We Deserve a Happy Ending
by Tumbleweed
First published
It's stupid to get sad over a game, right?
After years of nerdy fun, Twilight Sparkle's favorite Role Playing Game comes to an unexpected and inglorious end, leaving her with a particularly nerdy kind of melancholy. But it's stupid to get so sad over a game, right?
Sunset and Company take it upon themselves to cheer her up anyway.
Chapter 1
“I'm fine.” Twilight Sparkle said, because she wasn't.
The other six girls hanging around in front of Canterlot High stared at their friend with varying expressions of concern and bewilderment. Twilight's dejected sniffling had thrown a wrench into their typical pre-class morning routine, and thus they clustered a little closer to their friend, trying to figure out what was wrong.
Twilight took off her glasses and wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “Totally, perfectly fine. Really. I'm fine.”
“Of course you are, darling.” Rarity said, and held out a monogrammed silk handkerchief. “Thank you.” Twilight accepted it with a wan smile, and proceeded to blow her nose with a sound akin to a foghorn. She moved to hand it back to Rarity, who could only smile politely in response.
“Why don't you hang onto that?” Rarity said. “It matches your outfit.”
“Oh, um, okay.” Twilight looked down at her typically plain blouse and sweater vest. “If you say so?”
“You know I'm always happy to help.” Rarity set a hand on Twilight's shoulder. “We all are.”
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash piped up. “Nobody's been picking on you or anything, have they? 'cause if they are just tell me and I'll go mess 'em up!” The young athlete clenched her hands into fists and mimed out a few quick jabs.
“There's no need to get violent.” Fluttershy cringed away from Rainbow's shadow-boxing. “I'm sure we can just talk things out with whoever is being mean to Twilight.”
“Okay sure you try that first, but if it doesn't work I'm gonna throw down. WHACHAAH.” Rainbow Dash mimed a karate chop with more enthusiasm behind it than technique.
“You don't have to do that.” Twilight said with another sniffle. “Nobody's picking on me. In fact, everybody's been really, really nice to me since I transferred here. Which is why I'm okay and I'm totally fine and we can stop talking about it.”
“If you say so!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “It's just that you're crying and slouching and sniffling like you just lost your best friend--” The pink haired girl froze for a moment, blue eyes going wide. She quickly, silently made a count on her fingers, and then gasped in horror. “OH NO SOMEBODY'S MISSING!”
“Did you count yourself, Pinkie?” Applejack said.
“Oh yeeeeeaah.” Pinkie did another count, and then wiped her forehead. “Whew! Okay, everyone's here, including me.” Pinkie's relief melted into horror once again as another idea struck her. “Ohymygosh is everyone at Crystal Prep okay?”
“They're fine!” Twilight shot back, with enough vehemence to make Pinkie Pie flinch. “Everyone I know is fine! And so am I! It's not me, it's not any of you, it's not even anyone who's real. It's ... Tara.”
“Who?” Rainbow Dash canted her head to the side, confused.
“Tara Sterling.” Twilight shrank, pulling her arms close around herself.
“Your Chronoquest character?” Sunset Shimmer blinked.
“Oh. Thaaaaat.” Rainbow Dash said. She scrunched her face up in deep thought (or at least what passed for deep thought for Rainbow Dash). “So ... let me guess, you're all bummed out 'cause somebody killed off your weirdo nerd-game character?”
“Oh, I wish someone had killed Tara off.” Twilight said, sniffling again. “That would have been, y'know. Interesting. She could have died heroically, or tragically, or ... heroically tragically, or ... something.”
“Hold up.” Applejack said. “You're sad 'cause you-- er, 'cause that weirdo-game-you ... didn't die?”
“Yes? I mean, no? I mean ... it's complicated.”
“Twilight.” Sunset laid a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. “One of your best friends is a magical pony from another dimension who once talked you down from trying to destroy the world with runaway magic.”
“She's talking about herself.” Pinkie Pie stage-whispered to Twilight.
