Popped

”We’ve arrived at our destination.” A bored-sounding voice announced over the intercom. “Please mind the gap as you exit the train, and thank you for riding with us today.”

As soon as the car doors slid open, Spike stepped off the train. “Is everypony ready?” he said, basking in the shadow of the massive marble towers that overlooked Equestria’s capital city of Canterlot. He gazed up at the bustling architectural wonder before him, taking a deep, yet bittersweet breath of the city air. He was glad to be back home, sure, but the day trip probably would have been more satisfying had it been under any other circumstances.

He squinted, feeling a sense of déja-vu wash over him. The Canterlot train station bore a striking resemblance to the way it had appeared on the eve of the Royal Wedding, sans the massive magical barrier surrounding the city. Droves of armor-clad royal guards lined the perimeter of the city, making sure no riff-raff was to breach it.

“Spike!” Rarity called from behind, surrounding the dragon’s crooked bow tie with her magical aura as she met him on the platform. With the slightest of magical expenditure, she tilted the accessory a few degrees to the right, setting it straight. “You simply must make sure that you’re looking your best today."

“Oh. Whoops.” Spike laughed, glancing down at the bow-tie on his neck. "Sorry 'bout that."

“We aren't late, are we?” Fluttershy said, looking every which way for some sort of time-telling device as she walked over to join Spike and Rarity. “I would hate to miss this.”

“Don’t worry, dear, our seats are reserved.” Rarity assured, waving a hoof at the pegasus. She scrunched up her face a bit before continuing. “Well, we’re seated in the fourth row from the front, but they’re still reserved.”

Twilight Sparkle was the last to join up with the group on the platform. She said nothing as she walked over to meet them, her downward gaze intense and hyper-focused. Her long, lavender wings, which poked out from two well-hidden slits in her dress, trembled slightly.

Pony and dragon alike looked over at her with concern. "Is everything alright, Twili-"

“Let’s just go.” Twilight grunted, looking up at Rarity with intensity in her weary eyes.

Rarity shrunk back. “Err, alright then...’ she surrendered, not wanting to cause a scene. “Um, is everypony ready?” she continued, leading the others as she began towards the palace entrance. She was soon followed by Spike, Fluttershy, and finally Twilight.

The crowd around them was dense, requiring them to weave their way through the hundreds of ponies who had shown up for the event. The majority of the streets in Canterlot, built long before modern city planning, were erratic and narrow. They were already crowded on a regular basis, and the new, temporary population didn't help much to alleviate the issue.

As the group wove through the crowded streets, Twilight winced, putting her head down to hide her face as she followed along. There was that feeling again. That hot wash of shame that went hand-in-hand with the feeling of a thousand eyes staring at her, judging her without mercy.

The weight of the world seemed to rest upon her shoulders, cursed with endless obligations and responsibilities that she had never asked for. It was a strange combination, the feeling of being so important, yet so useless and hated at the same time. Twilight could only pray that it would all be over soon as the palace doors opened.

After a good amount of walking, the group eventually found themselves in the main event hall of the Canterlot Royal Palace. It was a grandiose place, having been host to many an auspicious occasion in its long lifetime. From holiday plays to high-class galas, it was the place to be on any important holiday, and today was no exception. Decorated with colorful flowers as far as the eye could see, the spacious room was filled to the brim with ponies of every color and creed.

“Wow…” Rarity cooed, gazing up at the intricate tapestries that lined the walls of the palace. “This place never ceases to amaze me.”

As beautiful and bustling as it was, however, a dark cloud seemed to hang over the room on this particular day. The familiar buzz and chatter of the Grand Galloping Gala was replaced by somber whispers as the attendees kept themselves entertained before the ceremony began. Instead of warm, fuzzy winter coats, the room’s population was instead donned in what seemed to be a never-ending sea of black suits and gowns.

The stage at the far end of the room was similarly somber. Black banners lined the rim of the raised platform. Uncountable numbers of bouquets lined the floor around it, giving the room an ironically pleasant aroma. In the center of the stage were two large, elaborate wreaths, each featuring a picture of one of the deceased in the middle. These stood next to two large, black coffins.

The sight was, in a word, unnerving.

Twilight froze in her tracks the instant she laid eyes on the twin coffins, feeling the same unbearable wave of guilt and anxiety she had felt during her brief reign as regent. Even after a month of total seclusion, her nerves had found their way back to her, and now they were stronger than ever.

You did this.

This is all your fault.

You failed.

“N-n-no…” Twilight sputtered out, her jittering hooves backing away from the hall’s entrance.

“Twilight?” a soft voice said from nearby.

Twilight quickly looked up to see Fluttershy staring back at her with a look of concern.

“Are you okay, Twilight?”

You killed them.

You’re a killer, and everypony knows it.

Soon, Spike and Rarity had turned around as well, tilting their heads at the erratic alicorn before them. “Twilight? Are you coming?” Spike asked, his impatient tone making it evident that he had seen this behavior plenty of times before.

“Um, y-yeah. I just, um, I-”

No, I can’t go in there, Twilight thought to herself, eyes darting back and forth to make sure nopony else had noticed her. “U-um…” She stuttered, looking back to her friends. “You all go on ahead, there’s, u-um, there’s s-something I have to take care of first.”

Spike and Rarity shared a knowing glance, but both knew better than to question Twilight when she got like this. “Sure, Twi. We’ll save a seat for you.” Spike said.

“Actually, our seats are reserved, Spike.” Fluttershy corrected.

Spike grimaced and crossed his arms. “Whatever.”

Fluttershy, on the other hand, did her best to hide her brightly blushing cheeks as she loudly giggled.

* * *

Princess Celestia shook her head, grimacing as she scanned through the transcript. “These transgressions cannot be taken lightly. I’m afraid that if the Griffons do not step down soon, we will have no choice but to force them to do so.”

“But Princess,” replied the tall, lanky guard, “don’t you think that’s a little drastic? Surely there has to be a more civilized way to resolve this issue.”

“I wish there was, Commander Valor. We attempted to settle things with our recent mission, but the Griffons are not known for their love of peace.”

Twilight stood at the threshold of the room, her careful, delicate movements just moments before leaving her undetected. The pupils of her purple eyes, surrounded by a sea of red, bulging capillaries, expanded quickly as she glared into the small space. The feeling of her heart beating wildly in her chest went hand-in-hand with her short, laboured breaths.

Go. Just go, she thought to herself, still as a statue in the doorway. No, it would be rude to interrupt, I should just wait. But what if there’s not enough time to-

Celestia turned to face the door with an elegancy only attainable with hundreds of years of practice. “Ah, Princess Twilight.” She said, a smile blooming on her face. She turned to the lanky stallion next to her. With a whisper, he was off. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Maybe I should just leave. I still have time. Twilight thought to herself, stepping aside to allow the highly-decorated officer to leave the small planning room. Unfortunately, she could do nothing but watch as Celestia marched towards her, her breath escaping through chattering teeth. “I-I-I-” She stuttered, “Um, um, I-”

Celestia stopped a few feet in front of her, flexing one of her wings to gesture her into the room. “Is something the matter, Twilight?” she said with a caring, maternal tone. “ You look pale.”

Keep it together, Twilight! “Um, I, uh, wanted to…” she attempted again, her coat becoming damp with sweat.

