Unearth

Chapters

Day 0 (Prologue)
Day 1
Day 2
A Midnight Conversation Between Spike and Fluttershy
Day 3
Day 4
The Last Journal Entry
Day 5
Spike's Letter to Princess Celestia
Day 7 (Epilogue)

Day 0 (Prologue)

Day 0

My papa is celebrating his birthday! I CAN'T WAIT! I've got my saddlebag all packed and ready to go! I've got a LONG hike ahead of me! Twily was confused why I wanted to go alone and by hoof. That silly little pony! I told her that 1.) My family's house isn't big enough!..and my sis is very, very shy around new ponies (like Fluttershy!) and 2.) I know that trail like it's the left side of my cutie mark! Twilight should have nothing to worry about!

"And you're sure about this, Pinkie?" says Twilight.

"Absolutely! I've got my map, steamers, balloons, funny glasses, party cannon, water, and trail mix!"

"Ok, and you're sure you know how to get there?"

"Mhm! I take this path, go straight for a super long time, then take a right, go up the mini-mountain, go down the twisty rocky trail, and arrive at my old house!"

"And when will you get back?"

"Tomorrow morning! If I'm not back by noon then I've probably fallen down a huge, scary hole!"

Twilight chuckles. "Whatever you say, Pinkie. Now be careful, it's been very rainy recently, and I don't want you to slip on anything and hurt yourself."

"Pfft. No biggie! I got my twitcha-twitch to get me ready for any nasty rain!" The Ponyville clock tower strikes four times. "Time to go! Bye-bye, Twily!" Pinkie Pie gives Twilight a big hug and turns toward the path.

Righting herself up after the hug, Twilight calls out to Pinkie, "Wait! Who else have you told about this?"

Pinkie stops briefly before replying, "I've told you. I trust that you'll let anypony where I am when they ask!"

"Alright then. Have fun!"

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie turns and bounds her way down the trail. Twilight heads back into the library, finally able to get back to sleep.

I've been walking for a super-duper long time, but I've finally made it to the base of the mini-mountain! I'd forgotten that the path forks both ways! With no spoons! (I laughed out loud at that one)
I'm in a conundrum, though. I know the route to the right, up the mini-mountain, is shorter but up-hilly and the rocky twisty path down is not very fun, but the path on the left is flater but longer.
I'll have to use my brainy skills to sort out this confuzzling problem
I just remembered! Going up the mini-mountain will get me an amazingly amazing view of the rock farm! It is decided. Up the mini-mountain I go!

Twilight walks out of the library to retrive her mail. Ever since Pinkie Pie left, the town has been seemingly quieter than usual.

"Obviously it's because we don't have our energetic pink pony to accompany me as I get the mail", Twilight thinks to herself.

She is about to walk back inside when Rainbow Dash calls out to her from the top balcony of the library, startling her and causing all of her mail to spray out in every direction and flutter to the ground.

"Thanks a lot, Rainbow," she says, grumbling, as she levitates all of the scattered letters and parcels back into a neat stack.

Rainbow Dash, still giggling, responds: "Aw man, you have to admit that I got you good!"

"Yes, well, you did get me good, 'man'. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to-"

"Now waitaminute! I actually wanted to ask you somthing!"

"Yes?"

"Where's Pinkie Pie?"

Twilight sighs, then proceeds to tell what she's told the thirteen other ponies who had asked the same question:

"She's hiking out to her family's rock farm to celebrate her father's birthday, and she's going out alone, and she'll be back by tomorrow morning."

"...that's it?"

"Yup."

"Why alone?"

"I'm not entirely sure. She said something around the lines of their house not being big enough, and that her sisters were very shy...that's all I was able to get out of her."

"Wait wait wait, how come I, or anypony else, wasn't told of this?"

"She came to me early in the morning and said-"

"How early? Because I get up very early, and I'm pretty sure-"

"Owlowiscious was still awake."

"Ooh."

"Anyway, she came to me, bursting through the door, and said something around the lines of 'TWILIGHT I ALMOST FORGOT IT'S MY PAPA'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW ACTUALLY TODAY NOW AND JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I'M GOING TO LEAVE OK?!'"

"Wow. That was a pretty good impression of her."

"I've been practicing."

"Sooooo, should we be worried about her, like, at all?"

"I don't think we should. She was very confident in herself. She knew where to go, she had everything she needed all packed up, and she even told me that if she wasn't back by noon tomorrow she'd be stuck in a 'huge, scary hole'. Not that I'm concerned that that would ever happen. This is Pinkie Pie we are talking about. She'd probably just bounce right out."

"Ha! Yeah! Or, like, the worst case scenario would be, like, if the hole was filled with chocolate milk, and she'd try to drink it all until she couldn't stand up anymore! Imagine Pinkie trying to hike back with a stomach full of chocolate!"

"Hey, maybe that might be a good thing! Maybe she'll have such a sugar rush that she just flies out of the forest and land right in the middle of Ponyville!"

"Hahahaha!"

The two ponies share a laugh before finally bidding each other farewells. Twilight enters her library and closes the door, and Rainbow Dash hops off the balcony and flies to the nearest cloud for her nap.

Oh my GOODNESS! Today was absolutely, super-terrifically AWESOME!

I got see the whole family, even grandma Pie! Limestone and Marble look so grown up and strong now, it brought a tear to my eye! And my parents look just as healthy and old as they did last year!

We did so many fun things today! I got to play some of my favorite games, like Find the Jade in the Slate Stack, Sedimentary Charades, Mylonite Mayhem, A Load of Schist, and Basalt Blasting! My sis Marble actually beat me twice at Mylonite Mayhem, but she was a good sport as always. She is, after all, a gneiss pony! (ZING!)

And at the end of the day, Grama Pie unraveled the cake; a red velvet masterpiece that was shaped and colored like of the inside of raw ruby gemstone. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!

Now everypony's tuckered out and asleep, but I decided to write in this journal again. It's a shame that I'm only going to use for a couple more times. I like reading back what I said! I write funny!

I'm pretty sleepy-weepy, actually. I have to wake up early again tomorrow morning if I want to make it back to Ponyville before noon, like I Pinkie promised. Apparently, according to my sis Limestone, there's a hidden shortcut that cuts through the longer, flater path back home. It's unmarked, though, and I have to find a blueberry bush that looks like a round brilliant cut diamond. Pfft! That won't be hard to find at all!

It's weird being in my old room, in my old bed, in my old house. Makes me wonder why I left.

Wait, did I Pinkie promise? I'll do it now. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye; I'll be back in Ponyville before noon!

Nighty night, journal!

Day 1

A light rain falls down over the rock farm. It is very early in the morning, as the crack of dawn has not risen from the east yet. But even at this hour, the lights within the farm house are lit up.

The front door opens and Pinkie Pie pokes her head out into the drizzle.

"See, I told you it was going to rain," says a voice from inside.

"Ah, it's nothing, grandma," Pinkie replies.

"Don't matter, your not goin' out without a little protection."

"But I-" Pinkie was cut short of her sentence as her grandmother yanks her back inside and closes the door. After a few minutes, and some scuffling from within, the door open again and Pinkie emerges out with a bright, yellow leather poncho with fabric cutouts of rubies sewn onto the sides.

"There," the grandmother says, "now you'll make it back safe and stylish!"

Pinkie giggles. "Thanks, grandma!"

"Now honey, I know you want to get back to Ponyville as soon as you can, but with this rain the rocky path up the hill will be far too dangerous for you."

"But grandma!"

"No buts! I don't to see you rushing back with a big bump on your head or a gash on your chest."

"Awwwww,"

"Pinkie, please. For my sake, take the flater path. It'll ease my old, shaken nerves."

"Well...ok. I'll go back the longer way. But if I don't make it back before noon, then I'm holding you responsible for making me break my Pinkie promise!"

The grandmother laughs. "Whatever you say, Pinkie."

The two ponies hug each other. Pinkie Pie throws up her poncho hood and heads off on the trail and grandma Pie heads back inside the house.

WOW! I'm glad that grandma gave me this poncho! It's raining cats and dogs now! Luckily, I've found a spot under super thick trees. The rain isn't even getting through! I can have my trail mix and write in my journal!

Walking back is surprisingly easier than I would've expected. Probably because of the fact that all of my partying stuff was used up at the rock farm, even my party cannon! However, I did forget my water, but with all this rain all I have to do is open my mouth toward the sky.

Plus, I've found the entrance to the shortcut! That'll get me back to Ponyville in no time! I'll be drinking sweet cider in no time! Mmmmmmmmm.

Oh, and I had some of the blueberries on the bush! Yummy!

The booming thunder and the piercing lighting fills the dense forest with light and sound. Even though the rain can barely make it through the trees, every object is covered in moisture, including Pinkie Pie in her yellow poncho.

As the storm blows through, the wind gets increasingly stronger, as more and more water and sticks is blown from the trees and onto the pink pony. She puts a hoof over her face, blocking her face from the debris, before trudging on. The combined thickness of the forest and the storm makes visibility nearly impossible. She has only the brief moments of light from the storm to rely on.

Another flash lights up the path, and Pinkie quickly takes in what's in front of her. She was able to see a fallen tree that is directly in line with the path. It is surrounded by moss, leaves, and some black-looking substance.

"I don't wanna step in that," she says to herself. She places her hoof on the base of the log and waits for the lightning to light up the path again.

A quick flash and a boom prompts Pinkie onto the log with haste. She skips effortlessly across the log until, suddenly, her tail begins to twitch. She stops halfway acros the log, and her head darts from side to side. "Uh oh! Something's about to fall on me!" She spins around in place, trying to get a glimpse of anything through the black storm.

A strike of lighting, closer than before, startles Pinkie and she loses her balance on the log. She falls to the side and rolls off the log. A split second before hitting the moss and leaves, she thinks to herself how icky that black stuff is going to look on her grandma's nicely made poncho.

The moss and leaves break through immediately and Pinkie continues to fall. The startled pony screams briefly until she hits the bottom, silencing her.

Up above, the storm continues to surge. The rumble of thunder echoes down the hole. Pinkie groans and rubs her head before righting herself.

She looks up.

"...oops."