“Thanks, Pinkie.” Sunset rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to her bespectacled friend. “What I'm saying is, we can handle complicated.”
“Okay. So.” Twilight drew in a deep, ragged breath. “You guys know how I play-- used to play –Chronoquest, right? Well, the rules were published by a company called Blanco Lobo. Only the thing is, Blanco Lobo kind of went out of business about fifteen years ago-- they got caught up in the Open-d20 license bubble and eventually went under. There was still enough interest in the game to keep the nationwide LARP network up and running, putting on conventions and stuff like that, though. Which is better than nothing, right? The organization of it was a bit ramshackle, especially with the online elements, but it was there, right? That's the game we played when I-- when Tara had to kill Captain Marsh--”
“That was Lyra's character, right?” Sunset said.
Twilight nodded. “Right. So, uh, that whole game was pretty fun, what with the plot reveals and betrayal and stuff. But then, not that long after Chrono-con, the rights to Blanco Lobo's back catalog were bought out by a Norwegian video game company. When I heard about it, I was afraid they were going to sent a Cease and Desist letter to the Chronoquest LARP network because it was always kind of unofficial, but what they wound up doing was even worse.”
“What's that?” Sunset said.
“They announced a new edition.” Twilight sniffled again, and buried her face in her hands.
“That's ... bad?” Applejack ventured.
“It's terrible! The new edition completely reboots everything-- which, well, I guess is thematically appropriate for a time travel game. But everyone's so excited about the new edition, and the new chronicle that comes with it, they've kind of ... forgot about the old game. The next Chrono-con is gearing up to debut the new ruleset, and so everything else just ... tapered off. Nobody posts in the online games anymore, and all of the local troupes have either had their own mini-finales, or they've disbanded entirely.”
“Couldn't you play the same character in the reboot, though?” Fluttershy said.
“I mean, I could. But it wouldn't be the same. All of her memories, all of her experiences-- heck, all of her experience points would be gone. The character might have the same name and the same costume, but it wouldn't be her. Chronoquest-- my Chronoquest, where I played Tara Sterling for years –just ... doesn't exist anymore. Which means that Tara's story doesn't get an ending. It's like a series of books that never had the last one published, y'know? It's dumb. It's frustrating. But it's ... dumber and even more frustrating that I'm crying about it. I mean, Chronoquest never had a huge playerbase to begin with-- enough to sustain it, but just barely. But now everyone's moved on and nobody cares and I am literally the only person in the world who's sad about it.”
Twilight put the handkerchief to her nose again and blew her nose, loud enough that it almost drowned out the sound of Canterlot High's opening bell. With near-Pavlovian reflex, Twilight Sparkle stood up. “But that doesn't matter, because I'm fine!” Forced cheer made her voice brittle. “And now it's time to learn! See you guys after school!” She slung her backpack over one shoulder and fairly well sprinted across the lawn, disappearing into the refuge of the school.
“Uh. Guys?” Pinkie Pie said, staring after Twilight. “I don't think Twilight's telling the truth about being okay.”
“Just seems like a lotta fuss over nothin', iffin' ya ask me.” Applejack shrugged.
“Applejack!” Rarity batted at Applejack's arm. “Don't be so insensitive!”
“I'm plenty sensitive! I let y'all talk to Twilight, n' she talked it out, and I bet she's gonna be right as rain by lunchtime.”
“I hope so.” Fluttershy murmured.
“Me too.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I mean, I know how she feels. Not like, in the nerd game stuff, but remember when they killed Gargantulon and then stopped making movies about him?” She choked up a little.
“Aw hell, not you too.” Applejack rubbed at the bridge of her nose.
“Hush, you.” Rarity prodded Applejack in the side. “Or should I tell everyone about how you start crying every time a certain song plays on the radio?”
“But country music's supposed to be sad! Ya listen to it and then ya feel sad to and it's like ... shoot, what's the word?” Applejack snapped her fingers. “Cat-arthritis?”
