I'm in Heaven When You Smile (pt. 2)

>You thought little of the tree that Cheerilee stood by.
>Her enthusiastic voice reached you despite the chatter of your classmates, “please settle down students. Today’s lesson will be about growth.”
>It was an autumn Friday; the first of the new school year, and an hour to go until the first weekend.
>You could hear your classmates making plans for sleepovers, and parties, and other fun gatherings that you never got invited to.
>Cheerilee cleared her throat and called for attention numerous times before it was finally hers.
>”Now then, today’s lesson is on growth,” her eyes scanned the small crowd of students, “I’d like to start this lesson with a question.”
>”Please raise your hoof if you grew, or got taller, over your summer break?”
>Most of the hoofs in the crowd were raised.
>You waited a bit, but eventually raised your hand as well.
>You heard a couple snickers when your hand went up though, and you brought it down quickly.
>Cheerilee smiled and spoke in a surprised tone, “well, a lot more hooves went up than I was expecting.”
>”I’ll have to start marking the height of everypony against the wall so we can see how much you all grow over the school year.”
>There was a tightness in your chest, and you could already envision seeing Aloe and everypony else in class laughing at how high your mark would be.
>Your face went into your hands and Cheerilee continued.
>“The reason we’re outside today is because, well, I just couldn’t teach you about something as important as growth in that stuffy classroom now could I?”
>She waved a hoof, “look all around you class. Look at the grass beneath your hooves, and the trees of The Everfree Forest behind me.”
>”Can anypony tell me how they got here?”
>Cheerilee called on a couple of students; one told her that they were planted, and when she asked who planted them the student she called on next told her Celestia.
>”Well Celestia’s sun certainly did help them, but that’s not why they’re there.”
>She cleared her throat, “these trees are here because they grew. Believe it or not, all of these trees started out as tiny little seeds.”
>”Not really all that different from the little babies all of you were not too long ago.”
>A sentimental giggle escaped her lips, “I remember teaching you all last year, and I can tell that you’ve all grown a whole lot since then.”
>”Watching something grow, whether it be a plant, or somepony you care deeply about, is a very special and important miracle.”
>She scanned the crowd and smiled, “as a teacher, I get to witness it every year when I teach all of you.”
>Her eyes went wide as if a thought bloomed, “students, please raise a hoof if you have a brother or sister.”
>A multitude of hooves went up.
>To your left a cream colored Pegasus with brown mane raised his.
>He jabbed your side and you saw he had an annoyed look on his face.
>You raised your hand and he gave you a wink.
>A familiar snicker was heard and you quickly put your hand down again.
>Cheerilee continued, “It sure is wonderful to grow up with somepony like that, don’t you think class?”
>A couple of kids nodded and Cheerilee continued.
>”There’s another reason we’re outside today class,” she pointed to the wispy tree next to her, “can anypony tell me what kind of tree this is?”
>You studied the tree absentmindedly.
>The trunk was thin; it could easily be a branch on any other tree.
>It was very plain; the branches held no fruit.
>But there was a little foliage on the branches akin to that of a fern.
>It was quite tall, or at least it was taller than Cheerilee.
>Cheerilee backed away from the tree and walked into the crowd of students.
>She continued to lecture, “This tree is called Albizia Julibrissen. Say it with me now class.”
>Cheerilee announced the name loud and clear a couple of times and the students halfheartedly chanted the name as well.
>Though most of them tripped up on the word and stopped halfway.
>Cheerilee remained in good spirits despite this, “don’t worry class. This tree has another name that’s much easier to remember.”
>She pointed at the tree and a breeze made the thin branches sway, “Mimosa.”
>”You may have noticed that this tree doesn’t look like any of the other trees in Ponyville. Well that’s because this tree does not naturally grow here.
>”You can all thank Zecora for finding and planting the seeds that produced this tree. This tree may be unique now, but soon it will produce seeds of its own.”