It is a sunny, muggy afternoon in Ponyville. Everypony begins to emerge, safe now that the strong stork has past. Twilight walks onto her balcony and inspects her flowers. "They'll be blooming soon after the rain," she thinks to herself.

Rainbow Dash, hiding behind a cloud, attempts to startle the unicorn. She is about make it rain, when the cloud is suddenly surrounded by a glow of magic, turned into water, and sprayed upwards, soaking the pegasus, before turning into several smaller clouds.

Rainbow falls onto the balcony. Twilight stands over her, laughing. "Looks like I'm the one who got you good!"

"Yeah yeah, sure. You got me," Rainbow says, shaking the water off her mane. "Say Twilight, guess what time it is."

"Um, 12:30pm?"

"Yup!"

"...and..."

"What, you forgot?"

"Huh?"

"Pinkie isn't back yet!"

"...Oh!" Twilight remembers. "Oh right! She said she'd be back before noon!"

"And it's 12:30."

"Oh," Twilight stands awkwardly in the silence.

"Well...shouldn't we be worried that-"

"Now hold on, don't jump to conclusions. After she left, I looked at a map of the forest and the trails. She'd said she'd be back in time based on going her normal route."

"Ok."

"But with the rain, the route she'd normally takes would be too dangerous, and since she was with her family they would've probably persuaded her to take this longer, flater route back."

"Ok. So, your saying that she's still on that path?"

"That's the most logical assumption I can make. Let's just wait an hour or so and she'll be back by then."

"Alright. Whatever you say."

Well, now that everything isn't so wet anymore, I can finally write down what just happened to me.

I fell down a huge, scary hole.

Yeah.

Looks like my little joke to Twilight actually came true. Go figure.

Now I know what that black, icky stuff was. It wasn't anything at.

It was just gaps covering this hole.

That I'm now stuck in.

For a while.

Not that I should be worried. I'm sure as soon as my friends notice that I'm gone they'll come out looking for me. Ponyville would be too quiet for them not to notice!

Also, it's not like I'm cramped in here. Although I fell about 10 meters, not breaking anything luckily, the hole itself looks about 5-ish meters in diameter, so it'll be more or less comfortable until Twily and the rest show up.

Also, there's a small puddle of water in the middle. It's not as clear as the water I forgot at the farm house, though. But if I have to, it looks safe enough to drink.

Not that I'm worried that I'll be in here for long.

I'm just gonna wait.

And wait.

Aaaaaaand wait.

Still waiting. Been pacing around the hole. I wonder where they could be?

"She's still out there," Rainbow says.

"Yes, but let's not be too worried,' Twilight responds.

"Ok, it's the late evening. She'd be back by now."

"At this point, let's just assume that she's still at her farm house."

"Why?"

"Because if the family knew how bad that storm was going to be, and I'm assuming they would, they wouldn't had let her go out."

"Is that really the only 'logical' assumption? Can't you 'assume' something else?"

"So far, no. We don't want everypony getting freaked out."

"But what if she's hurt?"

"But what if she isn't? This is Pinkie Pie, we're talking about. We'd be making a fuss over nothing."

A knock comes from the library door. Rainbows flies over to it saying, "I'll get it." Twilight moves over to her desk and pulls out the forest map again. She unravels it, but is unable to read it as Rainbow calls out from the main room. "Twilight! Come here!"

"Yes, what is-" She looks down the staircase and sees the rest of her friends before her. They all looked worried. "Um, hi guys. What do you all want?"

They all look to each other. Fluttershy steps forward. "Um, Twilight, we were all wondering something important."

"Ok...?"

"Where's Pinkie Pie?"

The sun's almost down. No sign of anyone yet.

Still not worried. My friends will be here soon, I bet.

Decided to draw some smily faces on the wall. I called them Franky, Buddy, and Joey.

It's very lonely down here. But, I'll be fine soon enough.

Drank some of the water. Very minerally. Lot's of iron. This must've been an old mining hole back when this property was owned by some wealthy diamond dogs. At least that's what Limestone had told me, and she hasn't lied to me once. Like the shortcut! she didn't lie about that!

She didn't mention a hole, though.

Not that she would.

Getting a bit hungry. That trail mix should tie me over for a bit longer.

All of the nature sounds from above echo down in here. It's pretty neat, actually.

One of the very few good things about being in this hole.

Still nopony.

"So is everypony agreed?" Twilight says.

Applejack chimes in, "Ah think so. We'll wait out the night, and if she isn't back by tomorrow mornin' we'll go look for her."

"Yup. A very logical plan, right Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow glares at Twilight. "Hmph."

"I really hope that mare is not in any trouble," says Rarity. "I can't imagine how dreadful it would be for her to all alone."

"Which is all the right reasons to assume that she isn't," Twilight says. "Now that we've all settled this matter, I think it's time we all go home and hit the hay. Yes?"

Everpony in the room says yes simultaneously.

It's nighttime now, but the moon is bright enough for me to see my journal.

Obviously my friends won't be able to find me tonight, but I'm counting on them finding tomorrow morning.

Still lonely. Lonely and bored. Not a great combination.

I drew some more friends. I called them Lily, Tracey, Suzy, and Perry. It helped to pass the time.

Still hungry, but I'm looking forward to eating a big 'ole piece of pie when I get back tomorrow.

"Hey Twilight," says Rainbow Dash, before she heads out through the window.

"Yeah?"

"I really hope you're right about this. I know you are most of the time, but this time especially I hope your right."

"...yeah. Me too."

"Well, at least we've got your optimism on our side."

"Just like Pinkie Pie."

"Yeah...just like Pinkie Pie." Rainbow flies out and heads to her home. Twilight looks around the empty library. She sighs heavily.

"I have to right about this."

The day's over. This might be my last journal entry.

Hopefully, given the fact that I'll probably be rescued tomorrow.

What a weird experience this has been.

Nighty night, journal.

END OF DAY 1

Day 2

The morning sun glows softly on Twilights face. She shifts onto her side, not wanting to be completely woken up after being so comfortable.

A loud knocking on the door startles Twilight so much that she falls off her bed. She stands up, grumbling, heads downstairs and opens the door.

Almost half of Ponyville is standing outside of Twilight's house, all of whom are behind her friends. The four ponies rush inside and close the door quickly.

"Wh-what in Celestia's name is going on?" Twilight asks.

Applejack, catching her breath, says, "Well, ah hate to break it to you, sugarcube, but we ain't the only ones wondering where Pinkie Pie is."

Well, it's morning now.

Woke up earlier than normal because of my tummy. It really hurts.

Where are my friends?

"Ok, so who's gonna go on which path?" Twilight says to the group. They are all sitting around a table with the map of the forest in the center.

Rainbow says, "Me and Fluttershy will look through the path up the small mountain. All we'll have to do is fly around and see if we can find anything."

"So that means it'll be Applejack, Rarity, and I on the flater path." Twilight rolls up the map before continuing, "oh, and Rainbow Dash, fly out to Pinkie Pie's rock farm. She still might be there, remember?"

Rainbow Dash gives Twilight an intense glare. The rest of the group looks down at the table somberly.

The rabble from outside grows louder. Fluttershy speaks up, "I think it's time we let everypony else know what's going on."

Seriously, where are my friends?

I mean, this is getting ridiculous.

Every hour, it's getting more and more painful.

Where are they?

Where are they???

"I assure you, everypony, that we'll find our favorite pink mare soon enough," Twilight says to the crowd.

One pony shouts out, "Where do you think she is?"

"We are not certain on her exact location, but we'll be looking for signs of wilderness survival."

Another pony shouts out, "Are you sure she isn't still at her rock farm?"

"That is another strong assumption we have made, and we will be investigating Pinkie Pie's rock farm. Rest assured, we will handle this situation accordingly."

WHERE ARE THEY?

"Is this the right trail?" Rarity asks.

"Yeah," Twilight responds, "I remember coming here to say goodbye to Pinkie."

"Well, no point standin' around," Applejack says. The group begins their hike.

Twilight hears Fluttershy from behind, "I wonder how far out the forked paths are from Ponyville?"

Rainbow says darkly, "Far enough out to get lost."

Is this some kind of joke?!

Really, did they pull a mean prank on me?!

'Hey, y'know what would be funny? Trapping Pinkie Pie in a hole with no food!'

THAT'S NOT FUNNY!

My stomach HURTS.

I sick and tired of this hole!

"Ok, this where the path splits," Twilight says, the map levitating in front of her. "Remember, girls, to look for for things like broken down campfires, clothing strung up high in the trees, and any sign of hoof-prints leaving the trail. Got it?"

"Yes, Twilight," Fluttershy says. "But, um, we need to hurry. There's going to be a storm soon."

You know what? I take it back.

I bet they know that I'm down here.

And they don't care.

They just got so tired of me that they would rather leave me in a hole than to be with me.

Great. Yeah.

Really great FRIENDS, I have.

And it's raining again.

Yeah, AMAZING TIME I'M HAVING.

"How much further, Twilight?" Applejack shouts through the storm.

"I don't know! I can't point out where we are on the map!"

"Well, we better be close! The storm feels like it's picking up!"

"I'm sure the storm will pass soon!"

Do you know what this is doing to me?!

Do you know what's it's like to sit in a hole, each hour crawling by?

Your stomach punching you each and every time you think of food.

Your mind feverish from the humidity and from the anger.

IT'S NOT FUN IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WONDERING.

IT'S MAKING ME GO CRAZY!

Seriously! I've been stomping around the hole all day, screaming and shouting at the walls! I've been yelling at the stick figures I drew yesterday, thinking they'll respond, and when they didn't I threw myself at them like a crazy-pony!

BUT I'M NOT!

I'M NOT CRAZY!

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow Dash shouts from above.

"Rainbow Dash?! What are you doing-"

"You guys have to go back NOW! We're right under a supercell! Anything and everything could kill you at any moment!"

MY FRIENDS THINK I'M CRAZY!

"What about-"

"I can you look for Pinkie Pie on my own! I already sent Fluttershy back to the library! You need to teleport yourselves there right now!"

"But Rainbow!" Twilight is cut off by the sound of a lightning bolt striking a tree nearby.

THEY ALL HATE ME!

"NOW" Rainbow Dash screams.

Twilight's horn glows and a magic field envelops around the three ponies.