“Catharsis is the proper term.” Rarity huffed.
“Yeah, that.” Applejack nodded.
“That's it!” Sunset Shimmer snapped her fingers. “I know how we can help Twilight.”
“We have her listen to sad country songs 'til she feels better?” Applejack said.
“Let's call that plan B?” Sunset said as diplomatically as she could. “But remember when Rainbow Dash started crying because of that old monster movie, and it inspired her to go out and make her own? This is kind of like that-- Twilight wants one last adventure for her game character, so we're going to make sure she gets one.”
“But how?" Rainbow Dash scratched her her head. "Like, sure, we all went to that one nerd convention thing but I'm still not sure on how the game, uh, works.”
“Neither do I.” Sunset Shimmer looked past Rainbow Dash's shoulder, focusing on the sight of a girl with minty-green hair walking into Canterlot High, arm in arm with her curly-haired 'best friend.'
“But I think I know somebody who does.”
Chapter 2
Depending on who you asked, Friday's classes went by at a baffling speed, or at a hellacious crawl. Enthusiasm-based-relativity aside, the final bell rang when it always did, and the students of Canterlot High burst through the doors, setting out to get a head start on their respective weekends.
And again, per the unwritten rules that governed teenage friendships, a certain ragtag group of friends gathered around the base of a particular statue in front of the school. Twilight Sparkle showed up last, backpack strapped securely to her shoulders, and a resolute expression on her face.
“So what's the plan for this weekend, guys? We've got something to do, right? Like, is there some new bit of rogue Equestrian magic out there that we need to deal with? Or just some other problem that needs fixing, magical or otherwise?” Twilight Sparkle's gaze flitted from one friend to another, searching. “Somebody who needs a surprise birthday party put together at the last minute? Some charity fundraiser that we can put on a concert for?
“Uh. No?” Sunset Shimmer said.
Twilight turned to Rarity, desperate. “Not even a ... fashion emergency? Somebody out there's wearing like, stripes and plaid at the same time, right?”
“I certainly hope not.” Rarity huffed. “But to be honest, the students here generally carry themselves with an ... acceptable degree of couture-awareness. With some exceptions.” Rarity directed the last part at Applejack.
“Just for that, I'm wearin' socks that don't match tomorrow.”
“You monster.”
“Applejack's socks aside--” Sunset Shimmer said. “I don't think anything's really going on this weekend. No parties. No contests. Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Just about.”
“So we just make something happen!” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “We've got two whole days before we have to worry about school again! So let's go do a thing!”
“Ooo, like what?”
“I dunno! Drag racing? Bungee jumping? Hang gliding?”
“Um.” Fluttershy drew her knees up to her chest and curled into a ball, shaken by mere proximity to Rainbow's daredevil enthusiasm. “Maybe something a little less ... extreme?”
“Oh, fine.” Rainbow Dash huffed. “But if there's like a surprise demolition derby or something, we're going.”
“Tell y'all what.” Applejack pushed up the brim of her hat. “Why don't we just go out to my place? 's big enough that we can run 'round without anybody botherin' us, and we can just do ... whatever. Maybe have a bonfire or somethin' once it gets dark.”
“I'll bring marshmellows! We'll make s'mores!” Pinkie Pie started pulling ingredients out of her hair.
“That actually sounds pretty fun.” Sunset Shimmer grinned. “You in, Twilight?”
“Of course! I'll always hang out with you guys! Because you're my friends! And it's not like I need a distraction from anything because everything is totally completely fine because now we're all going to hang out and do an activity! Because we're friends!”
“Right.” Applejack stood up and dusted off the back of her jeans. “I'll ahead n' start gettin' things ready. Y'all just swing by in a coupla hours. Maybe even bring a toothbrush if ya wanna stay the night.”
“Sleepover, woo!” Pinkie Pie bounced in place.
“Right! I'll just head home and get a toothbrush. And a change of clothes. And a cellphone charger. And some snacks? And-- oh, I'm going to have to make a list.”