>”And those seeds will grow into more trees, and if we’re lucky class, we’ll be able to watch the growth of the Mimosa population in Ponyville.”
>”I don’t know about all of you, but I find that very exciting.”
>There was a scoff in the crowd and a familiar voice spoke nastily, “but that tree is so ugly and boring.”
>Everypony in class turned and looked at the bored little filly, “nopony is going to care about a dumb, old, twiggy, wimpy tree like that. It doesn’t even grow anything.”
>The filly would’ve continued if Cheerilee hadn’t started glaring at her.
>Not wanting to risk detention on a Friday, she let out a meek apology and hid behind her green mane.
>Cheerilee cleared her throat, “Ambur did point out something that I would like to talk about class.”
>Ambur smugly smiled, but Cheerilee noticed.
>”And she’d better make sure to focus on what I’m about to say, because she is going to have to write a paper on our lesson today once we go back inside.”
>Ambur’s eyes shot open in surprise and the students laughed at her.
>Cheerilee gestured to the tree and you heard her voice in a way you had never heard it before.
>She sounded enlightened, “Zecora planted this tree seven years ago. And in those seven years I’ve watched it grow tall.”
>”But during those seven years, I noticed that this tree only grows its flowers in the summertime. That’s the only time they will bloom.”
>Cheerilee giggled and faced the class, “this tree is a lot like you kids in a way; the way it opens up during the summer, full of energy, vibrancy, and beauty.”
>The students began speaking in hushed whispers.
>Cheerilee raised an eyebrow, “you all seriously didn’t think I never noticed it whenever you fell asleep at your desk, or looked out the window daydreaming?”
>A couple of snickers escaped some students, “you don’t think that sometimes I wish that I couldn’t just pass out at my desk like you kids do during math?”
>”Sometimes I want to do that.” Her countenance went from playful to loving, “but I can’t do that.”
>She pointed to her cutie mark; three beautiful flowers in full bloom.
>”It might be fun to be a little lazy sometimes, but I can’t do that.”
>”I have to keep growing, just like this tree.”
>”And the only way I’m going to do that,” she gestured to the crowd and wore a loving smile, “is to keep teaching.”
>She sighed happily, “Because I know if I do, I’ll bloom. But even better than that, so will all of you.”
>The class hung on her every word now; as if they somehow knew they would understand everything, even if it wouldn’t be right then.
>Someday, they all would.
>And Cheerilee beamed in the lazy fall sunlight.
>Because she knew that her students were ready to grow.
>And that she would be there to watch and help them in any way she could.
>You looked at her cutie mark, and then at the Mimosa.
>Just like how the tree feed off of the sunlight, the soil, and the nourishment of water; Cheerilee fed as well.
>But it was off of you.
>She had found her way a long time ago; and now she was content to grow.
>”Let’s head inside now class. We still have one more project before the day is done.”
>Cheerilee stood and watched as the students slowly rose from where they sat and shuffled towards the school house.
>You didn’t move; then Cheerliee approached you.
>”Do you like that tree Anonymous?”
>There was a question burning in your mind that you couldn’t quite put together.
“Why does,” you stammer, “how come that tree doesn’t bloom until summer?”
>Cheerilee put a hoof on your shoulder, “well, every tree is different.”
>You looked in her eyes and felt your heartbeat, “some trees take longer to bloom than others, Anon.”
>The dirt on your pants came off with a couple of pats and you rose.
>You and Cheerilee walked side by side back to class.
>”I think you’ll like our next project Anon,” she spoke with high hopes, “all you have to do is draw a picture.”
>”What do you want to be when you grow up?”
>You reached the door to the classroom and held it for Cheerilee, who complimented your manners.
>Before closing the door you looked at the Mimosa one last time.
>By the end of the school year you would both grow taller.
>And by June, you would be taller than Cheerilee.

>The schoolhouse looked sinister to you now.
>You found it a bit silly to think so.
>But still, looking at it made you remember your childhood quite vividly.
>And you didn’t want that.