AND I HATE THEM, TOO!

I HATE EVERY ONE OF THEM!

A bright flash and Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack finds themselves in the library. They all feel a slight disorientation before feeling normal again.

Fluttershy is off to the side, looking out the window.

"H-hey, Fluttershy," Twilight says. "What're you doing?"

"Waiting."

"Do you, uh, have any suggestion on what we should do?"

"Wait."

The storm rolls over the dense forest at a brisk pace.

Down in the hole, Pinkie Pie sits with her journal open in front of her. Her mane has fallen straight down, almost covering her sullen face. She stares up the hole.

"Oh," she whispers, "oooooooaaaooh....nooooo..."

She closes her eyes and buries her head in her hooves.

An hour and a half goes by without any sign of Rainbow Dash. Each of the ponies in the library sit around anxiously, with Twilight near the back looking at the map.

Without any warning, the door opens, Rainbow Dash, soaking wet, walks inside, and kicks the door shut behind her, hard. She walks foreward, staring angrily at Twilight.

"Rainbow! You're back!" Rarity says. She levitates a towel towards the pegasus. She takes the towel by the teeth and throws it to the ground, still walking toward Twilight.

"Um, Rainbow-"

"Not now," she responds, "Twilight and I need to chat." She stops right in front of the unicorn, who stares very nervously back at Rainbow.

They look at each in silence for several moments. Twilight finally stutters out, "D-d-did you, uh, did you-"

"Did I look for her? Yes, yes I did." Rainbow's responses are sharp and intense. "I looked through both paths. Even through a frickin' supercell, I looked, and I looked thoroughly."

"A-a-and-"

"And I didn't find her," she says harshly. "But, I did go to the rock farm. Her family was really frickin' nice to me. They told me Pinkie did take the longer path. I asked them what would somepony find if they walked off the trail." Rainbow leaned in to Twilight. "Do you know what they told me? What somepony, anypony, could stumble across very quickly if they go off the trail?"

Rainbow leans in closer and whispers, "Ask me."

Twilight sits, sweating. "I-I don't-"

"ASK ME!" Rainbow shouts, causing Twilight to jump. She looks to her other friends for help, but none of them seem willing, or brave enough, to intervene.

"Wh-what's out there, R-r-rainbow dash?"

"Mines. Old, abandoned mines. The kind that goes straight down. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of them, off that trail, and they are old enough that the wilderness just covers them up. The deepest of those mines goes down 100 meters."

Twilight feels her stomach clench. She feels sick, but Rainbow is not done with her yet.

"After that, I told them that their family member was missing out in that forest, and guess what? They're devastated. You know why? Do you know why they are devastated?" Rainbow returns to full shout. "Do you?!"

"Rainbow-"

"NO, don't talk! You've done enough talking!" Rainbow pushed Twilight against the wall. "They know where exactly where she is! It's exactly the same place I know where she is! See, I'm not 'assuming' anything, like you! No! I know that she is down one of those mines RIGHT NOW! And she's been down one of those mines since YESTERDAY, all of TODAY, and she will still be down there TOMORROW because the REAF doesn't file a missing pony report until 24 hours after a reported case! Which means, our friend is down a mine, probably very, very injured, having to go THREE DAYS without any food or water, waiting for a rescue team that isn't even confident that they will find her in time, all because you wanted to assume that she was alright. Hey! Guess what? SHE'S ISN'T! THAT'S A FACT! SHE'S NOT ALRIGHT!"

"RAINBOW DASH," Rarity finally shouts, "that is ENOUGH! Do you see what you're doing?"

Rainbow whips around and gets in Rarity's face. "Oh! You want to defend her, huh?! Did you honestly believe her this entire time? You know damn well that I'm telling the truth! You know-"

"That's not my point, Rainbow Dash! Look at her!"

Everypony turns to Twilight, and all at once everything is silent again.

Twilight eyes are staring off in the distance, not looking at anything, not moving. Her mouth hangs open, quivering. Her breath is short and ragged. Her face is in complete shock.

Rarity speaks softly, "Twilight?"

Twilight tries to respond. The only sound that comes from her are coughed up sobs. Her eyes begin to water.

Rainbow turns away from the group. " I can't deal with this," she says under her breath. She exits the library, slamming the door behing her as she leaves.

The rest of the group turn their attention back to Twilight, whose face is now dripping with tears.

Rarity approaches her. "Twilight, honey, it's alright, she's gone." As soon as Rarity puts a hoof on her shoulder, Twilight collapses, falling limp into Rarity's embrace. Her breath is now heavy and fast.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE?" she cries out, as if she was in pain. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"

Rarity attempts to soothe her, "Y-you haven't done anything wrong."

"Sh-she was right! I've left her out there! I'VE LEFT HER OUT THERE! I-I-I'VE JUST KILLED MY FRIEND!" Twilight sobs unintelligibly before burying her face into Rarity's shoulder.

Rarity continues her attempt to coax the shock-stricken unicorn, unable to think of anything to say to help her. The rest of the group each offer their support to help. Twilight does not respond, and Rarity continues to hold her friend close to her.

Are we live?

Ok, good.

"Hello, everypony, and welcome to tonight's show in the Hole! I'm your host, Pinkamena Pie, with my friends Joey and Suzy! The rest of my friends tried to come, but let's just say they've been 'washed out'!" (laughter)

"We have special guest tonight in the hole! She's a bearer of an Element of Harmony,and a true pleasure to be around! Please welcome

Pinkie Pie!" (applause)

Hi! Wow, thank you, thank you! What an honor, it's just really great to be here in the hole with you.

"Well, It's not like you're going anywhere else anytime soon!" (laughter)

"Now, let's get straight to the point. How did you get down here?"

I fell down. (laughter)

"The best answers are always the simplest, eh? But lets' move on to a more important question: why are you down here?"

Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure. I was blaming my friends-

"Ooooooo, the classic blame game! An oldie but a goldie! That's one of the finest traits on this show! Who can we blame the hardest! Shall we help you out with who you should blame, Pinkie?"

That's a great idea, Pinkamena!

"Excellent! Now we begin-

Oh! Hold on! We got a caller! Her name is Diane Pie, and she thinks she already has the answer to our question!"

Well, let's hear what she has to say!

Hello Pinkie, this is Diane. Now, I know you've been doing a lot of blaming recently, but I think the answer is right under your nose.

Really?

Yes, and I'll help you figure it out.

Ok!

Is it true that the shortcut through the longer path is unmarked on any map?

Yes.

Is it true that a lot of ponies don't know about, including your friends and possibly any rescue team?

Yes

Is it true that trough this path were abandoned mines?

Yes

...that you were fully aware of?

yes

But that didn't stop you, didn't it. You wanted to get back early because you didn't want to break a stupid promise, right?

yes

You thought, through your damned logic, that nothing bad would happen to you, right?

yes

And because of that logic, shouldn't you be held responsible for this?

yes

After all, you walked the path. You knew the dangers, you knew that the storm would make it hard for you to see. You even knew that you forgot your water and ate all of your food. You knew everything was going to go wrong, but that didn't stop you. Do you know why?

why

Because you are stupid.

I'm stupid?

Yes. Very simple. You did this to yourself, you dumb mare. Nopony knows where you are, and it'll be a very, very long time before anypony finds you.

You'stupid.

i'm stupid

You're stupid!

I'm stupid!

YOU ARE STUPID! COME ON, SHOUT IT!

I AM STUPID!

LOUDER! NOPONY CAN HEAR YOU'RE FOOLISHNESS AT THAT LEVEL! LOUDER!!

I'M STUPID! STUPID!

STUPID!

S T U P I D ! !

AND I DESERVE ALL OF THE BLAME FOR EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME!

That wraps up the show, everyone. Nothing else needs to said.

Goodnight.

END OF DAY 2

A Midnight Conversation Between Spike and Fluttershy

Fluttershy walks through the darkened Ponyville. She is returning from her cottage. Even after everything that is happening, she still has a duty to tend her animals, albeit her attitude through it all was numb.

She is about to approach the library when she notices a small dragon creeping out the door.

"Oh, hello Spike-"

"Shh!" he shushes. He closes the door behind him.

"Oops, sorry."

"Naw, it's alright. I was getting some fresh air."

"How are they doing?"

"Alright, I guess. I looks like they're sleeping, but with everything that's going I'm certain that no pony in there is going to be able to sleep."

"Yeah, I'm very sorry that you have to go through this."

"Naw, it's...it's happening and it's going through...that's all I can say."

Fluttershy was surprised by Spike's tone. He spoke very languidly and soft, and his voice sounded deeper than usual. She says to him, "Did you ever hear back from Celestia?"

Spike folds his arms and says, "Yeah, all she said was she was very concerned for Pinkie Pie and that the Air Force will send out a party as soon as possible."

"...that's it?"

"Yup."

"She's not, like, gonna help?"

"Nope. She said she was busy."

"What about Luna? Doesn't she have powers that can, like, go through ponies dreams and whatnot?"

"She never mentioned Luna."

Fluttershy gave Spike a look of confusion, shock, and anger. "Well, that doesn't make any sense! It's like they're letting this whole thing happen!"

"Surprising, huh," he says sarcastically.

"Oh, so you don't care! You don't realize that one of our friends is in serious danger?!"

"Oh, I realize it, all right, and so does Celestia and Luna."

This caught Fluttershy off guard. "What?!"

"...which is why none of this surprises me."

"Why?!"

"What do you mean 'why'? Where have you been in the last several years? Playing innocent forest games with your critter pals?"

Fluttershy does nothing but stares at Spike, confused. Spike lowers his arms and raises his voice loud enough to not be a whisper.

"Think back. Remember all those times when something or someone was in danger, whether it'd be you, me, any of our friends, or Ponyville? Remember? How many times did Celestia, Luna, or the both of them came to help us? Hmm?"

"Uhh..."

