It Started With a Hoof

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

Twilight Sparkle and Spike sat cozily on a cushioned blue bench near one of their windows, looking out into the early Equestrian evening. The pitter patter of water hitting the roof resounded throughout the Ponyville library, a peaceful overture compared to the storm that raged outside. The only light shining out in the desolate village was from a lone street lamp on a nearby corner. The rest was shrouded by the rain and the Equestrian night.

Suddenly a vivid flash of lightning lit up the drenched town before darkness once again swallowed it up. A few seconds later, a deafening crackle erupted from the sky above, shattering the tranquil peace of the library and causing Spike to cover his ears in disapproval.

“Geez! When Rainbow said that there was going to be a downpour tonight, she wasn’t kidding!”

Twilight smiled as she placed a comforting hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “Oh Spike. She’s not one to usually kid about these things. According to her this is just the start of it! Apparently this storm is going to be continuing on for the next few days.”

“Really?” Spike asked, a tad bit of nervousness in his voice.

Twilight nodded. “Starting tonight and then continuing on for several days after that. With the droughts hitting the lowlands this summer, they need a substantial amount of rain to help the landscape recover.”

Twilight sighed as she turned and leapt down off of the bench. “And it’s about time too. This has to be the driest summer here in Ponyville since I’ve arrived. It’s getting to the point where everypony is being affected, especially the farmers.”

Spike turned to Twilight. “I know. Is Applejack okay? I’ve never seen her family more stressed out than they’ve been this summer.”

“I think so,” Twilight said as she walked into the middle of the library. The room was littered with books and novels she had been immersing herself in the entire day. “Their harvest has been blighted this year and she’s been a nervous wreck about her family’s condition over the last few weeks.”

Lighting up her horn and levitating a heavy dictionary into the air in front of her, Twilight continued. “I talked to Big Mac and Granny Smith a couple days ago and they both say that they’ve been through worse droughts than this one and should be able to pull through just fine. Luckily, their family is well established, and apparently their relatives out in Manehatten have been chipping in to make sure they’re getting through just fine.”

Spike nodded before chuckling. “Yeah, unless this flood outside decides to sweep Ponyville down into Saddle Lane Lake first. Seriously.” He looked back outside. “Are you sure the weather Pegasi in Cloudsdale have this storm under control? I just have a bad feeling that we’re going to wake up with the fish tomorrow morning!”

Twilight chuckled as she placed the dictionary back on a high shelf on the opposite end of the room. “Oh Spike, you worry too much. The weather teams in Cloudsdale have been planning this storm for a few weeks now and are supervising it even as we speak to make sure it doesn’t turn into a deranged cyclone. We’re going to be fine.” She chuckled. “In the meantime, I get to stay inside and read all the books I want!”

Spike face-palmed at that last remark. “Ugh. I should have known that would come up sooner or later!”

Twilight giggled. “Hey, seeing that we’re going to be cooped up in the library for the next couple of days, what else am I supposed to do?”

Spike crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “Uh, relax? Take a break from your studies? You know, stuff you don’t usually do? Try something new for a change! You’ve been reading all day!” He eyed Twilight. “Tell me, have you forgotten how to blink yet?”

Twilight turned to Spike, straining her eyes open a wide as possible to the point of ridiculousness. However she could only hold it for a few seconds before she started giggling over how outrageous her attempt at a joke was.

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Spike crossed his arms. “I warned you. I did warn you, but you just didn’t listen to me, did you.”

Both of them chuckled at their sibling rivalry, and then Twilight sighed, returning to her clean up.

“Believe me, Spike. It’s going to take a lot more than a few hours of reading before I become square eyed.”

Spike shook his head. “I don’t know Twilight. I still think you need a break. Try something new for a change! It could be an experiment!”

“Really, a storm is the best time for something new?” Twilight rolled her eyes as she turned back to her books. “Well then, until your certain little opportunity rolls through the front door, I’m going to continue getting ahead of my studies, if that’s fine with you.” She lit up her horn and grasped two novels with her magic, levitating the books into the air in front of her. Spike’s brow furrowed.

“Hey, want me to finish cleaning up the library for you? You must be exhausted.”

Twilight shook her head. “That’s okay Spike. You’ve been helping me and the others so much this summer; I think you deserve a little break. Just take it easy tonight buddy,” she suggested as she walked back to the shelves, carrying her novels with her.

Spike grinned and clasped his claws together. “Really? Well in that case, I’m going to get myself something to drink! Looking at all of this rain outside is making me thirsty!”

“Go ahead buddy!”

Spike looked back outside and was just about to leap down from the window bench when a vivid figure suddenly caught his keen eyes. Curious, he squinted, trying to decipher the shape hiding in the murky darkness. When he realized who was walking outside, his eyes widened.

“Holy guacamole! Is that Pinkie Pie out there?”

Twilight cocked her head curiously as she walked over to join her assistant by the window. “I doubt it Spike. This isn’t exactly a pleasant night to be out in.” She leapt up on the bench.

“I know that!” Spike stated. “But look!” Twilight looked where Spike was pointing. Walking outside near the street lamp was none other than the famous party diva herself, standing in the middle of the torrent with only her rainbow umbrella to protect herself from getting completely drenched. Twilight felt her jaw drop.

“Pinkie Pie!? What the hay is that crazy pony doing out there?” she asked with a mixture of concern and fear in her voice.

“You got me on that one! She looks miserable!” Spike replied, and he wasn’t kidding either. Pinkie was standing next to the lamppost, catching her breath. Apparently she had been running, probably anxious to get into the warmth and comforts of her bed back at Sugarcube Corner. In the torrential downpour, her flimsy umbrella had done little to protect the poor mare from the rain that kept pounding her in sideways, drenching her pink coat. Her mane, soaking wet, had lost all of its energetic vivacity, hanging straight along the side of her face.

Spike gulped. “Gee Twilight. Do you think she’ll be okay? Should we bring her inside?”

Before Twilight could answer, the storm finalized the decision for her. A powerful gust of wind suddenly rippled through Ponyville, sending waves rippling across the puddles on the waterlogged streets.

Unable to take the storm's pounding any longer, Pinkie's umbrella hat tore away from her head. It flew through the air before tumbling to the ground where it continued to roll across the empty street. Desperately, Pinkie chased off after it, but before she got far the poor mare tripped over her own hooves and fell forward into a nearby puddle next to the lamppost.

Twilight couldn’t watch anymore. Without a second thought she leapt down from the bench and ran over to the door. “Spike! Grab a blanket and some dry towels from upstairs and bring them down here!”

“Twilight...?”

“Just do it!” Twilight yelled, hushing the baby dragon who hurried upstairs. Twilight reached the front door and lit up her horn, concentrating her magic on the purple aurora that formed from the tip. With quick precision and timing, she lit up her horn and drew an aurora from it. She continued concentrating, growing the aurora out and around herself until she was surrounded by a large purple shield, big enough for two ponies.

After making sure that the shield was firm and set, she grasped the door with her magic and swung it open. She stepped out into the rain, her force field immediately bombarded by the assault. Seeing Pinkie Pie struggling to stand up in the puddle, Twilight hurried over to her friend.

“Pinkie!”

Pinkie turned her gaze. Despite the fact that she had tripped and was now soaked, she still managed to put on that oh-so familiar whimsical smile Twilight was so used to seeing.

“Hey Twilight! What are you doing out here? It’s raining you know!”

“You think?” Twilight asked as she reached her friend, making sure to position her force field so it was protecting both Pinkie and herself from the storm’s relentless onslaught. “What are you doing out here? Nopony should be outside in this weather!”

As Twilight gently coaxed her up, allowing her to use her own body as support, Pinkie explained. “I was at Rarity’s. She needed some help choosing colors for a new dress idea of hers!” she yelled over the rain.

Twilight was bewildered. “Couldn’t that have waited until later?” She looked down the street in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. Despite the light being emitted from her shield, she could barely make out the path ahead through the darkness and rain. “Come on, I’ll help you get home.”

Pinkie smiled. “Aw, thanks Twilight. You such a fantastic friend and AGGH!” Pinkie suddenly stumbled and fell forward. Twilight quickly caught her before she hit the ground.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked. Her voice was tight with concern as she looked down at Pinkie’s forelegs. Even in the darkness of the Equestrian night, she could spot that one of them was twitching.

Pinkie grunted as Twilight helped her up again. “Eh...yeah.” Then she cringed and gritted her teeth as she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her hoof. “My hoof! It feels like its burning. The wind blew my umbrella hat away and I fell trying to catch it. I must have scraped it or something.”

Twilight felt a heavy lump form in the pit of her stomach as she looked back down the street. She could feel her force field beginning to waver. Sugarcube Corner wasn’t too far away, but if Pinkie really was hurt, the trek would take them longer than usual. She didn’t want to put them at risk in the storm.

Giving Pinkie much needed support, she slowly turned them so they were facing the library. Pinkie cocked her head curiously. “Twilight?” she asked chuckling. “That’s not the way to Sugarcube Corner, silly!”

“I know,” Twilight said as she directed the wounded mare towards the tree house. “But I’m not about to walk you to the other side of town in this weather, especially if there’s the chance that your leg is broken. I’ll need to look at it,”

“But Twilight, it’s really not that bad. Beside, you have a neat little force field thingy that can protect us from anything, right?”

At that very moment, a bolt of lightning came careening down from the sky above, striking the nearby lamp post that Pinkie was standing under just a couple minutes earlier. Both mares screamed and looked behind them. The street lamp had been split in two.

Pinkie gulped and stuttered.. “Twilight? Can this shield protect us from lightn--”

“No it can’t! Inside!” Twilight yelled as a great clap of thunder shook her ear drums.

A limping pink blur, Pinkie zipped into the library, not even bothering with the protection of Twilight’s force field. Twilight soon followed, closing the door behind her with her magic and dropping what was left of her shield. Pinkie was on the floor, no doubt exhausted from giving her bad hoof a work out.

As Twilight walked over to Pinkie, Spike returned downstairs, his head hidden behind a tall pile of dry towels and a soft, warm blanket.

“Are you two okay?” He asked as he dropped the load on the couch, taking time to lay down one of the towels out flat on the couch to protect the fabric “I saw the lightning bolt from upstairs! That was a close one!”

“Too close,” Twilight stated as she walked her over to the couch. Giving her support, she helped Pinkie climb up on the couch, making sure she was positioned on top of the towel. “I’m just glad we’re out of that mess.”

Pinkie grinned. “You said it! And thanks for pulling me out of that storm! I thought I was going to get swept away if I stayed out there any longer!”

“Well you’re safe now. And on top of that I--” Twilight stopped when something on the floor caught her eye. It was a red stain, several of them actually. And they were fresh. Considering Pinkie’s tumble just a minute ago, she knew it could only be one thing.

“Pinkie--” She saw that the earth pony had wrapped up one of her hooves up in a towel, concealing it from Twilight’s gaze. Despite the dark lavender color of the towels, Twilight could see them becoming stained from the inside.

“Pinkie Pie. Can I please see your hoof?” Twilight asked with a hefty amount of concern in her voice.

Pinkie’s face dropped and she squeezed the towel tighter around her hoof as if she were trying to conceal it more. “It’s not that bad Twilight, really! Don’t worry about me.”

“Pinkie come on. I can see it bleeding even with it hidden from my eyes. It’s not a simple injury and it needs to be taken care of. ” She placed a comforting hoof on Pinkie’s own. “I want to help you.”

Pinkie sighed, but obliged. Cringing as she removed the towel, she revealed it to the open light of the library. Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. Pinkie’s hoof was cracked open, blood flowing out of the hideous open wound like a creak in the Everfree.

“Pinkie Pie! This is going to get infected if you leave it like this!” She covered it up again, the dry cloth causing Pinkie to grit her teeth in pain as it made contact with the open wound. “Keep it covered. I’ll be right back, got it?”

“Okay” was all that Pinkie managed to mutter as she cradled her hoof. Satisfied, Twilight walked over to her personal desk and levitated out a medical kit from the lower cupboard on the left side. She gently kicked the door closed and walked back to Pinkie with the kit in tow.

“Spike,” Twilight called. “Could you please get me a wet washcloth?”

“Sure thing, Twilight,” Spike replied before hurrying away.

Twilight placed the kit down on the coffee table in front of the couch, opening it up and pulling out a bandage wrap. As she did, Pinkie watched her with worry in her face.

“You don’t need to do this you know. It’ll get better on its own." Pinkie pleaded, hating to see one of her friends go through so much trouble to help.

“Pinkie, you cannot leave an injury like that unattended!” She turned back to Pinkie and gently grabbed her hoof, moving the towel off of the bleeding appendage. “Yes, the bleeding will stop, but if it gets infected with bacteria, it could spread through your entire leg. No, we have to tend to it now.”

“Okay. ” Pinkie replied as she finally succumbed to Twilight’s demands. Spike returned with a wet cloth. Thanking him, Twilight levitated it out of his claws and turned her attention to Pinkie.

“Do you need any more help from me Twilight?” Spike asked, grimacing as he saw Pinkie’s mangled hoof.

“No, I think I have everything I need. Thank you though.”

Satisfied, Spike took his leave. Twilight gripped the washcloth in her magic and placed it on Pinkie’s hoof as she started to clean the wound. Pinkie squirmed as the pain in the wound intensified, sending what felt like searing fire through her entire leg. She closed her eyes shut tightly and gritted her teeth.

“Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!”

She tried to pull her hoof away, but Twilight had a soft, firm grip on her foreleg, holding it in place.

“Hold still Pinkie. I know this hurts, but its needs to be cleaned.

“It stings!” Pinkie whined, her body twitching uncontrollably. As soon as Twilight pulled her gaze towards her, her lavender eyes meeting her own, she began to relax.

“I know it hurts Pinkie, but it's going to get worse if you just leave it like this.” Twilight had an idea. “Listen. Take a deep breath and focus on something else that makes you happy while I do this, okay? Can you do that?”