Celestia leaned in closer, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

“I-I just need to talk to you.” She finally spat out, her eyes having never removed their gaze from the palace’s white, marble floor as she walked across it.

Celestia draped a wing over Twilight’s back, earning a small yelp from the shaking alicorn as she drew her in closer. “Of course, Twilight.” She said, the elegance of her voice creating a stark contrast between the two as she used her magic to close the door. “Tell me what it is that’s bothering you.”

“Um...it’s...I just....” Twilight said, her legs shaking as adrenaline pumped through her veins. This was the moment she had been anticipating for weeks. She had rehearsed every movement and word in her head, determined to put her fears to rest in one fell swoop. But now that she was face-to-face with the monsters in her heart, all of that careful planning instantly vanished into thin air, and she was left completely defenseless.

With her head fixed toward the floor, she closed her eyes and slowly inhaled. “Princess, I don’t think...I don’t think I can do this.”

A tiny breeze drifted through the open window, and Celestia’s expression remaining unchanged. “You’re nervous about giving your eulogy?” She said, her multiple millennia of social experience still leaving her unsure of whether or not grinning would be an appropriate response.

“N-no, it’s not that.” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “I d-don’t think I can handle this kind of responsibility anymore.” she said, in spite of the heavy guilt that came with disappointing her mentor that gripped every fiber of her existence. “The last few weeks have been absolutely miserable for me. I just feel so guilty about all of this. I just...I’m sorry, I really am, but I just want to go back to the way things used to be.”

Celestia blinked, still at a loss for words. “I’m afraid you’re still being quite vague, Twilight.” she said, “Is this about your friends?”

Twilight let out an almost painful sigh. Please, don’t make me say it, she thought to herself as she paced in place. “N-no, well, kind of, but not really, I just-”

“You just what, Twilight?”

“I, I…”

Twilight let out a hard sigh. “I don’t want to be a princess anymore! I hate it!” She finally said, following the admission with a small, yet heavy breath of exasperation.

A few seconds of silence punctuated Celestia’s reply. “You what?”

“I know how it sounds, Princess, but I just want you to change me back into a regular unicorn. I just want to be a normal pony again. I can’t take this pressure anymore!”

Celestia looked down, a look of shame on her face. “I’m sorry Twilight, but I’m afraid that what you’re asking of me is impossible.”

Twilight looked up to meet the gaze of her fellow princess. Though the room was once again deathly quiet, her fiery eyes spoke more than enough words to make up for it. “You...you what?” she spoke, her face twisted in despair.

“There’s no going back, Twilight. There exists no magic in the universe that can reverse a transformation like this.”

In an instant, Twilight snapped, stamping the floor hard. “Why not?” she screamed, turning away from Celestia. “I never asked for this! I just wanted to be your student! I only wanted to learn!” She shouted, tears welling in her eyes. “I never wanted this kind of responsibility!”

“T-Twilight, I…” Celestia spat out, taken aback by Twilight’s sudden outburst. “I don’t know what to else tell you. I understand that these new responsibilities may be difficult to handle at first, but rest assured that this is the destiny you were born to fulfill.”

“No, I don’t think you understand!” Twilight seethed. “Do you know what it’s like to know that your friends were tortured and killed because of your negligence? To have everypony in the realm hate you when you try to do something about it? What else was I supposed to do? Stand by and do nothing? It’s not fair!”

“Listen to me, Twilight-”

“You ruined my life!” Twilight screamed, weeks of bottled up emotions spilling out all at once. “Every day, all I can think about is how much of a failure I turned out to be! Do you know how that feels? To be praised all your life, only to fail spectacularly in front of everypony? To be nothing but a laughing stock?”

Celestia raised her voice. “Listen to me, Twilight! I apologize if you-”

“No, you listen to me! I can’t take this anymore! I just want to go back!” Twilight bawled, her tears dripping off of her chin and onto the floor. “I just want another chance! I want to fix this! Please, Princess, I’m begging you-”

“Listen to me, Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia commanded, a rare tinge of anger evident in her voice. “It’s clear that neither of us are in any state of mind to discuss this issue at the moment. The ceremony is in fifteen minutes, and we both have to speak. Get yourself together, clear your head, and we will discuss this later. Am I understood?”

Twilight looked down, the weight of her shame too great to keep her head held up. “Understood.” Twilight said, wiping her eyes as she looked up at her former mentor.

Celestia said nothing, simply turning around and making her way out of the room. It was perhaps only the thousands of years of experience with anger management that prevented her from slamming the door off its hinges.

“I’m so sorry…” Twilight sobbed, but her words fell on deaf ears. The apology’s recipient was already long gone. Twilight was left to simply stand there, fighting a losing battle against the tears flowing down her cheeks.

She slammed her hoof on the large table behind her, causing a slew of various documents to fly into the air. Maps, treaties, and all other kinds of documents scattered every which way, blanketing the floor in parchment.

When she finally opened her eyes, she saw a large, yellowed map of Equestria and a few surrounding lands. The edges of the map were lined with intricate designs, made to distinguish the known world from the vast terra incognita.

Her heavy breath slowed down as her eyes danced around the map, memories of her previous studies playing one after the next in her head. She recalled one of her final areas of study before her coronation, reading about Starswirl the Bearded’s journeys in the vast forests of Cervidaevia, home of the Deer. She relived memories of listening to Zecora’s many tales of Zebrica, her native land. Sparks flew in her head as she looked at the vast continent to the east of the Equestrian mainland, home to the Griffon Kingdom.

Suddenly, the world was silent. Twilight’s gazed fixed itself on the map as she stared at the vast sheet of parchment, the gears in her head threatening to burst into flames given how quickly they whirred around.

“I have to fix this.”

***

To say the least, the current situation in the palace’s ballroom was a stark change of pace from its usual state of affairs. Famous for hosting high-class events exclusive to only the most elite of Canterlot’s residents, the hall was now filled to the brim with ponies from a much different environment: Ponyville. Farmers, artisans, and clerks alike populated the halls, coming together to prove the age-old stereotype that earth ponies were, in fact, a very loud bunch.

“Well. This is...different.” Rarity gaped, watching in awe at the chaos as it unfolded around her. Despite its relatively close proximity, this was the first time many of Ponyville’s citizens had even stepped foot in their country’s capital city. Being so used to their home’s modest architecture, many found themselves frozen in disbelief at the massive stone columns and intricately crafted stained glass windows that lined the hall. Others were busy enjoying the bowls of complimentary mints scattered throughout the room.

Some ponies, however, seemed to be indifferent towards the glitz and glamour of the palace. They stood together in small groups, making small talk with each other while they waited for the ceremony to begin. Most of them carried with them bundles of colourful flowers which were to join the others at the base of the stage.

Spike, Fluttershy, and Rarity took their seats in the fourth row, the first three rows being strictly reserved for the close family of the deceased. While this was normally only the case for the first row, this rule had to be extended three fold. While the allotted amount of space was quite large, the Apple family was larger. Droves of earth ponies filled the space, with only two lone pegasi among them.

Even still, their seats were specifically reserved. Fluttershy was the farthest in, followed by Twilight, Spike, and finally Rarity.