"That's right. Can't really remember. They've assisted you guys, the Elements of Harmony, on very, very few occasions, no matter how much danger we were in. You know why? I think I know why. Because all of those dangerous situations fell into the same old story. 'Oh no! A great calamity is at bay! And there's a rift through the group that could tear us apart! Well, no worries! We got the magic of friendship to save you/us/Ponyville! Yay! Everyone is happy again! Time to write a friendship letter!' And look what's happening! A great calamity, Pinkie Pie's stuck in a mine, is at bay, and there's a rift through the group, Rainbow Dash is very pissed off at Twilight, that could tear you guys apart. But give it a day or two, and guess what? Somehow, the magic of friendship will save Pinkie, all loose ends will be tied, everyone will be happy, and I'll get to write a another friendship letter again! It'll end just like it has in the past. That's what I think is going through Celestia and Luna's mind. That this will all turn out like it has in the past."

Silence surrounds the two for a moment. Fluttershy is now staring wide-eyed at Spike, who adjusts himself and lowers his voice back to a whisper.

"But the difference between what's happening now and what has happened in the past is that death is no longer an abstract presence. Pinkie Pie is going to die if something doesn't happen soon. But nothing will happen soon, I can tell you that." Spike turns toward the library.

Fluttershy stops him and says, "So what is going to happen?"

Spike pauses, thinks, and turns back around. "I don't know. I honestly don't know. We've got crazy storms rolling through everyday, Rainbow Dash will probably not be seen for a good few weeks, Twilight can hardly move or talk, and the Air Force won't be looking for her until tomorrow. Besides that, we're in the unknown, and so is Pinkie Pie. And I can guarantee that the only ones who do know what is going on is Celestia and Luna. But like I said, they're not gonna be helping."

Spike puts his claw on the door. He stops and turns to Fluttershy one more time. "Or, y'know. I could be wrong. This is all just what I think. It's not like I've seen and heard everything from the very beginning. I'm just a baby dragon, after all. Good night, Fluttershy."

Spike enters the library quietly. Fluttershy stands alone in the darkness, processing everything Spike had just said.

She looks up and stares at the glowing castle of Canterlot in the distance.

Author's Disclaimer:

Before anyone posts it in the comments, everything Spike said does not reflect how I view the show. I find the show to be well-written, very enjoyable, and very light-hearted (unlike this fanfiction).

Spike's just not in a very good mood.

(But he does have a point)

Day 3

Dawn breaks through the dense forest. The sunlight reflects off the shinning foliage, still wet from the dew. There is enough light to reflected to make visibility tolerable in the hole.

Pinkie Pie wakes up. She sits up and stretches her back backward and forward before yawning. She walks over to the puddle in the middle of floor and carefully drinks from it, not wanting to waste any for the future.

She walks back over to her saddlebag, which she has been using as a pillow. She takes from it her journal and her pen. She opens to a blank page and begins to write.

Hello again, journal.

I read back what I wrote yesterday.

Yeah, I kinda got a little loopy.

I'm sorry.

I just didn't know how else to react. Everything just made me feel so angry inside. But, now I've chilled out a bit.

I'm still not happy. I'm still in a hole, after all.

Speaking of which, I think now is an appropriate time to explain my current situation.

Today marks the third day of being down an abandoned mine hole. The hole is 10 meters deep. I got into this hole by accidentally slipping off a log on an unmarked trail.

The last time I've had food was the day I fell down, and I had a bag of trail mix. Since then, I have no way of getting any form of food. I've tried eating the back pages of this journal, but paper, as it turns out, doesn't have any nutritional value. It's not gonna give any of the energy I'll need to keep going.

I am famished to the point where the pain in my stomach is now numb.

I do have water, thankfully. If I haven't mentioned before, there is a small puddle in the middle of my hole. Judging from the looks of it, it has been slowly collected over the years by moisture in the air condensing on the walls and collecting all in a single area.

Because of this, the water has also picked up the iron residue from the mine, giving me a small bit of substantial energy. (Either that, or it's lead. Let's hope it's not lead.)

The water will only last me for another day.

And, because this hole is on an unmarked trail, any search party that looks for me will have to look through dozens of other abandoned mine holes. I've already screamed and yelled at anything I thought wasn't nature above to the point that my throat is hoarse and raw, but it always turned out to be a squirrel or bird or whatnot.

Not that that really helps my chances of survival.

(If you noticed, I intentionally used the word "hoarse" as a pun. Get it? I know it's weird that I would make jokes at a time like this, but what else am I supposed to do? I gotta at least keep some of my spirit up.)

I've also devised a simple method when I need to go potty

Nevermind. Too much information. Sorry.

A warm glow fills the library from the morning light. Rarity looks around. Her friends are all laying close by her and Twilight, whom Rarity is still holding close to her. Sleep came to her in brief intervals, having been frequently interrupted by Twilight's cries of anguish. Rarity, however, chose to sacrifice sleep to keep her friend calm.

She looks down at Twilight, eyes closed but full of grief. Her breathing is different from before; it is light, long, and rough. She places a hoof on her forehead, and feels a combination of warmth and sweat.

"Girls," Rarity says, "girls, wake up." Fluttershy and Applejack raise their heads slowly.

"What is it?" Applejack asks.

"There's something wrong with Twilight."

The two friends get up and approach Twilight and Rarity. Spike watches the group carefully from the top of the staircase.

I've been doing some thinking, since my last entry.

I've been trying to think of what I'll do if I get out of this. I looked back on my life, on the mistakes I've made, on the poor choices I created.

If I get out, I wonder if I can change that.

I mean, what if I promise to change myself. If I promise to be a bit more respectful to ponies. To look at life from their perspective. To make it a goal to help others rather than to just entertain them. To be more charitable. If I can be a different kind of role model.

If I make those promises, will that help me get out of here? Will fate give me a second chance?

Nothing's happened so far.

Spike listens to the conversation outside of Twilight's door.

"Will she be alright?" Rarity asks the doctor.

"Yes, as long as she gets plenty of water and rest."

He takes a glance through the door. He sees Rarity and the doctor the group called in front of Twilight. Twilight is laying in her bed, shivering, as Rarity levitates a cup of water slowly to her mouth. The doctor heads toward the door and Spike moves out of the way.

He stops the doctor and says, "Will she be alright, doc?"

"She's got a high fever and some fatigue, but there's nothing to worry about, little buddy. She's got a whole bunch of friends to help her get through this. Don't you worry your little heart." He trots down the stairs and heads toward the front door.

Spike folds his arms. He thinks to himself for a minute or so before hearing Twilight cough loudly in her bedroom. He shakes his head and lets out a heavy sigh.

He enters Twilight's room. Rarity looks at at Spike then back at Twilight. He approaches the two unicorns.

"Here, Rarity," he says softly. "You go meet up with Applejack and the Air Force and help with the search party. I'll stay here and look after Twilight."

Rarity, looking at Twilight, nods slowly. She turns from the bed, levitates her bag onto her back and walks out the door. Spike climbs up on the bed, next to the sick Twilight.

"Hear that, Twily?" he says. "With the Air Force involved, there's now a whole lot of ponies looking for Pinkie Pie. You have nothing to worry about." Twilight opens her eyes weakly and stares at Spike. He looks at her, straight into her eyes, "It's not your fault, you know."

Twilight closes her eyes again and whimpers. "Shh, it's okay," Spike says, holding the water to Twilight's mouth. He gingerly tips the cup as Twilight drinks. He sets the cup on the bed and places a claw carefully on Twilight's forehead. Twilight coughs again, making her tear up, and Spike places her hoof into his claw.

"It's okay, Twily, it's gonna be okay," he says. "We'll find her. Everything will end up alright."

So, I know it might sound crazy, but there still might be a way out of this.

During the first day I was down here, I was playing with my saddlebag, throwing it up against the wall and catching it, when it almost got snagged on something. About halfway up, there is a thick tree root that is sticking out from the wall. If I could somehow get up there, it might be enough for me to jump and climb out.

Now, as lucky as this may sound, it wasn't as easy to get up to that root as I thought. At first I tried jumping up to it, but obviously that didn't work. I tried climbing to it but the walls are way to slippery. My most recent attempt is trying to snag it with my poncho, but it isn't long enough as it is.

But, I have a plan. I'll take the poncho, rip it up into long sections (grandma Pie isn't gonna be happy), tie them together into one really long section, and tie my saddle bag's belt harness on the end. If I can just get this to work, then maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to get out.

Hooves crossed.

Fluttershy leans down and talks to the group of animals around her.

"Now, you all be careful out there, ok? Make sure you all work as a team and stay together in pairs. And remember, if you do find Pinkie Pie let the Air Force know immediately. Clear?"

The animals each give Fluttershy a salute. They scurry off into the forest as Fluttershy heads back into Ponyville.

Suddenly she sees a large group of pegasi in uniform lift off from the center of town. "It's the Air Force!" she says to herself. She watches as they fly over her, towards the woods. She notices one of them isn't wearing any unifom. "Rainbow Dash?"

She flies up just above the treeline. Sure enough, Rainbow is there, trailing behind the Air Force. "So, that's where she went."

Fluttershy is about to fly back to the ground when she stops herself and looks back out towards the search party. Off in the distance, right behind the edge of the forest, was another supercell.

It's raining again. Not that it bothers me anymore. It's been raining too frequently and too heavily for the last several days that I'm almost immune to it all.

Luckily, I finished my "rope". I'm gonna give it a few throws before it gets any darker. If I don't make it up there now, I'll try it again when it stops raining.

Rainbow Dash meets up with an Air Lieutenant. "Anything yet?" she yells over the sounds of the storm.

"Not yet, miss! Our sweep search is becoming more and more difficult with the storm. We're gonna have to call everypony back in about half an hour!"

"Oh, come on! You mean after all this time you numbskulls have only-" suddenly a red robin pops in front of Rainbow Dash. "Woah! What the-" The robin chips frantically before flying down back down to the trees. The lieutenant and Rainbow Dash stare at each other.

"Does, uh, does it want us to follow it?" he asks.

"I think so," she replies, equally confused. "Let's find out."

They fly down below the dense forest. The robin is hovering over a mine hole.

"Oh my gosh!" Rainbow Dash shouts. "Quick! Get down there!" The lieutenant descends into the hole.

"I've found someone!" he shouts.

"Is it Pinkie Pie?!"

"...no. I-it's a stallion."

Rainbow can feel her heart sink, but continues by saying, "Well, lucky day for him. What's his name?"

A long silence follows before the lieutenant slowly rises from the hole. Rainbow looks at him, puzzled. "Well," she says. "did you get his name?"