Pinkie nodded as she braced herself for the pain to come. Twilight continued her cleaning, doing the best she could to remove any dirt that had become stuck in the wound. Pinkie’s whimpering continued, but as the soothing, cool water from the cloth seeped into the wound and the dirt and grime was removed, the pain slowly began to fade away and she started to relax

Finished, Twilight threw away the now blood soaked washcloth and gave Pinkie a fresh dry towel. “Cover it up and put pressure on it. We need to stop the bleeding. I’ll prepare a bandage.”

“Okay Twilight,” Pinkie replied, a small smile returning to her face. She had relaxed by now, most of the fire in her hoof having dissipated at this point.

Twilight began to unwind a length of bandaging cloth, laying it out flat on the table before grasping a pair of scissors in the kit with her magic and performing a perfect cut, severing it from the rest of the roll. She turned to Pinkie, and took her hoof in hers, carefully removing the towel. She concentrated on the wound, her eyes seemingly staring deep into the cracked hoof. Pinkie couldn’t help but find herself intrigued with Twilight’s actions.

“Twilight?” She asked through giggles.. “What are you up to?”

Twilight smiled as she lit up her horn. “This might sting for just a second.” A beam of lime green energy wafted over Pinkie’s hoof, causing her to flinch as she felt a short shot of pain travel up the length of her leg. As soon as it arrived however, the pain quickly faded away, replaced by a slight tingling numbness in her hoof. She looked at her hoof, curious and confused.

“What did you do?” she asked as Twilight began to bandage up her hoof.

Twilight chuckled. “Just a simple medical spell I learned not too long ago for healing gashes and surface wounds. It helps keep out unwanted bacteria and infection.” She finished binding up Pinkie’s leg, tying up the loose ends and making sure the cloth was held together tight and secure. “Plus, it acts as a pain-killer. You shouldn’t be feeling much right now, am I right?”

“Woah, I’m not!” Pinkie grinned happily as she dangled her hoof in front of her face. “That’s amazing! I don’t feel a thing!” She looked back at her friend. “Thank you Twilight!”

Twilight shook her head. “Oh it was nothing. Now then...” She began levitating a towel over to Pinkie. “I think it’s time we get you dried up.

“What!” Pinkie put a hoof up in an effort to stop Twilight. “Oh Phhbbbt! You’ve done enough for me! I’ve got this!”

Pinkie suddenly stood up on the couch and shook herself off like a waterlogged puppy, flinging water all over the room. When she was finished, her coat was dry and her mane and tail was poofy and fluffy. She looked back at Twilight to find the librarian soaked from head to hoof, unamused.

“Heh heh. Sorry Twilight. I guess I didn’t think that through did I?”

Twilight sighed as she levitated a dry towel over to herself. “No, no it’s fine Pinkie. I imagine your coat was asking for it. Just please let me know next time so I can get out of range.”

“You got it Twilight!” Pinkie proclaimed as she settled down into the comforts of the couch, allowing the soft, downy cushions to claim her.

Twilight dried herself off, biding her time in removing all traces of moisture out of her mane and coat. As she finished up, she noticed Pinkie Pie giggling at her. Twilight tilted her head to the side, confused.

“What is it? What’s so funny?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Pinkie snorted. “Teehee. Uh, nothing really. “It’s just...you’re...” She placed a hoof on her mouth as she tried to contain the plethora of laughter that was threatening to break through, a small snort erupting from her muzzle despite her best efforts.

“Pinkie I don’t know what you’re going at here! Just tell me what’s so fu...” Out of the corner of her eye she saw her reflection in the window and turned to study it. While dry, her mane now looked like a bird’s nest, curly and uneven with strands of hair sticking out.

“Oh,” Twilight said as she cringed at her new look. “Classy.”

Pinkie couldn’t contain herself any longer. She burst into a fit of laughter and snorts as she fell backwards on the couch, her hind legs kicking around randomly in the air. She wiped the tears out of her eyes as she finally regained control of herself. “Oh Twilight! That’s a good look for you! You look like poodle! Hey! Can I call you Twilight Barkle?” she suggested through snickers, prompting a frustrated groan from Twilight.

Suddenly, Twilight had an idea. A sly smile formed on her face.

“Why yes, Pinkie Pie. I’d say I do look absolutely ravishing in this new hairstyle, wouldn’t you say so? As a matter, I’d recommend it to anypony,” she admitted foxily, gently patting her own mane with a hoof as she turned towards her hyperactive friend. “Do you want to try it out?”

Suddenly she lit up her horn and fired a small current of flickering yellow light and energy at Pinkie’s mane. Pinkie’s squeaked in surprise as she felt a tiny shock move through her body for a split second. She giggled as she felt a tingling sensation of pins and needles.

She looked back at Twilight to find the librarian with a cute evil grin on her face, proud of her successful vengeance on the party mare. Her eyes seemed to be concentrated on something.

“Wha...what are you looking at?” Pinkie asked curiously, wiping tears out of her eyes.

Twilight said nothing. Quiet as a mouse she directed Pinkie’s gaze to the window. As soon as Pinkie saw the poofy, electrified mane in the reflection, she fell into a fit of laughter once more, rolling over on the couch and covering her eyes with her hooves as she wriggled around in the blanket.

“Personally, I think it fits you too. Shows you how ecstatically enthusiastic you are,” Twilight said furtively. “Why, I could make it bigger!” She began lighting up her horn again.

“Okay, okay, stop!” Pinkie yelled through her giggles. “I surrender!”

Pleased with herself, Twilight let go of her magic and walked over to Pinkie, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. She held out a hoof to Pinkie.

“Truce?”

Pinkie nodded. “Okay, truce.” She obliged by bumping Twilight’s hoof with her own. She chuckled. “Guess that’s what I get for making fun of you. Me and my big ‘ole pie hole.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, you didn’t deserve it. Besides, we should probably keep a peace with one another if you’re going to be staying here for the next days.”

Pinkie arched an eyebrow. “Stay? You mean here? Oh Twilight I can’t do that! I need to get back to Sugarcube Corner!”

The grandiose flash of lightning outside followed shortly by the horrendous boom of thunder quickly changed her mind.

“Heh heh. But on second thought, staying here might not be a bad idea.” She looked at Twilight. “If it’s okay with you, that is.”

“Oh Pinkie Pie, come on,” Twilight said, astounded by the fact that Pinkie was being hesitant. “I have no problem letting you stay over!”

Pinkie’s eyes perked up and a spirited smile formed on Pinkie’s face. “Really?” she asked expectantly.

“Of course not!” Twilight said. “I’ve had friends stay over before, so it’s nothing new for me! And on top of that this is the first time I’ve had you over for the night! It’ll be a new experience!”

“Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed, suddenly excited for the rest of the evening. “Like one of your nifty wifty little experiments!”

“Well, yeah, just like an experiment,” Twilight stated. She remembered back to what Spike said earlier that evening about things coming around the corner.

Is he psychic or something?

Twilight had no time to dwell on it as Pinkie’s excitement of the coming evening took over.

“Oh my gosh, this is going to be so much fun!” Pinkie proclaimed, sitting back in the couch. “There’re so many things we can do! We can play board games, bake cookies and cupcakes in the kitchen; have pillow fights, stay up late sharing mare stories, and in the morning...”

She clasped her hooves together. “I’m making waffles!”

Grinning widely, Pinkie looked around the treehouse. “Hey, where am I going to sleep?”

Twilight’s face suddenly dropped. Only now did she remember something, something that had happened during another sleepover that happened several years earlier.

“Oh. Well. Oh dear.” She gulped. “You remember the time when Applejack and Rarity stayed over years ago?

“Yeah!”

“You remember when Applejack accidently pulled the tree in through the bedroom window?”

“Why of course silly! How could I forget that?”

"Well, we got rid of the tree, but my guest bed was totalled. I hope you don't mind sharing a bed, Pinkie."

“Oh.”

Twilight watched nervously as Pinkie put her good hoof under her chin, thinking hard about the ordeal, her tongue sticking out of her mouth. A few seconds later, Pinkie’s expression lightened up.

“Oh, Twilight! What’s wrong with that? That just means you’re going to be spending a few evenings with your ‘ole Auntie Pinkie Pie, and then...”

As Pinkie began to trail off, Twilight’s eyes widened in horror as she realized what she had just done.

She was going to be spending several nights with Pinkie Pie, the most spontaneous, hyperactive mare in Equestria.

Dear Celestia, what have I done?

Chapter 2

“You ready yet, Pinkie?” Twilight called to the bathroom. Already brushed up and ready for a good night’s sleep, she was snuggled down on her side of the bed near the window, enjoying the warm blankets wrapped around her.

“In a minute!” Pinkie called back as she flicked on another light and turned on the water. Twilight sighed as she laid her head down on her pillow. After a long day of studying, she was anticipating a restful evening. Spike was already asleep, snoring away in his little bed at the opposite end of the room. The library was completely dark, with the exception of the luminescent glow that seeped out of the bathroom and the occasional flash of lightning from outside.

Twilight stared up at the ceiling, listening to the rain as it fell upon the roof. While she had never been a big fan of storms, she had always enjoyed the pleasant sound of water drops during a quiet evening wrapped up in a warm blanket with a good book. It was a simple thing in life Twilight could never really get enough of. She felt her eyelids begin to close as the comforts of the bed began to claim her.

Rain. So calm, so peaceful, so--

“Gghhuuurrrrggghhh!” The pastoral peace of the library was suddenly shattered by the sound of gargling, ripping Twilight from her doze. A few seconds later, the sink was running again and Twilight could hear what sounded like a water balloon fight.

Twilight groaned as she rolled over to face the bathroom. From her angle she could only see Pinkie’s shadow, a wild crazy figure dancing along the walls.

“Pinkie Pie, what are you doing in there?”

A second later Pinkie poked her head through the doorway. Her mane and face were soaked and covered in soap suds and bubbles. She smiled waggishly.

“Getting ready for bed silly! What does it look like?” She giggled and then her head zipped back into the bathroom. A second later a huge splash resounded from the bathroom. If the mare had been taking a bath, Twilight would have sworn that Pinkie had done a full cannonball into the tub.

“Ugh,” Twilight groaned, pulling the pillow over her head in a desperate attempt to block out the raucous. It proved futile. She looked over at Spike who, despite all the racket, was still fast asleep. She let out a disgruntled sigh.

“How do you do it buddy?” Twilight whispered curiously, hoping for an answer, but the only response she got was a small snort from the baby dragon. Twilight smirked.

“Fine then. Be that way.” she giggled.

“AHHHH!” A scream suddenly sprang out of the bathroom, causing Twilight to gasp. A second later, she heard the sound of a towel being cracked and whipped. She saw Pinkie’s shadow swinging it around in her hoof like an angry gryphon.

“SPIDER! SPIDER! HELP! Oh wait, it was just a ball of lint. Sorry Twilight!”

Oh by the beard of Starswirl, what was I thinking? Twilight thought to herself. Why didn’t I just allow her to use the couch downstairs? She covered her face with a pillow.

Guess I just wanted to be nice and courteous.

“Ooooh! Minty!” Pinkie’s chirped from the bathroom, followed by the sound of a briskly moving toothbrush.

“Pinkie Pie, are you almost done in there?”

“In a moment Twiley! Hold your pantyhose!”

Twilight shook her head. “Okay, but please hurry up! You’ve been in there for ten minutes now! I don’t know what you’re doing that takes you so long to get ready for bed--”

Suddenly a blatant popping sound erupted from the bathroom, as if a giant balloon had burst. Twilight jumped at the sound, yipping like a toy poodle. She could hear Pinkie giggle.

“Teehee, that tickles! One down, one to go!”

Twilight heard Spike grumble, the baby dragon finally stirring from his sleep.

“Oh for pete’s sakes! Twilight, what the heck is she doing in there?”

Twilight couldn’t take it anymore. She rolled out of bed and ran over to the bathroom.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie! What in Equestria are you doing in....here...?”

She stopped in the doorway, her eyes wide as she discovered the scene before her. The bathroom was clean, not a drop of water could be seen. Pinkie Pie stood in the middle of the bathroom. Her mane was completely straight, its entire form hanging over her face like a draped cloth. Nonchalantly, she took what looked like a tack and poked the tip of it against her tail. Like a balloon, the entire tail popped and deflated, shrinking into the flat, draped form of its cousin. Pinkie grinned as she looked over herself in the mirror.

“Done! All cleaned up and ready to snuggle wuggle!” She looked back at Twilight, whose mouth was agape as her brain desperately tried to process what she’d just witnessed.

“What?” Pinkie Pie asked with a small frown on her face. “I’m just letting my hair down for the night! I started doing it a few weeks ago when I noticed that my mane was getting crooked! I got the tip from Rarity! Apparently it’s a good way to keep your mane clean and untangled! And besides, manes like to sleep too! They can’t be up all night trying to hold themselves together and...” She cocked her head. “Twilight, are you okay? Your eye is twitching a little bit.” She backed up nervously. “And now there’s steam coming out of your ears.”

A few minutes and one ice cold bucket of water later, both mares were finally getting into bed. Twilight, her mane once again a tangled mess, closed her eyes as she waited for the sweet embrace of sleep to take her over. She sighed as she allowed her head to sink into her pillow. She wiggled her hooves beneath the covers, releasing the tension that had just formed over the last few minutes.

Suddenly, Twilight felt the bed bouncing. She opened her eyes once again. She looked over at Pinkie Pie, using whatever energy she had left to dimly light up her horn. Even with the faint nightlight on however, she couldn’t decipher what on earth the crazy mare was doing.

Pinkie Pie was prancing around in circles on her side of the bed like a little puppy, her mane flopping around on the side of her face. Her eyes were closed and she had a cute little smile on her face as she bounced around, her head bobbing up and down in step.

Twilight felt herself beginning to crack. All of Pinkie’s bizarre actions that night were starting to get to her, yet surprisingly not in the wrong way. She covered her lips, but it did little to hold back her giggles.

“Pinkie Pie...pbbt...what are you doing?” she asked curiously.

Pinkie finally calmed down and slipped under the covers on her side of the bed. “I was just getting comfortable, Twilight! It’s a new bed for me! I’ve got to find my perfect spot!” She snuggled her head into her pillow. “Oooh, squishy!” She looked over at Twilight. “What’s so funny?”

