It was a hot summer day. That fateful hot summer day. The day that Peachbottom had talked about for weeks. She had said something about a … ‘ver-dicts’. Cookie couldn’t imagine what that meant, but it was a word she had heard from Peachbottom repeatedly.

Peachbottom had just come out of the large building with ponies in suits. She was crying, but at the same time, she was smiling. Her giggles and sobs filled Cookie’s ear as Peachbottom rushed to her side, picking her up and hugging her tightly. Cookie didn’t understand why she was crying. When she asked, Peachbottom replied that she wasn’t crying because she was sad. She was crying because she was so happy.

Crying because she as happy? The concept was lost on Cookie. She had never cried when she was happy. It seemed impossible. Could a pony cry because they were happy? She only ever cried because she was scared or sad. And when she did cry, he didn’t like that. He didn’t like that at all.

Peachbottom picked her up as she started to shiver. She then kissed on her on the forehead as they made their way to her truck. This made her calm. Her warm touch as Peachbottom’s hooves gently wrapped around her, carrying her off to where she would feel safe. Cookie smiled a bit as they slowly approached the great grey giant that Peachbottom would call her truck.

After strapping Cookie into the seat belt, they made their way down the road. Peachbottom was still crying even as they drove. But again, she was still smiling. She glanced at Cookie, the tears still conquering her face and spoke. “Cookie, I love you.” Peachbottom wiped away a stream of tears from her face as she glanced back at the road. “I love you so much.”

Cookie didn’t respond. Nopony had said that to her. Not since mommy left. Only Peachbottom ever said it. She wanted to cry. Nothing about wanting to cry made sense. She wasn’t sad or scared. Peachbottom was right next to her. Why would she be sad or scared?

Peachbottom placed her hoof on Cookie’s. “And I always will. And this day is the happiest I’ve ever been,” she said as a sob interrupted her speech.

Cookie didn’t understand why it was the happiest day of Peachbottom’s life. It looked like every other day in the past. She would stay in a room, with Peachbottom coming in and out every few minutes to check on her and make sure she was okay. He was there too. Every time she saw him, she shivered, cowering to a corner as far away from his as he could. But he never came into the room. He never even came near her. Every time he tried a pony would stop him.

She wasn’t allowed to leave the room, except to go to the bathroom. Even then, the nice mare at the door had to be there with her, only to be placed back into the boring little room.

Peachbottom had brought books for her to read, coloring books to draw on, and movies and toys to entertain herself, but they only quelled her boredom for a few minutes. It was a boring brown room with a lot of chairs. The mare was nice enough to play with her, but sometimes Cookie didn’t want to play. She wanted to go home. She didn’t want to come to this place anymore. Why did Aunt Peachbottom need to come here anyway?

The only thing that was different was when the nice mare came to take her back to Aunt Peachbottom, she was crying too. But she was smiling. Was she crying because she was happy too?

That night was difficult for Cookie. There were noises that kept her up. A small screeching sound at her window, a tiny crack in the walls. Cookie tried to keep quiet, but the slightest creak made her squeak in fear. She thought it was him. He stormed into the house before. They hated him, both her and Aunt Peachbottom. But he hated Aunt Peachbottom and only wanted to make her sad. Cookie never saw Aunt Peachbottom mad or sad. She was always happy and she never yelled at her. But when he was around, Aunt Peachbottom… changed. She turned into something scary. Something she didn’t recognize and yet at the same time, was familiar.

She heard another sound, which caused her to scream. She blankly stared at the window, seeing a dark shape at the door way. Her body froze, thinking of the terrifying stallion who might be outside her window, coming to steal her away. Coming to start the hurting again. Only a moment later, Aunt Peachbottom burst through her bedroom door. “Honey, are you alright?”

Cookie leaped out her bed and wrapped her hooves around Aunt Peachbottom’s front let as tight as she could, fearing that she let go, even for a second, she would lose her forever. Aunt Peachbottom leaned down and picked up Cookie, wrapping her in her front hoof. She made her way to the window. A cold shiver slithered up her spine as Peachbottom opened it. A slight chill filled the air. Cookie dove her head into Peachbottom’s chest and closed her eyes tightly, praying that his voice wasn’t out there. Only a second later, the window closed.

“It was just a tree branch,” Peachbottom stated, letting out a deep breath. Peachbottom’s grip got even tighter.

Cookie started to cry as fear still paralyzed her. She hadn’t been so scared in a long time. Not since the last time he tried to take her away. But then Aunt Peachbottom’s voice brought comfort to her. “I’ll grab your pillow and blanket. You can sleep with me tonight.”