"N-no, miss. H-he's dead."

In the hole, Pinkie can hear the intensity of the storm increase. She quickly resets her rope and throws again.

Miss.

A flash of lightning brightens the hole for a moment, and Pinkie repositions herself. She throws the rope again.

Miss.

And she throws the rope again.

Miss.

And she throws the rope again.

Tug. Tug tug.

OH MY GOODNESS! It caught the root! I can get out!

YES!

Ok, as soon as I get out, I'm gonna make a run back to my rock farm. It's a lot closer to here than Ponyville. Sorry journal, I'm gonna leave you behind for a while, but I'll be back with my friends to pick you up!

I'M GETTING OUT!

Pinkie steadies herself on the tree root. It was much smaller than she expected it to be.

She looks up. The exit out the hole is closer than it ever has been. Pinkie feels giddy inside.

She carefully un-snags the rope from the root and holds it in her hoof. She throws it up and over the log that covers half the hole and catches the end as it falls, nearly losing her balance. She ties the two ends of the rope together. She readies herself on the rope, takes in a deep breath, and swings out slowly underneath the exit of the hole.

One swing forward. One swing backward.

Rip.

Pinkie and her rope fall down back to the bottom of the hole. Pinkie hits the ground with her back hooves first. A dull crack echoes around the hole. This time, it was no lightning crack.

Pinkie screams in pain. She looks at her leg in horror, the fracture twisting it sideways. She reaches out to clutch it but the resulting pain causes her to roll over, screaming again. She is crying uncontrollably, holding herself in the fetal position, as the storm above rolls over.

Rarity walks into Twilight's room. Spike is asleep at the foot of the bed, but Twilight is still awake.

"Did you find her?" she asks.

Rarity looks down. "No, darling. They couldn't find her yet."

Twilight closes her eyes. "It's my fault, you know. We should've looked sooner. If I hadn't been so selfish, I-I, w-e, could've..."

"Twilight, honey," Rarity says, now next to Twilight's bed. "You are not to blame for this. We all know that you love Pinkie Pie, and that you'd never want this to happen."

Twilight coughs before saying, "Yeah, well, then who is to blame? Who's fault is it going to be if we can't find her?"

Rarity thinks for moment. "I don't believe blame is an important factor. I've never enjoyed the idea of blame, especially in a time like this. But, I believe that what is important, right now, is to focus on finding Pinkie Pie. And we will, darling. We are going to find her."

Twilight sobs again, and Rarity gives her a small kiss on the forehead. She turns out the lights and heads out the door before saying "Goodnight" to Twilight.

Spike was listening to the entire conversation.

I didn't make it

I was so close

I didn't make it

I can't try again

My leg is broken

I am in pain

I was so close

Why

Why please why

Why is this my fate

Please what did I do

I am in pain

Why

END OF DAY 3

Day 4

Spike approaches the Sweet Apple Acre farmhouse. The entire property around him seems to glow as dawn trickles it's way through the leaves. He hops up the steps and stands in front of the door. Before he has a chance to knock, the door swings opens, catching Spike by surprise.

"Woah!" he says, "Applejack! Uh, hello! I didn't expect...how did you-?"

"Ah saw you walking towards the property while making mah coffee," she says. Sure enough, the smell of a fresh brew catches up to Spike's nose. "Want some?"

"Uh, sure," he says, entering the house. Applejack closes the door behind him and trots over to the pot. She meticulously places two mugs on the counter and carefully pours the coffee into each of them. Spike takes the cup and brings it to his mouth. After a long sip, he exhales and sighs.

"Careful how you drink that, partner," Applejack says, "it'll stunt yer growth."

Spike chuckles. They stand in the kitchen, each with a mug in hand and hoof, for a few silent moments.

Applejack finally says, "Why did you come here, sugarcube?"

Spike takes another sip at the coffee. "I need you to do a favor for me. It's about Twilight."

"Why? Does she need some medicine? Ah don't know if it will work, but the Apple family's got this recipe fer-"

"...and Rainbow Dash."

"Oh." Applejack sets her mug down. "Ah see. What do you want me to do?"

"I need your help to lift the tension between the two. To tie up their loose ends."

Applejack sighs. "And how in the hay am I supposed to do that? Twi's sick, Rainbow Dash is being Rainbow Dash, and we still need to find Pinkie Pie. Why should we worry about this problem now?"

"Because if we don't fix it now we will not find Pinkie Pie alive."

Applejack stares at the dragon. She sighs again. "Ok. What do you want me to do. It's not like this will be easy for me."

"Listen, I know. But your the only one I can think of who can really get to Rainbow Dash clearly as of now. Plus, I figured you'd get the least mad at me for what I'm going to say."

Applejack is confused by his statement. "What d'you mean?"

Spike folds his arms. "Promise me this: you won't get mad and you won't interrupt when I'm finished talking. The next statement I will say will be shocking, but once I've elaborated myself everything will make sense. It will be very hard for you to comprehend, but hear me out: I will-"

"Spike, cut the crap. Ah'm sure Ah'll be fine."

Spike rolls his eyes. He leans is and says:

"Twilight's not sick. And, she could've found Pinkie days ago."

Pinkie Pie opens her eyes slowly. The sun just barely reflects far enough for her to see the other side of the hole. She looks at her leg. It has been wrapped up in a makeshift splint made from her raincoat and several sticks. She looks at the entrance of the hole again.

She lifts her head from her saddlebag. She takes out from it her journal and begins to write.

its morning again

i saw several critters maybe squirrels jump past the hole

maybe thats what the search party has been doing

glancing over me

this morning is prettier than usual

i know that it will rain again later

but the sun makes the trees above look pretty

the sounds of the forest woke me up

anything but the sound of rain get my attention now

a small silver lining for me

but it always fades

"Alright, ladies, listen up!" Rainbow shouts to the Air Force comrades. The captain stands by, not wanting to interrupt the pegasus. He doesn't want his other eye to be blackened. "It's noon now, which means we got about four to five hours of searching until the next monsoon stalls our progress again! In these four to five hours, I want you all to forget every search tactic you tried yesterday and try something different! I don't care if it's 'standard protocol'. IT SUCKS, that's what it is! And I ain't gonna be held responsible if we don't find her because of 'standard protocol'! Search! With! Purpose! Am I clear?!"

"YES MA'AM!" They shout in unison.

"Then let's get out there!" They all begin their flight to the forest.

"Rainbow Dash!" A voice shouts from below. Rainbow Dash stops and looks down. She sees Applejack calling up to her. "Rainbow Dash get down here!"

One of the comrades approaches Rainbow. "Should we, uh, wait for you."

She spins around and faces the group. "Yes, why don't you all wait for me, take your take, have a cappuccino NO DON'T WAIT FOR ME! What am I, your mommy? GET OUT THERE! ALL OF YOU! NOW!" The squadron turns head over heels and flies towards the forest. Rainbow floats down to her friend.

"Wow," Applejack says, "you've sure taken over command."

"Somepony's gotta give 'em some extra motivation. It's like they've never done something like this before! They've been doing this crappy 'sweep search' that looks more like crop-dusting! Anyway, what'cha want? I gotta get back out there before they start grazing the treetops again."

Applejack looks around and hushes her voice. "It's about Twilight."

Rainbow Dash falls silent. She turns her head from Applejack. "I'm listening."

"Twi's not really sick. She's been faking it."

Rainbow's face tightens, but regaining her composure, she says through clenched teeth, "Who saw that as a surprise."

"Rainbow, listen. She's faking it because she's scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Of you, Rainbow. Ever since you blew up at her, she's couldn't bear to face you again. She didn't want to go through that same shock."

Rainbow's voice rose. "Well that sounds like a shitty excuse to me! You sure about this? Honestly!?"

"Hey, look! That's just Spike told me! Alright? You want me to be honest? Ah think it's full of crap, too! But right now, you gotta go and apologize to her!"

"Why the fuck should I do that?"

"Because she's the only one who can find Pinkie Pie before it's too late! And the only way she'll snap out of it is if you talk to her and accept her forgiveness."

Rainbow stands and glares at Applejack. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Let me think about it." Rainbow spreads her wings and takes off. She darts in the sky and heads to the forest.

"Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!" Applejack shouts her name. She is long gone. Applejack stands alone.

Rainbow Dash mutters to herself, "Twi should be asking Pinkie Pie for forgiveness."

the sun is right over me

the sun is the only way i can tell time

time

time in the hole is different

time is blending together

there is no definite minute second or hour

time just moves and its not stopping

time is eating the day away

time is eating me away

second by second

minute by minute

hour by hour

time by time

i am numb to time and its constant perpetual motion

it is beating me down

senseless and unforgiving

everyone will succumb to time eventually i know

it will grasp onto me before them

and i now know the true face of time

that face is death himself

Spike watches the rain begin to drip from the clouds from within Twilight's library. Rarity approaches him and peers out the window.

"What are you looking at, dearie?" She asks.

"Nothing," he says, "nothing yet."

Rarity sits down next to the dragon and puts a hoof around his shoulder. He turns away from the window and embraces the her.

Spike speaks softly, "I want them to find her. Not only for Pinkie...but for Twilight. I...I...I just hate seeing her like this."

"Shh," Rarity says soothingly. "I know, sweetie, I know. This will all be over soon. We will-"

A loud knock comes from the door. Spike and Rarity jump in surprise. Spike rushes to the door and opens it.

"R-R-Rainbow Dash?" Rarity says.

"Yeah yeah, its me, big surprise. Now close the door! It's about to rain cats and dogs."

Spike does so and says, "Rainbow, why are you here? I thought-"

"Thought what, Spike? You knew I was coming." Spike closes his mouth. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to say something to Twilight..."

Rarity steps in front of her. "Rainbow, please! We don't want you to-"

"Don't worry, Rarity. I'm not gonna go at her like that again. I have...something else to say."

Rarity glances at Spike, who gives her a nod, before glancing back at Rainbow. She moves out of the way and lets Rainbow head up the stairs. Spike and Rarity follow close behind her.

Rainbow opens the door to Twilight's room. The sick unicorn looks at Rainbow and closes her eyes again. Rainbow approached the bed and speaks calmly to her.