Twilight pressed her face down into her pillow as she tried to hide her laughter. Oh dear Celestia! I’m going crazy! I’m losing it!

Pinkie joined Twilight onboard the giggle train. “Oh Twilight you’re such a crack-up! You know, it’s been fun staying with you tonight! We should do this again sometime! You’re so funny! You’ve been doing the weirdest things while I’ve been here.”

“PAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Twilight threw her pillow up in the air and burst out into a fit of laughter.

“What is wrong with you, silly?” Pinkie asked through giggles.

“What’s wrong with me!” Twilight gasped as she struggled for breath. “What’s wrong with me! That’s a good one! Oh it never ends does it? Hahaha!” Tears began streaming down her cheeks.

“Twilight?” Pinkie asked, her voice showing a tad bit of concern. Twilight sat up in her bed and placed a shaky hoof on Pinkie’s lips. She looked her in the eyes.

“Please...let me slee-ee-eeeep!”

Pinkie grinned, gently pushing Twilight’s hoof out of the way. “Then sleep Twilight! No pony’s stopping you! If you want to sleep, then just sleep!”

“It’s...teehee...not that easy at this point!” Twilight gasped.

“What? Of course it is! Here, I’ll show you!” Pinkie flopped back on her side of the bed and closed her eyes. A few seconds later Twilight could hear a light snoring coming from Pinkie’s side of the bed.

Twilight wiped her eyes as she sat up. “Right. And I’m sure you’re not just doing a fake out on me, am I right?”

No response.

“Pinkie?” Twilight scooted over closer to Pinkie and saw Pinkie's covers moving with her rhythmic breathing as she snored away. Within a few split seconds, the energized mare had fallen into a deep sleep. Twilight stared at her, a look of plain disbelief on her face.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Twilight groaned as she quietly shuffled back to her side of the bed. “Really? Just like that?”

She flopped herself down onto bed and sighed, her body riveting with newfound energy after dealing with Pinkie for the last few minutes. She stared up at the ceiling, her mind now flowing like a racing river. Outside the storm continued to roar, the rain getting heavier and the thunder more cacophonous.

Great. Pinkie Pie is out like a light, there is a loud obnoxious storm outside, and now I’m all riled up for the night. It’s going to take forever for me to fall asleep now!

She looked over at Pinkie Pie who was no doubt far off in her own world at this point. Surprisingly, Twilight couldn’t help but watch the sleeping diva. Even in slumber, Pinkie still managed to keep a smile on her face. She looked so peaceful, and Twilight found it hard to imagine that this pony was swinging a towel around like a hooligan just a few minutes earlier.

That smile. There really is no way to remove it, is there? Twilight thought to herself, chuckling.

It was at that moment that Twilight had a small realization, something that didn’t strike her earlier that day. This was the first time one of her closest friends was sleeping in her bed, next to her. Twilight’s mind prowled as she found herself storming over the subject. She didn’t know why either. There was technically nothing wrong with it.

Rarity and Applejack did it during our sleepover a few years back and they had no problem with it. Well, once they got over each other’s differences.

So, why does it feel strange sleeping with Pinkie Pie next to me? She’s just one of my friends, one that I’m allowing to stay over for the next few days, nothing else. Yet, I have this feeling, this feeling of comfort when I think about it. She sighed as she watched Pinkie shuffle in her sleep, burying her head deeper into her pillow, mumbling cutely as she did.

Twilight snickered and shook her head. I must be tired. I’m overanalyzing things again. I can save this for tomorrow.

Twilight was just about to roll over when she felt a concern suddenly bite at her mind. She had to check something. She lit up her horn and produced a faint glow from the tip. She took her foreleg and as gentle and quiet as a mouse, lifted the blanket off of Pinkie’s bandaged hoof. The bleeding had stopped a while ago by now, but that wasn’t what bothered her.

Pinkie Pie, that is a nasty injury you have there girl. Why did you try to keep it a secret from me?

She gently covered up the hoof again, tucking it in under the blanket before dropping her magic. She stared at the sleeping mare, puzzled. Twilight had known Pinkie Pie for several years now, learned to cope with her antics most of the time, and discovered how to appreciate her joy and freewill. Yet of all of Twilight’s friends, Pinkie Pie was the one that still remained an enigma to her. A mystery. There were so many things she still didn’t know about her.

Or understand.

Twilight’s eyes swayed away from Pinkie’s face and veered over to her mane, its smooth locks draped over the side of her face. She rarely saw Pinkie with this hairstyle, and the few times she did were not fond memories. They often involved depression and confusion, not joy and blithe. It was as if Twilight was looking at a completely different mare, a whole new pony. But now, watching her slumber with it, she didn’t feel any alarms in her mind going off. It was the same Pinkie Pie she had come to know throughout the years, just with a different hairstyle.

She looked good with it.

Twilight smiled to herself. Perhaps this is for the best after all. Maybe I can finally learn something about her.

As a powerful yawn forced itself out of Twilight’s system, the librarian finally decided to turn in for the night. She rolled over till she was facing the window, the rain running down the window in streams across the glass. Despite the fury outside the treehouse, Twilight felt warm and secure this evening.

It’s going to be a good night, she thought to herself. Then she closed her eyes and prepared for serene sleep to overtake her.

It’s going to be a good night.

Chapter 3

This...is ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!

Twilight groaned for the umpteenth time as she rolled in a desperate attempt to find a comfortable spot. She flopped her head down on the pillow, burying her muzzle in the soft fabric.

She let out a disgruntled sigh. It was nearly three in the morning now. Every joint in her body ached painfully, and the lightning strikes were giving her a headache. Her eyes were sore from the lack of sleep.

Her ever-alert mind this evening did little to ease the situation.

Oh for Celestia’s sake, why is this happening to me? She huffed as she grabbed an extra pillow and smothered her face with it in annoyance. I need to get up bright and early tomorrow to get started on my daily studying! I can’t afford to be tired like this! I just can’t!

She pulled the pillow away and threw it across the room, not caring about the trajectory. It fell next to Spike’s bed, barely missing the baby dragon.

She looked over at Pinkie, who was still fast asleep on the other side of the bed. At the sight of her sleeping friend, Twilight’s foolish anger boiled away, and she felt a small smile crawl across her face.

In her own slumberous tumblings, Pinkie had accidentally stolen one of the blankets and managed to get all coiled up in it. Only her head stuck out, her snores muffled by her pillow. Twilight shook her head at the sight.

Silly Pinkie. What are you doing now, pretending to be a giant caterpillar in a cocoon? She chuckled at the thought. Oh dear, don’t tell me you’re going to grow wings tomorrow morning. You’re troublesome enough as is!

Pinkie responded by murmuring something in her sleep. She rolled over in the bed, moving away from Twilight and continuing to wrap herself up in the blanket. Twilight shook her head.

Not even going to put up an argument huh? Guess I win this round!

“Hmmmmmm,” Pinkie murmured. Twilight perked her head up as she tried to get a better look at her.

“Well somepony seems to be sleeping well. Could you give me any tips?” She cocked her head curiously. To her surprise, Pinkie responded, a tiny slew of gibberish popping out of her mouth.

“Cremadaba,” Pinkie chirped.

“Come again?” she asked, stifling her giggles

“Creamy crispy candy cookie,” Pinkie murmured as she curled up more, the blanket cocoon moving with her.

“Well gee. I wonder what you could be dreaming about! I just don’t have the faintest idea!” Twilight giggled.

She perked up her ears, hoping for another reply from the sleeping mare, but much to her disappointment, she was greeted with nothing but gentle snores and whispers from her dreaming friend. A few seconds passed before she realized nothing new was coming from the party diva. She rolled away, leaving Pinkie in peace for the evening.

Twilight lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling with no real intention. She closed her eyes, once again praying that she would find herself cast away into a deep slumber. A minute later, another crackle of thunder outside sounded off from the Equestrian sky, rattling her head and forcing her eyes open. It was the final straw.

That’s it! I can’t take this anymore! I’m sick of just lying here! She sat up and quietly slipped out of bed, her hooves landing gently on the hard wooden floor of the bedroom. If I’m going to stay up all night, I might as well make good use of it!

She turned back to the bed and lit up her horn, grasping one of the free blankets and a pillow with her magic, and levitated them both over to herself.

I’ll move downstairs and lie down on the couch with my books. The last thing I want to do is wake up the others.

As she quietly crept away from the bed, Pinkie wasted no time and rolled over into the center of the mattress, claiming the entirety of it for herself. Twilight smiled.

“Go ahead Pinkie. It’s all yours. Enjoy it.”

“Hmmmm,” Pinkie murmured.

“Good night Pinkie,” Twilight giggled before turning her attention back to her own endeavors. As quiet as a mouse, she crept down the stairs, taking her time to softly place her hooves on each board.

She walked over to the couch in the middle of the room and placed her bedding on the cushions, fluffing up the pillow before laying it out near the hoofrest. After making sure everything was in place, she walked over to one of her many bookcases.

Twilight lit up her horn and randomly grasped several books from the shelves. At this hour of the night, it didn’t really matter to her what material she read, just so long as it helped her ease her mind.

With the four books levitating next to her, she casually made her way back to the couch, her hooves heavy with sleep.

She gently set the books down on the table, stacking them one on top of the other before leaping up onto the couch and making herself comfortable. The thick, cushy cushions quickly swallowed up her tired form, relaxing her aching muscles and joints. She laid down with her belly on the pillow and pulled a blanket over her so that half of it draped down the side of the couch.

“Almost ready,” she whispered to herself. She took a quick moment to stretch out her legs, her joints popping in response as she pulled them straight. It felt good. Comfortable and cozy, she was prepped and ready for a night of reading.

“Let’s do this.” She lit up her horn and firmly grasped the book on the top of the pile and propped it up against the foreleg rest in front of her. She read the title.

Trailblazors: Equestria’s Greatest Travelers and Adventurers

She smiled. “Perfect.” It was just what she wanted. Nothing too mind consuming for her at the moment; just fun stories about many of Equestria’s cherished heroes.

It had been a few months since Twilight had last looked at this title, so she decided to start from the beginning. The first story was on Sapphire Mist, an ancient tale about a young unicorn explorer who traveled on the high seas far to the east, seeking far off lands and hidden treasures, all while trying to fight off hordes of savages, pirates, and terrifying sea monsters. For Twilight it was a favorite read of hers, because it eventually inspired a young novelist to write one of her favorite book series of all time: Daring Do.

Three chapters later, Twilight was completely enthralled with her story, reading about the time Sapphire ran into a multi-headed sea monster all by herself on a lone island. She was so captivated that she barely heard the noise of the raging storm, nor the soft clip-clop of hooves approaching her couch.

“Twilight?”

Twilight gasped in shock before turning around to coming face to face with none other than Pinkie Pie.

“Oh dear Celestia! Pinkie, please don’t do that do me!”

Pinkie giggled nervously. “Sorry about that Twilight! I didn’t mean to scare you. I just noticed that you weren’t in bed anymore and I just wanted to check on you and see what you were up to.”

“But, you were asleep. How did you know that I was up?”

“My Pinkie sense of course! You should know that by now!” Pinkie giggled, wiggling her tail in glee.

Twilight cocked her head. “But...I thought that only worked when you were awake,” Twilight asked, arching an eyebrow in wonder.

“Of course not silly! My twitchyness is always alert twenty-four seven! What if some super duper horrible disaster happens while I’m being a snoozy?” Pinkie suddenly noticed Twilight’s book propped up on the couch and she edged herself closer, getting a better look at the pages. “Watcha reading?”

“Huh? Oh, this.” She sighed and her head drooped in defeat. “Well, let’s just say I’ve had a pretty rough night so far and-”

Pinkie’s eyes suddenly widened in horror. “Oh no! You didn’t sleep did you? How long have you been up?”

Twilight chuckled nervously. “Eh heh. All night?”

A small gasp popped out of Pinkie and Twilight watched as she cupped her lips in horror.

Oh dear, here it comes. Twilight braced herself for the slew of words.

“You know what the worst part about trying to fall asleep is? You want to fall asleep, but just can’t! Your joints are always achy and your body feels tired and you just want to go to beddy bye land, but no matter how many times you try you just can’t because, the longer you stay up, your mind starts to get upset. Then you get frustrated and angry, and then you start crying and...”

Without a single word Twilight formed an aura around Pinkie’s lips and gently closed them up, cutting off Pinkie’s harangue. Pinkie continued to mumble.

“Shhhhh,” Twilight giggled. “I think I understand where you’re coming from Pinkie. You don’t need to continue, okay?”

Pinkie groaned but after a few seconds nodded her head in agreement. Satisfied, Twilight released the magic around Pinkie’s lips, who grinned upon being freed.

“And then this one time at pony camp I got so upset I...”

“Pinkie!” Twilight whispered harshly before breaking out into a fit of giggles, burying her face in the pillow. “I get it I get it! Hahaha!”

Pinkie shook her head and placed a foreleg around her friend. “But I have such a fun story to tell you! You’d enjoy it!” she said with a smile

“Oh gee! I wonder,” Twilight sputtered as she raised her head again, a couple tears running down her face. “You know as part scientist, I’m surprised I haven’t tested how many words you can speak in a minute.” Gasping, she quickly stuffed her hoof in Pinkie’s mouth before she could speak.

“On second thought, let’s wait until later okay?”

Pinkie pulled Twilight’s hoof away and giggled. “Of course silly! Besides, we need to get you to bed!”

Twilight’s smile dropped like a weight and she frowned glumly at the book in front of her. “Oh I don’t know Pinkie. It’s almost four in the morning now. What’s the point?”

“What’s the point?” Pinkie exclaimed in shock as she hopped up on the couch. “Twilight, you need your sleep!”

“No I don’t,” the librarian whined pathetically.

Pinkie Pie shook her head and gently stroked Twilight’s mane. “Oh you poor little thing. Can’t get to sleep at all. Well don’t you worry. Auntie Pinkie Pie here is going to help you out!”

Twilight smirked. “Uh, Pinkie, I’m pretty sure I’m older than you.”