Cookie nodded as Peachbottom reached for her bed, taking her pillow and blankie. They made their way into the hallway, where Aunt Peachbottom whispered in Cookie’s ear. “Remember when I told you that when we won, I would take you someplace special?”

Cookie remembered. She didn’t know what they won, but Aunt Peachbottom had been talking about it. She called it… cust- do- die… She didn’t know what that meant, but Aunt Peachbottom said that when she won… cust- do… that word, of her, she would take her someplace. She was very happy about it and they hadn’t even won.

Aunt Peachbottom spoke again. “Well, I want you to get a good night’s rest. Because we are going to that special place I told you about.”

Cookie remembered her talking about it. It was a place of food and fun. With giant machines that twirled you all over the air, a giant wheel sat went up so high you could see everything and a tower that brought you up high slowly and brought you down so fast. It sounded scary, but she was with Aunt Peachbottom. She would keep her safe. With her, she wasn’t afraid.

For the first time in her life, Cookie started to cry. Not because she was sad, but because she was happy.

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The next few weeks seemed to pass by slowly as Cookie continued her monotonous lifestyle. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted, but she could afford little else. She attempted to get her own vehicle, but her credit wasn’t exactly spotless. So, she was denied a loan. Meaning that, once again, she was stuck where she was.

Fortunately, the thing that kept her going was Aunt Peachbottom. Despite all the years of trouble Cookie was to her, Peachbottom was still there for her. She gave her a roof over her head, food in her belly, and a ride to work every day. Sometimes she was allowed to take the vehicle herself, but Peachbottom had a job too. Besides, she could trot home if she really wanted to. Not that she ever did.

However, the last week and a half seemed to be difficult for Peachbottom. She would never voice it, but Peachbottom looked as if she was suffering. It became so difficult that she actually took sick days off work. In the long time that Cookie knew her, Peachbottom never took sick days unless it was absolutely unbearable.

When Cookie confronted her, Peachbottom would simply smile and state that she was perfectly fine. Cookie didn’t buy it, but she knew that Peachbottom wouldn’t tell her how she felt. Instead, Cookie decided to force Peachbottom home to rest.

Every day after work, Cookie would arrive at home to see Peachbottom either asleep in her recliner or in her bed. She was rarely awake anymore and when she was, she looked like she had been through Tartarus. Cookie would sit in her room, wondering what to do about Peachbottom. She was suffering. From what, Cookie wasn’t exactly sure. But even Peachbottom couldn’t hide the signs.

Cookie got up and started to prepare for work. She snuck over to the living room to find Aunt Peachbottom watching the early morning news. Cookie sat and watched, hoping that there would be something on Fluttershy. But there wasn’t anything.

However, there was another homicide on the news. Cookie couldn’t help, but be concerned. An entire family was killed, all shot. The report said that the residents were then posed. While Cookie didn’t care for the details, she knew that the same thing had happened almost a month ago. A whole family shot and posed like this one. The police didn’t seem to have any leads as to who was behind these murders and even with a hoof print, they still had no identification on the killer. Peachbottom had mentioned something similar happening years ago, but there was usually only one victim, usually a homeless pony.

Cookie tried to ignore the report, solely focusing on Peachbottom.

“Morning, Aunt Peachbottom,” Cookie finally said.

Peachbottom was slow to respond to her. She gave a deep moan and rubbed the back of her neck. “Morning, Cookie.”

Cookie placed her hoof on Peachbottom’s. “You going to be okay without me?”

A smile came across Peachbottom’s face, as if trying to convince Cookie that she was perfectly fine. “I’m going to be fine. In fact,” she started to rise out of the recliner and onto her feet. It was a slow process and her narrowed brow looked like she was in pain, but she fought through it. “I’m going to work today.”

Cookie’s jaw dropped at the mere mention of her work. “What?!” She quickly rose to her feet and placed her hoof on Aunt Peachbottom’s shoulder. “You can’t be serious?! You’ve been in bed for almost a week!” she pointed out.

Peachbottom shook her head and smiled once more. “I’ll be fine.”

Cookie shook her head. “Like Tartarus you will!” She didn’t notice tears gathering in her eyes as she spoke.. By the time she finally noticed, it was too late to hide them. Not that Peachbottom would have mind. Cookie ignored them as best she could, forcing them to stay still and not let it get any further that it already was. “Please, just stay home. Get some rest.”