Rarity sighed, filing into the row after Spike. It was a tough sight to see. With only four seats reserved, it only served as another reminder that two of their close friends were no longer with them, with one barely making it through. The thought of it has stirred in the back of their their minds for weeks, but each of them had found some way to suppress the fact. Fluttershy had her animals, Rarity had her career, and Spike had his busywork. As each of them took their seats, however, they found themselves suddenly overwhelmed with the grim realization, surprisingly more so than seeing the two coffins laying on the stage.

As her friends sat beside her, Fluttershy waited patiently in her seat, surveying the room for the pony she had been thinking about non-stop for the past few weeks. Pinkie Pie. The instant she looked to her left, however, she found a small pack of bewildered-looking earth ponies walking toward the seats to her left.

“Wow…” One of them gasped, eyes fixed on the intricate fresco painted on the rounded ceiling above them. “This place is...it’s just so…”

“Amazin’ is what it is.” The stallion finished, turning his head away from the art only to enter the row of seats. “I’ve never seen anythin’ like this in all my years. Why in the world has Pinkamena never told us about this before?”

Fluttershy’s ears perked up at the familiar name. She leaned forward as her heart jumped around in her chest, attempting to look past the muted colors of the ponies next to her for any sign of her more brightly-colored friend.

She soon found herself sinking back into her chair, however, her search yielding no results.

“What I wouldn’t give to set up shop in a place like this.” The stallion’s wife remarked, her eyes still fixed on the beautiful stonework that lined every nook and cranny of the hall. “These ponies sure do seem to like marble. We’ve got plenty, but it ain’t worth the effort to farm it seen’ as Rockville ain’t exactly a wealthy area.”

The stallion and his wife finally sat down, placing the “RESERVED: PIE FAMILY” signs under their seats. “You might be on to somethin’, Cloudy.” The stallion said, scratching his chin. “But I don’t really see any rich-lookin’ folk in here right now. Seems like it’s mostly country ponies.”

Fluttershy awkwardly leaned to the side, attempting to listen in to the conversation taking place next to her. It was a simple enough task in theory, though it turned out to be easier said than done. If the loud murmur around her wasn’t enough to block out the sound, that fact that her mind was occupied trying out various ways to initiate a conversation certainly didn’t help either.

“I wouldn’t worry about that now, Iggy.” the mare said, shaking her head. She stuck her face into a small bag beside her, pulling out a small white box wrapped with a thin, red ribbon. “Right now I’m focused on giving our thanks to the Princess.”

“I ‘spose you’re correct.” The stallion, peering to the right. “Ah don’t see her, though.”

She bit her bottom lip, her nerves beginning to get the better of her. Maybe I should just leave them alone, she thought, absentmindedly tapping her front hooves together. I mean, they’ve probably been through a lot to get here and I don’t even know if they’re talking about the same Pinkamena and-

“-Scuse me, Ma’am.”

Fluttershy jumped in her seat, a tiny yelp escaping her lips. “U-um, yes?” She muttered, her cheeks darkening to match the pink color of her mane.

“Sorry to bother you, but you wouldn’t happen to be Butterfly, would you?”

“U-um,” Fluttershy stammered, mulling over whether or not she should bother correcting him or not. “Yes. That’s me.”

“Ah, I thought I recognized 'ya!” He said, offering a hoof. “The name’s Igneous Rock. This here’s my wife, Cloudy Quartz, and these are two of my daughters, Marble and Limestone Pie. You’re friends with my Pinkamena, ain’t 'ya?”

Fluttershy felt her nerves melt away, her face soon finding itself stretched into a full-on smile. “I am! Is she here?” She asked excitedly, eyes already scanning the room to find the answer. Despite her efforts, however, she found no sign of the pink pony.

Igneous’s face fell. “‘Fraid not.” he replied, shaking his head. “She was feelin’ a bit ill this morning and couldn’t make the trip. Darn shame if you ask me.”

Fluttershy’s grin instantly disappeared. “Oh…” she sighed, looking down. “Well then, um...” she continued, unsure of whether or not she was prying. “How is she doing? We haven’t seen her for about two months now.”

Igneous’s eyes again casted themselves down for a moment before re-establishing proper eye contact. “She’s…” he began, hesitating for a moment while he searched his brain for the right word. “...better. Still a bit shaken up, but this morning she-”

A sudden fanfare of horns brought the conversation to a halt. In an instant, the hundreds of attendees diverted their attention to the front of the hall. There, clad in simple, muted outfits, stood the Royal Sisters: Princesses Celestia and Luna.

In an instant, the once noisy, bustling crowd fell completely silent. Only the slight sound of metallic horseshoes clinking against marble could be heard as the sisters approached the two podiums near the edge of the stage.

Celestia’s eyes drifted across the crowd, scanning the rows upon rows of seats filled to the brim with her subjects. They all sat forward, staring up at her in anticipation. She recognized most of them from her excursions to Ponyville.

She straightened her posture and cleared her throat. “My noble subjects,” she began, quickly scanning the front row once again. “We have gathered here today to mourn the loss of two of our country’s greatest heroes, to show our sympathy and give comfort to those who have lost the most, and for ourselves to mediate the brevity and fragility of life.”

Her face was calm and rigid, showing no emotion whatsoever as she delivered the opening statements. Her pale magenta pupils, however, bounced back and forth across the whites of her eyes as she scanned the fourth row again and again. Where is she? she asked herself, growing increasingly concerned with every passing moment.

“Rainbow Dash, bearer of the element of loyalty, and Applejack, bearer of the element of honesty, were truly two of the most courageous and virtuous ponies this land has ever seen. These two heroes have helped to protect Equestria from countless threats, and we all owe our lives to their countless sacrifices.”

Celestia felt a nervous rush jolt up her spine. No matter how many times she scanned the crowd, Twilight Sparkle was nowhere to be seen. She turned to her younger sister, Luna, prompting her to continue with the speech.

Luna took a deep breath. “We now ask you to observe a moment of silence in remembrance of the lives of these two ponies.”

Both she and Celestia looked down, prompting the rest of the room’s population to do the same. Though she had deemed it a moment of silence, a few sniffles could be heard from the audience, particularly the front row, where those closest to the departed were seated.

“Thank you” Luna proclaimed, speaking up after two long minutes of silence. “We would now like to welcome a personal friend of the deceased, Princess Twilight Sparkle, to say a few words in remembrance.”

A familiar silence gripped the room as the ponies waited for the Princess’s arrival. The seconds felt like minutes, and then hours, dragging on slower the longer they waited. A quiet murmur soon developed as the audience began to worry.

A bead of sweat rolled down Celestia’s brow as she cleared her throat. “We apologize, but Princess Twilight will be making her appearance later than we anticipated.” she said, the gritted teeth behind her lips the only evidence of her quickly shortening fuse. “We will instead move on to our next speaker, Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts.”

A few quiet stomps could be heard in the audience, many ponies unsure of whether or not it was in good taste to stomp their hooves at a funeral. It appeared as though the general consensus steered toward the latter.

Spike leaned on Rarity's side. “Where the heck is she?” he whispered.

Rarity returned an quick, yet equally concerned look before diverting her attention back to the stage. “I haven’t the slightest clue.” she whispered back.