Pinkie giggled nervously and a tiny tinge of crimson swept over face. “Sorry Twilight. I keep doing that to my friends. I guess I got it from being the oldest of my sisters.”

Twilight looked at Pinkie curiously, her eyes searching her friend. “You know Pinkie, I’ve never heard you talk about your family.”

“Really?” Pinkie replied, surprise in her voice.

“No, the only time I remember you mentioning them was the time you told me the story on how you got your cutie mark.” She tilted her head curiously. “You know, I’ve always wondered what life is like on a rock farm. I can imagine it was probably a lot of hard work.”

Upon saying this Twilight noticed Pinkie’s perky attitude deflate a little and the pink pony shivered as memories came rolling back.

“My parents were pretty strict with me and my sisters. They always woke us up at the crack of dawn for work, usually before the sun was completely up. Then we would be out there until lunchtime when they would finally bring us in. That is if our work was done for the day.” She giggled nervously. “I often joked around a lot when I worked so I was usually the last one to go back inside for the day.”

She looked at Twilight. “Ever pushed rocks with your muzzle for six hours or more?” She said with a smug look on her face.

Twilight shook her head promptly. “Nope. Can’t say I have.”

Without warning, Pinkie forced her muzzle right in Twilight’s face, looking right into her eyes with intense envy.

“You lucky duck.”

Twilight gently pushed the space hugging pony away. “Oh come on, Pinkie. I’m sure it wasn’t that b-.”

“It was miserable!” Pinkie cried out as she dived into her best Rarity impression, her mood switch catching Twilight by surprise. “It was sooooo muuuuccchh woooorrrrkkk! Pushing rocks with your muzzle is never a fun chore!” Pinkie whined in sorrow. 'It was so scary moving them at times because sometimes little creepy critters hid under them, waiting to scare our fur off! I think I ran into about one thousand, two hundred and sixty seven of them on the farm.”

Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Wait, you counted them all?”

“Huh? No no no no! I couldn’t count them all! That would be crazy!” She shook her head vigorously. “I just counted how many times I screamed.”

“Aahhhh of course. I see.” Twilight nodded as she stifled her giggles.

Pinkie Pie continued. “But worst of all was the work.” She grumbled. “All we did was push rocks and dig, push rocks and dig, push rocks and dig! And it never changed! It was the same thing everyday!”

She frowned. “It was ssooooo bbboooorrrrinnnng!”

Twilight couldn’t help but facehoof at Pinkie’s ludicrous display. She giggled.

“Oh you poor little thing,” she teased, nudging Pinkie’s cheek playfully. Pinkie tried to hold her scowl, but she felt her defenses collapse as her cheeks began to blush red. Twilight smiled.

“Awwww. Are you still grumpy?” Twilight cooed.

Pinkie began to giggle. “Do...don’t laugh at me.”

Twilight snickered. “Why not? You laughed first.”

“No no no! That’s not fair!” Pinkie exclaimed, only to break out into smile.

Twilight shook her head. “Okay okay, I’m sure it was pretty dreadful, but hey, at least it wasn’t all day. I’m sure you had some free time, right?”

As soon as the word free was mentioned, Pinkie’s juvenile anger quickly dissipated and a wide grin spread across her face. She squeed in delight and her front hooves playfully shuffled about on the cushions.

“Oh! I have so many great memories from my childhood! So many!” She clapped her hooves together, Twilight’s medical spell still holding strong after these hours. “Me and my sisters always spent the afternoon together after we finished our chores.”

Twilight smiled at Pinkie’s enthusiasm, happy to see her on a lighter topic.

“What are your sisters' names out of curiosity?”

Pinkie grinned. “My parents named them after rocks!”

Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Huh?”

Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Yep yep! Like my youngest sister was named Marble Pie, because her mane was smooth as a Marble, and my middle sister was named Limestone Pie, because her skin reminded them of Limestone.”

Limestone? Really? Who in Equestria would name a pony Limestone?

“Those are...definitely interesting names,” Twilight chortled.

“Aren’t they cool? My mom’s name is Cloudy Quartz and my father’s name is Igneous Rock,” Pinkie exclaimed with glee.

“Wait. How does Pinkie Pie fit into all this?” Twilight asked, her curiosity peaked.

Pinkie shook her head, her mane flopping around like a wet rag. “I have no idea! I think they were just being a couple of lazy daisies when they named me.”

Twilight giggled. “Whatever floats their boat. Still, it sounds like you three had a lot of fun.”

“Well...actually there wasn’t too much for us to do on the farm,” Pinkie admitted, a gloomy look on her face. “Our family was kinda poor, and it was hard enough for our parents to raise and provide for the three of us. We didn’t get a lot of the little pony toys and games that most other fillies and colts got when they were growing up.”

Twilight felt her heart drop a bit upon hearing this. “Oh my. I’m so sorry to hear about that. It sounds like it was rough.”

But instead of a gloomy response, Pinkie’s replied in a chippy attitude. “Not really! We didn’t need all those fancy toys anyways! We knew how to have fun without them!”

“Really?” Twilight asked. “How so?”

“Easy cheesy! We just used our imagination!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed, a tinge of pride in her voice.

“Go on,” Twilight prodded.

“Well, since we didn’t have a lot to do or many places to go, we just made everything up! Once we finished lunch, we would go outside away from the house and pretend to go off to far off lands in Equestria!” She smiled thoughtfully. “Limestone was the hefty reader in the family. She read a lot about strange places in Equestria so before we would head out we would always look through the book to see where we would like to go and what we would like to do there.”

“Interesting.”

Pinkie continued without a second thought. “One time we were the daring swashbucklers sailing the high eastern Equestrian seas, fighting off horrible sea monsters and braving terrible storms and tsunamis! We used the leftover rocks in one of our abandoned field to build a boat, made a mast out of tree branches and paper!” She giggled gidley at the memory. “That was one of my favorite days!”

Twilight listened as Pinkie continued. “Another time we went into the dark depths of the Everfree Forests in search of the ancient palace of the princesses.” She shook her head. “Oh Twilight, if only I knew I would actually go there when I was older!”

“Ever fought any dragons?” Twilight asked, cocking her head.

“Oh yes!” Pinkie exclaimed, her eyes widening in delight. “We had to go to the badlands once and face Cinder, the evil dragon tamer! I think that was our most dangerous quest ever! It’s a good thing the four of us stood together in that horrible battle! Cinder was devastating!”

Twilight smiled, enjoying Pinkie’s stories. “That actually sounds like a lot of fun, Pinkie. Who played Cinder?”

“Oh.” Pinkie fell silent and Twilight noticed Pinkie’s joyful expression deflate a bit upon being asked.

“Pinkie? Are you okay?” Twilight asked, worried about the sudden change in her friend’s behavior. But Pinkie, being the ever unpredictable mare that she was, snapped out of it in a second.

“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking how we couldn’t find anypony to play Cinder. That would have been a lot of fun, wouldn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah. It would have been fun,” Twilight said reassuringly.

Pinkie sighed as she thought about her memories. “You know, I miss being a little filly at times. We had so much fun together back then.” She looked at Twilight, showing off her best puppy dog eyes to the unicorn. “Why do we have to grow up? Can’t we be young forever?”

Twilight laughed as Pinkie continued. “We did so much, although sometimes we did venture off the farm. We were always curious to see what was outside our property.” Pinkie paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. “Sometimes...we got a little bit too careless at times. We would venture too far away from the farm and...”

Twilight noticed Pinkie’s head and ears droop as she frowned. “We sometimes got into trouble, big trouble. One time we were playing too far away from the house, and we found ourselves getting chased by a timber wolf.” She shuddered at the memory. “We managed to get back to the house, but my parents were furious with me.”

She paused for a moment, and Twilight noticed her quivering.

“They said that I wasn’t responsible for my sisters; that I was too focused on having fun than looking out for them.” She sighed. “I remember them grounding me for a week, telling me that I had to grow up and learn to be a mature, responsible mare.”

Twilight shook her head as she placed a hoof on Pinkie’s chin, raising her head so she was looking right into her eyes.

“Oh Pinkie Pie. You have! I’m sure you’ve come a long ways since then!”

To Twilight’s surprise however, Pinkie gently pushed her hoof away. “I...I don’t know Twilight. Sometimes, I feel like I haven’t.”

“What do you mean?”

Pinkie sighed, and for the first time that night, Twilight noticed a single tear rolling down her cheek.

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m more of a burden to you girls than anything else.”

“Pinkie P-” Pinkie placed a hoof on Twilight’s lips.

“No, really. I know I don’t act like it's bothering me much, but lately, I’ve been wondering what my purpose is in this group.” She shook her head glumly. “You have your magic, Rainbow has her bravery and speed, Applejack is honest and strong, Fluttershy is the kindest mare in Ponyville and knows how to take care of everypony, and Rarity is well organized.”

“But me...” She sighed. “All I do is laugh, make jokes, and throw random parties. I don’t take our super duper important missions seriously enough all the time, and I just feel like I sometimes cause more trouble for you girls like with the mirror pool incident.” She looked back at Twilight. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a bad element.”

Twilight was flabbergasted. In all her years knowing the merry mare she had never expected her to bring herself down so low. Her mind raced as she tried to process this new discovery.

This is really unlike her. Although I do agree with some of the things she’s said, she’s never this hard on herself. Never.

Pinkie turned away from her as Twilight continued to ponder.

There’s something going on, that’s for sure, but what do I say? Come to think of it, I’ve never thought about everypony’s purpose as the elements. What is hers?

Then in a brilliant lightning flash of inspiration, it hit her. It was so subtle, and yet so important to the friendship of their group. She knew what to say.

Twilight shook head. “You know Pinkie Pie, I’ve never really said it before.” She placed a hoof on Pinkie’s chest. “But, I’m really happy you’re one of the elements.”

Pinkie cocked her head. Now it was her turn for curiosity to poke her mind.

“Really? You think I’m a good element?”

Twilight smiled. “Yes I do. You’re always here for us whenever we’re going through hard times. You make us smile and I think that is crucial for us. You know Pinkie, I may technically be the leader of this group, and Rainbow Dash was the one who helped unite us with her sonic rainboom. But you, you’re the one who holds us together.”

Twilight paused. “The six of us have been through a lot over the years. We’ve encountered a lot of dangers and hardships along the way and sometimes, I’ve been scared, very scared. I’ll admit, when things get out of my league I sometimes begin to lose faith in myself. But, whenever you make a joke or even one of your little puns, its just enough to make me smile again, to urge me to keep moving ahead, no matter what could be around the corner. Pinkie, you give us hope, and that is one of the most powerful elements any group can have.”

Pinkie sat there, stunned as she took in Twilight’s assertions.

“Wow. I...I don’t know what to say.”

“Oh come on Pinkie Pie! It’s true! And-”

“No no. That’s not what stuns me. It’s...” She smiled as she looked Twilight in the eyes. “No ponies have ever been so sincere with me before. And...” Her body began to shake with excitement. “I don’t know why but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! It feels funny!”

“Funny?” Twilight asked, confused by Pinkie’s description. “That’s an interesting way to look at it.”

Pinkie grinned. “Oh, but who cares? I’m so happy right now because it gives me even more reason to make more ponies smile and continue smiling forever and ever!”

“Well, like I said Pinkie, you better not stop anytime soon! Ponyville needs its party planner.” Twilight remarked, playfully nudging Pinkie with her hoof.

Pinkie smiled, sighing in relief. “Thank you Twilight. You know its silly. I came down here to help you with your snoozy doozy, and yet I was the one that had to be comforted.” She pouted. “Come on, let me do my job! And...AAwwwhhh.” Pinkie’s jaw opened wide as a huge yawn took over her sentence, quickly stealing away any words that had yet to pop off her tongue. Twilight giggled as Pinkie smacked her lips.

“Well this is dumb,” Pinkie said as she laid down on her belly, her forelegs hanging over the edge of the couch. “So what do we do now?”

Twilight chuckled. “Believe me, I’ve been having a rough enough time trying to figure that out all night.” She smirked as she reopened her book, turning back to the page she was on earlier. Curiosity getting the better of her, Pinkie cocked her head.

So watcha reading about?”

“Oh it’s a book about some of Equestria’s most famous explorers! Really fascinating!” Then she had an idea.

“Hey, we don’t have too much longer till sunrise. Wanna join me?”

Pinkie grinned whimsically, a small gasp popping out of her lips. “Oh that’s a super idea Twilight! A reading party!” As quick as a ferret Pinkie scooted around next to Twilight, snuggling down under the blanket. She looked at the book's pages with unrivaled inquisitiveness, clapping her front hooves together gleefully.

“Oki Doki Loki! Who should we read about?”

Twilight smiled as she focused her horn's light on the current page, illuminating it in the evening gloom.

You know, this night wasn’t too bad after all.

Author's Note

I apologize for the delay on this chapter. I never meant for it to take this long.

For those of you who don't know, I've been having a bit of a family crisis going on lately and its been really hard for me to sit down at the keyboard and continue this.

The good news is most of this ordeal is falling back in the past for me now and I'm going to concentrate on trying to pump out these chapters more regularly than I have. Hopefully we won't have another humongous gap with the next chapters like we did with this one.

Hope you enjoyed it and I'll try to have chapter 4 ready to go soon! :)

Chapter 4

“Awww, poor Sapphire! I feel sorry for her!”

Twilight looked at Pinkie curiously.

“Why is that Pinkie? Personally, I’m jealous of her! Can you imagine what it must be like to sail across the sea to a far off land? I would feel invigorated!” Twilight stated enviously.

Pinkie frowned. “Because she didn’t have any friends to keep her company! Can you imagine how lonely she must’ve felt, drifting out there alone on the high seas!” She frowned, her lower lip quivering in remorse. “I feel sorry for the poor mare.”

Twilight smirked at her friend, arching an eyebrow. “Pinkie Pie, this did happen a long time ago, you know. Besides, having read a lot about Sapphire’s adventures in Equestria, I’m sure she would have been fine being alone for a few days.” She chuckled. “As a matter of fact, she was never that much of a social pony. She always kept to herself and went by her own rules. Didn’t really trust other ponies that much.”

