SiE Chapter 6: ｢ＷＯＵＮＤＳ｣ that Linger

Chapter 6: ｢ＷＯＵＮＤＳ｣ that Linger


>Rainbow Dash’s outburst floors you, her words hitting you harder than any physical blow ever could.
>You watch, distraught as she turns away from you with a huff and launches herself out the window.
“Rainbow Dash! Wait!”
>You throw yourself to the window but are helpless to stop the pegasus pony from flying into the distance.
>You feel yourself deflate as if every little bit of joy evacuates your body at once, and solemnly you cast your gaze down at the street, right onto a face almost as sad a your own.
>As sad as you are, it takes a moment for your mind to recognize the face standing below you in the street light, and a full half a second later you remember; it’s the mare you and Dash have been chasing all day.
>And it takes another half second to realize that if she’s here now, she must be behind Rainbow’s behaviour, and is likely another stand user.
>Like a snap freeze all the sadness you feel turns to anger in a second, filling you from bottom of your hooves to the tip of your main with seething sea of boiling rage.
>You practically fly out of your room, taking the stairs two, three and even five at a time (that last one may have been a mistake as you lose our footing and roll down the rest of the staircase.
>Landing on your feet, you waste no time in heading to the door and shoving it open with a yell.
”Yoooooooou!”
>You hooves carry you down the stairs and despite yourself you raise a hoof to strike her.
”What did you do to my friend?!”
>”I’m sorry.”
>Your hoof stops inches from the mare, and for the first time you get a good look at her tear streaked face.
>Like letting the air of of a balloon, the anger filling you dissipates, and you sheepishly place you hoof back on the ground.
>”I’m sorry.”
>The mare looks away from the window and to you.
>”I didn’t want this to happen. I warned you both but…”
>The mare slumps to her haunches, and a fresh stream of tears runs down her face.
>”Oh Celestia… I’ve broken the Elements of Harmony.”
“But if this is your stand power can’t you just turn it off?”
>”Stand? No my power...my curse isn’t something that stands with me. It’s like…”
>The mare takes a single, shuddering breath as she tries to stem her tears.
>”It’s like a festering ｢ＷＯＵＮＤ｣ that won’t heal. Always there. Always hurting others. Sucking away friendship until there’s nothing left.”
“Sucking away friendship? Is that why Rainbow Dash was acting so grouchy?”
>The mare nods and this time it’s your turn to slump, defeated, to the ground.
“Why?”
>”I always thought it was my name; Lonely Heart. It’s apt. I could never make friends when I was a filly, no matter how hard I tried, and eventually not only did I stop trying, but wherever I went friendships would just...die.”
>It takes all your strength to stop yourself crying out at the poor mare’s plight. To never ever have had a friend? Your brain can barely comprehend it.
>And whether born of grief or some epiphany, you realize what you have to do.
>You have to give this mare a friend.
>You spring to your hooves, startling Lonely Heart.
“Dry those tears Lo- uh, Heart! You say you’ve never had a friend? Well Pinkie Pie’s going to change that!”
>You hold out your hoof to her, and for a moment you see her flinch away like it’s a snake about to strike, then she steels herself and gingerly takes it.
>”Ok.”
>You lift Heart to her hooves and see a smile grace her features in response to your own excited grin.
>A grin that hides how nervous you really are. You need to get this right, not just for your sake, but for Lonely Heart’s as well.
“So, where to friend?”
>”Uh… why are you asking me.”
“Well, friends hang out and do things together, and I’m letting you be the official thing to do together picker!”
>Heart pouts, trying to think after being put on the spot only to come up with a shrug.
>”I don’t know, what activities do you usually do with your friends?”
“Oh the usual; party, prank each other, model, save Equestria from evil, randomly break into song…”
>”Uh, I guess a party would be alright?”
“No problemo! Party is my middle name!”
“Or it will be, at least once the forms clear.”