Spike fidgeted in his seat, scanning the room for any sign of Twilight. Where did she go? he thought, paying no attention to what was happening onstage. A million horrible scenarios ran through his mind. She said she would be here. Why did she not show up? Is she okay?

“Spike!” Rarity scolded, placing a hoof on his wildly shaking leg. “I’m sure Twilight is fine. But please stop squirming around, you’re making a scene.”

"S-Sorry..." Spike apologized, taking a deep breath and shifting his focus back onto the ceremony.

Spitfire stepped up to the podium and cleared her throat. “I first met Rainbow Dash a few years ago at the Cloudsdale Young Flyers competition...”

***

The next pony in what appeared to be an never-ending series of speakers stepped up to the podium. Looking down for a moment to shuffle through a few sheets of paper, he once again looked up and leaned towards the microphone. “I’ll never forget the day I met Applejack. It was a blazing hot summer in the San Palomino Desert…”

Spike slouched down in his chair. The ceremony seemed to go on forever. Time seemed to slow down to a complete halt, every speech dragging on for tens of minutes on end. Not that he was too focused on them, though. He couldn’t focus if he tried. Every second he spent not knowing what happened to Twilight felt like an eternity.

Just focus on the present, he scolded himself, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind. This is Twilight, for pony’s sake. I’m sure she’s fine.

Focusing back on the ceremony, he glanced at the ponies around him. To his right sat Rarity. Or, at least, that was the pony who had been sitting there the last time he checked. Had he not been such an admirer of the mare, he would have forgotten her face, seeing as it was hidden behind a large handkerchief for the better part of the ceremony.

Looking further right, he could tell another pony was sitting beside Rarity, but who she was specifically was beyond him. She must have been close to Applejack or Rainbow, seeing as she as well was busy wiping up her tears.

In fact, it seemed as though he was the only creature with dry tear ducts in a sea of sniffles. Spike frowned as he felt a sudden pang of guilt in his chest, realizing that he was probably the only one in the audience who wasn’t tearing up.

He couldn’t help it. His world seemed to be crashing down around him. First Pinkie Pie, then Rainbow Dash and Applejack. If he were to shed any tears that day, it would be at the thought of losing Twilight as well.

There we go, he thought to himself, feeling a building pressure in his chest. His breaths became short and laboured, and his lips began to tremble. That seemed to do the trick.

Spike slumped forward, resting his head in his hands in an attempt to hide his red, glassy eyes.

It wouldn’t have bothered him if she was there to reassure him, to tell him that she loved him and everything would be fine. But no matter what he did, the seat beside him remained empty, serving as a constant reminder of her absence.

The thought weighed down hard on his shoulders, and there was nothing he could do to stop it from crushing him. Something was up with Twilight. Something has happened. Something bad.

***

"Princess Celestia!" An armor-clad pony called, trotting over to meet the monarch as she moved down the wide hallway. "Where are you going? You're expected in five minutes at the recept-"

Celestia didn't even go so far as to acknowledge the pony with a glance. "Not now." She deadpanned, never once slowing her stride.

Everypony else present in the hallway stopped to look at the princess as she stomped her way down the corridor, leaving a disappointed-looking officer in her wake. They didn't dare speak a word, lest they further exacerbate the rare show of frustration.

Celestia's face bended itself into a scowl as she turned the corner into the palace living quarters. How dare she… the nerve! The princess thought to herself, the sound of her steps growing harsher with every passing moment.

Her breath grew heavy as she steadily advanced toward her destination, due both to the long distance and the bottled-up rage building up inside her. She barely even attempted at this point to keep a lid on it, allowing her emotions to boil over as soon as she was out of the public eye.

To a regular citizen of Equestria, Celestia was by all means not an overly-emotional mare. Over her thousand-year reign, the monarch had mastered the art of public relations, creating an image for herself that painted her as a calm, professional leader. After all, this reign of over a thousand years had provided her with plenty of experience with stressful circumstances. She knew how to manage herself.

This was not one of those times.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Twilight Sparkle!” She seethed, forcing open the door to Twilight’s private quarters with a simple spell. Her golden horseshoes clanged hard against the floor as she stomped her way into the room. "How dare you embarrass me like that? The whole ceremony was built around you, and you decide to just blow it off and sulk in your quarters?"

She soon discovered, however, that her words had reached nopony's ears but her own.

She quickly turned back around, determined to find Twilight and give her a piece of her mind. Her attention soon found itself drawn back into the suite, however, her eyes having caught a tiny, magenta shimmer of light.

No, she grimaced. Don't tell me...

She turned around slowly, moving as if her body was attempting to stop her in an attempt to leave her fears unconfirmed. The truth refused to hide itself, however, and the princess's eyes locked onto an object on the far side of the room. On top of a nightstand sat a small scroll, weighed down by a golden tiara.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I would like to begin by apologizing for my actions earlier today. I have the utmost respect for you, and it was not at all my intention to lash out. Over the past few weeks I had been bottling up my feelings, and once I finally let them out, I got carried away.

I am afraid that, knowing the mistakes I have made, I can no longer live with myself. Because of this fact, I have decided that it would be best if I spent some time away from society to clear my head and figure out a way to fix all of this. I understand that this is unexpected, but this is what is best for me.

As the Element of Magic, I understand that I play a vital role in maintaining harmony in Equestria. This is a role that I will not neglect.

However, I am afraid that the decision I have made is final. I no longer wish to be involved in royal affairs. I am returning my crown, and with it, my title.

Rest assured I will return within a few weeks. Until then, goodbye.

Please do not look for me.

-Twilight Sparkle

Celestia stared at the letter, eyes darting from left to right as she read over the words again and again. No matter how many times she read them, they stayed the same.

She closed her eyes and grit her teeth, dropping the letter and letting it float down onto the floor.

She looked at the crown on the table, seeing her own warped reflection in the finely-cut gemstone.

For over a thousand years, Princess Celestia had ruled this land called Equestria. She had defended the country from countless threats, lead it valiantly through harsh famines and destructive wars. Her subjects looked to her for guidance.

Some might say Princess Celestia was one of the greatest leaders in history, and she knew it. She knew she was strong. She knew she was charismatic. She knew that no matter what, she would always find a way to help Equestria prosper in even the hardest of times, as she had done countless times before.

It was at this point she would usually come up with a way to make things right. Thus was her duty. I’m a leader, a sovereign, she thought, staring through the window at the vast breadth of her realm. My subjects are counting on me.

She had always been praised by her subjects for her ability to think quickly under pressure, but despite this reputation, her mind was blank. Despite all of this, unfortunately, Celestia had never been in a situation like this. Her mind was blank.

Just keep it simple, she told herself, it’s only been a few hours. She can’t have traveled far. I just need to go to her and apologize.

Celestia closed her eyes, focusing the powerful energy contained within herself. A bright flash preceded a storm of red sparks that erupted like fireworks from her horn. Each individual spark flew downward with great speed, joining a quickly growing, hurricane-like spiral that hovered a few inches from the floor. Within a few seconds, the eruption ceased, and the sparks congealed to form a large, spherical map of the entire world.

Three blinding white sparks shone on different sections of the map. One up north in the Crystal empire, and two in the heart of Equestria: Canterlot.

Celestia narrowed her eyes. Wait...three?

