William assumed that he must have dozed off at some point or another, because one moment he was staring at the ceiling and the next he was glowering at the wall with a familiar weighty tail draped over his side. He just laid there for a while, his mind strangely fuzzy as he stared at the wall.

He gave a quiet sigh after a while, kicking Eris.

She snorted and fell out of his bed, muttering angrily to herself for a few seconds. Then, the snoring resumed. William sighed again, wordlessly dragging himself from his bed and staring blearily out the window as the morning sun poked angrily at his eyes. A quiet stumble to the bathroom found him brushing his teeth in a dull, empty manner. William didn’t really care for the look of himself in the mirror. Like it was still difficult to look himself in the eyes.

He hadn’t even changed his clothes, and although he did not like wearing the same thing for so long it did not particularly bother him as much as usual. The dullness seemed to have made itself quite at home in his mind. He scratched an itch on his leg with his foot, balancing for a moment before tiredly washing his face and forcing his lead filled legs toward the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash had not moved from her position from the night previously, and he smiled a little when he saw her ear twitch in her sleep as he passed. The smile faded soon afterward though as he exhaustedly towed a carton of eggs toward the kitchen stove and started preparing breakfast.

Soon the scent of cooking oil began to fill the air with a pleasant scent, and William blearily began cracking eggs against the countertop as the same small smile returned. Rainbow Dash would surely appreciate the breakfast, considering that she did not have to cook. And besides, she was certainly not as good at it as pretty much anyone else, and William was content with doing it himself. He hummed a tuneless song to himself as the sizzle of another egg greeted him warmly. That was one, two – no, he had to account for Eris of course, and Rainbow Dash preferred three eggs with toast, not to forget that Pinkie –

The egg William was currently holding suddenly imploded with a sickening crack! and left rivets of golden liquid trickling down his wrist. His hand was trembling mysteriously, and his breathing was heavy as he stared at the damage. Shattered eggshell fell to the floor noisily, but he only managed to stare right past it.

That was right.

Pinkie was gone.

Because Fluttershy had taken her place.

He didn’t have much more time to allow the dark thoughts to fester, as he was promptly slammed in the side by something large, giggling and blue.

“Oh my Celestia, Will!” Rainbow Dash squealed, squeezing him so tightly that he thought that one of his ribs would break. Her confusion was as blatant as her glee, her grin wide.“You’re home, why are you…?”

“Early!” he choked out between a mouthful of feathers as he failed to pry himself from her embrace. “Sent back early!”

It took him a moment to realize that her shoulders were trembling, and she smelled strongly of alcohol but her voice was relatively even between the barrage of kisses.

“Great, this is great!” Dash nuzzled him closer, letting out a contented sigh. “Oh, baby, I missed you so much, I swear I am never letting you out of my sight again, never never never I missed you I – missed – you!”

“Ah whiff ooh phoo, muffer,” William responded as well as he could with his face full of Rainbow Dash’s chest. She was all smiles and kisses, practically radiating joy. He did nothing to resist the affectionate assault, something warm welling up in his chest as he beamed back at her.

Until she noticed the bruises, at which point she promptly froze like she were dipped in ice.

“… Oh, ohh n- Will. William,” she gently touched a spot to the side of the bruise on his cheek. Her hoof was trembling, although from leftover feelings of enthusiasm or rage he wasn’t sure.

“… Yes, Mother.”

“What happened…?” Dash asked quietly as his weak smile faded away, brows furrowing in concern as she touched another bruise on his neck. Her hoof followed down until it was resting on his shoulder, and his face slipped into an expressionless mask.

“… I fell down some stairs.”

“You-you fell… down some stairs.”

“Yes. I fell down some stairs.”

Rainbow Dash inspected him closely for a long, painfully silent minute. She glared a hole in each bruise she found, wordlessly contemplating. However, William was still as a statue and said nothing as well. After what seemed like forever, she finally pulled him in for another hug.

“… My poor little colt,” she said in a hushed tone ripe with pity. “You must have been hurting like crazy…”

“Yes. It was rather… painful. But everything is going to be fine now.”

“Tha~t’s okay,” she nuzzled him again, softly. “My poor colt. Mommy’s here now.”

