get them to lower. They wouldn't budge, though, and I tried to use my hooves to pull them down, to no avail. The more I payed attention to the laughing ponies, the more I realized that they relished in my embarrassing acts. It was as if they mocked me for the fun of it. They just wanted me to slip up again.
Infuriated with my discovery, I vented air through my nostrils in frustration.

"Let's just forget about this and get to the library, before I end up EMBARRASSING MYSELF EVEN MORE!" I yelled. "OR IS THAT WHAT YOU GUYS WANT?"

"What?" Bonbon asked, but I knew she knew what I was talking about.

"YOU GUYS ARE WATCHING ME TO SEE IF I MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE!" I screamed.

"No we're not," Lyra replied.

"YES YOU ARE! ALL OF YOU!!" I vented in fury. "NONE OF YOU KNOW ME!!!! NONE OF YOU!! WHY?!???!"

"Why what?" Vinyl asked, now slightly concerned.

"GUESS WHAT? YOU WIN! NOW I'M AWKWARD EVERYWHERE I GO! I HATE ALL OF YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!!!"

"But-"

"YOU CAN ALL LEAVE! I HATE YOU ALL!!!"

With that, I stormed off. I didn't care where I was going. I just needed to be away. I blindly ran down the road, not paying any attention to where I was going.

"We're sorry!" Lyra called after me, but I didn't stop. It wasn't until I couldn't hear them when I started trotting slowly again.

I looked back. I couldn't see them, especially with my erect wings blocking the way. I screamed out in frustration.

"UGH! WHY?!?" I shrieked, and pounded my hooves on the ground. Before I knew it, I had started clutching my tail, and tears streaked the turquoise fur.

So much for being friends. They were making my life a total pain, even one that I had only lived for four days.

Or was it five days? Why was I sent here? Why was I a pony? And why was I a girl?

I contemplated my existence alone. Why did I have to go through such embarrassing public humiliations, a strange attraction to a colt I barely knew, and life-threatening situations that caused even more bizarre events to occur?

"Why, why, why, why, WHY?!?" I screamed again. My voice echoed down the road, and a few ponies a a long ways away were staring at me. I stared back menacingly.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?" I screeched at them. They quickly left, and I was alone again. I sobbed silently, and looked at my hooves in dismay.

And through this all I was still trying to figure out who I was. I already didn't know what I was as a human; being an animal made it all worse. My mind was cluttered with things I shouldn't have been thinking about, things I didn't even want to be involved in. And yet, they refused to leave my head. My thoughts returned to the black clouds, then the ponies, then me, then my so-called friends, then Whooves, then...

My thoughts turned to Twilight and the others. They were missing. And it was my fault, too. If I hadn't been brought here, I was sure that the black cloud wouldn't have done the damage that it did to this beautiful world, a world I constantly humiliated myself in.

Why did I have this ability to be a laughingstock everywhere I went? More why's circled through my mind, and I was certain that figuring out one would only raise more questions.

I shook my head. Maybe we would learn some answers at Twilight's house. Yes. That was the only way. I had no choice. They were the only ones that could help me at this point.

"Pull yourself together, Mark," I felt strange, using my original name. It felt foreign, out of place. "You can do this. Just get to Twilight's house, and figure this whole thing out. Then, try to figure out how to leave this place."

I rose to all fours again, with renewed vigour. I could do it. I just had to try.

"HEY!" I heard coming from behind me. I knew that the others had caught up to me.

"Hey, we're really sorry," a sweet voice apologized, which I recognized as Lyra.

Lyra was one of the nicest ponies I had ever met. I had yelled at her too. I felt so guilty. I didn't deserve her friendship. In fact, I didn't deserve anyone's friendship. I wanted to run. I did run.

I ran away, but not before running into Derpy.

"Heya!" She beamed cheerfully, and then frowned. "What's wrong, Leafie?"

"No!" I stammered. "Stay back! I'm not worth it." I hid my face in my hooves in shame. Derpy was so clueless, but sweet nonetheless. I wasn't worth her.

"Not worth what?" a male voice asked, and I realized the Doctor was there. "We heard you yelling, and we came back to see what was going on."

"It's our fault," another voice emerged, which I identified as Bonbon. "We're really sorry for what we did."