It was a simple spell, though forbidden to all but the highest ranking members of Equestrian society. Invented by Starswirl the Bearded himself, the spell took advantage of the strong magical energy given off by alicorns to show their approximate locations on a map of the world.

But something was off. Celestia paced around the crimson globe, her eyes scanning every nook and cranny for a fourth spot. “What did she do?” she mumbled to herself, determined to locate the seemingly absent mark.

She circled it again and again, but found no sign of a fourth spot on the map. Hanging her head in defeat, Celestia cut off the spell, the red sphere instantly disappearing in a puff of glittery, dark pink smoke.

I’ve taught her well, she thought, almost smiling at the cleverness of her former student. The direness of the current situation, however, prevented her lips from even so much as twitching. Of course she would use an energy dampening spell to hide herself.

Every instinct told her to pursue her. She had an army at her disposal. If she really wanted to, she could have Twilight standing before her in a matter of hours. Despite this, however, she did nothing, knowing that doing so would destroy what little respect the young alicorn still had for her.

Celestia gazed once again through the large, ornate window that occupied most of the room’s eastern wall. “So be it.” She said with a sigh.

She turned to exit the room, leaving Twilight’s letter and crown resting where she found them. “I shouldn’t worry.”, she mumbled, “I’m strong. I can handle this on my own.”

Despite her words, however, the anger that coursed through her veins when she entered the room was replaced with a sinking feeling of uncertainty as she left. Please be safe, she prayed, feeling a maternal sense of worry in her heart. For my sake, for Equestria’s sake, please, please be safe.

* * *

Limestone Pie looked around the room, one of her eyebrows seemingly being permanently affixed a few centimeters higher than the other. City funerals are weird.

A mere ten minutes ago, she had been in a room filled with sniffles, sobs, and every other possible noise produced by grieving ponies. Then, as soon as the ceremony had finished, she and the rest of her family had followed the crowd into a similar room, avoiding snot-covered handkerchiefs and unsupervised fillies playing next to lit candles.

“Where are we going?” she recalled asking her father. She wasn’t sure why she thought the question would yield any information, as he had looked just as, if not more confused, than she had been. They simply followed the flow of the crowd, hoping that wherever it would lead them would be where they were supposed to go.

And they had been right, in a way. Limestone now found herself seated in what seemed to be a restaurant, but all the food was free. Before she and the rest of her family could comprehend what was happening, Pinkie’s friends and a sad-looking talking dragon called them over to another table.

Now here she was, surrounded by the chaotic sound of hundreds of separate conversations. Caterers dressed in elaborate, formal uniforms raced between the tables, serving small platters filled with various small morsels for the guests.

One of these waiters soon brought over another round of mini-hayburgers, setting the plate down in the middle of the table.

“Mmm, thank you!” Marble said, swiping a few off of the platter. She quickly stuffed them in her face, having barely just finished the last round of food.

“Jeez, Marble.” Limestone said, joining the others in taking a sandwich of their own before the waiter was on his way. “Slow down, will you? You don’t have to make a pig of yourself.”

“Sorry!” Marble replied, spraying bits of half-chewed foodstuff onto her sister’s coat. She closed her eyes for a moment, moaning as she savoured the rich taste of the flaky, fried hay. “This city food is just so tasty!”

Rarity smiled as she listened from across the table, taking another sip of wine before speaking. “I do have to agree.” she said, the wine glass soon finding its way to her lips yet again. “I hate to indulge myself like this, but this food is simply wonderful...and, of course, free.”

“See?” Marble nodded, grinning with pride as she stuffed another sandwich into her face.

Meanwhile, Igneous, having consumed his fair share of hard cider, was uncharacteristically jolly. “That’s my girl!” he said, laughing loudly as he put down another mug. “You and Pinkamena. Just like your mother when she was your age!”

Cloudy Quartz said nothing, opting instead to glare at her drunken spouse.

“Oh, that reminds me!” Fluttershy spoke much louder than usual, the abundant social lubricant sparing not a single soul at the table. “We never got to finish our conversation about Pinkie.”

Rarity and Spike, who had previously been occupied with the newest platter of deviled eggs, instantly looked to Fluttershy at the mention of Pinkie’s name.

“Oh, she’s doin’ better.” Igneous said, uncertain of whether or not he wanted to try one of those weird half-eggs on the platter. “Still a little shaken up, but she’s gettin’ well.”

“Yeah, she’s been kinda mopey lately.” Marble cut in, stopping for a second to swallow a mouthful of food. “But this morning she seemed really happy! Not gonna lie, it was kinda weird to be surprised by her smiling, but I’m just glad to finally see her not bein’ all grumpy and-”

Marble cut herself off. It was usually at this point that Limestone would give her a mean look, but she wasn’t even paying attention to anything she was saying. In fact, her sister wasn’t even looking at her.

She turned around to her parents, whose attention was similarly absent.

“Hello?” she sneered, looking back and forth between her family and Pinkie’s friends. “Is anypony even listening to me?”

“P-P-Princess...Celestia…” Igneous sputtered, barely finding within himself the ability to speak. In an instant, he was fumbling around, trying to figure out the best way to bow while seated at a booth. The rest of the party soon followed suit, though they all ran into the same problem as far as bowing went.

“Oh.” Marble said, gawking at the tall alicorn standing before her.

“Greetings, my little ponies.” Celestia greeted, her ethereal mane drifting curiously in the wind-lacking ballroom.

“Oh, gosh! I-It’s such an honor to finally meet you in person, Princess!” Cloudy Quartz sputtered, her words falling clumsily out of her mouth.

Celestia cracked a slight smile. “I could say the same for you, Miss Quartz. The mother of one of the Elements of Harmony is truly a pony worth meeting.”

Cloudy’s face flushed red. “Why th-thank you, your highness.” She continued, finally ending her bow and standing back upright.

“Princess?” A younger male voice interrupted. “Where’s Twilight?”

Celestia looked over to see Spike staring at her from across the table. He brushed up against Rarity, mindlessly playing with his fingers and biting his bottom lip. It was a funny thing to see, really. Celestia had known the little dragon since the day he had hatched, but until today had never seen him so uneasy. Perhaps she just needed to spend more time with him.

She closed her eyes for a quick moment, the same heavy feeling of worry rushing back into her head. “I am afraid Twilight won’t be able to join us tonight.”

As soon as the words had passed through her lips, many looks of confusion and concern were exchanged at the table. The table’s single draconic denizen, however, kept his eyes locked onto Celestia, his growing frown the only indication that he had indeed heard the unfortunate announcement.

“What?” He shouted, earning the attention of a few other ponies in the room. “Why not? Did something happen? Is she okay?”

Celestia closed her eyes again, replaying the memories in her head. They hadn’t decayed in the slightest. All the vivid details were present, the minutes-old images still fresh in her mind. The look in her former student’s tired eyes, the tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.

She visibly cringed. I’m sorry, Twilight.

Quickly regaining her composure, she opened her eyes again to see the same set of green, serpentine pupils staring back at her. “Twilight has decided to take some time off.” She expertly dictated, making sure to make her words as light as possible. “You will see her again soon. She simply needs to clear her mind after this little ordeal. I’m sure you would understand this best, Spike.”

“So she just...left? Without telling anypony? Without saying goodbye?” Spike said, his voice becoming more strained with every word.