>The paint began to peel and some spots were now bare and the aged wood was clearly visible.
>But besides that, it was the same building you had visited many times before.
>It was getting darker the longer you lingered.
>However, you would not get lost.
>The closer you got to your destination the brighter things became.
>This town was your home, and you knew where you were even without sight.
>It eased you a bit, and it made you feel as though you had never even left.
>You walked up the stairs to the front door and the wood creaked under your weight.
>You tried to open the door, but it was locked.
>But curiosity continued to call you to the schoolhouse despite this.
>You walked over to one of the windows and peered in; your hands cupped around your eyes.
>But the room was too dark to see anything.

>Back when you were very young you were dared to enter the Everfree Forest.
>”Go, Anon!” A cream colored filly with brown mane goaded, “just run in, find the joke, and run out! It’ll be cake!”
>You stood at the edge of the Everfree, your knees were shaking.
>Behind you a good, and safe, distance away, two ponies yelled at you.
>”Don’t listen to him Anon!” A lemon colored filly with orange mane shouted, “It’s dangerous in there! You could get hurt!”
>The two fillies now began arguing with each other about what you should do as you continued to tremble.
>The trees of the Everfree towered over you and made you feel helpless.
>Even though it was the midafternoon, you could not see any light enter the forest, and you knew it would be dark if you entered.

>”Anon?!”
>You jumped at the sudden voice and turned away from the window.
>A familiar giggle was heard, “I’m glad to see you’re still thinking about me, but don’t you have a party to get to right about now?”
>Your gaze met Cheerliee and you both smiled.
“Well, yeah,” you gestured to the schoolhouse.
“I just saw that the schoolhouse looked different, I almost didn’t recognize it, so I just thought I’d look inside and see if anything else was different.”
>Cheerilee waved a hoof, “well snooku-“she corrected herself, “I mean Big Mac, has been away on business to Appleoosa quite a bit this year.”
>”So maintenance on the old girl hasn’t really been kept up, but she’s still the same on the inside, I make sure of that.”
>She saluted when she said this and it made you chuckle.
“I see.”
>”I wish you’d gotten here a bit earlier Anon, you missed the opening of our class time capsule.”
>You grinned nostalgically.
“I remember that, it’s buried by the Mimosa, right?”
>”Yep, there’s actually a couple Mimosa’s now, but our Mimosa is the tallest one, you can’t miss it.”
You scratch your head, “I can’t remember what I put in it though.”
>She laughed, “Well, you’re just going to have to dig it up and find out then, huh?”
>You rolled your eyes.
“Another lesson I presume, teach?”
>”Nope,” she smiled, “I just think you’re going to like what you find a lot more if you dig it up for yourself.”
You sighed in defeat, “alright Cheerilee.”
>She raised an eyebrow and changed the subject, “so Anon, you’re a big hot shot author now I’ve heard.”
>You kicked at the dirt.
“I’ve had one book published, it’s doing pretty well, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself a hot shot.”
>Cheerilee smiled, “I’ve read your book Anon, and I don’t think you should be so modest.”
>You looked at her quizzically, “I really enjoyed it. In fact, I liked it so much that I’m adding it into my lesson plan for this year.”
>Your eyes went wide, and you felt uneasy.
>That’s a great way to get a class full of students to hate your book.
“Oh,” you said maybe a little too unenthusiastically, “that’s great. Thanks Cheerilee.”
>She scanned you for your reaction; at first she looked disappointed at your indifference.
>Then she looked you up and down, and her expression changed.
>”You know, by the time you were in first grade you were already taller than everypony in class.”
>She got you to stop looking at the ground when she said that.
>”You remember how that felt, don’t you Anon?”
>Remember? Yes.
>Even if you didn’t want to.
“Yeah, of course I do. I mean, I was already a human, and that was bad enough, but then-“
>”Anon,” Cheerilee interrupted, “don’t you think your book would’ve helped you back then?”
>You furrowed your brow.