"It's ok," I replied despondently, not willing to reveal my face.

"No, it's not," another voice piped up, Vinyl's. Vinyl was also so nice to me, even if she was a loudmouth, and insensitive at times. I closed my eyes, and tears rolled down my cheeks.

"You don't have to do this," I replied quietly. "I overreacted."

"We did, rather, if I do say so myself," Octavia's voice said sympathetically. "We were absolutely cruel to you, and we apologize." Octavia had always seemed like a thorn in my side, but it was as though a rose had bloomed from those sharp branches as she spoke.

"All of us," Bonbon continued for her, "just feel awful for treating you like that. We know you're not from around here, and we're sorry for being so insensitive." Bonbon was one of the few ponies who had accepted me from the start, letting me sleep at her house, and relieving me from the spotlight of her party.

"Dude, sorry," Highlight coughed, but I sensed she was being as honest as she could.

I looked up at my friends in a new light. They no longer seemed like malicious, cruel ponies, but more like accepting, sympathetic, and trustworthy companions. They had helped me with my problems, and had saved my life.

How was I supposed to react to this? My mood swings were killing me, and they made it impossible to deal with life. I knew that I shouldn't have overreacted. They were simply trying to help, and were reacting like how normal ponies would. I guess, at least normal in the context of what I had discovered in the last few days. What was I supposed to think about ponies anyway? Were they always like this to strangers? Was I changing?

I was, wasn't I. I would have never had mood swings as a boy. I was acting differently. I was worried about how my mane looked, even though I had never had much hair as a human. I had just made out with a colt I barely knew. I shuddered slightly as I thought back to Whooves and me in the bathroom... I was worried about things that I would have never worried about as a human. Being a pony was hard enough, but as a pegasus mare, I could barely even handle myself. In fact, the only thing really stopping me from completely exploding were...

These ponies. Derpy, Lyra, Vinyl, Bonbon, Highlight, Octavia and even the Doctor, though he was the main reason for some of my problems. Regardless what I had done, what I had said, they were there for me. They all helped me in some way, big or small, and all cared for me. They were my friends.

They were my best friends.

For the first time in my whole life, I cried tears of joy.

"Oh no!" Lyra wailed. "Was it something we said?"

"No!" I blubbered through my tears. "You guys are all just... such... good friends... and I... love you all...so much..." As they watched in awe, I teared up more, and gasped for breath. "Please don't leave me." I barely made out, and my speech dissolved into more incomprehensible blobs of words.

"Awww." They responded in harmony. "C'mon guys," Bonbon proposed. "Let's get in for a group hug."

I felt warmth emanating from all parts of my body, and I realized they had me surrounded. It was warm, and constricting, which felt strangely good for a change. I felt a wide smile pierce my face, the first one in a long time.

"Hey, where'd Highlight go?" Derpy asked. I opened my eyes. She wasn't in the group hug.

"You mean that strange pierced pony?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah, her," Bonbon said, "I mean, she's not really that strange, but still."

"Where'd she go?" Vinyl echoed Derpy, and I looked out from the hug. She had been slowly walking down the road, passively, and I could feel pain leaking from her body. She seemed really upset, and I had a feeling why.  

"Highlight!" Determined to make things right, I burst from the circle of friends and tackled her to the floor.

"Hungh!" she grunted.

"Oops," I apologized. "Sorry!"

"Dude, what are you doing?" she asked, irritated. I could see there was a slight dampness to her mane, and her face, and I could see her left eyes was uncovered and shut closed. She covered it back quickly, and I decided not to comment on it.

"You deserve a group hug as well," I smiled at her. "You've must've gone through a lot as well, and everypony that accepts me as a friend should accept you too."

I quickly hugged her. I could sense her feelings of loneliness slowly leave her. As I continued to embrace her, other ponies gathered around me again.

"Well, you guys gonna join in?" I asked.

"Of course!" Vinyl shouted, and once again, all the air was squeezed out of me. I could see Highlight getting smothered as we all hugged her. It was too much love for her, and she tried to get out a bit to get some air.

"Dudes," she somehow muttered, despite the constraining force of seven ponies on her. "Dudes? That's enough."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, dude." she poked a head through the hug, and took a deep breath. "Yeah, dude, I'm done."