He instinctively flinched when her lips touched the bruise, but she barely brushed over it.

“Don’t worry. Mom’ll kiss it and make it all-all better…” she kissed him again, holding him close with her wings. “Celestia. I-I missed you, Will. It’s been so lonely without you.”

“I’m glad I’m home,” he replied quietly, his focus somewhere on the floor. She tilted his head up and smiled, giving him another kiss on the lips before squeezing him loosely.

“… You tried making breakfast for me,” Rainbow Dash said distractedly when she saw his hand, which was still dripping with the remains of the poor egg. She slanted his hand upward to examine it, the golden goo beginning to feel sticky.

“The keyword being ‘tried’.”

Rainbow Dash giggled, and he smiled at the sound. It had been too long since he’d heard it.

“Gotta clean up this mess,” she said slowly, turning his hand over in her hoof. “Aww. Such a… such a waste…”

Rainbow Dash’s hot tongue somehow found its way to his fingertip, trailing ever so slowly down his knuckle as she suckled it. The warmth trickling over was carefully lapped up little by little. A muffled sigh slipped through the further she grew, the more attention she gave. She released a little shiver at the taste, her wings stiffly jutting out as she carefully licked some off of his index finger. Quietly panting as her cheeks burned, Dash followed her tongue-

“… Mother.”

“Right!” she jerked away suddenly, flushed as she wiped her lips with the crook of her elbow and laughed awkwardly. Her hoof hit the floor with a loud clop! as she took a step back, a sorrowful, pained expression on her face. “Right, uh, t-towel, need to – burning!” Dash yelped, yanking the smoking eggs from the stove in panic. She scrabbled for the handle with both hooves, eyes wide as she tried to keep from dropping any of the crackling ruined eggs.

“What’s all the ruckus?” a sleepy Eris stuck her head in the doorway suddenly.

Several things happened at once.

Firstly, Rainbow Dash failed to recognize Eris immediately and panicked. She also dropped the smoking pan in surprise and shock, her heartbeat louder than a set of drums in her ears. Next, Dash found herself heading toward the floor at a high speed, having slipped on the egg in the floor.

Finally, she was rather stunned by the sudden lack of not being hit by the hot pan, until she realized why.

It was because William had caught it.

With his bare hands.

The bloodcurdling scream that followed almost broke the windows.

“Carefully, carefully…” Fluttershy murmured as she wrapped another line of gauze around William’s palm, the thick bandages doing nothing to relieve the stinging. “Just a little more, want to make sure the burn cream doesn’t smear too much.”

She spoke in a tone hardly above a whisper, and it was clear as she kneeled before him that the pegasus was refraining from clutching her head. Fluttershy cringed every time he made a noise or moved too much on the sofa, and Rainbow Dash sheepishly helped her to tie off the dressings.

“Why did you have to try an’ catch it?” Eris asked in a befuddled voice through a mouthful of slightly burned eggs. She lingered momentarily over the fussy pegasi (or rather, one fussy pegasus and another straining not to collapse) before shrugging and returning to her breakfast.

“Hoo, I can’t stand the smell of burn cream,” Fluttershy said distractedly, her voice hardly above a whisper. “Oh, I wish I had some aloe vera on me, it works wonders-”

William flinched when she pressed down too hard, and Fluttershy cringed.

“Sorry, sorry…!” she whispered when Rainbow Dash shot her a dirty look. Her voice was as shaky as her hooves, but she didn’t stop. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, I’m trying, I really am-”

“… Hey,” Dash tapped her gently on the shoulder. “I got it from here, thanks for helping Flutters.”

Fluttershy sighed with a mix of relief and tired gratitude, thankfully nodding once to her before slinking away, her hoof clamped tightly to her aching head.

William sat in silence as the sound of Eris busying herself in the kitchen almost overwhelmed the sharp noise Dash made through her teeth every time he cringed.

“… Mother,” William said after a while as she finished tying off the bandages.

“Yeah, Squirt?” she smiled, finishing off the knot carefully.

“… What happened while I was gone?”

Rainbow Dash’s smile faltered.