“Well, maybe. I don’t really know; a lot of the books I read as a kid were usually about sharing, or something dumb like that.”
>”Exactly,” Cheerilee said ecstatically.
>She looked at your confused expression and began talking as if you were seated in class again.
>”There weren’t any books that could help you, Anon. It wasn’t just that you were a human either, you were very shy, and you got taken advantage of easily.”
>Your face began to feel hot as she listed all your faults.
>”I’ve taught a lot of students over the years Anon, and in every class I’ve ever been in, there’s always a student like you.”
>”There’s always a student who stands out, and they always have the hardest time fitting in, making friends, finding their Cutie Mark.”
>She gave you a proud smile, “those kids have a book now. And it took one of them to make it as well as you have.”
>She stopped and you thought about what she said.
“I wasn’t really thinking about it like that when I wrote it, Cheerilee.”
>Cheerilee smiled with gusto, “well, maybe I should leave and let you think about it for a while then.”
>She approached you and wrapped her forearm around your leg for a quick hug.
>”Consider it as my final lesson, Anon.”
>You put a hand behind her neck and rubbed her lovingly.
>Then she let go and began walking away.
>You looked at the darkened window and felt no need to try and look inside.
>”Oh, and happy birthday, Anon!”
>You turned around and you both waved at each other.
“Thanks, Cheerilee.”
>She disappeared into the darkness and you watched for a while.
>Then you turned and went down a trail you’ve beaten many times before.
>And again, you were coming home.

>”The Poison Joke is in there, you’re sure?”
>The Cream Pegasus pointed to an opening in the Everfree and you nodded.
“I saw it when I went with my mom to get some medicine from Zecora.”
>”Isn’t she the freaky zebra lady who tried to scare us on Nightmare Night?”
>You nodded again, and turned around to make sure no pony was watching you.
>He looked at the forest and smiled mischievously, “I bet there’s a ton of other weird stuff in there too.”
“Yeah well,” you said uneasily, “I don’t want to stay in there too long. Mom would blow a fuse if she found out what we were doing.”
>The Pegasus groaned, “no pony is even gonna know we did this, Anon.”
>He stamped his front hoof on the ground, “besides, don’t you want to get the Joke just so you can rub it in Aloe’s stupid, smug face.”
>You sighed.
“I just want her to leave me alone.”
>”Then let’s go!” The Pegasus shouted.
>He ran ahead of you and you reluctantly followed.
>You peered over your shoulder one last time to make sure no pony could see you.
>That was when you saw a familiar lemon colored filly running towards you.
>The tension in your body left and you tried your best to mask your relief in your shouting to the Pegasus.
“Stop, she found us!”
>You watched him turn back and lower his brow in annoyance, “what?!”
>The lemon filly caught up to you, and in between gasps of breath, she asked you where “the stupid brother” was.
>She didn’t need to ask that though.
>Cause he had flown up to the both of you and started shouting at her.
>”Did you tattle on us?!” He screamed at her, “you told on us, didn’t you?!”
>She glared at him, “no, but I thought about it, and I will if you go in there.”
>He got really close to her face and stood on his front legs and fluttered his wings to propel himself forward.
>This never intimidated her, but he did it regardless, “I’m just trying to help, Anon! Don’t tattle on us!”
>She rolled her eyes, “getting killed in the Everfree is not going to help Anon, stupid.”
>”Shut up,” he screamed back, “we’re only going in there cause Aloe dared him to! Unlike you I’m helping Anon, so stop getting in the way.”
>”Aloe, is a bully,” she retorted, “she’s not going to stop if Anon does what she says.”
>”She will to,” he spit.
>She frowned, “will not.”
>”Will to.”
>”Will not.”
>You watched them argue back and forth for a while and you felt your heart drop.
>They’re the only friends you have at school.
>”The only reason they’re arguing is because of me,” you thought to yourself.
>All you seem to do is cause problems.
>And you were tired of it.
>You looked at the forest and wondered what was so dangerous about it anyway.