Pinkie frowned as she looked back at the page they were on. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Plus, she’s kinda of a turkey jerk. She seemed really devious, always playing nasty tricks on ponies in order to get what she wanted. I thought I was a prank master until I read about her.”

Twilight giggled and patted Pinkie on the back. “Trust me, you are definitely the queen of pranks this day and age.”

Pinkie smiled, a slight blush popping up on her cheeks. “Awww, thank you Twilight! I’ll think about that next time I decide to pull something on you!” She giggled, her laugh holding a tinge of insidious evil in it.

Twilight smirked. “Oh, how very thoughtful of you.” The two mares giggled.

Twilight smiled as she caught her breath. “You know, I’m glad you woke up tonight. You easily turned this evening around for me.”

Pinkie nodded. “Hey! I couldn’t just leave my friend alone for the night! Where’s the fun in that?” She gave Twilight a playful noogie, her hoof ruffling up Twilight’s already messed up hairdoo.

Twilight yelped as she tried to fight off Pinkie’s attack. “Ack! Pinkie, stop it! Haha! Come on now!”

“Awww, come on! I’m not done yet! You’ve got to be more open to this type of fun, you know? You’re a bit of a hard head.” She lightly tapped Twilight’s cranium several times. “Knock on wood!”

“Pinkie Pie! Ahh!” Twilight lit her horn and grabbed Pinkie’s forelegs in a purple aura, restraining the playful mare and finally putting a stop to her crazed assault. The pink mare frowned.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” she pouted as she conjured her best puppy dog face.

Twilight looked at Pinkie’s performance with askance. “Uhhh, not working,” she chuckled. “Although, I will say it’s a pretty worthy attempt.” Her eyes darted to Pinkie’s injured hoof, the bandage starting to show some signs of wear after all the passing hours. “Hey Pinkie, how is your hoof feeling?”

Pinkie brought the hoof up to eye level, squinting at it and shaking it in front of her face. She smiled. “It’s A-okay! Hasn’t bothered me at all tonight, although it still feels kinda nummy at times.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s not surprising. It's an unfortunate side effect of the healing magic. If you don’t mind, I want to look at it again tomorrow, just inspecting it to make sure its recovering well.”

Waiting for a reply, Twilight almost expected Pinkie to be resistant to her offer. But to her great surprise, Pinkie replied with a gleaming smile.

“I would love that! Thank you Twiley!”

Twilight shook her head. “Don’t mention it! It’s no trouble at all really.” She looked back at the book, turning to the next page. Pinkie snuggled down into the cushions, rested peacefully between Twilight and the back of the couch.

“Shall we continue?” Twilight asked. Pinkie slouched her head down on the pillow next to her. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, and her ears had lost much of their perpetual energy.

“Aawwwhh I guess.” She smacked her lips as she looked at the new page, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to keep them open. “Does Sapphire take a nap in this chapter?”

Twilight chuckled. “Knowing her, I doubt it.” She looked at the title and gasped in excitement. “Oh, this is my favorite chapter! This one tells about the time that Sapphire returned to Equestria and discovered the...Pinkie?”

She looked back at Pinkie only to find her snoozing away on the pillow, her mouth agape and tongue lolling out. The night seemed to have done her well. She was still smiling.

Twilight chuckled and quietly closed the book with her magic before placing it back on the coffee table.

“Well, I guess that’s enough reading for both of us tonight. I think I’m getting a bit tuckered out myself.” As if right on cue, an enormous yawn forced its way out of her lips.

Dropping the glow on her horn, she laid her head down on the pillow and looked outside. While the dark storm clouds seemed to put the outdoors in a gloomy shroud, she spotted the first glimmers of morning sunlight beginning to pop out of the horizon as Celestia’s sun began to rise.

It would be pretty futile to get a good night’s sleep at this point. There’s just no chance. She found her eyes closing and for the first time that evening, her body relaxed. But you know, a nap should do just fine.

In just a couple of minutes she was gone, far off in her own little world in the comforts of her library next to her friend. There was no telling where she went, but in the end, it didn’t matter. After all...

We rarely remember our dreams...right?

Twilight stood at the top of her precipitous perch. The chilling winds rippled over the top of the island, freezing her to the bone and blowing her mane back. Below her, the breaking waves of a stormy sea slammed against the rock base, sending sprays of ice cold salt water into her face. She felt the limp straps of her empty saddle bag against her back.

In the distance, she spotted the placid beaches of Equestria, their white sands shining in the horizon. She gritted her teeth as she looked at the stormy sea below her. So close, and yet so far.

“It’s too far to teleport from here! Ugh!” She shuttered as the waves lashed at the stone. “I’m going to have to risk the waters, aren’t I?”

Before she could leap into the icy waters below, a low rumbling gurgled up from below her hooves, like the sound of distant thunder. This was no storm however. This was something far, far worse.

Twilight froze, a shiver running down her spine. She recognized that rumble.

“This can’t be good!”

Suddenly, the treacherous waves below her parted as a large snake-like head emerged from the ocean, its glowing slit pupils staring up right at the lavender pony. The terror-stricken unicorn backed away from the ledge as three more heads emerged from the sea. Before long, six snake-like heads in total were towering above her, hissing furiously.

In the storm’s wrath, the sea had swept her right into the home of a scylla, an ocean dwelling relative of the hydra. She had read about them in her studies during her travels throughout Equestria. They were amongst the most dangerous monsters of the high sea, terrifying carnivores that have even been known to attack passing ships. Twilight gulped.

“Oh...my...Celestia,” she stuttered as one of the heads opened its mouth, revealing its vicious fangs. Perhaps if she were to slowly creep away they would let her go, see her as not worth their time and energy.

One does not simply walk away from a beast.

With a deafening roar, one of the heads lunged at Twilight. Instinctively, she lit up her horn and teleported out of the serpent’s strike. The monster’s head slammed into the thick stone, several of its giant teeth cracking. It reared its head back and roared in agony. Several other heads began to lunge at Twilight, who was running away from her hunter as fast as her hooves could take her.

“Just keep running Twilight! It’s a sea monster! It can’t climb on land!” She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see her pursuer’s heads right on her tail, only to find that the monster had vanished into thin air.

“What?” Twilight said as she skidded to a stop at the opposite end of the island. “Where did it g...”

Suddenly Twilight noticed the ground darken as a shadow was cast over her. Its silhouette slithered across the ground as it descended upon her. Twilight looked up, and then a scream tore from her lungs.

She leapt out of the way just in the nick of time. The scylla’s enormous tail crashed into the island, smashing the rock around it. The island creaked and groaned as a huge slab of stone tore away from the island, plummeting into the ocean and carrying Twilight with it.

“GAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Twilight screamed. She clinched her eyes, waiting for the frigid waters to engulf her body.

And then, everything seemed to disappear. The sounds of the ocean evaporated; the storm dissipated without a trace; the roars of the scylla vanished into thin air. A comforting warmth spread over Twilight, as if the pleasant Equestrian sun was shining upon her. Everything was silent.

Mustering up her courage, Twilight opened her eyes and gasped at her surroundings, mouth open in shock. She was floating high in the sky, surrounded by tall, rocky peaks and puffy pink clouds. Above her, the Equestrian sun bathed the air in a tranquil warmth and placid light. Below her, the sea seemed to have disappeared, replaced by the endless expanse of therolling greens and forests that made up Equestria.

“Wha...where am I?” Twilight asked as she slowly descended upon one of the clouds. To her surprise, instead of passing through thestratocumulus, her hooves lightly planted themselves upon its surface, despite the fact that she had not performed any cloudwalking spells. Its surface felt fluffy and squishy, like a giant cotton swab floating in the sky.

She looked around her and realized that the cloud seemed to continue on before her, like a path in the sky. Seeing that she had no other choice, she decided to press on, taking in her surroundings as she went.

Despite her countless studies, she found it hard to determine where in Equestria she was. While she easily recognized the familiar landscapes many miles below, the strange peaks around her seemed to come from nowhere. They were...odd. Very odd. They were blocky in shape, made of unstable slabs that looked like they could slip away at any moment.

Twilight gulped. “This is getting a little weird.” The path she was walking on lead ahead to an enormous wall of pink cloud. As she walked up closer to it, she could see the peaks around her disappearing in a mysterious haze until they were only a blur.

She turned her attention back to the path which seemed to cut a hole into into the massive wall ahead of her, the entrance divided by what seemed to be a light curtain of cirrus cloud. She lit up her horn and grasped the barrier with her magic, carefully pulling it away.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in amazement.

“What in Equestria?”

The mysterious haze that had shrouding the sky had disappeared, as had much of the surrounding clouds. But most amazing of all were the peaks, now fully visible in the Equestrian sky. They didn’t rise from the ground, but instead were merely floating islands that drifted through atmosphere. Twilight could only begin to imagine how they managed to stay afloat.

“This....this is incredible,” Twilight gawked as she walked farther out into the void, stunned and invigorated by her discovery.

Suddenly, she noticed something off. She wasn’t feeling the soft, puffy clouds that had made up her sky path. She looked down, her eyes widening in utter horror. The cloud she had been walking on had completely disappeared, leaving behind only faint wisps of water droplets.

“Uh oh...”

Twilight screamed as gravity suddenly took over, and she plummeted through the Equestrian sky towards the ground far below. She flailed her hooves out, desperately hoping to grab onto something.

“NOOOOOOUmpth!”

Twilight yelped as her fall was suddenly cut short by something soft and squishy. She groaned as she tried to get up, her eyes rolling in her sockets and her legs trembling from the shock.

As she stood up, she noticed that the ground seemed to sink slightly below her weight. She looked down to find that she had landed on something large, white and squishy. There was a sweet smell in the air-- a familiar sweet smell.

“Wait a min...Is this...?” She lit up her horn and grasped a portion of the ground below her, tearing a chunk of it away and pulling it up to her mouth. She took a bite and chewed, the sacchariferous taste of marshmallow tingling her taste buds.

As she finished chewing, her muzzle suddenly caught wind of another smell wafting through the air, a mix of maple syrup and fresh, buttery pastries tickling her nose. Waffles.

Without a second thought, she followed the scent, hopping across several giant marshmallows until she reached the source of the smell. It was a giant stand of monstrous waffles, each one as wide as the library and as thick as a couch, stacked up one on top of the other. So this was what was making up the giant slab like peaks that were floating around her.

As she hopped into the middle of the stack, she noticed a pink figure lounging on a sun chair near the opposite edge, casually reading a newspaper and smokinga bubble pipe. Her puffy mane and tail were easily distinguishable. Twilight stood there agape, surprised to see another ponyso high in the sky.

“Pinkie Pie?”

In a flash, Pinkie put down the paper and pipe, did a backflip over the chair, and landed in front of Twilight with ease. She smiled gaily as she zipped over to the lavender librarian and embraced her, picking the startled unicorn up off the ground and swinging her around in joy.

“Twilight! Oh I’m so happy you made it safely! I was so worried about my little bookworm! How was the journey?”

“Pinkie!Please! You’re squishing me!”

Pinkie gasped in shock, releasing Twilight from her python-tight grip. She giggled nervously.

“Sorry Twilight. Got a little bit carried away didn’t I?” Her eyes looked over at the bag. “Ooooh! What did you bring?” She asked, pointing a hoof at the bag.

“Huh? Oh, nothing really Pinkie. I lost everything in a storm and...” She stopped when she suddenly felt an unfamiliar weight on her side. She looked down and noticed a strange bulge at the bottom of the bag.

“Huh? Where did that come from?” She lit her horn and reached her magic into the bag, prowling her energies through the soft cloth until her senses came across something firm and hard. She grasped it with her magic and pulled it out, eyes widening.

It was a small, red sparkling gem, just barely bigger than a bit. It’s shape was round and divine, as if it had been crafted by hoof.

“OH MY GOSH!”

Twilight jumped at Pinkie’s sudden outburst. She looked back at her to find her eyes were wide in wonder, her hooves shaking.

“That...that gem! Where did you get it?” she questioned, her voice quivering as she slowly walked up to Twilight, her eyes never leaving the crystal.

“I...I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen it. It just...appeared,”

Pinkie reached up with a hoof and tenderly pulled it out of Twilight’s grasp, looking at it carefully as if she were in a trance.

“I can’t believe it. I thought I would never see it again.” She looked back at Twilight, tears streaming down her face. At the same time, the world around Twilight blurred, the sun shining brighter in the Equestrian sky.

“I still remember when she first gave it to me. It was so long ago.”

By now Twilight could barely make out the world around her. The only purely visible figure was Pinkie Pie, who suddenly hugged her tenderly, burying her face in her chest and nuzzling her fur. Her voice was soft.

“I miss her.”

Chapter 5

“Hey Spike, think she’s waking up?”

“Maybe? It’s hard to tell right now. She does seem pretty restless though.”

Twilight could barely make out the faint echoes. She groaned as her eyes lazily fluttered open, the blurred vision of her library coming into view. As she tried to conjure up the energy to wipe away the fog, the serene coziness of the couch immediately reeled her back to sleep. At the drop of a hat, her eyes closed, separating her from the real world. She heard a distant chuckle.

“Oh wait! Did you see that Pinkie? I think she’s waking up!”

A giggle filled Twilight’s ears, followed by a most recognizable voice.

“Twilight? Oh Twiiiliiigghht. Wakey wakey!”

Twilight moaned as she hugged her pillow and buried her face in the soft fabric.

“Hmmm, go away,” she murmured.

A second later, Twilight felt a soft hoof on her head, stroking her mane down from her scalp.

Pinkie sighed. “And the little mockingjay cocked its head and said, ‘it’s time to get up you little sleepy head!’”

Twilight snickered as Pinkie’s little limerick rung in her ears. She shook her head, smothering her face deeper into the pillow.

“Hmmm, nooo. Piinnkiiiee, it’s too early.”

Pinkie giggled. “What? No it’s not silly! It’s midday!”

What!?

