Product of Friendship (My Little Pony)

15 Monster Brawl (5/6)

Wist heard a voice within the darkness. It echoed in her ear, soft yet desperate. Wist tried to find its source, but all she found was an endless wasteland of black.

But then noted two orbs of light within the distance. They were shaped like eyes, observing her from the distance. Strangely, it felt familiar to Wist. As if this was not the first time she was met by those eyes.

"Who are you?" Wist asked, but it did not respond. Annoyed, Wist tried to soar towards the eyes.

However, when Wist drew near, she was met by a flash of light. Wist shielded her eyes from the light.

And when she looked from behind hooves, she found herself no longer within the blackness.

Instead, she found two abyssinians watching her from the side of a bed. Wist raised from the bed, shocked by the pair before her.

"Mandy?" Wist said.

Mandy smiled. "She gave you an overdose, didn't she?"

Mandy slid a cup of water rested on an end table beside the bed. "Here, drink this. You sound parched."

Wist glanced at Mandy for a moment and then grabbed the cup of water. She took big gulps and then laid the cup back on the table. Wist didn't even realize how thirsty she was. In fact, she could go for another cup of water or two.

"I'm sorry big sis," Pixie apologized, her face droopy. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You've got a lot of gall claiming you hurt me," Wist stated and tapped her hoof on Pixie's nose. "I'm more resilient than you think."

"So," Mandy said. "I've heard that you've been attending this school for some time now. I didn't expect you to venture out into Equestria of all places. I thought their talk about friendship disgusted you."

"I told you she was a pony, remember?" Wist said. "I had to look for her. I couldn't stay in Abyssinia forever."

"I'm sure Hop has searched for her," Mandy said. "Though perhaps the task proved far more difficult than expected."

Wist gave a serious glance at Mandy. "Does he know I'm here?"

Mandy blinked. "No, none of us did. Why do ask? Is there something I should know?"

"Just please don't tell him," Wist pleaded. "He wouldn't understand."

"...I don't know to understand why you ask this of me, but I will honor your wish. I wouldn't want to disappoint my stepdaughter."

"You're still calling me that?" Wist laughed. "You do know I view Hop as a business partner, right?"

"Sorry, but if I'm expected to clean after you and ensure you held a healthy diet, you might as well be my daughter."

"Hey, I'm not that messy!" Wist defensively claimed. "Tell her, Pixie."

"Hmm?" Pixie turned her head.

"Don't act coy with me. You're the one that ransacks my room all the time."

"Don't go shifting the blame," Mandy said. "Your room is your responsibility. I hope you're taking proper care of your room. I don't want your roommate thinking I raised a dirty daughter."

"It wasn't me!!"

From the other side of the door into the infirmary room, Starlight and Trixie had their hoof inches from the doorknob. The constant shouts within the room prompted a debate as to whether they should intrude.

"Maybe we should give them time to catch up," Trixie suggested.

"Yeah...maybe..."

"Starlight, as much as I understand your thirst to get some dirt on our little witch, we should respect her boundaries."

"I-I know that," Starlight snapped, offended. "You think I would go around snooping on my students' privacy."

"Then to lay down your hoof from the doorknob. We can ask Mandy for details when they're finished."

Starlight frowned, recognizing the merit in Trixie's suggestion. She lowered her hoof and walked past her friend.

"You know," Trixie said. "If you really want Wist as your pupil, all you have to do is ask. It's obvious she is fascinated with you. She did call you her mom after all."

"I—what?" Starlight beamed at Trixie, a thick blush on her cheeks. "I never said anything about making her my pupil."

"Trixie saw that board at the castle library," Trixie revealed. "You've been brainstorming the perfect scenario to recruit her."

"I made that days ago," Starlight blurted. "When were you going to tell me?"

"Uh, never," Trixie said matter-of-factly. "At least until you considered snooping in your plan. Just be upfront with her. Trixie is sure she would accept."

"Do you really believe that?" Starlight asked. "She tends to do things on a whim. She could reject me just to get a reaction out of me."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Trixie assured. "Something tells Trixie that she has a soft spot some creatures."