"Look, Twilight. I know that I said some harsh things to you, an it probably hasn't left your mind, but I just want to say...I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I was just heated up by everything that was going on and I got carried away. But I don't hate you, and I'm sorry." Rainbow looks at Twilight's face for a response, but the unicorn doesn't move. "Ok, fine. I accept your forgiveness. I know that you thought you were on the right track, and I know that it was hard for you to accept that. A wise pony once said, 'The greatest mistakes can happen to the best of ponies.' So, yeah, I forgive you." Still no response. "Ok, Twilight, knock it off. I know you're not sick and I know you can hear me fair and square. What do you want me say? You don't have to be afraid of me anymore! What do you want?"

"I am not afraid of you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight finally says. She pulls the sheets off herself, gets off the bed, and stands defiant in front of her pegasus friend. He face is no longer pale and her eyes are not bloodshot. Rarity and Spike look on, awestruck. "I was never afraid of you. I could've handled you days ago." A dark, menacing aura fills the room.

Rainbow, standing her ground, asks, "Then why didn't you look for Pinkie?"

"You want to know why I didn't join you? Why I feigned illness and avoided you and everypony else? I wasn't afraid of you, Rainbow Dash," the aura dissipates and Twilight turns away. "I was afraid of what would happen to me. I was afraid what would happen when I found Pinkie Pie. Whatever state she would've been in, sick or injured or starved, how would I commit myself to tell her that I was the one responsible for her? How would I look her in the eye and say 'I didn't look for you because I thought I was right. It's my fault you ended up like this'? How could she ever look at me as a friend again? She...she wouldn't. No one could ever forgive such a selfish act like mine." Twilight begins to tear up. "So I decided to wait it out. I thought if they, or, someone else found her first, I could avoid that encounter long enough for me to think of something different to say to her. But I couldn't. And I still can't. There is no alternative explanation that I can think of. And as I waited for any sign of her retrieval, I realized my mistake. I was waiting for something that wouldn't happen...because I didn't go along. I could've done something...but I didn't. I grew more and more depressed waiting for her to be rescued, only to result in failure. All because of me. All because I-"

Twilight is interrupted abruptly when she is spun around by Rainbow Dash. She grabs Twilight and hugs her close. She speaks softly to her. "Shut up, Twilight. You stop making sense when you monologue."

Twilight tries to comprehend what is happening. "R-R-Rainbow Dash...what..."

"Twilight," Rainbow pulls away, still holding onto her quaking shoulders, and looks at her square in the eye. "It's not your fault. Ok? You are not responsible for this. Everything that has happened was not you. And I don't hold you responsible, okay? Nor do I hold anypony else responsible. Accidents happen. Shit happens. And no matter how terrible they may seem, nature will let them happen. Don't hold yourself responsible for what you can't control."

Twilight closes her eyes again, tears flowing, and falls into Rainbow's embrace.

"I-I'm w-weak...s-selfish..."

"You're not weak, Twilight, and you're not selfish. I know you. You just didn't know what to do, and that's fine. Not everypony knows what to do at the right time."

"R-Rainbow..."

"Shh...Twilight, it's okay. I still love you. You're friends still love you. And I can guarantee that Pinkie will still love you."

my waters gone dry

i drank the last sweet sips of my only salvation

i thought of how i couldve better resourced myself

but i have done all i could

i tried my best these last few days

i did everything i thought i could to survive

but survival isnt meant for just the fittest

but for the smartest too

and i know that im not the dumbest pony

but im not the smartest either

and i certainly was not smart these past days

Spike and Rarity exit Twilight's room, leaving the two friends inside to reconcile. Rarity wipes a tear from her eye, touched by the scene that had unfolded, but Spike still stands awestruck.

"It's working," he whispers. Rarity looks down at him, confused.

"What's working?" she asks.

"It's working. It's working!" Spike turns to Rarity. "Don't you see? My plan is working! Everything is gonna work!"

"Spike, what are you talking about?"

"No time to explain now! I gotta go get the rest of the gang!" Spike makes his way down the stairs. "Rarity, stay here and tell them that I'm getting our friends!"

"But, Spike, dearie! It's raining quite dreadfully hard out there!"

"Eh, I'll be fine. I've gone through worse!" And with that, Spike exits the library and closes the door behind him.

Rarity lets out a sigh and turns around. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle are standing right in front of her.

"Oh my! Oh, I mean, I apologize. You two startled me! Spike is just-"

"We know," Rainbow says. "We saw him go out."

"Do you think that it is a good idea for him to get the rest of the gang?"

"Absolutely," Twilight says. "I'm gonna need the support."

"Twilight? What are you saying?"

"I'm going to find Pinkie Pie."

i will never see my friends again

i lay here in sudden realization

i will never see the stars again

i will never see the moon again

i will never see tall grass again

i will never see the country again

i will never see the crystal empire again

i will never see ponyville again

i will never see baked goods again

i will never see apple trees again

i will never see forest critters again

i will never see fluffy clouds again

i will never see old books again

i will never see royal dresses again

i will never see my friends again

i will never see this beautiful world again

Spike looks on at the group of ponies from atop the stairs. They are all huddled around a desk with the map of the forest. Using the knowledge that they know from guidebooks and the Pies' family knowledge, they are pinpointing an estimated location where Pinkie Pie might have fallen. This might have been a difficult task days ago, but with Twilight's magic and knowledge little difficulty is shown. Twilight's back in her element.

Rainbow Dash flies up to one of the windows and looks outside. Spike turns to her and says, "What time do you think the rain will let up?"

"In a couple of hours," she replies. "so, at around 1 o'clock."

"Is that when you guys will head off?"

"Oh yeah. We aren't gonna be wasting any more time."

Spike thinks for a moment. "Hey, Rainbow, c'mere. I wanna ask you something."

Rainbow flies over to Spike. "Yeah?"

Spike turns him and Rainbow from the crowd below. "Did you really mean everything you said to Twilight?"

"Huh?"

"Be completely honest with me. I don't want any bullshit. I'm not gonna be offended, I just wanna know if you really meant what you said."

Rainbow pauses, but looks at Spike and says, "No. I was not honest for what I said. I am still sour at Twilight for being a pussy when it came to emotional crap like this. And I still don't like the way she handled herself the last couple of days with pretending to be sick and whatnot. But...y'know, for the situation that we are in, as a last-ditch effort in finding Pinkie Pie, I had to lie. I had to lie to her because it was the only way to get her back on board. Y'know what I mean?"

"Yeah. Yeah I know." Spike folds his arms. "But at least it was the lie she wanted to hear."

Rainbow scoffs. "Yeah, I guess you have a point."

"Well, I don't want to be a handle for you. Get back the group." A bright flash from below distracts Spike from Rainbow. He looks down and sees Twilight and her glowing horn.

"This is the right spell, yes? The 'Listener' spell." Rarity says over the low hum of magic. "Do you hear her?"

"I'm working on it..." Twilight says. Twilight squints her eyes shut and her horn glows brighter.

"Are sure you are-"

"Shush!" Fluttershy quiets Rarity.

A hush falls over the room. Twilight is focusing all of her magic on a concentrated source. A minute goes by. Then another. Three. Four. Five minutes and she does not move.

After eight minutes her faces changes. Her ears twitch. The group lean in closer and hear her whispers.

"I...I can hear her...I can hear her heartbeat...and...I can hear her breathing...it's quiet...but it's still beating...she's still breathing..."

END OF DAY 4

The Last Journal Entry

as of now, my chances for survival are at a new low. the only chance i have left is if i were to be miraculously rescued by tomorrow. but as it seem, that will not happen.

i am very weak, and will soon faint from exhaustion and dehydration, but i must write.

this is my last journal entry.

i did not ask to die. i want to live longer. i want to grow up with my friends. i want to fall in love, have children, and support a family. i love my life.

but i am not going to fight death anymore. it will come to me soon and i have accepted that.

i look back on my life, short as it may have seem. i remember a whole bunch of mistakes i have made, stupid impulses, and annoying behaviors.

but as i lay here on my literal deathbed i realize that i remember so many more happy memories.

i remember the smiles on ponies' faces when i walk up to them; the joy in that special somepony on their birthday; and the delicious sweets the cakes and i would whip up. as i remember more and more happy memories, i find myself thinking that maybe my life has been more than what i thought of it to be. maybe i have done everything i could to make other ponies happy.

it sure made me happy. that thought alone is enough to put my tired head to rest.

but if anypony finds this, please inform the following ponies accordingly.

to the cake family:

it has been such an honor to work with you guys. my experience at sugarcube corner has been more than fulfilling. i loved every cake, cookie, and pastry cooked, and i loved the parties you allowed me to have. it all made me live up to my cutie mark, and i say again thank you. i love all of you.

when looking for a replacement worker, please find somepony with as much energy as me. i don't want you guys to mope about me forever. business must continue at sugarcube corner.

to my family:

you guys have always had my back. i made the choice in my life to be different from you, and you all supported me. i would never have been where i was without you.

mommy, daddy, i know that deep in your guts you thought that i would forget my heritage, but i lived it everyday of my life.

and my sisters, marble and limestone, you are the strongest girls i have ever known. don't let anypony else tell you otherwise.

mom, dad, i love you. marble, limestone, i love you. tell the whole rest of the pie family. i love each and every one of you. you are all crazy, funny, and lovable ponies. i love you.

all of my savings from sugarcube corner will be transferred to the pie family rock farm.

to my friends:

i have no words to describe the life i shared with the five of you. the amount of joy and happiness i have collected from the time i have been with you is uncountable.

rarity, you are the most elegant pony on the face of the planet. your beauty will always captivate everyone that sees you. but within that beauty lies an undeniably charming, nice, and generous personality.

i love you.

applejack, your tenacity and strength has been a wonder to me, but you have shown a great love and appreciation not only to me but to everypony. your heart is strong.

i love you.

rainbow dash, you are the coolest pony out there. you always have been and you always will be. but you are also filled with courage, loyalty, and a carefree nature that has been inspiring to me from the first day i met you.

i love you.

fluttershy, nopony is as kind as you are. nopony is as naturally gorgeous as you are. nopony is as sweet and cute as you are. you are an incredible pony, and an incredible friend.

i love you.

twilight sparkle, through everything that we have been through, whether it be through steep mountain, chaos-ridden landscapes, and changeling infested cities, i am more than grateful that you were there to lead me through it all. your leadership is unrivaled as is your devotion to your friends.

i love you.

all i ask from you is to live out my legacy. to make other ponies happy. to make them smile and dance. to bring joy out of the most mundane of days. that is what i strived to make out of my life, and i hope you will do the same.

and please, all of you, hear me out. whatever you may think, because of what happened to me, do not blame yourselves for my death. please, please, please do not do that. it will only end in sadness and that is not what my legacy should bring. i would never blame any of you for this. you all need to keep on living happy lives. you all deserve it more than i do. you are all amazing ponies and deserve amazing lives.

i love you

rarity i lov e you

app lejack i love you

rai nbow d ash i love yo u

flutt er s hy i lo ve you

t wi lig ht sp ark le i l ov e y o u

i h ave li v ed a hap py lif e

l o v e

y o u

Day 5

The dark morning surrounds the dense forest. Within it, Pinkie Pie's friends and Spike, accompanied by two Air Force cadets, are on the search. Twilight's horn glows bright as she leads the group towards Pinkie location. None of them make a sound.