>Zecora lives there after all, so it can’t be too dangerous.
>You clenched your hands until they began to tremble and you began towards the forest in a quick stride.
>The Poison Joke wasn’t too far from the entrance, you were sure of it.
>All you have to do is just run in and run out.
>What are you so scared of?
>Behind you, you could hear the arguing get fainter and fainter as you walked away.
>Then it stopped completely.
>You imagined what it would be like when you came back with the Poison Joke.
>They’d probably ask you all about what you saw in the forest.
>Right as you were about to enter the forest you heard what sounded like a tree falling over; wood snapping, leaves rustling, and a loud thud.
>You stopped dead in your tracks.
>That’s when you realized just how close to the entrance you were.
>You could easily reach out and touch one of the accursed trees that made up the Everfree.
>In the darkness of the forest you saw something running away, but couldn’t tell what it was.
>You couldn’t move; you were faintly breathing, trying your best to become invisible.
>”Anon,” a familiar lemon filly shrieked, “get away from there!”

>Soon you could hear them arguing again and you were reminded of your goal.
>Though your confidence and bravery had now diminished considerably.
“I’m going in.”
>There was no way they heard you, and you didn’t turn around to see their reaction when you closed your eyes and quickly took the extra steps necessary to enter.
>The ground under your shoes began to make a crunching noise as you left the grass and stepped onto a ground covered with dead leaves.
>The crunching noise was heard over a dozen times before you stopped.
>You opened your eyes, slowly, and looked at were you were.
>It wasn’t nearly as dark as you thought it was going to be.
>All you could see surrounding you were trees.
>No monsters, dangers, or anything really, except for trees.
>You cautiously approached one of them and quickly touched it.
>It didn’t seem any different from any of the trees in Ponyville, maybe it was a little paler, but it didn’t seem different.
>You looked up and weren’t surprised when you didn’t see the sun.
>No light got past the dense canopy.
>You turned around and saw where you came from.
>Now you just had to remember which way mom went that one day.
>There was a dirt trail that followed the entrance and went on past your sight to somewhere.
>You shrugged and began to walk deeper into the forest.
>As you continued, the various sounds of different animals could be heard.
>They were mainly some bird chirps, and a couple of croaks from some toads.
>A bush next to you began to rustle and you stopped and stared at it.
>You cautiously approached it, and then stopped again when a bunny hopped out and took off away from you.
>You smirked and laughed at yourself for being so scared earlier.
>Nothing happened when you came here with mom.
>So why would something happen now?
>You looked over your shoulder every now and then anyway.
>Then you came across something on the trail that made you gulp nervously.
“Alright,” you say to yourself, “which path was it?”
>The fork in the road taunted you as you tried to remember which path was the one you wanted.
>You looked behind you, and a chill ran up your spine when you realized that you could no longer see the entrance.
>Even though nothing had happened, it was still a bit unnerving to be so deep in the Everfree.
>How long had you been walking anyway?
>You’ve probably been told on by now.
>Maybe you should just head back, before you get chased down by your mother in the forest.
>You turn around put your hands in your pocket before beginning the trek back.
>As you were trying to think of what you were going to tell everypony in class tomorrow, who all expected you to have some Poison Joke, you heard another loud crash.
>Your gaze jerked up and your eyes darted left and right to find the source.
>Then you briefly saw something in the corner of your eye get up.
>Something big.
>You gasped and quickly ran away; the fork in the road was rapidly getting closer.
>You didn’t pay attention to which path you took.
>All you knew was that it was the wrong one.
>You ran until you couldn’t anymore, and you leaned against a tree and sunk to the ground.
>Your blood was pumping so hard you could feel your face throb with every heartbeat.
>Sweat covered your red face and you wiped it away from your eyes.
>You shut your eyes and tried to listen for any other noises besides your labored gasping.
>There was nothing.
>The chirps of the birds, and the croaks of the toads, they were gone.
>It was completely silent.