>It takes a little while to set up, what with you having only a limited selection of your Patented Pinkie Party Supplies on you, but by the time the sun sets Cypress Hill has been transformed.
>Balloons, streamers, confetti, colourful banners, music; You’ve pulled out all the stops.
>And not only is the general population of the village having a good time but, despite her reservations, so is Lonely Heart.
>”But how will I know if I’m friends with someone?”
“You’ll just know.”
>”But how will I know?”
“Because they’ll be the ponies that you get along with, share your interest with and trust.”
>You bound over to Heart, who, along with the quartet of ponies she’s standing with, is struggling to hold back her laughter as the group tells stories amongst itself.
>You catch her gaze, and she shoots you a smile that you warmly return.
>Deciding to leave her to her new friends and look around at the crowd of ponies clogging the street for one pony in particular.
>And as luck would have it, you spot her (not that her multicolored mane lets her blend into the crowd easily.)
>With a spring in your step you make your way over to Rainbow Dash and tap her on the shoulder.
“Heya!”
>You see her tense as she hears you, and she draws out the process of turning around, steeling herself before she meets your gaze.
>”Pinkie, I’m so sorry about what I sa-”
“Uh uh!”
>You hold your hoof up, cutting Dash off as you speak and explain the events that transpired after she flew off; regarding Lonely Heart and her ability.
>As you explain you guide Rainbow over towards Heart, who has broken away from her group for the moment.
>The colour drains from her face as the two of you approach, and like Dash you stop her before she launches into a long line of apologies.
>”Hey, don’t worry about it. I’d probably be a bit loopy if I’d never had any friends either.”
>You put a hoof on Heart’s shoulder and reassure her that Dash is just joking, and she smiles, only to gasp and pull away from you as she looks at something over your shoulder.
>”Oh Celestia. Oh Celestia not again not again not again oh-”
>Lonely Heart drops to her haunches and takes breath after breath, sobbing and hyperventilating as she fixes a terrified stare on you.
>You hear Rainbow gasp, and turn to see her features awash with concern.
>”Pinkie... Your back….”


>Pinkie spins, trying and failing to look at the creature on her back.
>Lonely Heart’s stand, wound or whatever she calls it seems unperturbed by Pinkie’s movement, squatting on her back like a giant insect, a comparison that it’s appearance does nothing to dissuade.
>It’s segmented legs draw tighter around Pinkie’s body, and the long proboscis jutting from its face sinks deeper into the back of Pinkie’s neck, not that she appears to notice.
>”Hold still Pinkie, we’ll take care of it.”
>You nod in agreement (even if it’s only for Dash’s benefit) and draw back your fist.
>”Wait! Stop!”
>You pause, and watch as Pinkie walks over to Lonely Heart and crouches next to the distraught mare.


“Hey.”
>You place a hoof on Lonely Heart’s shoulder, causing the mare to pause her mantra of ‘I’m sorry’ and look at you.
“It’s ok. I’m your friend, and I know you can control this-”
>You wave a hoof at your back and smile, even as you feel the effect of Lonely Heart’s Wound pervert your mind, filling your head with terrible thoughts over how much of a crybaby she is, and how much of a coward Dash was for abandoning you with her.
“I trust you.”
>It takes all of your effort to force those simple words out, and even then it feels like you’re lying through your teeth to try and comfort this pathetic waste of a pony.
>You don’t know what keeps you rooted in place while every fiber of your being is yelling at your to get up and leave the ponies you thought were your friends in the dust, but you do, setting your face like concrete to disguise the whirlwind of emotions bellowing below the surface.
>You watch as Lonely Heart dips her head, and you instantly realize that she’s given up, just like you expected.
>Your body almost loses the battle to stay where you are when you notice her taking deeper and less frequent breaths, and that her sobs have stopped.
>Slowly, her head raises and some small part of your heart leaps when you notice the determination and fire in her eyes.
>”You’re right. I can control this.”
>She climbs to her hooves and draws back.
>”Because I’m done letting my wounds control me.”
>She swings her hoof, the limb sailing over your head and causing all your terrible thoughts to blow away like autumn leaves in the wind.
>Anger, at yourself rather than you friends, and shame rush to fill the void, only to be driven away as Lonely Heart and then Dash wrap you in a hug.
>You don’t know which one of you starts laughing, but soon enough all of you are, not even caring at the stares you draw from the rest of the town ponies.
>You laugh and laugh, only stopping when it becomes too much to continue.
“Thank you.”
>”No. Thank you.”
>You all untangle yourselves from each other, Lonely Heart nods at you two.
>”Come on. I’d hate to keep the element of laughter from a party.”
>Heart turns and walks off into the crowd, and you struggle to hold back a tear.
“My work here is done.”
>”Does that mean we’re not going to hang around for the rest of the party?”
>You turn and smile.
“Don’t be silly Anon, what sort of party pony would I be if I left now!”


>You watch, speechless as Pinkie hops off after Lonely Heart, and it’s several moments before Rainbow Dash breaks the silence between the two of you.
>”Did she just…?”
“I think she did.”
>”Does that mean-”
“I think it does.”


>”Sh-”
“-it”

<=To=Be=Continued==
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNEk5Yf-MYY