Twilight stops. The group looks around her to see why. Before her is the fork in the trail, but she is not turing either right or left.

"Why am I still pointing straight...?" Twilight says to herself. She approaches the bushes that cover the split path. She puts herself through the foliage, and with a couple of steps she disappears. The group waits in anticipation.

Twilight calls back to them, "Guys! Come on! There's a path here! It goes right down into the valley!"

Pinkie Pie closes her journal and slides it into her saddlebag. She wipes away her tears, and weakly places her head down.

Her eyes, foggy and glazed, stares up at the entrance of the hole. She can see the outline of the moon through the top of the dense forest. She smiles, knowing that the last entity that will see her fade will be the Mare in the Moon.

Pinkie Pie closes her eyes.

"You have got to watch your step around here!" Twilight warns, right after Applejack almost slipped into a mine hole off the side of the trail.

"Yikes! How many of these mine holes do you reckon are around us?"

"A lot. Too many, actually. But my magic is pulling hard in this area, which means that Pinkie Pie is down one of these holes. There's around two dozen of them in this vicinity, which will make things a bit difficult-"

"Wait, PINKIE'S HERE?!" Rarity screams. "PINKIE! PINKIE PIE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

The rest of the gang move apart, yelling for Pinkie Pie while Twilight tries to get their attention back.

Pinkie Pie's eyes open. Through her cloudy mind she hears voices calling her name. At first she thinks it is some kind of hallucination, brought on by her dilapidated state of mind, but she soon realizes that it is very real.

Pinkie tries to stand but collapses on her own weight. She tries again and fails, already panting from the waste of energy. She tries to speak but only produces a ragged and crackled whisper. She desperately tries to think of something to get their attention before she passes out again. Her eyes dart side to side before they stop at her legs.

"GIRLS! QUIET!" Twilight's voice booms over the cacophonous mix of voices. The group falls silent again. "We can't just go about yelling haphazardly like that! We have to slow down and listen! She could be in any one of these holes, and we all just need to slow down and listen for a response!"

Pinkie Pie lifts her good leg and kicks the side of the hole.

"...what was that?" Twilight whispers after hearing an echoed CRAK. Not a single pony makes a sound.

CRAK.

They all turn to the source of the noise. Behind them, a fallen log covers a mine hole just enough to have been ignored by the group. Spike, being in the rear of the group, approaches the hole carefully. "Pinkie Pie?" he says. He peers down into the hole and hears another CRAK. It is without a doubt coming from this hole.

Spike turns to one of the Air Force cadets. "Gimme your flashlight! NOW!"

Pinkie kicks the side of the hole one last time before going limp. She breathes heavy and short. A high pitched tone in her ears drowns out any kind of noise that she might have been hearing. Her eyes begin to flutter.

Suddenly, a bright light shines down on her. This is it, she thinks, this is the end. But the light is partially blocked by a silhouette. With the ringing in her ears dying down, she can the muffles shouts from the stranger above. He is calling her. He is calling her by name.

Pinkie's mind goes numb. She is not believing what is happening. She is being rescued.

Everything is in slow motion for Pinkie Pie. The silhouette disappears and is replaced by another, this time with wings. It floats down to her, almost covering up the light before it lands right next to her. She can feel her head being lifted and turned to the face of her angel. A blue pegasus with rainbow hair stares at her, looking very worried, shouting what appears to her name.

Rainbow Dash, she remembers. She can feel the words escape her mouth. Her friend stops shouting. Rainbow Dash.........Dashie... Rainbow Dash's eyes immediately swell with tears.

Pinkie is lifted up from the hole carefully within the grasp of her friend. She looks down at the spot where she had stayed put for the the last five days.

Her eyes glaze over and her thoughts turn to blackness.

Spike watches as Rainbow Dash emerges with Pinkie Pie in her grasp. He backs away after the rest of the group who had huddled around the hole. Now, they finally can see their friend up close.

Spike watches the flurry of excited shouts and tears. He takes a look at Pinkie Pie; her eyes are slightly closed, her mane hangs lose, and her breath is long and weak. Twilight notices this and signals all of them to prepare themselves to be teleported back to Ponyville.

With a bright flash the group disappears and the forest is silent again. The only remaining members of the group are Spike and the two Air Force cadets.

It's over. They finally found Pinkie Pie.

"...shit..." one of the cadets says quietly. "...I mean...damn..."

"...I know..." Spike responds. He walks over to a tree and slumps onto it, sitting down. "...that kind of love can be really intense for those not use to it..."

"No...well, you're right, but...I was commenting on the pink pony...did you see her? She was completely emaciated, man...like I could see her ribcage and all...and her skin was really pale...damn, man..." the cadet walks over to the tree and slumps next to Spike. "...I-I-I'm new to all this, man....I'm not use to this kind of shit..."

"I am," says the other cadet. "If you remember a couple days ago I was the one who found the dead pony in a different mine hole with the rainbow girl. And let me tell you," he approaches the two guys sitting down. "that pink pony looked damn near identical to the dead one. You know what that means?"

Spike responds, "Yeah, it means that we found her just in time."

"No. It means she should be dead by now."

"Well, some ponies just have that extra bit of grit."

"She didn't look like the kind of pony who would." The cadet pulls the other cadet onto his hooves. "Well, I guess that means the mission was successful."

"Thank goodness," the other cadet says, "now can we get outta here? This place is really creepy. Hey, dragon-guy, want a lift back?"

"Yeah, sure, but first," Spike stands up, "check the hole. She probably left her saddlebag down there."

The two cadets looks at each other. The new one shakes his head side to side. The other rolls his eyes and trots over to the mine hole. He flies down and after a few moments reemerges with the saddlebag. "It ain't that heavy," he remarks, "never a good idea to pack light."

"Lemme see," Spike says. He takes the bag and looks inside. He pulls from it a journal. "Huh, I didn't know Pinkie kept a travel diary..."

"Hey, don't read it! That's private, and it probably has some messed up shit in there."

"Hey, I'm her friend. She'd be alright with me looking in it. And besides, you'd want to read it, too." The cadet glares at Spike. "Fine, look. I'll just read the first entry, okay?"

The other cadet gets anxious. "C'mon guys, I wanna get outta this place!"

"We will. Now let's see..." Spike opens the journal. The two cadets get in close and listen.

"My papa is celebrating his birthday! I CAN'T WAIT! I've got my saddlebag all packed and ready to go! I've got a LONG hike ahead of me!..."

Voices creep in and out of Pinkie Pie's subconsciousness. One moment she hears a soft familiar voice of one her friends telling her she's going to make it, the next she hears a machine whirring with deep voices talking about keeping her stable.

There are moments of pain and moments of nirvana, all seemingly flowing in and out through Pinkie's mind. She doesn't know when it will be over. She doesn't if she's dying or being brought back. All she can do is wait it out.

An euphoric feeling passes through her and she suddenly finds herself back in the hole. This time, the hole is much wider and taller, and a fog surrounds her. At the other end of the hole, Pinkie see a figure of a pony. It wasn't any ordinary pony. It was Princess Luna.

The fog clears and Pinkie can see Luna's face. The princess stares at Pinkie, saddened and shocked. Her mouth quivers and tears stream from the side of her face. Several moments go by before she speaks.

"I'm........so.......sorry.......we.......didn't.......know...........we........were.....selfish.......and....foolish.......to.....not.....help................I'm........sorry.........we........are.......sorry............."

The figure fades and so does the surrounding environment. The next thing Pinkie sees is a ceiling fan. She opens her eyes a bit more and looks around. She is no longer in a dream. She is in Ponyville hospital, with IV tubes coming out her arms and a breathing tube through nose. She can feel the soft mattress of the bed on her back. She cannot remember the last time she has felt more comfortable.

She can feel somepony gently holding her hoof. She looks to the side. Twilight is sitting next to the bed, her eyes looking into hers. She smiles softly.

"Hello Pinkie," she whispers, "you're back. Your back home, honey."

Pinkie is very tired, but her mind is ecstatic. She could not have wished for a better pony to see after the five days. "T...t...Twi..." Pinkie tries to speak, but she can hardly keep her eyes open.

"Shhh...you can go back to sleep, Pinkie. You're alright now. You're gonna be fine." Pinkie can feel Twilight kiss the top of her hoof.

"Twilight....you......found me......I knew...."

"Yes, we did, Pinkie. We all found you just in time."

".....Twilight....."

"Yes?"

"....I......love.....you.....thank you......"

"...I love you, too, Pinkie. We all love you so much."

Pinkie closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep. She can rest easy. She will wake up.

END OF DAY 5

Spike's Letter to Princess Celestia

Dear Princess Celestia,

As you may or may not have known, my friends and I lost Pinkie Pie five days ago. She had been walking in the woods on an unmarked trail and fell down an abandon mining hole. I am happy to report that she has been found, and she is recovering well at the Ponyville hospital.

I am not happy, still, because of you and your sister.

This is not a friendship report, your highness. Rather the contrary, I've learned quite a few harsh realities about my friends, Twilight Sparkle included. Not through their actions against this situation, but through their reactions. I've have seen the true nature of these ponies. I have seen their weaknesses, faults, and ugliness in terms of personality and substance. My opinions on them have been contorted.