Twilight’s head popped up like a frightened prairie dog, causing Spike to yelp and jump back in surprise. Eyes wide with horror, Twilight looked around the library until she spotted the clock on the far side of the room. Reading the time, she felt her adrenaline switch into overdrive.

“Noon!?” Twilight cried as she sprang to her hooves and leapt off the couch. “I slept in until noon? Oh dear Celestia this is horrible!”

Pinkie chuckled as she nervously backed away from the couch. “Uhhh, Twilight? Are you oka-?”

“My study schedule for the day! It’s ruined!” Twilight gasped. Like a cheetah, she dashed by Pinkie Pie and ran for the stairs, sending Pinkie spinning around the room like a deranged top. Spike jumped for cover under the couch cushions.

“Tw...Twilight?” Pinkie asked as she steadied her footing. Her eyes were still bouncing around like tennis balls and her posture swayed around like a tree in a storm.

“Gahhh! Where is it?” Twilight yelled from upstairs. Pinkie could hear a cacophony of sounds coming from the bedroom. At the same time, Spike poked his head out from his hiding place and checked to see if the coast was clear before pulling himself out from under the cushions.

Pinkie looked at him, a timid chuckle escaping her lips.

“Eh heh. Are you sure this was a good idea?” she asked nervously.

Spike gulped and gave Pinkie a shrug. “I don’t know. It was your idea! Celestia knows she’ll need a break after last night. Still, good luck trying to convince her.”

“This can’t be happening!” Twilight cried again. Spike and Pinkie Pie both let out a gasp as a cacophonic crash erupted from upstairs. They looked up towards the bedroom, then back at each other. Their faces were full of dread.

Spike shook his head. “On second thought, maybe I should help you out Pinkie. Knowing her, this is going to be a job for two.”

Pinkie nodded, and without a second word, the two walked up the stairs to confront the rampaging unicorn.

As they reached Twilight’s room, they were shocked at the disaster before them. By now, Twilight had ripped the bed covers off, thrown the pillows all over her floor, and pulled all her drawers out of the cabinets. Pens, books, paper, erasers, and other miscellaneous items were strewn all across the wooden floor. It was as if the storm had ventured right into the library

Twilight was standing in the middle of the room, her head jerking from left to right. The hairs on her mane and tail were beginning to stand up as if she were a frightened cat, giving both Spike and Pinkie terrifying memories of another moment of hysteria that the librarian had gone through a couple years back.

Pinkie gulped. “Uh...Twilight? Can we talk?” she asked as she nervously approached her.

“No! I can’t! I’ve gotta find my to-do list!” Twilight squeaked as she rushed over to her bedroom desk and began scouring the premises. “I left it right here last night when I finished making it out! I had everything planned out for the day on it and now I can’t find it! And to make matters even worse, I woke up late! That’s six hours of precious study time down the drain! Six hours!” She looked back at Spike and Pinkie, her left eye twitching. “What am I going to do?”

Pinkie sighed. “Ah, Twilight silly! How could you even be thinking about working on your smarty booky magic stuff? You barely got any sleep last night!”

“I feel fine!” Twilight said as she turned to face Pinkie, letting out a crazed chuckle. “I’ve never felt better! I feel like I could read an entire book in one day! No, half a day! Oh forget it! I’ll read all the books! All of them!”

Pinkie shook her head. “Oh Twilight! You’re not reading anything today! You poor thing, all that lack of sleep has gotten into your sleepy weepy little head! You can’t even think straight right now.” She gave Twilight a proud smile. “And so that is why I hid your list from you, to force you into taking a day break from your studies!”

In a split second, Twilight was upon Pinkie, crashing into the pink pony and pinning her on her back against the hardwood floor of the library.

“What? Where is it?” Twilight gasped, her eyes staring right into Pinkie’s.

Pinkie just smiled and shook her head. “No no, Twilight. If I told you it wouldn’t be a secret, now would it? Besides, if I hid it from you, what makes you think I would just tell you, silly! Ah Twilight, you crack me up at times!” Pinkie giggled, oblivious to the fact that she was being pinned to the ground by one of Equestria’s most powerful mages.

“But...why? Why would you do that to me?” Twilight asked, her ears flattening in fear.

Pinkie’s smile faded, replaced by a disappointed frown.

“Twilight, you need to take a day off from your studies. Otherwise you’re going get tired and depressed and that’s no fun.”

Twilight looked over at Spike who nodded in approval, his arms crossed.

Pinkie continued. “Me and Spike got up about the same time this morning. We actually tried to wake you up early like you wanted, but you just mumbled in your sleep and pulled the blanket over your head.” She blushed. “In the end, we just kinda felt bad about disturbing you. You looked so peaceful, and I remembered how you had such a horrible night. Then Spike told me about your list of things to do and we decided to hide it from you so you could focus on relaxing!”

“But...but I’ll fall behind on my studies! I can’t afford to miss a day! If I miss a day, then I’ll have to make up for it in the future! Oh I just can’t do it!”

“Twilight…”

Twilight looked down at Pinkie and found herself looking into the biggest puppy dog eyes she had ever seen in her entire life - eyes that she just couldn't resist.

“We’re really worried about you, and it would make both me and Spike happy if you took a day off from your smarty melon-head duties.” She quivered her lower lip. “Pretty please?”

Twilight couldn't find her words, no matter how hard she tried. Her passion for reading and learning was an immense driving force in her life, an unmovable object that usually could never be broken by the strongest of waves. But between Pinkie’s pleads and the soreness of her own joints, she just couldn't muster the energy needed to deny her request. Sighing, she backed away from Pinkie, freeing her from her prison and allowing her to scramble to her hooves.

“Well, I guess I could take a day off. I mean, it's not like I'm going to be thrown too far behind schedule.” Pinkie and Spike nodded in unison, causing Twilight to chuckle. “I guess I kinda overreacted a bit, didn't I? She sighed. “I’m sorry about worrying you two.” She chuckled.

Spike face-palmed. “Uh, you think?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’ll admit it; I really went over the deep end. And I’m really sorry. It was completely uncalled for.”

Pinkie giggled. “Ah, don’t worry about it silly. We know how dedicated you are to your studies.”

Spike huffed. “You haven’t seen the worst of it believe me. I’ve seen her use her books for everything.” He looked at Twilight. “Hey Twilight, did you ever tell Pinkie and the others about the times when you used to make book fortresses back in Canterlot?” He snickered.

Twilight froze, her mouth open agaped. “What? Spike please that was a long time ago! I was still a little filly back then and-”

Pinkie looked at Twilight, wide-eyed. “Really? Oh that sounds like so much fun! Did you fight giant, terrifying monsters, or defend your keep against waves and waves of evil changelings? Did ya, did ya, huh huh huh?”

Spike snickered. “Pretty much. Sometimes she would even hide in there during the night to hide from, the monsters.” He flexed his fingers teasingly at he finished.

“Spike!” Twilight yelped, the crimson in her cheeks darkening.

“What was the name of the monster you were scared of the most Twilight.? The boogey pony? I think that was the one you said fed on the brains of little fillies. Heheh, you were so scared that he was going to attack you in the middle of the night and rid your mind of everything you ever learned. Heck, I think you even stayed up a few nights to avoid being attacked by him!” By now, Spike was chuckling intensely and Pinkie Pie was struggling to stifle her own snickers.

“Awww Twiley! Were you scared of the ghosties when you were young? You poor little thing,” Pinkie gasped through her snorts and giggles.

Twilight blushed furiously. “Okay, that’s enough! Seriously, that was a long time ago. You’re starting to embarrass me!”

Pinkie shook her head. “Well, okay then, if you say so. Don’t worry though. I won’t tell anypony about your little secret okay, Twiley?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Twiley? Where did that name come from?” she asked curiously, her mind set completely, changing tracks.

“Huh?” Pinkie asked and Twilight noticed her freeze for a split second as if she had been surprised by her sudden question.

“Twiley,” Twilight repeated, her curiosity growing with every second. “I’ve never heard you use that nickname for me before. Why did you just start calling me that now?”

“Well…” Pinkie began, but went silent as she cautiously clapped her hooves together, a small amount of shakiness in her voice. “I just like to give my friends nifty little nicknames at times, you know, like Dashie! I just thought it would be about time that I gave you one! After all, you are my bestest best friend in the whole wide world, right?”

Twilight looked at Pinkie, confusion in her eyes. “Uhhhhhh, well yes, you are. Why you were the first pony I met when I arrived in Ponyville. Of course you’ve been a close friend of mine, Pinkie. I could never doubt that.”

Pinkie’s smile grew and she let out a squee and clapped her hooves in excitement. “Oh yes yes yes! We’re just like two peas in a pod, don’t you agree?” She lifted her eyes at Twilight in eager expectation. “So, do you mind your little nickname? Can I call you Twiley? Oh, or do you want something better? I can probably come up with something flashier, smarter, magicaler.”

Twilight sighed. “Oh Pinkie Pie, please, it’s too early for me to embrace this. But, yeah. I don’t mind the nickname. I kinda like it.” She chuckled. “Although I don’t think magicaler is a word.”

Pinkie giggled. “Oh come on Twiley! If a word can be said, then it can exist right? You don’t always have to go by those dippy dictionaries!”

Twilight rose an eyebrow. “But Pinkie, proper use of language is...well...oh never mind.”

I should know better than to question Pinkie’s logic by now.

Pinkie cleared her throat. “Umhum. So...while you were being all snoozy, I made some waffle batter this morning! There’s still about half a bowl left! Want me to whip you up a batch?” she asked, hopping up and down with glee.

Twilight smiled, the last remnants of sleep finally clearing from her woozy head. “You know what Pinkie, that actually sounds like it would be quite satisfying. I’ll be down in a few minutes. I’ve gotta get cleaned up for the day. I must look like a complete mess.”

Pinkie giggled. “Yeah! You look more like Twilight Barkle again!” She teased the librarian as she flicked her messy mane, which was still in complete tatters from the the following night.

Twilight gave Pinkie a smug look, a look that quickly disintegrated as Pinkie continued to flip her mane around as if she were a young kitten playing with a toy.

“Pinkie Pie...ack….knock it off!” Twilight laughed as she backed away, desperately trying to evade her assault.

Pinkie frowned and pouted. “Aww, do you really have to get rid of it?” she pleaded.

“Uh, yes Pinkie. I don’t know about you, but I personally don’t want to go around looking like I’m wearing a bird’s nest on my head all day long,” she acknowledged as she turned and headed into the bathroom. “I’ll be down there in a few minutes!”

Pinkie gasped. “Oh goody! I’ll have the waffles ready for you when you come down! Have you ever tried them before? They’re super scrumptiliciously, deliciously yummy! You’ll love them!” And with that, she zipped down the stairs, leaving a cloud of confetti in her wake.

Twilight walked into the bathroom, and stumbled to the mirror, a wave of weariness washing over her. She noticed a slight blurriness in her vision and for the first time that morning, she felt a splitting headache digging into her skull.

“Pinkie Pie. She really does know me, doesn’t she,” Twilight agreed to herself as she looked at her reflection. Her eyes were baggy with lack of sleep and her mane, as she had predicted, looked horrible, bangs lobbed around randomly and strands of hair sticking up here and there. She chuckled. “Oh dear. If Rarity ever saw this, she would have a raging fit.”

She turned on the faucet, allowing fresh, warm water to fill the sink. For the next few minutes, she cleaned herself off, straightening out her mane, washing her face, and trying to remove any traces of her hassle from the night before. About ten minutes later, she found herself looking at somepony decently presentable.

“Meh, this will have to do for now.” She stared at her reflection, her wakening mind recounting everything that had happened to the pony in the mirror the night before.

Geez, how long was I up again? Until around five or so? I can’t even remember. So much happened last night that I can’t even keep track of it all well, Twilight thought to herself as she brushed her front locks out of her face.

Struggling to get to sleep, reading in the middle of the night, Pinkie coming down to join me, reading about Sapphire Mist together, and…

The dream.

Twilight shuddered as the faint memories of her strange visions from last night finally began to creep back into her mind.

What caused me to have those visions last night? They were so weird and, surreal.

She rubbed her chin as she tried hard to recount all of her weird apparitions. The memories of her battle with the Scylla, falling through the clouds, the stacks of floating waffles and marshmallows. None of it made sense to her.

Then she remembered the ending, the moment in the dream that happened just a few minutes before Pinkie had woken her up.

That gem. Pinkie really seemed to be pretty familiar with it. I’ve never seen it before, nor has Pinkie brought it up with me. So, how did it come into my hooves? It doesn’t make sense.

After pondering over it for several long seconds, Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Ugh, I’m just overanalyzing it probably. It was just a strange dream, nothing else, right?”

Deciding to put the memory in the back of her mind, Twilight hung up her towel and walked out of the bathroom and down the steps.

As she reached the bottom of the stairway, she began to hear Pinkie Pie clattering about in her kitchen, drawers opening and closing with discordance. She shuddered as a thought ate at the back of her mind.

Did I really allow Pinkie Pie to use ‘my’ kitchen? Oh dear what have I done?

She could picture it now; pots and pans strewn all over the counter, batter splatters on the floor, dirty dishes piled up in the sink, total harum-scarum. She reached the doorway and peered in.

She froze, her jaw hitting the floor.

The kitchen was not like she’d left it. It was, clean, very clean. The fridge shined, reflecting every object clearly in its casing. Not a speck of dust rolled across the wooden floor. Not a spot of food or batter was seen on the counters and tables. All the dishes had already been done, stacked up neatly on the drying rack next to the sink.

“What the…?” Twilight could barely muster the words. She and Spike were usually good at taking care of her home, but never had she seen any part of her treehouse this...refreshed before.

“Hey Twiley! You’re here! Great!”

Twilight looked over at Pinkie, who was standing next to the counter. She was balancing a huge plate of stacked waffles on the tip of her nose as if it were nothing, the leaning tower of pastries swaying in the air. Before Twilight could say anything, she flung the entire stack up off the plate towards the table. As the waffles tumbled through the air, she grabbed a plate and zipped over to the table with lightning speeds and, standing on her hind legs, balanced the plate on the tip of her nose. The waffles fell from the sky and stacked themselves on the plate with perfect grace. Pinkie turned to face Twilight and, with a smile on her face, struck a pose.