“Why is she here?” William hissed angrily. “Why is she here, where did Pinkie go?”

Dash’s eyes darkened for a moment, and she looked away.

“Pinks – me and Pinkie…” she started with some difficulty, sidling onto the seat next to him. “Look. Squirt. I’m gonna level with you here,” Dash continued softly, hoof gently touching his upturned white bandaged hand. “Me and Pinks have been kind of on a rocky road for a while, and-and, well…”

“And now she’s gone,” he stated flatly, his voice emptying of expression. “But… but she’ll come back, right?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t answer. Although the sun was fairly bright for such a morning, the familiar rumble of thunder sounded far away.

“… Right?”

“I don’t know if she’s coming back, kiddo,” Rainbow Dash pulled away and looked at her hooves. The gleam of several bottles lying on the floor in the morning sunlight made a sick feeling lurch in her belly. “It’s complicated.”

“But-but,” William repeatedly tried to absentmindedly pull at his fingers, the stinging pain stopping him. “But, she – I mean, we’re family. You and I are family, and Pinkie Pie is family. She didn’t just stop being family, she-she, this isn’t – she has to come back!”

His voice had been steadily growing more unstable as he spoke, something strange in his eyes as he looked at her.

Rainbow Dash quietly hugged him again, wrapping one wing around his shoulders.

“It’ll be alright, Squirt. Just gotta hang in there.”

His protests were cut off, and he eventually succumbed to the silence. He sat wordlessly with his hands in his lap, staring at the floor.

He didn’t want to just go along with it.

He wanted Pinkie Pie back.

He wanted his family back.

“You sure you’re going to be okay by yourself today?” Rainbow Dash asked for the umpteenth time, fretting endlessly over him. Fluttershy had long since sheepishly slipped out, appreciatively taking the ice pack with her and clutching it tightly to her pounding head.

“Yes, Mother,” he answered quietly, trying hard not to eye the pictures lining the hall lest his mind wander back to where it really wanted to go. “I shall be fine.”

“And you,” Dash turned to Eris and furrowed her brows. “Don’t let him out of your sight, got it?”

Eris saluted with her tail and a grin, clicking her heels together for good measure.

“Sir, yes sir!” she barked. “Engaging in super constant mega surveillance mode, pronto!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the display, fighting off a wry smile.

“I’ll be as fast as I can, and then we can do some catching up when I get back, okay?” She resumed talking quietly to William, giving him another kiss on the forehead for good measure.

“Do you have an estimated time of arrival?” William asked emotionlessly.

“Well…” she scrunched up her face in thought, standing up straight. “I’ve gotta run some errands. We need more eggs, too, so I’ll grab the groceries while I’m there. Then I’ve gotta go bribe AJ into helping me, and maybe her brother since applebucking season’s over. And then after all that, I’ve got to go take care of those friggin’ storm clouds piling up; loads of ‘em keep sneaking out from the Everfree, it’s starting to make everypony nervous.”

“Help?” Eris blinked, looking a little offended as Dash made for the door. “Dude, I don’t need help babysitting.”

“I do not require a babysitter,” William retorted angrily, but went unnoticed.

“Well, uh…” Dash said a little awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. “We were actually supposed to have started with the add-on to the house already. I kind of… kept putting it off. You guys really weren’t supposed to be back yet.”

“Wait, the what now?”

“So that you can have a room,” Rainbow Dash deadpanned in Eris’s direction, who seemed more stunned than anything. “Granted, it’s probably gonna take some work-”

“Why are you building an entire new room?” she pried suspiciously, and Dash sighed in exasperation as she was prevented from leaving once again.

“Because I’m not just gonna throw you out in the street,” Rainbow Dash said huffily, her cheeks a little flushed. “Just behave for ten seconds, I’ll be right back. Okay?”

“Tch,” Eris threw up a talon as she sauntered off. “Yeah, fine.”

“… I’ll keep a close eye on her for you,” William stated dutifully.

She gave a thankful nod to him before lifting off, gone in a blur and a rustle of wind.

And then it was horribly, horribly quiet again, and William sorely wished that he had gone with her.