Peachbottom wrapped her hoof around Cookie. “Okay. I’ll stay home.”

After taking a moment to collect herself, Cookie made her way out the door to trot to work. She decided to leave the truck for Aunt Peachbottom, just in case she needed it. But the most important thing for her was rest, she thought. She couldn’t bear to see Peachbottom in pain like that. It tore her apart that there was nothing she could do for her, but be a strict mother.

Cookie continued down the road, secretly praying that Aunt Peachbottom would be okay.

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“You’ve been a very naughty little boy, Zagreus,” an incredibly obese pony declared as he sat on the barstool. He looked down at his drink, swishing it around and giving a sly smirk. “Is daddy going to have to punish you?” he said as he brought the drink to his mouth.

As the tantalizing drink slithered down his throat, the single light source above ‘daddy’ flickered, darkening and brightening the room. The shop had closed hours ago. Patrons had cleared out long before then. Yet, these two were not impeded by the rules of the bar. They were beyond the rules of common ponies. Tartarus, even of mortals. He moved the glass away from his mouth, a smile running across his face.

All that graced this small bar with their presence were feeble bags of flesh that hardly stood up to the grand scheme of everything around them. Ponies going about their useless lives, struggling to gain, desperately trying to hold on to what little they possess, only to lose it one way or another. And yet, even when faced with loss, they demand retribution. When greed or lust blinds them to what they have and they would throw it all away for a small taste of what they don’t, that is when he feels alive. Alive and strong.

Today, ponies threw away more than ever for what was the ‘greener’ grass, not always seeing the cons of such desires. It made it easy for them to fall into what he liked to call a glue trap.

A glue trap. Such a beautiful and incredibly simple device to understand. Ponies struggling through the glue to reach the one point of their desire. Only for their body to be soaked in the glue, slowly hardening around them. The pony knew that they must escape before they become immobile, but the one thing they desire with all their hearts was fluttering at the end of the trap, like a carrot in front of a hungry rabbit. Like stupid lambs, they followed it. Lifting limbs became difficult and eventually impossible. The pony became stuck in the trap, the glue their new prison. But of course, did they see it that way?

No.

Of course not.

And that’s where things got interesting. Ponies struggled against the glue, ripping out hair and skin. In the most desperate case, they would chew off their own limbs to reach their desires, blindly sacrificing an entire limb for a small carrot that would feed them one meal, until the next time their selfishness got the better of them.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, they settled into the trap. Surrounded by glue and with no means of escape, there was no choice but to rot and decay. Slowly losing their sanity to come so close to their wish, only for it to be dangled in front of them for all eternity.

It was what curled his mouth upward so many times in the past. And unless the course of pony nature could be changed, it would many times in the future.

He removed the glass from its mouth with a sigh of pleasure. As he looked up at the mirror across from him with a smile on his face. The lights flickered out for a moment. When they came back on, a dark, tall figure stood behind him. Its yellow glowing eyes glaring at him through the mirror.

The fat stallion chuckled and shook his head. “Resorting to childish pranks? I thought I had taught you better, Zagreus.”

The creature’s eyes narrowed. “I do not fear you, father. You no longer control me.”

The fat stallion’s horn began to glow as a bottle from one of the nearby racks started to levitate off the shelf. “I know…” The cork on the bottle popped open with a fizzing sound as foam dripped down the side. With a tip of the bottle, a green liquid poured into his empty glass. “And that’s the problem.” He levitated an empty glass of the shelf and placed it on the table in front of an empty seat, as if to invite the stranger to his sit next to him.

Zagreus extended a long tendril from his body and swatted the glass to the floor. Glass shattered across the back of the bar, echoing in the empty bar. The stallion simply shook his head and scoffed. “Now, that was just rude.”

“I am not interested in your games, father,” Zagreus snapped. “I have come to warn you.” The tendril slithered back into the tall form of the creature. “Enjoy your throne while you have it. For once the stars align; I will sit upon it while your broken body lies at my feet.”

‘Father’ placed his glass on the counter surrendering a snicker. “You had the decency to warn me about your hostile takeover?” A smile reached his lips as the glass came to his mouth, as if it was a mic for his words. “I must be the luckiest father in the world.”

“Do not patronize me, old man!” Zagreus roared, his yellow eyes transforming red and more tendrils slithered out of his body, waving wildly, smashing tables in half, and one ripping into the wall. “I am sick of your games! And I will no longer be bullied by your or Olympus!” Zagreus displayed his rage as if to impress or intimidate his opposite. However, the stallion did not move. He does not even blink or flinch, even as the tendril shatters the mirror before him.