>You peered around the tree and looked for, something, you weren’t sure what.
>Once again, all you could see were the trees.
>Your breathing stabilized again, and you sat for a while.
>It was mostly out of fear, but you were also contemplating what to do next.
>You rolled a rock around in your fingers without really thinking about it.
>”I’ve got to go back the way I came,” you thought to yourself.
>There was no other way out that you knew of.
>You sat for a while longer, and then you peered around the tree one more time before getting up.
>You pinched your shirt in the back and peeled it off of your sweat soaked skin.
>Then you scanned the area around you.
>And you froze.
>You rapidly looked in all directions, and nervously asked yourself one question.
“Where’s the trail?”
>You walked in circles for a while, sticking to a certain area in hopes of finding the trail again.
>But after what seemed like an hour you gave up.
>You sat back down and hung your head low.
>Tears slid down your cheeks and you tried your best to muffle your sobs by covering your mouth with your hands.
>After you couldn’t cry anymore, you looked at your hands and noticed that it was getting much harder to see in front of you.
>You wondered why nopony had found you yet.
>They had to be out looking for you by now.
>You got up and rubbed your eyes.
>You wiped the bottom of your pants where you sat and began walking in the direction where you thought the exit was.
>Crickets had begun chirping now, and you liked that it wasn’t completely silent anymore.
>But as it got darker, you found it harder to see just where you were going.
>Occasionally, your foot would get caught under a root or you would step on something uneven and fall.
>After doing this a couple of times the bottoms of your palms had become scraped and raw, and you rubbed them.
>You walked for what felt like forever.
>You were hoping that maybe if you kept going you’d eventually run into somepony who was looking for you.
>Or at least you’d see the lights of town.
>But you saw neither, and your steps eventually slowed down until they were a weary shuffle.
>Getting bullied at school was nothing compared to this.
>You hoped that you’d live long enough to be able to go to school tomorrow.
>Thinking like this made you feel scared again.
>You began to constantly look over your shoulder, and you felt like something could get you at any moment.
>You nervously began humming, at first aimlessly.
>Then you remembered something.
>Your mom sang you something that used to ease your fears.
>She did it last time you were both in the Everfree together.
>How did it go?

>You got closer to the party, and the music emanating from the brightest house in Ponyville at the moment went from a faint whisper to a pied piper call.
>Everypony in town was most likely there, you figured.
>All the windows in town had been dark.
>But Sugarcube Corner glowed like the full moon in an empty night sky.
>You stood by a corner, and stared at it for a while.
>Ponies walked in and out of the front doors; giggling, smiling, and living it up without a care.
>You weren’t ready for all that yet, and you leaned on a wall and put your hands in your pockets.

>The song had calmed your nerves a bit.
>You soldiered on, hoping to find somepony who could help you.
>Then you felt something tug at your foot and you fell again.
>You groaned in pain and got on your knees.
>But something stopped you.
>You put your hand the ground and picked a plant that had a certain feel to it.
>The petals felt stiff, almost synthetic.
>You brought the plant up to your face and squinted hard to try and see what it was.
>After some focus, you realized you had picked a Poison Joke flower.
>A smirk formed on your face.
>You picked a couple more flowers and put them in your pocket before continuing.
>Finding the Joke had lifted your spirits a bit, and you picked up the pace.
>You heard the crunching of dead leaves under your feet after a while and went even faster.
>Then you started to hear voices, and you went towards them.
>You looked up in the sky and saw what looked like a signal with three balloons in it.
>And soon you emerged from the tree line to a small crowd of surprised faces.

>You ran back into the forest and ignored the protests of the others.
>”I’ve got to find him,” there were tears in your eyes again.
>You ignored the crunching of the dead leaves under you.
>The fork in the road had both of its paths ignored, and you plowed down the middle.
>All the while, you were screaming his name in a frantic panic.
>He may have failed to find you.
>But you will not fail to find him.
>Your throat had become strained from all of your screaming and heavy breathing.