“Tada!”

Twilight couldn’t help it. She sat down on the floor and clapped her hooves in joy, her voice filling the room with laughter.

“Wow Pinkie! That was incredible! Encore!” she cheered.

“Thanks Twilight!” Pinkie carefully set the plate down on the table and took a triumphant bow. “After seeing you so disheartened when you woke up, I had to do something to cheer you up!”

Twilight giggled. “Oh, why thank you. How very thoughtful.” As she stood up and walked towards the table, she looked around the room, admiring how clean everything looked.

“Uhhh, Pinkie Pie? Did Spike do some extra clean up work this morning, because this place looks neater than usual.”

Pinkie gasped and shook her head. “Oh no no no no! He didn’t clean the kitchen, I did!”

“Really?” Twilight sat down at the table. “But, why? You didn’t need to.”

Pinkie shrugged. “Well, I felt like it! Plus…” She blushed. “Well, since you’re allowing me to stay over for the next couple of days, I decided I had to do something in return, you know! Otherwise I would feel like a big ole’ stingy pants who doesn’t carry her hoof!”

Twilight noticed a slight hesitation in Pinkie’s voice, but the observation was quickly cut out of her mind as the sweet aroma of maple syrup delighted her nose. She looked upon the stack of waffles before her, and the for the first time that morning, her tummy grumbled and begged.

Pinkie looked back at the waffles, then back to Twilight, eagerness in her eyes. “Go on! I know you’ll like them!”

“They really do look good,” Twilight complimented as she grasped a fork and knife in her magic and cut a piece of the delightful looking pastry for herself. The sweet aroma of maple and butter wafted across her muzzle, sending her senses into spasms. She gulped down the delectable morsel, chewing it slowly and delightfully basking in the terrific taste.

Pinkie’s eyes lifted expectantly as Twilight finished her first bite. “So, do you like them?”

Twilight’s smile grew as she licked her lips.

“Wow Pinkie! You’ve really outdone yourself this time! These are some of the best waffles I’ve ever tasted!” she replied, cutting another piece from the stack. “But honestly, I wouldn’t have expected any different from you.”

“Awww...thank you Twilight,” Pinkie cooed. Twilight noticed a tinge of warm crimson form on the party diva’s cheeks. She would have attempted to evaluate it, but the scent of the waffles in front of her called her mind away before she could think too much of it.

“Pinkie Pie, trust me, you’re one of the best cooks I’ve ever met. Don’t you forget that.” She took another bite.

Pinkie smile cheerfully. “I got it from my granny! She was an incredible baker. I used to learn how to cook from her all the time when she was visiting! Nopony else in my family could whip up a more delicious batch of cupcakes than she could! She’s the one to thank!”

Twilight chuckled as she gulped down her morsel. “You know, I wish I had a chance to meet your family, Pinkie Pie. They sound like nice ponies.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie said, a small sigh escaping her lips. “Things were nice back then. We had a lot of trouble though too. Life wasn’t always easy for us since our family was poor. We had to improvise much of the time.”

Twilight frowned, and she set the fork down on the table. “Still, you had each other. That’s more important than anything else, right?”

“Yeah,” Pinkie said, her eyes drifting off as she thought back to her past. “We had a lot of good times back then. We did so much together. We lived far away from town, so for the most part, we had only each other to call friends.”

Twilight cocked her head. “Really? Did you not have anypony living nearby?”

Pinkie fell silent for a moment, as if she were trying to remember. Twilight waited patiently for several long seconds for her to respond.

“There was one family who lived nearby. They worked in a gem cavern not too far away from the valley.” She smiled as she recalled the memories. “They were a very nice family, very kind and generous.” She paused for a moment before continuing.

“We were all close friends.”

Chapter 6

“We’re almost there! I can feel it!” Pinkie called back to her sisters as she climbed up over the top of the hill. She picked up her pace, her saddle bag swinging wildly by her side. Her hooves kicked up the ground, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

“Pinkie, wait for us!” one of her sisters called from behind her, coughing as the cloud of dust fell over her.

“Come on girls, hurry up! We don’t have that much time left!” Pinkie called back to her sisters, her pace showing no signs of slowing.

“Pinkie, are you sure this is a good idea? I can’t even see the barn from here anymore!” Pinkie’s second sister called out to her.

Pinkie looked over her shoulder and put the brakes on her run, her hooves sliding along the dusty ground before she finally came to a stop, her rear plopping down on the ground. Behind her, she could see her younger sisters slowly meandering over the crest of the hill.

Limestone was completely winded, the young filly collapsing in a heap on her belly as she gasped for air. Marble was not too far behind, her gaze shifting from left to right, her eyes keen and weary. From her cautious expression, she looked as though she was ready to dart away at the slightest sign of danger.

Marble looked back at Pinkie. “Yeah, I don’t know about you Pinkie, but I’m starting to get a little nervous. We’ve never been this far away from the farm before. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Pinkie nodded eagerly, a wide smile on her face. “Oh don’t worry Marble; we’ll be fine! It’s not like the direction we’ve been walking in has been curvy, and we’ve been marking a trail behind us anyways!” As she finished, she dug her muzzle into her saddlebag and pulled out a small bucket and a still dripping paint brush. Her gaze settled on a large boulder not too far off the path and she scampered over to it. Popping the lid off the bucket, she dipped the brush into it, and proceeded to paint a shiny yellow X on the side of the rock. Marble sighed as she and Limestone followed their elder sister.

“Pinkie, don’t you think we should just head back home? It’s getting really late.” She looked over the horizon. Celestia’s sun was already beginning its descent over the distant horizon, the azure sky obscured by brilliant rays of gold and orange.

Limestone shuddered as she followed Marble’s gaze. “Yeah Pinkie. Look, I’m just as curious about the crystal cave as you are, but we should have come out here earlier. Can’t we just try again tomorrow?”

“Mhhhmmbtthemmbeh!”

“What?” Limestone asked, raising her eyebrow questioningly.

“Petooy!” Pinkie spat out the brush, which landed perfectly in the bucket, splashing vivid paint along the ground. She faced her sisters.

“Awww come on girls! Don’t be a couple of scaredy kitties! There’s nothing to be afraid of! Trust me!”

“Are you sure?” Limestone asked nervously. “We don’t know what could be lurking in those caverns.”

“Yeah!” Marble stated. “What if there’s a Hydra living in there, or even worse, a terrible fire breathing dragon!?”

Pinkie shook her hoof at her sisters teasingly. “Oh girls, there are no dragons living out this far!” She giggled. “Besides, I’ve already explored the entrance of the cave myself. There’s nothing living in there!”

Her sisters gasped in unison. They looked at each other at the same time, their faces filled with surprise.

“What!? You mean you came out here all on your own without us or our parents?” Limestone asked in shock.

Pinkie smiled innocently and nodded, her front bangs flopping around without care. “Yep. All by myself!” she stated proudly.

"Are you crazy!?” Limestone cried. “You could have gotten into so much trouble!”

Marble snorted. “Pinkie, what if you ran into a timberwolf? What if you ran into a cockatrice?”

“Or worse, what if daddy found out?” Limestone cried in horror, shivering at the very thought.

Pinkie walked up to Limestone and patted her on the back. “Nah. Daddy didn’t find out. He was too busy welcoming the new neighbors with mommy to notice that I had snuck off after my chores were done!”

“But, didn’t you say that you were sleepy yesterday?” Marble asked. “Me and Limestone saw you napping in one of the haystacks yesterday.”

Pinkie giggled. “Oh, that wasn’t me. I did a little fake out on you and daddy.” She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a long, curly swab of pink cotton glued to what appeared to be a thin stick. “I made a duplicate of myself that morning before daddy sent us out to the fields.”

Limestone narrowed her eyes. “Pinkie, isn’t that cotton from one of your pillows?”

Pinkie grinned. “Well, I had to improvise somehow.”

“Impro-whatta?” Marble asked. Limestone turned to her.

“It means to create spontaneously, you know, without any preparation,” she stated promptly with a hint of pride in her voice. Marble rolled her eyes.

“Oh, of course, how did I not know?” Marble sneered.

Pinkie dropped her pink swab back into the pack and began hopping away from the boulder.

“Come on girls. It’s just around the corner! The coolest most awesome thing you’ll ever see awaits you!”

“But Pinkie, please, we...ugh.” Marble facehooved. Limestone shook her head and patted her younger sister on the back reassuringly. She smiled warmly.

“Come on little sis. We better catch up to her before she disappears. She’s just excited. Besides, the last thing we want is for her to get angry at us, right?”

Marble’s eyes quickly popped open, and she stood up attentively. “Yeah, about that! Come on!” The two sisters quickly dashed off together, hurrying to catch up with Pinkie, kicking up dust and rocks behind them. As their elder sister rounded the corner of a nearby cliff, the two fillies picked up their pace.

“Pinkie, wait for us!” Marble called.

To her relief, Pinkie screeched to a halt and looked from left to right as she tried to find her bearings.

“Oh which way was it…?” Pinkie said to herself, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

Marble gasped for air. “Oh Pinkie, thank Celestia! I thought for sure you were going to-”

“Eureka! Over here! Come on!” In a vivid blur of pink energy, Pinkie dashed off to the right just before her sisters reached her, leaving them behind in the dust. She zipped through the gorge, the high stone walls of the cliffs rising up to the dusk sky high before her like great monoliths. She shot around a corner, turning on a dime on the tips of her hooves with ease.

She gasped and planted her hooves firmly on the ground, bringing herself to a grinding halt that nearly dug up a trench around her. As the dust cleared, she stared in wonder at the daunting entrance of the cave that stood in front of her, the darkness looming from inside. Her eyes widened, and a wondrous smile spread across her face.

“We found it!” A second later, she heard Limestone calling for her.

“Pinkie! Pinkie where the hay did you go--AHHH!”

Pinkie yelped as she felt Limestone crash into her from behind, shortly followed by Marble. In a crazed domino effect, the three tangled fillies tumbled across the ground like a deranged tumbled weed, hooves and manes flailing through the air. The filly ball rolled across the ground a few feet before coming to a stop, the dust settling around them.

Limestone giggled nervously. “Oops! Sorry Pinkie. Guess I got a little too carried away, didn't I?”

“Ugh. It’s alright Limestone, cept my head’s all dizzy wizzy now,” Pinkie groaned as she stood up, only to feel something yank on her tail, pulling her back down to the ground.

“Eeek! Something's got me!” she squealed as she tried to pull herself away from her prison.

“Ow! My tail! Pinkie!”

She looked down to find Marble lying next to her, her face filled with irritation. Pinkie’s gaze followed hers to see that their tails were tangled up, intertwined around one another in a giant knot.

Pinkie gulped. “Uh oh,” she whimpered as she grasped the knot and desperately tried to untie it with no avail. She looked over at Limestone who was on her hooves a few feet away, shaking the dirt and grime off herself like a little puppy.

“Uhhhhh Limestone. Could you please help us here? We’re kinda...stuck.”

Limestone looked over at Pinkie. One glance at her tangled sisters and the young bookworm fell into a fit of giggles and snorts as she collapsed on the ground. Marble groaned

“Oh for pete's sakes, Limestone! This isn’t funny!” Marble whined as she grasped the knot in their tails and tried to undo it herself. However, one tug on her own tail quickly tightened the knot. She shook the tails furiously.

“Grrrrrrr!” she growled as she slapped the tails to the ground. By now, Pinkie had joined Limestone on the giggle parade, her face buried in her forelegs as she sputtered tears of laughter.

“Good gravy sticks on a biscuit, what is wrong with you two!?” Marble asked, her sanity beginning to crack.

Pinkie snorted as she tried to regain control of herself. “Well it’s like mommy always said, ‘We need to stick together’!” she joked before falling back into her fit.

Marble just stared at her snickering sisters, her face practically steaming by now, the heat rising in her cheeks. She took another look at their tails as they sprawled out on the ground, then back at her sisters.

“Wow, this really is stupid isn’t it?” she admitted before finally caving in and chuckling herself, facehoofing in the process.

Limestone finally composed herself and sauntered over to her sisters, her gait still wobbly as the occasional snicker escaped her lips. She sat down besides her tied up sisters and began to undo them with natural ease.

“Just hold on a minute. I’ve got this.”

“Please! I hope so!” Marble gasped as she wiped the tears out of her eyes.

Limestone shook her head. “Thank Celestia I decided to become a pony scout last summer, otherwise you two would have been in a pickle. Heheh, could you imagine trying to get back home like this.” She finished untying the knot and gently pulled the tails apart, Marble quickly grasping hers and caressing it as she embraced her freedom.

“Thanks sis.”

Limestone shook her head. “Ah it was nothing. I should really teach you two how to do knots someday.” Her eyes lit up in inspiration. “Actually, you two should come to filly scout camp next week! We would have such an awesome time together! Now all we need to do is convince Pinkie to come with us.” She chuckled. “I don’t think that will be that hard though. Hey Pinkie, what do you think? Pinkie?”

Both sisters looked over at Pinkie who was standing at the mouth of the cave, her gaze peering into it with an unrivaled wonder. The two walked up beside her and looked into the cave’s depths.

Marble gulped. “So...this is it, huh Pinkie? Heheh, looks cool, I guess.”

Pinkie hopped up with elation. “Oh, if you think this is cool, wait till you see what it looks like inside!” With that, Pinkie began to hop into the darkness. Gasping in shock, Limestone leapt forward and grabbed Pinkie’s tail, causing Pinkie to yelp as she flopped to the ground.

“Noooo! No no no no! This isn’t a good idea! I don’t like it!” Limestone gasped as she hugged her sister’s tail tightly. “Something’s really bad is going to happen, I swear!”

Pinkie grumbled and stamped her hoof in frustration. “Oh come on girls! I’ve told you there is nothing dangerous in there!”

Marble’s body shook nervously, her teeth chattering. “You...you don’t know that? Something may be living in there now!”

“What if it’s the boogie pony?!” Limestone squealed in terror.