Celestia blinked. Her careful choice of words appeared to have had little effect. “That appears to be the case, yes.”

Spike finally broke eyes contact with the alicorn. Saying nothing, he sunk back into his chair. He was quickly swept into a tight hug by Rarity.

“Do not worry, my little ponies.” Celestia continued, her eyes sweeping across the table. “I understand that this is sudden. Believe me, I am just as confused as you are. But Twilight is a very capable pony. I am certain she will be able to handle herself.”

“I’m sorry she’s feeling down.” Cloudy Quartz chimed in. Her head ducked under that table briefly as she pulled a small, wrapped box out of her saddlebags. “When she returns, would you mind giving this to her? We just wanted to thank her for everything she’s done for our family.”

Celestia smiled. “Of course, Mrs.Quartz. I would be happy to.” she said, levitating the gift into her grasp. “I’m sure this will lift her spirits.”

“Thank you so much, your highness!” Cloudy replied, returning an even bigger grin.

“Unfortunately, I have to be going now. As you’re probably aware, I’m already late for the speech I’m supposed to be giving. It was nice to meet you all.”

“And you as well, princess!” Igneous said, waving to her one final time before she turned to leave.

* * *

Cloudy Quartz looked around the reception hall. The once chaotic din of hundreds of simultaneous conversations had now been reduced to a quiet murmurs as the attendees slowly but surely filtered out of the palace. The room had been fairly crowded just thirty minute before, but once Celestia had finished her speech, its population steadily began to decrease.

Her gray hair bun bobbed slightly as she lifted a hoof up to her face to cover her open, yawning mouth. “Everypony seems to be leaving. We should probably get going as well.” She turned to the rest of the group. “It was nice to finally get to know you all.”

“You too, Miss Quartz."’ Fluttershy smiled, digging into her saddlebag. She pulled out a small, wrapped-up basket filled with various homemade cookies, candies, streamers, and balloons. A small envelope rested in the center of it all. “Oh, and, um, if you don’t mind, Rarity and I made this for Pinkie Pie. We would love if you could give it to her.”

“Aww!” Marble gushed. Limestone smiled.

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you two!” Cloudy said, clapping her hooves together.

Igneous nodded. “It’s wonderful. Why don’t you come with us and deliver it in person?”

Fluttershy jumped in her seat. “Really?” she said, unable to fight the big, goofy grin forming between her cheeks.

“That would be delightful!” Rarity exclaimed, speaking quietly so to not wake the sleeping dragon in her lap. “We haven’t seen her in months!”

“Well then,” Igneous said with an air of finality. “We’d better get a move on. The sun won’t stay up forever.”

***

It was a quaint little cottage that the Pie family called home. Built using the traditional post-and-beam style, heavy pieces of uncut lumber laid vertically, sideways, and diagonally to make up the skeleton of the structure, held together by old, chipping plaster. A tall, stone chimney stuck out from the roof, which itself was made of multiple piled-on layers of hay.

Compared to a place like Sweet Apple Acres, the Pie family rock farm was a relatively small operation. While the aforementioned apple orchard was the size of a small country, stretching for miles and miles across the outskirts of Ponyville, this small farm was at most two or three acres of land. Only a small cottage, an old windmill, and a large metal silo decorated the small clearing, covered by sickly, grayish-yellow grass.

Rarity couldn’t help but crack a smile as she, Spike, and Fluttershy were led across the field. The bare-bones simplicity was sort of charming, in a odd way.

Disregarding the architecture, however, the farm itself wasn’t exactly what one would refer to as “scenic”. Beyond the aging, splintered wooden fence that surrounded the buildings was a barren field of dirt populated by various types of rocks. They varied wildly in size, some areas sporting massive boulders that stuck up out of the ground, while other places were peppered with smaller stones and pebbles.

“Sorry about the mess,” Cloudy Quartz said, blushing as she looked at the various pieces of rock farming equipment strewn about the field. “We weren’t really anticipating you three to visit.”

“Don’t worry about it, Miss Quartz.” Fluttershy reassured. “We’re just grateful for your hospitality.”

With a small squeak, the cottage’s front door swung open, held in place by Limestone. “Um, watch your head. The doorframe is a bit low.” she warned, watching the parade of ponies ducking their heads.

Considering the exterior, the decor inside the house wasn’t a particularly big surprise. Old, sepia-tone pictures lined the walls along with a few newer-looking photographs. The house, being so small, contained only the bare essentials: A dining room, kitchen, and a small living area. To the immediate right of the entryway was a steep staircase which most likely led to a second floor containing the house’s bedrooms.

Igneous turned to face his guests as they filtered through the doorway. “Now I know it’s nothin’ like what y’all are used to seein’ in those big cities of yours, but here’s where we call home.”

“Oh, don’t be so modest, Mr. Pie. It's lovely.” Rarity assured.

Once everypony had made it inside, Igneous closed the door and lead his guests over to the living room, which consisted of a large couch and a small, hoof-made table. He looked toward his wife, who nodded knowingly.

“Would anypony like some tea?” Cloudy asked, already making her way into the kitchen.

Fluttershy politely nodded. “Yes, please.”

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Rarity said.

Cloudy gave a sweet smile in return. “It’ll be just a few minutes. Feel free to make yourselves at home in the meantime.”

Once she had made herself comfortable, Fluttershy carefully placed her basket on the coffee table, making sure to not damage any of its more fragile contents. When she looked up again, she found the rest of the group, sans Spike and Rarity, starting directly at her.

Oh, gosh! She thought to herself, shrinking back. Her eyes frantically scanned the room around her. Everypony’s looking at me, I need to say something...uh...umm…

“So, where’s Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked, blurting out the first thing that came to her mind. Immediately after the fact, her face changed its hue from a buttery yellow to a light vermillion. Oh...was that too forward? She asked herself, only causing herself to blush even harder.

Thankfully, Limestone nodded, putting her fears to rest. “Yeah, she should be upstairs.” she answered, briefly glancing at the staircase. “Should I ask her if she wants to come down, Dad?”

Igneous shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

***

“Pinkie?” Limestone called, knocking on the bedroom door. “I know this is short notice, but some of your friends came to visit. They’re downstairs if you feel like coming down.”

She stood silently for a few moments, waiting patiently for an answer, but no such thing came.

“Pinkie?” She repeated, knocking with a bit more force. “Did you hear me? We have guests.” Again, she waited for a few seconds, with the same results as before.

Limestone forced out a sigh, making sure it was loud enough to be heard through the closed door. “You could at least answer me, you know. It’s kinda rude to just ignore ponies like that.”

She tapped her hooves on the wooden floor below her as she waited once again for a response. Just like before, there wasn’t so much as a single sound from behind the door. Not that she had expected there to be, anyway.

“Ugh.” Limestone groaned, rolling her eyes. “You know what? Forget it.” She huffed, though still making sure to keep her voice low so as to not make a scene in front of company. Her faith in manners all but lost, she wasted no time in opening the door and stepping inside. “Hello? Equestria to Pinkie.” she said flatly, sticking her head through the door frame. “I know you’re in here. Are you ignoring me or something?”

The light was off, but it was still early enough in the evening for the room to be dimly lit by what remained of the sun’s light. Limestone squinted, doing the best she could to see before her eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness. “Pinkie? Are you asleep?” she said, just barely able to make out the shape of a pony laying face-down on the bed.