The father lift his drink to his mouth. He placed his down with a sigh of satisfaction. “Yes. Destroying the entire pony race simply because you’re bitter.” His horn shined its bright red hue and the glass was drawn towards the bottle once more, pouring himself another drink. “I can’t say that will go well for you,” he taunts as he glances up at the now shattered mirror. Millions of the dark creature displayed before him in the thousands of tiny shards.

The creature’s eyes returned to their normal yellow and the tendrils returned to his body. “I am aware of Zeus’s rules against gods battling one another. Not since he cares so much for his precious little mortals.”

Father swishes his glass around as it slowly levitates towards him. With a flick of his horn’s light, the mirror flashes and returns to its normal state, clearing his vision of his dark adversary. “Well, I won’t say you haven’t done your homework.” He places the edge of the glass as his lips, drinks the entire concoction and places his glass on the table. “But tell me this…” He looks up at the reflection of Zagreus. “When you are defeated and you are forced to face punishment for your crimes against me and Olympus, tell me…” He gives a sly smile. “What do you think your punishment should be?”

“You presume too much, fool.” The creature faded away from the reflection, leaving only his voice in the room. “I learned everything I know from you.”

Father placed his hoof on his chin. “Yes.” A smile reaches his lips. “But not everything I know.” And he knew that if a pony was desperate enough, if the right pony had the right motivation, they could escape the glue trap and claim their reward. And nothing, not even a god, would stand in their way.

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It wasn’t more than a few moments since Cookie left for work. Peachbottom slunk back into her recliner, feeling like she had just run a marathon and yet had barely moved three feet. Her memories started to slowly overtake her as the silence claimed dominance over the house.

Peachbottom had been overjoyed when Cookie finally returned for Hoofington. They hadn’t spoken in a while. Peachbottom blamed herself. She should have called or something. Instead, she kept waiting for Cookie to do it. But Cookie was always so busy. Or maybe she forgot about her. Peachbottom couldn’t admit to which one.

She sat in her recliner taking in a deep breath. The last week had been difficult. Her chest was always flaring in pain. It felt as if something was squeezing her chest inward. Like a balloon had been inflated in her ribcage and was slowly getting larger and larger. She could hardly sleep at night any more or any time of day for that matter.

The pain would shift from bearable to draining. She wasn’t sure what to expect from one day to the next. Ultimately, she decided to ride it out. For Cookie’s sake, if nopony else’s. She didn’t want her to worry about her. Cookie had enough shit on her plate. But regardless of what she did, Cookie only seemed to worry more.

It wasn’t fair to Cookie to have to go through have the shit she did. She was a sweet little girl, even if she didn’t always make the right choice. Peachbottom often wondered what Cookie was doing with her mysterious friend. A friend who Cookie had been scanning the news for. If there was going to be a report on such a pony, it didn’t seem like the type of pony who was trustworthy.

However, despite this Cookie seemed convinced that this pony was of a good heart. The news of this friendship that Cookie had with this mysterious pony, who didn’t even have a name, made Peachbottom think about the last ‘friend’ Cookie had. She was nothing, but a troubled kid trying to get attention. And she would do anything to get it. And like a dog on a leash, Cookie was often dragged into whatever idiotic thing that brat could conjure.

She would try time and again to keep Cookie away from her, but nothing she said seemed to reach her. It broke her heart as Cookie leaped onto her bike and drive away, claiming that she hated her. Every fiber of her being wanted to just die right there. The next few months were difficult for her, as she sat alone in her old house. The friends at work were always there for her, but she couldn’t help but wish to see her little girl again.

One day, a call came at the phone. She answered it without thinking. After all, what would there be to think about? The voice that came from the other line left her speechless. It was Cookie. Calling after all that time. Peachbottom wanted to believe that Cookie was just calling because she missed her and had seen the error of her ways. But another part of her said that Cookie just wanted something from her. Like money.

But then, she heard Cookie sobbing through the phone. All her doubt was gone, as Cookie apologized for her behavior. Cookie then told her about how she was trying to turn her life around because a really good friend. She talked about how she got her own place, an honest job, and started working towards an education.

Peachbottom couldn’t have felt prouder of her even if she tried. She actually started crying as they carried on the conversation, talking about Peachbottom was still dealing with the same shit she always had.

Suddenly, the phone rang, distracting Peachbottom from her memories. She slowly picked herself up from the chair and made her way to the phone. “Hello?” she asked as she held the receiver to her face.