But I don't hold them at fault. Their true characters would eventually show, I know, and it only took a matter of time. Who knew that it would only take a pink pony to fall down a hole to show that.

But I don't hold any of them responsible, either. That blame I am putting on you, your highness.

Did you realize what we were up against? What was at stake? Pinkie Pie's fate wasn't judged by the rugged terrain or the bond between the six friends. It was all judged by time. She was down that hole for five days, she had no food and no company, and she ran out of water on the second to last day. Everyone I have talked to said that Pinkie Pie, in her condition, should be dead right now. Our timing with finding her was impeccable.

But we could've found her sooner had you and/or sister intervened.

This wasn't a normal "adventure", your highness. We were juggling between life and death. Yes, death. I know that's not a word you like to hear, your highness, but death was very well present in this situation.

Can you imagine what would happen if Pinkie Pie had died? Can you imagine the grief of the Ponyville community, knowing that their main outlet of happiness and laughter was gone? Can you imagine the struggles her friends would have to go through, with endless amounts of guilt, shame, and depression that would go through each and every one of them? Can you imagine trying to find a replacement for the Element of Laughter?

Apparently not, because you and your sister did nothing, your highness. You let in unfold like it was another fucking fairy tale.

I do not expect you to react to this in good form, but I do not want you to take this letter in jest. That is what happened last time, your highness, and look at what has happened.

Let me make several things clear: when I write to you and ask for your assistance on a life or death situation, I am not going to be exaggerating myself; do not write me off as just another baby dragon. I've seen just as much as the rest of the six, and I have great amounts of knowledge that even Twilight doesn't know about; and do not look at the world from only your perspective.

I hope you receive this letter in good time, your highness.

Te non esse sapientem.

Sincerely,

Spike

Day 7 (Epilogue)

Day 7

Spike inhales and exhales his fiery breath onto his letter. He watches it fly through the trees and towards Canterlot. He turns around and sees Fluttershy with a saddlebag on her back.

"Oh," he says, "hey Fluttershy! On your way to see Pinkie?"

"Oh yes!" she responds. "I have picked a lovely bundle of petunias, just for her. And, I have freshly made carrot juice, one of Angel's favorite drinks!"

"Heh, you're definitely more peppy all of a sudden."

"Well, who wouldn't be? We found Pinkie Pie! The whole town has been sending her a bunch of gifts and 'Get Well' letters. Everyone is so happy now!" Fluttershy pauses and looks at Spike. "But...why aren't you?"

Spike folds his arms. "I sent a letter to the princesses."

"A friendship letter?"

"No. Just a letter. And judging by the lack of response at the moment, they're not too happy with it"

"Oh...well, hopefully they'll look at things more carefully now."

"They'll have too. That...and I'm a little bummed out."

"Why?"

"I read Pinkie's travel diary. Her last entry had a whole bunch of farewells and such. All of you were on it...except for me."

"Oh, Spike..."

"No no, I know. But I'm not holding anything against her. I guess, in the moment, if you were on your deathbed and was writing your last goodbye, you'd probably think only about your close friends and family. Me? Well...I wasn't much of a close friend."

"Spike, don't beat yourself up about. You are very important dragon to us all, Pinkie included. And your very smart! Why, I still remember that night when you talked to me about the princesses, and I'm still impressed with your intellect!"

Spike smirks and says, "Intellect, huh? Last time I tried talking to somepony about that she pushed me off as a maddragon."

"Whoever would do that?"

"Princess Celestia."

Fluttershy thinks for a moment. "You have quite the rocky relationship with the princess, huh."

"Yeah. I know too much, and she doesn't like that. She likes it when everything and everyone falls into her perfect little world, and I just happen to be treading that thin line out of it."

"But, do you really want to stay on this side, Spike? Is it worth it?"

Spike smiles and looks at Fluttershy. "See? Your beginning to think like me."

"And just like you, not many ponies know about it." Fluttershy stands for a few moments. "Well, what happens now?"

"Now? Well, now is the time you get on up to Pinkie Pie and give her a good morning welcome with the gang. As for me, I'm gonna wait for Celestia's response. If she has any change of heart, I wanna get right back to her with an 'I told you so'."

Fluttershy chuckles. "Well, okay. You sure you don't want to see her?"

"I do wanna see her, but I'll be able to do that later. After all, everything is gonna to go back to way it has been, yes?"

"Well...not really. Pinkie is going to go through a bunch of trauma and stress therapy, Twilight and Rainbow Dash may never fully amend their cracked relationship, and Celestia may not be as great as we all thought. Things might seem like they'll go back the way it has been, but it will be far from what we'll call 'normal'."

Spike smiles, then turns and says, "I'll see you around, Fluttershy."

"Oh, uh, goodbye Spike!" Fluttershy walks away and heads toward Ponyville hospital.

Pinkie Pie wakes up and again sees the multitude of familiar, friendly faces. She'd seen them all yesterday, but she was still too tired, weak, and hungry to really interact. Now that she had some strength back, she opens her eyes wider and smiles.

"Good morning, everypony," she says. They all return the salutation.

"How do you feel, sweetie?" Rarity asks.

"Like I've been sleeping on a cloud! Well, a cloud that has a whole bunch of tubes and wires poking into me." The group laughs. "See, I'm getting back into my element!"

"You sure are, sugarcube," Applejack comes in closer. "Look here, partner! I got a fresh batch of yer favorite cider right in my saddlebag! The hard stuff, too! I figured you'd need something that tasted good on yer tongue."

"Thanks, Applejack, but the doctors said to wait on the hard drinks. I don't my liver to go through what I've been through."

"Heh! Alrighty then!"

"I do like the flowers, Fluttershy! They are just as pretty as you are."

Fluttershy blushes. "Oh, thank you, Pinkie!"

"Oh, and Rainbow, thanks for going the extra mile and getting me an awesome Wonderbolts poster! I'll have the coolest hospital room during my recovery!"

"Hey, don't mention it!" Rainbow says. "You always deserve the coolest things."

Twilight approaches the bed. "We are all very happy to see you getting better, Pinkie. We'll be here to help in any way we can!"

"Awww, thanks girls!"

"Is there anything you'd like at the moment?"

Pinkie Pie thinks for little while. She ponders, looking around the room, until she stops at the window. She can barely see the bright morning light glowing on the trees.

After a few moments of silence she says, "I'd like to go outside."

Twilight looks at Pinkie, worried, before turning to the doctor. The doctor looks at his notes and says, "There's nothing here that says she can't go outside. We'll bring in a wheelchair and an IV stand, then a couple of you can take her out for a little stroll. The gardens around the back are very pretty! The flowers are in full bloom after all of that rain."

Twilight looks back at Pinkie. "What do you think Pinkie? Would you like that?"

Pinkie Pie, now donning a full smile, doesn't hesitate in responding, "I would love that."

Princess Luna looks out her window. She is suppose to be sleeping, getting ready for the night as always, but lately sleep has been a struggle for her.

She looks back at the week. She remembers trying to warn her sister, but her trust in the royal figure undermined the gravity of the situation. She assumed she was right. She normally is, but this time she was not.

What makes her a great princess? she thinks. Why are ponies so loyal to her? Is it her charisma? Her charm? Her kindness? How can those qualities overpower that kind of selfishness? Is this the action of the sister I have known for thousands of years?

Luna levitates a letter in front of her. Spike is very fortunate that Celestia was not here to recieve this letter. I have had doubts in his judgements before, but that has changed now. Luna's horn glows brighter and the letter is set ablaze. She tosses it into her fireplace. It is for the best of Spike not to have Celestia find out about his objections to her rule. I will speak with him in private later about the situation.

Luna walks out of her room. She walks down the hall and turns the corner, almost running into her sister.

"Oh, dear me!" Celestia says. "I apologize, Luna! I almost ran you over!"

"Apology accepted, sister."

"Little sister, why are you still up? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I require a trip to the royal loo, Celestia. You can imagine why that would override my slumber."

"Ah, yes, well, carry on. Your business must be attended to. Fare thee well!"

"Fare thee well." Luna trots with haste, out of earshot.

"Te non esse sapientem..." she whispers. "Te non esse sapientem. I like that." Luna walks on and makes her way to the Starswirl Library.

The sun beams bright and strong on the gardens of the Ponyville hospital. Pinkie can see this through the clear doors as she is being pushed carefully through the hallways. Twilight is handling the wheelchair itself while Rarity keeps the IV rack close by.

Rainbow Dash flies by and hands Pinkie Pie a pair of sunglasses. "The doctor told me that you need to have these on to avoid any eye strain," she says, "that, and it makes you look badass."

"Thanks, Rainbow," she says, putting the sunglasses over her eyes.

Twilight stops briefly at the doors. She uses her magic to open both of them. She turns to Pinkie and says, "Are you ready, Pinkie?"

"Yup!" Pinkie says.

"Alright, let's go."

They push Pinkie through the doors and outside of the hospital. Even with the sunglasses, Pinkie has to cover her eyes for a minute. When she puts her hoof down and squints, she gasps at the sight around her.

The garden is full of blooming, gorgeous flowers. Roses, petunias, and even sunflowers speckled the area. Birds are weaving in and out of the trees, dashing through the tops of the flowers. There is so much color around her! And the smells are intoxicating. The crisp air, the fresh trees, and the fragrant pollen almost seems too much to handle. And the sky. The sky! She can see the beautiful blue sky! Not a single cloud perforated the vast blueness. There is just the sky and the sun, shinning down with warmth and comfort.

Pinkie Pie tries to take in all in. She removes her sunglasses and smiles stupidly at every flower, bird, and tree. Everything she was missing from those five days are all seemingly right in front of her, even her friends. Tears begin to fall down her cheek.

Twilight stops and looks at Pinkie. "Pinkie? Are you alright?" she says.

"Yes, oh yes, I am more than alright," Pinkie Pie says. "I'm just...this is...I'm just so happy! I'm so happy to be here in this beautiful world with my beautiful friends!" The group stops and look at Pinkie, all of them smiling.

"We are very happy to be with you Pinkie."

"I love you girls so much! I'm so happy! I'm so happy to be alive!"

THE END