Pinkie giggled, a cute snort erupting from her muzzle. “Oh you girls! There’s no such thing as the boogie pony. Come on, no pony is silly enough to believe in such a little filly tale.”

Limestone grumbled in frustration as she let go of Pinkie. Marble meanwhile stepped up next to her sisters, shaking her head in detest.

“Ok Pinkie look! We’re here! We saw the cave! Fantastic! Now let’s get out of here. Daddy’s going to be wondering where we are soon!”

Limestone gulped and shuddered in fear. “Yeah, and you know how angry he can get!”

Pinkie got up and stamped her hooves in frustration. “Oh you two can’t be serious now right? We came out all this way and now you don’t even want to see what’s inside?”

Both her sisters shook their heads simultaneously, causing Pinkie to sigh in disappointment. “Tsk tsk tsk. Do I always have to do everything myself?” Giggling, she walked over in between her sisters and pulled them close to her.

“Come on you two. We’ll go in together, side-by-side? How’s that sound?” she asked, taking time to slow down her quirkiness and add some comfort in her voice.

“Well...I guess…” Marble’s voice trailed off. She knew that challenging Pinkie at this point was pointless. Plus, deep down, her curiosity was slowly getting the best of her. She looked over at Limestone, whose gaze was also searching the cave. She sighed in defeat and nodded.

“Okay okay, let’s just get it over with. The sooner you show us what’s inside, the sooner we can get home.”

Limestone nodded in agreement, and Pinkie’s smile returned to its original glow. She bounced sporadically in excitement before landing between her sisters again and pointing her hoof forward. “Oh thank you thank you thank you! Let’s go!”

Together, the three sisters stepped forward into the cave's depths, Pinkie leading the way with her sisters at her sides. The gloomy blackness quickly enveloped the three fillies, shrouding them in darkness. Marble and Limestone shook slightly as the warm, familiar light of Celestia’s sun vanished behind them. Pinkie, however, didn’t shake in even an inch.

Limestone gulped. “Uh, Pinkie? How do you know where to go? I can’t see anything in here!”

Marble shivered. “Yeah Pinkie. I don’t even think a bat would be able to find its way through here.”

Pinkie chuckled. “What are you talking about girls? Don’t you see the light ahead of us?”

“Huh? What light Pinkie? I don't see anything,” Limestone asked, her gaze shifting from side to side.

Pinkie pointed ahead of them and for the first time since entering the cavern, her sisters could barely make out the tip of her hoof in a dim glow.

“There! Right ahead of us! Don’t you see that purple light at the end of the tunnel?”

Both of her younger sisters gasped as they saw what she was pointing at. Up ahead, a faint, placid glow was gleaming from around the corner, illuminating the walls in a bath of lavender and scarlet. Pinkie’s younger sisters looked on, entranced.

“You think that’s cool? Just you wait! Come on!” Without warning, she bolted from her sisters and zipped down through the cavern towards the glow. Her sisters yelped in shock as they tore off after her for the umpteenth time that afternoon. The three of them rounded the corner, the shimmering glow growing like a rising sun with every step they took.

Pinkie skidded to a stop, her sisters following suit in the middle of the cavern. Pinkie could only smile and feel a sense of accomplishment wash over her as she listened to her sister’s gasp in awe at the cavern cubicle they now stood in.

Crystals, hundreds of them. Each one radiated a brilliant, vivid glow of red and purple that shone throughout the gave, lighting it up in a beautiful, majestic aura. The crystals themselves varied in size and shape, from great gems that ran up the side of an entire wall, to tiny little fragments, some the size of a bit. As the sisters admired the beauty, they heard the soft trickle of water along the side of one of the walls, the rippling waters catching the glow of the emeralds and disorienting their shimmering forms along the walls.

“Wowwwwwww!” Limestone gawked as she trotted around the cavern. “This is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this!”

Pinkie squeed. “Oh isn’t it neat! I just knew that I had to show this to you two when I discovered it the other day!” She smiled slyly as she looked over at Marble who was standing entranced. She nudged her playfully.

“Huh?” Marble gasped.

“Come on, say it! You know you want to!” Pinkie cooed, a playful smirk on her face.

Marble sighed and shook her head. “Okay fine, it’s really neat, I’ll admit it.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Uh, neat?”

Marble chuckled. “Incredible! There, you happy now?” She stuck her tongue out at her sister playfully.

Meanwhile, Limestone walked over to a small patch of crystals near the underground stream and set her saddlebag on the ground. Noticing two of the crystals were loose in the rock, she gently grasped one of them in her hoof and with a strong tug, wedged it out of the rock, rocking it back and forth till it popped loose. Despite being separated from the stone, the crystal continued to glow brilliantly in her hoof.

Limestone eyed them curiously while her sisters walked up behind her. Marble smirked. “So Limestone, I bet you probably know what type of crystals these are, am I right?” she drawled, poking her sister playfully in the back.

“To be frankly honest, I don’t,” Limestone said, shaking her head in response. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the crystals more closely. “I read all of daddy’s books on gems and crystals in his study and I’ve never even heard of these. It’s...mindblowing.”

“Wait? Really?” Pinkie gawked as she peered over Limestone’s shoulder, who chuckled in shame.

“Nope. Never heard of em.”

“Whhhaaaaatttt?”

Both fillies looked back at Marble who was sitting on her rump, her front hooves cupping her muzzle in shock. Despite this, both fillies could clearly see that she was trying to hide her giggles.

“Erh, Marble? What the hay is so funny?” Limestone asked questioningly.

Marble snickered as she un-cupped her own muzzle and cleared her throat.

“Did my ears just deceive me? Did my sister Limestone, the greatest know-it-all in all of rock farming, just admit to not knowing something?” she questioned, a sly, devious smile crossing her face.

“Uh, yeah. Of course I just said that. There are a lot of things I still don’t know about, you nut,” Limestone snarked with irritation in her voice.

Marble didn’t hear her assertion. Jittery as a gopher, she began prancing around the cavern, laughing gaily to herself.

“Limestone doesn’t know something! Limestone doesn’t know something! Oh my gosh this is the best day ever!”

“Marble, quit it,” Limestone growled. Marble snickered as she continued, her voice ringing in the cavern walls.

Limestone looked at Pinkie. “Pinkie, please tell her to stop.” All of her hopes vanished however when she noticed the pink filly desperately trying to quarrel her own chuckles as well. Limestone stamped her hoof in frustration.

“Oh come on! What is up with you two!?”

Pinkie snorted as she tried to compose herself. “Sorry Limey! It’s just so funny! She’s such a crack up!” she chuckled.

“Pinkie, for pete's sake! This isn’t funny. I don’t like it when you and Marble make fun of me!”

Pinkie caught her breath. “Oh Limey, you need to relax. We’re not laughing at you, we’re laughing together.” She giggled. “Besides, you’re my sister! Why in Equestria would I ever make fun of youuuauuauaaua!”

At that moment, the pink pony began to shake violently, her entire body jittering from head to hoof. Her tail and bangs flopped around chaotically.

Limestone jumped back while Marble’s giggling quickly ceased. They looked at each other, worry in their eyes for their shaky sister. Marble looked back at Pinkie.

“Uhh...Pinkie? Are you okay?”

“I-I-d-d-don’t-kn-knowwwwww!” Pinkie stuttered, her voice bouncing around more than a hyperactive kangaroo on a pogo stick. “I-I think it’s my P-P-Pinkie sense!”

At that moment, Pinkie’s violent shaking came to a stop, the party pony falling to the ground in a heap as she desperately tried to catch her breath. The cave fell silent for several long seconds, the only sounds being the trickling of the underground stream, and Pinkie’s heavy breathing.

Suddenly, the fillies picked up the distant hum of a deafening rumble, the haunting building with each passing second. The ground beneath their hooves began to vibrate, tiny stones and crystal fragments being tossed around on the cavern floor. The waters of the underground stream shook violently, sending ripples cascading across the surface. The three fillies looked at each other in horror.

“Earthquake!” they all shouted in unison. Pinkie scampered up off the ground, her eyes zipping over to the cavern entrance. “Run girls! Go!”

Her sisters didn’t need a second to think it over. They quickly darted off in the direction of the passage they had entered, followed closely behind by their elder sister. Behind them, the ceiling began to collapse, chunks of rock crashing down to the floor, smashing crystallized sculptures and shattering them to pieces.

The three fillies picked up their pace, running as fast as their little hooves could carry them as they rounded the corner. In the distance, they could see the light of the cave entrance beckoning to them. Pinkie felt her heart rise at the sight of the golden sunset pouring into the cave. Behind her, a cacophonic crash echoed through the cave, shaking the floor violently and throwing the pink filly off her hooves. As she scrambled to regain her footing, she looked back over her shoulder to see the crystal room blocked off, a mass of boulders and stone piled up behind her. Her chest tightened in fear.

“Hurry!” she screamed after her sisters. Luckily, they were seemingly miles ahead of her, the fillies nearing the entrance to the caves, the dim light of the late afternoon sun awaiting them.

Pinkie took off, dashing as fast as her tiny hooves could carry her, desperately trying to reach the exit. The cave around her shook, trails of sand and dust and small pebbles drifting down from the ceiling. Up ahead, her sisters zipped out of the cave and into the sunlight, safe and sound. Even in her frantic pace, Pinkie felt her heart leap in relief.

Her sisters turned around at the mouth of the cave, panic in their eyes.

“Come on Pinkie!” they both called in unison.

Pinkie tore towards them, her legs aching from the strain she applied to them. Ahead the entrance of the cave grew, the welcoming sunlight growing ever more vividly before her eyes. She was almost there.

Her tail shook.

“Pinkie look out!”

It was too close. As if on reflex, Pinkie felt herself come to a screeching halt as the entrance of the cave in front of her collapsed horrifically before her eyes, the boulders smashing into the ground with terrifying force. She screamed, frantically backing away from the avalanche in front of her. Her tail continued to shake violently as she leapt about the cavern, just barely avoiding several rocks that fell from the ceiling until she was finally away from the cave entrance. For several more seconds, the cave continued to shake. Then, just as quickly as the nightmare had begun, the earthquake dissipated, vanishing without a trace. Then, silence.

“Pinkie! Pinkie can you hear us?”

Catching her breath, Pinkie opened her eyes and was met with almost utter darkness, the pitch blackness only being pierced by a faint glow of light from behind her that shot across the cave’s passageway across. Fearing the worse, she turned back towards the cave entrance. What she saw made her heart sink in despair.

The entrance was completely blocked by an unmovable pile of rocks and debris that reached from the floor to the ceiling. The only trace of sunlight visible was at the very top of the debris pile, a tiny hole only big enough for a mouse. She was trapped.

“Girls!” Pinkie cried. She ran over to the pile, her front legs resting on the pile as she tried desperately to pry one of the boulders away from the heap with all her might.

Her hooves slid off the stone in defeat. She couldn't even budge it an inch. She fell to the floor, panting. Through her breaths, she could hear her sisters.

“Pinkie Pie! Are you hurt?” Limestone’s asked desperately.

“I’m...huff...I’m okay! Don’t worry, I didn’t even get scratched!” Pinkie could hear pebbles moving on the other side of the wall as her sisters tried to dig her out from the other end.

“Pinkie, can you get out?” Marble called.

“I...I don’t know! I can barely see in here!” she cried as she looked around the debris pile, praying for an opening, only to have her hopes dashed. “Can you dig me out?”

“We’re trying! If only we could...Aghh!”

Pinkie’s eyes bulged in terror as she heard a boulder loosen from the other side of the pile and cascade outside. She heard her sisters yell and the scamper of their hooves as they leapt out of the boulder’s way.

“Girls!” She leapt up on the pile and tried to clamber up it, her hooves kicking up sand and pebbles behind her. Before she was halfway up however, she felt the boulder she was holding onto begin to slip away from the pile and hopped off it just before it rolled to the cavern floor.

“Marble! Limestone!” she cried. Her mind was racing.

A few seconds of silence passed, then she heard Marble, her voice gasping for air.

“We’re...we’re fine. Oh Pinkie, I’m sorry! We can’t get the boulders out of the way! They’re too heavy!”

"I can’t do anything either!” Pinkie’s teeth chattered in fear. She didn’t want to do this, but seeing her predicament, she had no other choice. “Girls, go find mommy and daddy. Maybe they can find a way to get me out of here!”

“But Pinkie, it’s getting dark! We can’t just leave you out here by yourself! We need to get you out now!” Pinkie heard the scampering of hooves on the other side. “Come on Limestone! Help me out!”

“Are you crazy? You saw what happened last time! You almost got crushed! Besides, if we remove the pile, there's a chance that the entire cave might collapse on top of her! It’s too risky!”

“But Limestone!” Pinkie heard Marble whine, her voice on the brink of tears.

“No! It’s too dangerous! There’s got to be another way, I just know it! I…” Pinkie heard her sister sigh. “I just don’t know. We need daddy out here. He’ll know what to do.”

Pinkie shivered as she looked around the inside of the cave, the blackness of the passageway meeting her gaze everywhere she looked. She gulped.

“I’ll...I’ll be fine girls. Go...just go! Get daddy and bring him back here, please!”

“Just hang on Pinkie; we’ll be back soon, we promise!” Limestone called from the other side.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of there big sister! Just be careful, please!” Marble gasped between tears.

With that, Pinkie heard the patter of hooves as her sisters ran off for home, running as fast as the wind.

“Hurry!” Pinkie called out of them. She listened through the debris as the sound of her sisters' hooves got fainter and fainter until the only thing she could hear was the slight whoosh of the early evening wind, the soft drip drip of water as it trickled from the ceiling, and the sound of her own breathing.

Sighing, she sat down at the entrance, her head hung low in shame and despair. With the pop like a balloon, her mane deflated and went flat, her locks swooping down her face which she swept away with a shaky hoof.

She was alone. Alone, and afraid.

Author's Note

I just want to quickly mention here that I'm thinking about giving the original fan names back to Pinkie's sisters in this story. In my original plot, I wasn't planning on them playing such a big role as they are now and I just think it would be more fitting if I switched them back to what everyone knows them as.

Thank you for taking your time to read this note of mine and have a great day!