>You ran until you couldn’t anymore, and you placed an outstretched hand on one of the trees and leaned on it to catch your breath.
>”I’ve screwed everything up again,” you thought to yourself.
>The guilt made a lump form in your throat and you felt like crying again.
>”Anon!”
>You gasped and tried your best to stifle your panting and listen.
>”Anon! Where are you?!”
>You laughed with relief and ran over to the familiar voice.
“Pound,” you called out desperately, “Pound, I’m over here!”
>You emerged from behind a thicket and met face to face with the cream colored Pegasus.
>There was a goofy grin on your face and you were glad that this nightmare was finally over.
“Pound, you’re never gonna believe it, I found the Poison Joke. And…”
>You stopped and looked at him.
>His usual cocky grin was gone, and he was shivering.
>”It’s about time I found you,” he said in a shaky voice.
>He sniffled, “I’ve been trying to find you for a super long time now, and I don’t remember the way back.”
>His eyes were red, and you’re sure he’d been crying, “Do you know how to get out of here, Anon?”
>You patted him on the back.
“Yeah, come on let’s go.”
>A cold breeze pushed at your back and you both began the walk home.
>There was silence for a while.
>You sighed.
“It was really scary being in this forest for so long, you know.”
>Pound didn’t say anything, but you heard him chatter his teeth as the cold breeze continued.
“I didn’t really think I was going to get out. But then I sang one of my mom’s songs.”
>”Which one?”
>He looked at you expectantly.
>Just then you heard the crash again, this time louder and closer than ever before.
>A tree fell in front of you and you and Pound both fell back in shock.
>You scrambled to get up, but froze when you heard a heart stopping growl.
>That’s when you saw it leap in front of you.
>It had light brown fur, its wings stretched out, and it slammed its tail into the ground before raising it back up.
>A Manticore stood in front of you.
>It’s eyes drifted to your frightened and fallen form, and they made your blood run cold.
>You couldn’t move, and the Manticore began to crouch down like he was ready to pounce.
>Pound wasn’t faring any better, and you were sure that you were done for.
>’When I was just a filly and the sun was going down.’
>You looked up at the sky and saw the signal again; the one with three balloons.
>’The darkness and the shadows they would always make me frown.’
>The Manticore growled again and you quickly grabbed Pound and you both got up.
>’I’d hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw.’
“Run, Pound! Follow me!”
>’But Granny Pie said that wasn’t the way to deal with fears at all.’
>You pulled him until you were both running on your own, and you both burst through the thicket.
>’She said Pinkie you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fears.’
>Behind you there was another loud crash, but you just kept running.
>’You’ll see that they can’t hurt you just laugh to make them disappear.’
>You both began screaming as the sound of roaring got closer and closer to your backs.
>’Ha, ha ,ha.’
>There was no way you two were going to outrun this Manticore.
>’So giggle at the ghostie! Guffaw at the grossly!’
“Help! Somepony help me!”
>’Crack up with the creepy. Whoop it up with the weepy!’
>You both ran past the fork in the road, screaming all the way.
>’Chortle at the kooky! Snortle at the spooky!’
>You ran past a search party that was in the forest, ignoring their pleas to stop.
>’And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he’s got another thing coming’
>You and Pound emerged from the tree line and ran past the crowd of ponies waiting for you.
>’And the very of idea of such a thing just makes you wanna’
>Neither of you stopped running until you both burst through the doors of home.
>You both went into your room and locked the door.
>Pound collapsed on the floor and you plopped onto the bed face first.
>You were both gasping for air harder than either of you ever had.
>After a while you got up and walked over to him.
>He stayed on the floor, and watched you reach into your pocket.
>You pulled out a blue flower and smiled.
“I found the Poison Joke.”
>He smiled back at you, and you both began to
>’Laugh.’

“Laugh.”
>You mulled over a couple of things that were on your mind.
>Then you sighed.
>And you approached the party.

pt. 3: http://pastebin.com/v0Nv0zUN