“You go ahead and do that, then.” Sunset Shimmer patted Twilight on the shoulder. “Just don't be late, alright?”
“Late? Of course I won't be late!” Twilight pulled her phone out, checked the time, and started mapping out a schedule in her head. “At least, I won't be late if I leave ... now. See you guys there!” She turned on a heel and started walking home at a brisk pace, ponytail bobbing behind her.
Sunset watched her leave-- once Twilight was out of earshot, she turned back to the rest of her friends. “You guys know what to do, right?”
The other five nodded in agreement.
“Good.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Hopefully, this will put Twilight in a better mood. But the only thing we can do now is ... kill some time.”
“Was that a time travel nerd joke?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well, yeah.” Sunset Shimmer shrugged. “But I'll admit it wasn't a very good one.”
“No, it's a good thing. Or, uh, a good thing you're making bad jokes. Keep that up and Twilight's gonna love it.” Rainbow Dash nodded.
“Thanks. I think.”
“You need anything, just call, sis.” Shining Armor grinned as he leaned out the window of his car. “But something tells me you'll be fine.”
“I ... appreciate your confidence?” Twilight pushed her glasses further up her nose. “I'll text you when I need somebody to pick me up tomorrow.”
“Howdy!” Applejack called out from her porch. She effortlessly vaulted over the railing and started walking down the gravel driveway to the side of the road where Shining Armor had parked his hatchback.
“And there's Applejack,” said Twilight.
“My cue to leave before I embarrass you in front of your friend, huh?”
“You're not embarassing!” Twilight squeaked.
“Then I guess I'm not trying hard enough.” Shining Armor winked, then reached out the window to wave. “See you around!” And with that, he pulled away from the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres.
“Thanks for comin' out, Twilight! Here, can I get that for ya?” Applejack effortlessly hoisted Twilight's gym bag.
“You don't have to--”
“Ain't nothin'. Heck, you should see how much stuff Rarity brings when she comes over. You'd think that girl's tryin' to move in.”
“Sounds like it'd get pretty crowded.” Twilight paused. “It won't be too crowded tonight, will it? I mean, all seven of us, plus your family--”
“Nah, it's fine.” Applejack waved her free hand dismissively. “Big Mac's out with Sugar Belle, and Apple Bloom is spendin' the night over at Rarity's folks' house so she can hang out with her friends.”
“What about your grandmother?”
“It's bingo night.” Applejack stared off into the distance for a long moment. “Granny Smith don't come home 'til the sun comes up on bingo night. Granny Smith likes to get rowdy on bingo night.”
“So it's just going to be us ... completely unsupervised? Wow. Not that, uh, we haven't done stuff like that before. And not like we're going to do anything irresponsible like underage drinking or skinny dipping or ordering any of the products you see on late night infomercials.” Twilight laced her hands together in an anxious fidget. “We're ... not going to do any of that stuff, are we?”
“Relax! We ain't gonna do none of that. Granny Smith got the good stuff hidden away so nobody's gettin liquored up. And it's s'posed to get downright chilly tonight, so I'm pretty sure everybody's gonna keep their britches on. Hope ya brought a jacket.”
“I ... might have?”
“Well iffin' ya didn't, I'm sure we'll find somethin' for ya. And as for that last bit, hopefully we'll find somethin' better to do than watch infomercials.”
“Hopefully?” Twilight said. “So you're not sure?”
“All I'm sayin' is if you wind up bored, it's your own fault.” Applejack led Twilight past a homey, two-story farmhouse, and to the more rustic barn out back. She tossed Twilight's gym bag onto a hay bale.
“Oh. Okay. Got it.” Twilight nodded, resolute.
“I gotta go slop the hogs 'fore it gets dark, n' then I'm gonna squeeze in a quick shower. Why don't ya just wait here n' keep an eye on the road? That way you can say hi to everybody once they show up n' let 'em know where I'm at.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Twilight nodded, and sat down on a hay bale.