That’s strange, Limestone thought, taking a few strides to enter the bedroom proper. Judging by the orientation of the blanket, it looked as if Pinkie had somehow fallen forward and passed out. While her eyes were closed, her mouth was wide open, serving as the source of a thick river of drool that dribbled off the side of the mattress.

Limestone took another few steps forward, but stopped abruptly, having felt a crunch under her hoof. She immediately brought the appendage up to her face. Her eyes having adjusted well enough, she was able to make out the chalky remains of one of her sister’s sleeping pills on the underside of her hoof. “Ugh.” she groaned, scraping her hoof against the floor to wipe off the dust.

She didn’t get too far before stepping on a second tablet. Seriously? she thought, rolling her eyes as she scraped off another crushed pill. Upon further inspection, however, the floor appeared to be littered with the large yellow tablets.

“Wait…” Limestone muttered, looking back up at her sister on the bed. She had assumed that Pinkie had just been sleeping, but that theory was thrown out the window once she noticed the fact that she wasn’t breathing.

Limestone gasped sharply, putting a hoof up to her mouth. She could have stood there for ten seconds, ten minutes, or ten hours. It was impossible to tell. Her instincts told her to do something, anything. But she could only stand there, staring, unable to move a single muscle in her body.

“Pinkie? Hello?” She said, not wanting to believe her eyes. It was a windy day that day, yet as Limestone stood there, she could hear nothing but the sound of her own heartbeat.

“P-Pinkie Pie?” She repeated, raising her voice. She took a few more steps toward the bed. “Pinkie? Hello? What...what are you doing?”

Limestone’s heart nearly beat out of her chest as she took one final step forward, having now obtained a full view of the sight before her. “Come on, s-stop it!” She stuttered, her hoof shaking as she slowly reached for her sister. The closer she got, though, the slower her hoof advanced, until only a few centimeters stood between them.

“Oh my gosh...please, please…” She muttered under her breath. Her hoof jittered wildly in every direction as it hovered above Pinkie. Then, at last, having hesitated long enough, Limestone closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pressed her hoof into Pinkie’s flesh.

Ice cold.

“Gah!” Limestone gasped, falling onto her back from the speed at which she ripped her hoof away from her sister. Stumbling to stand back up, she frantically scraped the appendage against the carpet before bolting towards the door.

The door, she thought, listening to the sound of her own panicked cries. The door. I need to get out of here. I need to get out.

Limestone chomped down on the doorknob, but with her jaw shaking wildly, she could barely grasp it long enough to get a firm grip. “Nonononono! Let me out, let me out! Oh please let me out of here!” She yelled, rearing her head back in a desperate attempt to force the door open. Fortunately, luck was in her favor, and the door gave way. In an instant, she ran out of the room as quickly as possible, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Mom! Dad! M-Marble!” She yelled, though her own voice was muffled by the ringing in her ears. Her entire body shook uncontrollably as her mind scrambled to keep up with what was going on around her. “M-Mom! Dad!” She yelled again, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Come up here! Please!”

“Limestone?” the voice of her mother called from the kitchen, “What’s wrong?”.

“P-P-Pinkie…” she gasped, stuttering like a broken record. She feet her knees lock up below her as she attempted to gallop down the stairs.

By the time she took another breath, the room was spinning wildly around her. “P-Pinkie’s de-” A loud thump finished her sentence as the young mare fainted, collapsing in the middle of the second-floor hallway.

“What?” Igneous called, hopping off the couch to follow his wife up the stairs. “Limestone? What’s going on up there?”

“Oh dear...” Fluttershy said, watching both of Pinkie’s parents rushing out of the room. She looked at Rarity, and then Spike, who were wearing similar expressions of surprise. “I hope nothing’s happe-”

Before she could finish her thought, a terrible, bloodcurdling shriek, the likes of which nopony present had ever had the displeasure of hearing before, shook the walls of the farmhouse. It wasn’t a common thing to hear, like the kind of scream one would hear at a scary movie or a haunted house. Nor was it the kind of scream produced by any conceivable level of physical pain. No, this was the kind of scream one would only hear once in lifetime, one that was so mortified, so filled with shock and grief that it kept you up at night for days after the fact.

In the blink of an eye, unicorn, pegasus, and dragon alike found themselves rushing up the stairs.

As they raced one-by-one up the steep, aging staircase, they each experienced what could only be described as a terrifying feeling of emptiness and dread. A deep, dark pit at the bottom of their souls, waiting to be filled with whatever horrifying thing awaited them at the top.

The thing about it was that they each knew exactly what they would find. It was perhaps only their stubborn denial that kept their curiosity alive.

"Oh my gosh!" Fluttershy exclaimed, seeing the scene unfolding on the second floor. A panicked-looking Marble Pie held her unconscious sister in her forehooves. Her hair swung back and forth with her head as it darted from Limestone to the door to Pinkie's bedroom, which laid ajar.

"What's going on?" Fluttershy gasped.

"I-I don't know!" Marble replied, her voice cracking as she spoke. "Mom and Dad told me to help Limey a-and they went into Pinkie's room and then they started screaming a-and-"

"Spike, stay here with Marble." Rarity commanded.

The dragon hesitated for a moment, but nevertheless obeyed the unicorn's orders. “Uh, sure.” he replied sheepishly, walking over to Marble to allow Fluttershy and Rarity to enter Pinkie’s room.

Despite the ever-growing cloud of dread hanging above them, Rarity and Fluttershy didn’t so much as hesitate to open the door. Perhaps it was the air of urgency around them, commanding them to take action as soon as possible. Or perhaps it was only a case of morbid curiosity.

Whatever it was that caused the pair to enter the room, as soon as they did, they both wished they had never satisfied the urge.

“N-no!” Rarity muttered under her breath, slowly walking toward Cloudy and Igneous, who were standing before what appeared to be Pinkie Pie. Or, to be more specific, her still, unmoving body.

“No, please…please, please, please…” She repeated, every step she took toward the far end of the room ten times more difficult than the last. She kept wanting to turn away, to shield her eyes from the horrendous sight. But, for some reason, that same feeling that drove her to enter the room in the first place forced her to see the spectacle up close.

Then, at last, she came close enough to get an adequate view. It didn’t last long though, due to the fact that her body, full of adrenaline, had forced her to turn away as soon as she caught a glimpse of Pinkie’s lifeless gaze.

Rarity stumbled in the opposite direction towards Fluttershy, who she found staring at Pinkie Pie like a deer in headlights.

“F-Fluttershy!” Rarity screamed, gesturing frantically at Pinkie’s unmoving body. Her voice was shaky and weak. “You’re trained for this, aren’t you!? Do something!”

Fluttershy instantly snapped out of her trance, but just as quickly shrunk away at the sound of her name. “I-I…” she spat, all eyes in the room suddenly locked onto her once again. “Oh my goodness...I’ve never done this for a pony before, I-I don’t know if I can-”

Rarity rammed the panicked pegasus from behind, pushing her toward Pinkie Pie. “You have to try! Please!” She begged, her voice fading as she turned to gallop over to the opposite end of the room to watch from afar.

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness…” Fluttershy cried, only able to get a word in between her own panicked breaths.