A familiar, high pitched voice came from it. “Hello, Peachbottom. It’s Night Light.”

Peachbottom smiled as she heard Night Light’s voice. “Well, hello, my dear. How are you?”

Even though she couldn’t see Night Light’s face, Peachbottom knew that she was smiling. “Good. Hey, we still have that three hour shift you could fill if you still want it?”

Peachbottom was silent for a moment. Cookie had made it very, VERY clear how concerned she was about Peachbottom going to work in her condition. In fact, it was the first time Peachbottom had seen Cookie cry since she was little. She thought about how Cookie would not approve and tell her to hang up the phone. However, it was only a three hours shift. She would be home before Cookie could find out. And she silently promised herself that if she had trouble, she would make them send her home early.

“I’ll do it,” she finally replied with a smile, trying to ignore the pain in her chest.

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Peachbottom made her way to the supermarket after taking some pain killers. As she started to drive, her chest began to sooth from the pain, even a little. She thought it was a good sign. Maybe she just needed to get out and drive for a while after being isolated for so long. It wouldn’t surprise her. She hated just sitting around doing nothing all day. That just wasn’t who she was. She wanted to be active and working, interacting with ponies.

She wasn’t one to sit at home, but this pain was unbearable. She thought about going to the doctor, but without insurance, there was no way they would be able to pay for the check up or anything she would need to take care of the problem. She only needed to stay upright until she could file for health insurance, then she could deal with it. A thought had crossed her mind to apply for health insurance outside her workplace, but if she did receive it, she couldn’t go back to her old health insurance, which offered way better benefits.

A couple more weeks, she convinced herself. That is all that she needed to hold on for. And yet as she parked her truck, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. This almost deterred her from working the shift, but she was already here. She looked up to the old supermarket and started to get out of the truck. It was a slow process as her body began to flare in pain as she moved.

After a few moments, she finally emerged from her vehicle and made her way to the supermarket. The pain started to null as she moved, but it was still so uncomfortable. She put on her best smile as she made her way through the employee door. She looked to her left and noted Night Light at her desk. Night Light, as always, greeted Peachbottom with a wide smile and a high pitch voice, “Hello, Peachbottom.”

Peachbottom gave the biggest smile she could muster. The last thing she wanted them to know was how much pain she was in. “Good morning, dear.”

Night Light stood up from her chair and trotted over to Peachbottom. “You feeling okay? You were sick for a while.”

Peachbottom nodded as she made her way to the time clock. “I’m as fit as a fiddle.” Just then a sharp pain jolted into her chest. The pain flared so suddenly and so intensely, that she almost fell to the floor. She winced as she attempted to stay upright. She tried to hide it, but it seemed that Night Light caught onto it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Night Light asked.

Peachbottom looked at her. Night Light’s eyes were widened and her expression changed from her normally smiling, bubbly self to a fearful look of concern. Peachbottom just smiled. “I’m fine. Just old.”

Night Light nodded, but she didn’t seem entirely convinced. “Well, if you need to go home, just let me know.”

Peachbottom nodded as she ignored another sharp jolt in her chest. She made her way to the time clock, in order to punch in. As her old eyes started to focus on the clock, they began to blur just as quickly. She closed her eyes and shook her head violently to try to clear it, but it only seemed to make it worse. After a few seconds, her vision finally returned to normal. She disregarded it as just her simple aging. Her eyes were getting worse by the day and it was probably just her old age catching up with her.

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It took Peachbottom a few minutes to get back into the swing of things. She felt as if it had been forever since she worked on the register. She knew it had only be a week or so, but with the pain throbbing in her chest, her constant weariness and her worrying about Cookie, it seemed infinitely longer.

Peachbottom put on her best smile as the customers made their way through her line. She continued to be as energetic and as friendly as she could. Working the same grocery store all her life, she had made a list of friends longer than most social media accounts. Had she ever considered another position beyond this grocery store? Yes. But her limited education prevented her from moving beyond this. It brought in enough money to be stable. That was all she needed. It was all she ever wanted. To be content. Content and happy with her adoptive daughter.

And because she had worked there for so many years, she got to see and know many of the patrons entering the store. She got to see the little ones grow up into teenagers and even start families of their own. She got to see elderly stallions and mares, that would normally come almost daily, pass away as the years went on. She would form close friendships with some of the patrons she manage to hold a conversation with. Some of the ponies in the store would insist that they would rather wait to pass through her line than to be out quickly.