With that, Applejack set off for her chores, leaving Twilight alone in the barn.
The old barn.
The old and drafty and creaky and well suited for a horror movie barn.
While Twilight had visited Sweet Apple Acres plenty of times before, she realized she'd only been there during the day. With the sun out, the orchard had an idyllic, rustic charm. With the sun setting in the distance, shadows grew longer and more ominous. A chill breeze blew through the barn's open doors, making the old-but-still-intimidatingly-sharp tools hanging along the far wall rattle slightly.
Twilight shivered.
“Hope I've got something warmer in here.” Twilight murmured to herself as she opened up her bag. Sure enough, as she pulled the zipper back, she saw the comfortably-battered grey hoodie laying on top of the rest of her stuff. “Don't remember packing this--- mom must have stuffed it in at tle last minute. Lucky me.” Twilight put the sweatshirt on and flipped up the hood.
Twilight spent the next few minutes fiddling with her phone-- she didn't have much in the way of signal strength, but she at least had a few e-books already downloaded. Enough stuff there to keep her occupied for quite some time.
She hoped it wouldn't be that long.
“Where is everybody?” Twilight pushed herself off the hay bale and started pacing back and forth. Even Applejack had vanished-- slopping pigs (whatever that was) couldn't take that long, could it? Twilight looked over at the two-story house not too far from the barn-- the lights were all off, but Twilight didn't know if Applejack's bedroom faced the front or the back. Twilight briefly thought about going inside to look for her friend, but decided against it. It'd just be too awkward poking around somebody's house, even before the possibility of blundering across Applejack in only a towel.
“Hope everyone's okay.” Twilight pulled up traffic and weather reports on her phone, just in case. As the data slowly loaded over the tenuous, one-bar data signal, the door at the back of the barn creaked open with a whine of rusty hinges.
Twilight looked up.
“Hello?”
No answer.
“Is that you, Fluttershy? It's alright to interrupt-- this wasn't all that important anyway.” Twilight stuffed her phone in her pocket.
Still no reply.
Twilight frowned, and headed towards the back door to the barn. Even as it grew darker outside, Twilight was able to make out a retreating figure vanishing into the a darkness. Something flickered behind them-- a coat? A cape? It was too dark to tell.
“Okay guys, this isn't funny.” Twilight huffed. “I mean, you're better than this. You wouldn't resort to the whole 'lure the nerdy girl out into a rural area and then rattle chains at her so she gets scared and then you laugh at her' thing ... would you?”
Outside, silence.
“Guys?”
Twilight bit her lower lip, then backed into the center of the barn again. If it wasn't a prank ... could it be some new and horrible Equestrian creature that had snuck through the portal to wreak havoc? She did seem to have that kind of luck.
Just in case, Twilight scanned the tools hanging from the barn wall, looking for a chainsaw.
But before she could find a gas-powered implement of mayhem, Twilight heard the soft sound of someone treading on dried hay. Before she could see who it was, a gloved hand clapped over Twilight's mouth, and another arm grabbed her around the waist.
“Shhh.” A girl's voice. Vaguely familiar. “Keep quiet. We're not alone.”
The hand at Twilight's mouth eased away, as did the arm around her midsection. Once free, Twilight immediately spun around to find herself face to face with--
“Lyra?” Twilight blurted upon seeing the shock of minty-green hair. A moment later, she took in Lyra's outfit: black fatigues, orange-lensed goggles, and a bandolier of various pouches and other odds and ends. “Wait, no-- Captain March?”
“Lieutenant March. For now, at least.” Lyra winked roguishly at Twilight. “And you must be Tara Sterling, right? I'm your backup.”
“Backup?” Twilight blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“Here, this should explain everything.” Lyra opened up one of the pouches slung across her chest and pulled out a piece of paper, crisply folded.
Twilight took it from Lyra's gloved fingers-- and even before she unfolded it, she realized just what she was holding.
Tara Sterling's character sheet.