She slowly slinked across the floor, approaching Pinkie. With all eyes locked squarely on her, it was difficult to even walk, let alone attempt to resuscitate somepony.

But she knew she couldn't quit. She knew she couldn't run away from this. Even though the sight revolted her to her core, she knew deep down that she had to do something.

After a few agonizingly slow seconds of walking, Fluttershy was finally face-to-face with Pinkie's body. It was even more horrifying up close.

The most jarring factor by far was her eyes. While her artificial eyeball remained in its normal position, her authentic eye appeared to have sunken backwards into her skull, giving her an eerie half-dead stare.

The rest of her face fared no better. Her mouth laid wide open, permanently frozen in what appeared to be a weak, yet terrified scream. Her formerly bright pink coat was now a much paler hue thanks to the skin underneath being denied proper circulation. The exception to this was the lower half of her body that laid on the ground, which had turned a deep reddish-purple. Since the heart could no longer circulate her blood throughout her body, gravity had allowed it to settle.

With her heart beating faster and harder than it ever had before, Fluttershy gave a small whine as she looked down at her friend’s body. Her legs were shaking, tears rolled down her cheeks, and her heart felt as if it was going to explode.

"What are you waiting for?" She heard a voice yell from behind her. Under normal circumstances, she probably would have been able to recognize the voice, but she was far too preoccupied with the current situation to delegate her brainpower to anything else but trying to remain calm.

"O-Okay..." She mumbled pathetically, bending over to place her trembling hooves on top of Pinkie's chest.

With her hooves properly aligned, Fluttershy wasted no time in pressing her hooves down onto the area directly above Pinkie's heart. The moment she began pumping, the room fell silent, the panicked chatter that once filled it now reduced to a chorus of rapid, shaky breaths. The tension in the room was thick and palpable.

"Please come back, oh, please come back..." Fluttershy quietly begged. However, as she looked at Pinkie's face, an expression of agony frozen in time, she knew that her efforts were in vain.

But she had to at least try. The small glint of hope in Cloudy’s eyes made it impossible to deny her of that small sliver of hope, if only for a few short moments. If there was anything Fluttershy was good at, it was empathy. She could only imagine the pain that Pinkie’s parents must have be going though.

In a sense, Fluttershy was a mother too. She lived for her animal friends, looking after them day after day. She fed them, cared for them when they fell ill, and, of course, worried about them when they were out.

Death wasn't anything new for Fluttershy. She had seen it happen hundreds of times before. She understood the natural cycle of life and death more than anypony she knew, having experienced it time and time again. And though she accepted death as an inevitable part of life, that didn’t cause any shortage of tears when it was finally time to say goodbye.

Perhaps that was the reason why Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to look into Cloudy Quartz’s red, glossy eyes as they stared desperately at her fruitless attempts to revive her daughter. She didn’t need to. Fluttershy could already sense the panic growing in Cloudy’s old heart after every pump that didn’t bring her daughter back to life. That every time her efforts yielded no results, Cloudy Quartz realized little by little the harsh reality of what was happening.

Again and again, Fluttershy pressed down on Pinkie's heart, but no matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she wanted to save her, it seemed that with each passing second, Pinkie only drifted further away from the realm of the living. After every pump of her heart, no matter how strong, she remained cold and motionless.

This fact was most apparent with the speed at which Fluttershy moved. Every failed attempt only served to further erode her morale. Every passing second slowly chipped away at their stubborn denial, until, at last, the cold, hard truth was exposed in all its horrifying glory.

“I-I can’t do this anymore, Miss Quartz!” Fluttershy sobbed. “It’s n-n-not working!”

“No, please!” Cloudy screamed, watching through an ocean of tears. “Please, just...you have to try harder!”

“I, b-but, I...okay…” Fluttershy conceded, too panicked to even try to turn down the request.

With a deep breath, she pressed down again, a surge of adrenaline making her movements stronger than ever before. This newfound strength would have been beneficial if Fluttershy knew how to manage it properly. Unfortunately, as she summoned all of her strength into her hooves, she overdid it slightly, causing a large amount of brownish-red blood to seep out of Pinkie’s nostrils and mouth.

“Oh my goodness, I-I, Oh my goodness!” She shrieked, leaping backwards in a movement the would have made the late Rainbow Dash red with jealousy.

"No, I-I can't do this anymore!" She sobbed, cowering on the floor under the safety of her wings. She clenched her eyes tightly, though it did nothing to stop the tears staining her cheeks. "Please, I c-cant! I don't want to do this anymore!"

She tensed up, expecting to hear another demand for her to keep going. However, with the following seconds filled only with silence, Fluttershy felt her muscles relax, if only slightly. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Cloudy and Igneous staring down their child, frozen in horror and disbelief.

Pinkie Pie’s parents stood together in silence, staring down as the blood that seeped out of her muzzle and mouth slowly came to a halt.

“She’s...” Igneous mumbled, his voice cracking as the old stallion began to weep. “She’s gone…”. He kept his mouth open as if he had planned on saying something else, but the words never passed his lips. Instead, he simply sobbed as he stared down at his daughter as she lay dead on the floor.

Fluttershy slowly backed away. “I...I should go…” She mumbled, through her words were lost in the thick silence. Both she and Rarity he clumsily stumbled out of the room as quickly as her trembling legs could carry them, leaving the two older ponies by themselves in the bedroom.

The door clumsily clicked shut, blotting out the only source of light in the room besides the dark orange of the setting sun.

"Pinkamena..." Cloudy mumbled, reaching out to touch the blood-splattered face of her daughter. Her hoof made contact with her pale pink cheek, and she almost jumped when she at last felt how cold she truly was.

Despite this, Pinkie's cold touch didn't stop Cloudy from wrapping her forehooves around her daughter's stiff waist. “Please, don’t leave me…” Cloudy sobbed, hugging her tightly. She pressed her cheek, wet with tears, against Pinkie's chest. “Please...I love you so much, Pinkamena…”

Her lips trembled as she listened closely for any sign of life, any indication that this was all just a terrible nightmare. Any moment now, she told herself, she would wake up to a blurry smudge of pink standing in front of her, greeting her with a bubbly "Good morning, Mom!"

Her glasses would remain in their place on the nightstand next to her. Her face would light up with the biggest, proudest, happiest grin ever seen.

Then, of course, not to be outdone, Pinkie would counter with an even bigger smile, and maybe even a giggle.

Cloudy would sneak her forelegs out from under the covers and pull Pinkie into a big hug, and say something along the lines of “Good morning, dear.” Maybe she would even let her know how much she loved her. How proud she was of her. How much she cared.

Instead, all she could do was grit her teeth in a vain attempt to hold in her hysteric sobs. She didn’t want to believe it, but no matter how much she wanted it, she would never again hear something so simple as Pinkie Pie’s heartbeat.

Igneous stepped closer to his wife and wrapped a foreleg around her haunches. It wasn't so much for comforting her as it was to prevent himself from collapsing onto the floor. He squeezed her hard, pressing his muzzle into her soft fur in a feeble attempt to hide his flushed, wet face.

Cloudy picked herself up and rested her head on his chest, hearing his heart beating even faster than her own.

“Why did this happen?” She sobbed, clutching him tightly. “What did she ever do wrong?”