Peachbottom had quite the reputation at the store. So many ponies questioned where she had been and if she was alright. Peachbottom replied that she was “as right as rain”, but she wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince them or herself.

Peachbottom kept her eyes on the clock as the minutes passed by. The pain in her chest was beginning to become unbearable. She felt as if she couldn’t breathe, like a weight had been placed on her chest. Her head hurt, as if her brain was trying to expand out of her skull. Time seemed to slow down. Unbearably so. Almost as much as her chest was. As she turned her head to look at the clock, only an hour had passed since she started. A silent sware echoed in her mind. Cursing herself for being so stupid. She never should have left the house. She should have listened to Cookie, but she was just too damn stubborn. “Night Light,” a raspy, weary voice came from her that almost was unrecognizable.

Night Light quickly made her way to Peachbottom. “Is something wrong, Peachbottom?”

Peachbottom shook her head and placed her hoof on her forehead. Her vision started to blur again, but she tried to ignore it. She looked at the disfigured shape that was supposed to be Night Light. “I can’t do anymore,” her weak voice mustered. Her entire left half of her body felt numb.

Peachbottom tried to stay upright as she attempted to move pass Night Light. Suddenly, the room became completely silent. She couldn’t tell if it was her ears that were failing or if the world truly had stopped and watched as she fell to the ground. As she hit the ground, her blurred vision was consumed by darkness.

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Cookie cursed up a storm as she trotted her way back to the house. She had attempted to call Aunt Peachbottom to come pick her up from work, but there was no response at the house. She thought that Aunt Peachbottom was napping. She knew Peachbottom would have come to get her if she really needed her, but Cookie thought it best if Peachbottom stayed home and got rest.

As Cookie made her way down the street, she kept thinking about how difficult it had been to watch Peachbottom for the past week and a half. To slowly watch her change from this energetic, bubbly figure to a sluggish and weary pony was such agony that it made her rather have her own leg broken again.

The day at work had not been pleasant for her. It was just a repeated mess of the days before. Her coworkers were useless and she was left working extra hours just to cover their asses. Sure, her boss could rely on her, but it pissed her off to see her coworkers dismiss their responsibilities or do a half-ass job. She shook her head as she trotted down the street, trying to dismiss it from her mind.

When she finally arrived at the house, she immediately noticed that Aunt Peachbottom’s vehicle was gone. She shook her head and cursed under her breath. She told Peachbottom to stay at home. However, a thought then occurred. She thought that Peachbottom went out for something important and that she would be back in a few moments.

Cookie made her way inside the house and sat in the recliner next to Peachbottom’s. She turned on the T.V, hoping to distract her mind while waiting for Peachbottom. She flipped the channel to the news, hoping for information on Fluttershy. Out of all the things she needed to do, Fluttershy needed to be found and kept safe from any pony who would threaten her. Not that she wasn’t capable of taking herself, but she was just so scared all the time. It wouldn’t hurt her to have some back up.

Then a thought appeared in her mind. What would I tell Aunt Peachbottom? Cookie hadn’t thought about that. If she did hear something about Fluttershy and where she was, what would she tell her? How would she tell her? Would she tell her the truth? Would Peachbottom even believe her? Maybe, she would just leave; tell her it was to help a friend. She wondered how much that would hurt Peachbottom. The last time she did that, she nearly killed someone and nearly got herself killed in the process.

The evening news had finally ended, but there was still no sign of Peachbottom. Cookie shook her head in irritation. She should have been back by now. It did not take an hour to do whatever it was she was doing, no matter how unwell she felt. Her mind only went to one thing. She went to work.

Damn it, Peachbottom. I told you not too! Cookie screamed in her head as she let out a frustrated sigh. She picked herself up off the recliner and made her way to the kitchen phone. She looked up to the refrigerator to check the number for Peachbottom’s workplace. She quickly dialed the number, shaking her head in irritation.

She might have been overreacting. She was probably caught up with a friend and their conversation went longer than she thought. She was probably at a doctor getting whatever is wrong with her fixed. There are other options, she thought to herself as somepony finally picked up the phone.

“Hello, store operator,” a cheery voice came over the phone. “Can I help you find something?”

“I need to speak to Peachbottom, please. Is she there?”

Cookie waited for a response, but the other line was completely silent. “Hello?” Cookie was starting to get annoyed, but there was something in the pit of her stomach. Something that told her something was seriously wrong. “Hello?! I need to speak to Peachbottom, is she there?”

The other line finally spoke and when it did, Cookie’s world was shattered. “Peachbottom was rushed to the hospital… She had a heart attack.”