Instead, he wordlessly closed the door and slowly stumbled toward his room. His heart was heavy but his mind was busy gaining speed as he contemplated. At least, until something occurred to him at his bedroom door.

He couldn’t open the Book of Dreams.

He couldn’t write.

“PARSNIPS!” William screamed angrily, and almost fell over when his door was yanked open.

“Oh, hey,” Eris blinked down at him through the crack in the door. “What’cha doin’?”

“This is my room, what do you think I’m doing?” he scowled, crossing his arms loosely in order to avoid hurting his hands again.

“Yikes, somebody sounds someone’s a little cranky,” Eris winked at him playfully as she pried open the door. “Didn’t get enough sleep?”

“That’s another thing,” William frowned as he pushed past her and immediately began struggling with his belongings with his elbows. “I would appreciate it if you would stop climbing into my bed. It’s annoying.”

“… Are you seriously trying to pick up a book with your elbows?” Eris stared, dumbfounded.

“I have a lot to do today, yes,” he said matter of factly as he dropped the black book once again. “I have numerous letters that need to be written, I have very important studies that I need to catch up on, and most importantly, I need to tend to my garden.”

“And… you’re gonna do all that with your elbows?” Eris leaned against the doorframe with a smug look.

“I shall manage,” William seethed.

“Uh huh,” she blinked, clearly unconvinced as he dropped the book again and gritted his teeth. “Tell you what, when you get tired of hurting yourself, just let me know, okay?”

He wanted to fume at her for inexplicably trying to be helpful. He wanted to throw things at her and yell at the top of his lungs, he wanted to tell her to get out and stop ruining his life.

Instead, William bit his tongue and swallowed his pride, no matter how hard it was to choke down.

“… Wait,” he muttered as she started walking away.

“Whuzzat?” she stuck her head back in through the doorway, cocking an eyebrow. “Oh, don’t mind little old me, I wouldn’t want to interrupt you when you’re so busy.”

“I –” he started, blowing out a vicious whistle through his teeth. “Eris, stop. I’m sorry, okay? Just-just help me with this. Please?” he added a little hopefully.

“Eh, I dunno…” Eris checked a nonexistent watch on her wrist. “I’m really busy too, what with all the TV I have to not catch up on-”

“Dammit Eris!”

“Alright, alright!” she giggled, holding up her hands. “Chill out already.”

She launched herself onto his bed with a fwump! and grinned, holding her chin in her hands. Her tail quickly made its way around and whipped slowly back and forth.

“So…” Eris smirked, twirling her tail around and tickling him under the chin playfully and delighting in his utterly unamused expression. “What can I do for you today, hmm, cutie pie? How can your awesome big sister be even more awesome than usual?”

“Quit doing that, firstly,” William swiped distractedly at her tail, and promptly let out a high pitched whine from trying to use his hand.

“What’s first on today’s list?” she grinned eagerly, leaning forward a little more and resting her chin on her interlocked fingers. “Garden crap in the hot sun? Need me to turn pages for you? Or…!”

Eris snapped her talons out of habit, sitting up a bit straighter.

“Or, what do you say we actually go outside for once and have some fun?”

“No, no, and also no,” William said with a frown, and looked away from her awkwardly. His face was oddly flushed, and it was clear that he was trying hard not to stick his hands in his pockets as he shifted back and forth.

“Well, then what did you want my help with?” Eris blinked with a small frown as well, tilting her head. “Seriously, I don’t wanna hang around here all day and do nothing, that’s boring.”

“I-I sort of, er… need help with… with something else,” his face was steadily growing pinker, and one of his legs was jittering.

“… ‘kay. Spit it out already.”

William balked at her for a full moment in trepidation before looking down.

“I have to go.”

“Go where?”

“I have to go.”

Eris opened her mouth to reply before snapping it shut.

“… Oh. Ohhhhh.”

If William expected Eris to show a hint of discomfort or uneasiness, he was sorely disappointed. Eris grinned widely and sniggered.

“It’s not funny!” he stamped his foot against the floor, his ears burning ferociously.

“Of course not!” she held up her hands again, stifling her rampant giggles “Totally serious, super serious!”

“Oh, never mind!” William stomped off in humiliation, and Eris was quick to follow.

“Alright, okay,” Eris fought off her snickering. “It’s cool, dude. I’ll help you out.”

William lurched away quickly, struggling to get the bathroom door with only his foot.

“Just forget it,” he answered heatedly, trying not to look at her. “I’ll figure it out, just-just never mind.”

She watched him skirmish at the doorknob with his elbows for a moment, furiously straining as hard as he could to look like he wasn’t having difficulty. Her grin slowly faded, and a twinge of guilt hit her for continuing to watch him struggle. It stopped being funny after a while and just made her feel a little sad.

Eris heaved a sigh and opened the door for him, letting it swing inward. She followed him in resignedly, the sound of the door latching behind them sounding earsplittingly loud in the emptiness of the house.

“… Huh,” Eris mused aloud. “You know, I just realized something. I don’t think any of the doors in this house have any locks. That’s kind of weird.”

“Eris,” William began dangerously. “I don’t want anyone knowing that I n-needed your… help.”

“Yeah, sure-”

“I mean it, Eris!” he steamed, having difficulty keeping eye contact. “I really mean it. You can’t – this doesn’t leave this room. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

“Crystal,” she said promptly, making a circle with her thumb and forefinger as an ‘OK’ signal.

“Let’s just get this over with. And… er, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Believe me, I won’t.” William fell silent afterwards.

“You know, I’m still pretty mad, Willy.”

“… About?”

“You knew my ears were pretty sensitive, and you went ahead and messed with ‘em anyway even though I asked you not to.”

“… Oh.”

“Guess the tables have kind of turned here.”

“That they have,” he admitted quietly.

“… If I were the vengeful sort, you would probably be regretting that right about now.”

“Lucky that isn’t the case, I suppose.”

“I never said I wasn’t the vengeful sort, Willy.”

Journal of William Zachariah Klaskovsky

I hope the room is finished soon.

Eris snores something terrible, and listening to that god awful noise is enough to make me want to gouge out my own eardrums. Tomorrow will bring more distractions, but the sooner that cackling floozy she is out of my hair the better. Speaking of hair, I shall have to wait a little longer to find proper dye. I dislike the color, and Eris constantly feigns ignorance. I'm also beginning to wonder if she has been stealing my things when I'm not looking. I was positive that I left a pair of new calipers with my star charts, but they were gone when I looked for them. If I find that she took them... but perhaps I'm being paranoid.

I don’t know how I’m supposed to keep hating her. Lord knows that I'm trying. Half of the time she is an unbearable nuisance, and the other half it almost seems like she possesses the genuine capacity for empathy. She keeps giving me strange looks whenever I stare at her too long, I should take care of that. I honestly can’t help but to stare sometimes, she’s just so strange. Fascinating, in a way. Eris is most certainly a conundrum, and this unsettles me. I shouldn't want to know her. She makes me feel things that I can't identify.

I am lucky that I managed to write with my mouth, although it takes an eternity to ensure somewhat decent penmanship. It is difficult, but I am nothing if not determined. The stinging is unbearable, but the continual application of burn cream has somewhat alleviated the issue. I only hope that this heals as swiftly as possible so that I can continue my magical education in secret. And then…

One step at a time.

Princess Luna has informed me through her Book of Dreams. I talk with her every chance I get, although that is a little difficult now. It seems that I can begin accessing magic, but problems have arisen. I require a form of catalyst, a precious type of crystal that cannot be found in many regions. I will have to research this further.

I don’t know what to say about Miss Pinkie.

I miss her. I want her to come back, just as much as I would Mother should she vanish. I don’t understand why Fluttershy of all people would try taking her place, and although Mother tried explaining to me that it was all for the best, I have my doubts.

I think that yellow demon is up to something.

She must have gotten rid of Pinkie Pie, somehow. She’s the one that was here, in her spot, it isn’t right. It isn’t fair. She did this, I just know it.

She took my mother from me.

And god help her, I vow I shall get even.

Author's Notes:

You know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek homeworld? The Oncoming Storm. You might have removed all your emotions, but I reckon right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left. And that's fear. Doesn't it just burn when you face me? ~ Doctor Who