Forever

by justanotherpony

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Dark, Sad
Length: 9021

Pinkie Pie awakes one day to discover that everypony in ponyville has disappeared. How will this change her emotionally? or has she always felt alone anyway?

Pinkie Pie. The eccentric pink earth pony of Ponyville. Her beloved smile warmed the hearts of everypony around. She is the happiest pony in all of Equestria. The secret to her happiness however, nopony knows. Was she just born happy? Some claim that she was raised to be happy. The truth is, her secret is one that nopony could have ever imagined.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-18 18:08:37 UTC

Gone

    "Hey Twilight!" Pinkie screamed as she burst through the library door. "I haven't seen you in a while!" She pranced around looking for her purple companion with poor results. "Twilight?" When twilight wasn't appearing, Pinkie decided that it was time to go searching.

    "Rainbow Dash!" Ms. Pie yelled to the house made of clouds. "Are you home rainbow?" she proceeded to shout, but there was no answer. Just like earlier at Twilight's house, she went searching.

    Next stop was the boutique. "Rarity?" The always happy pony was starting to get worried. "Why is everypony gone at the same time? Was there a party that I wasn't invited to?" These questions were only making her worry more and more. "I'm sure that there is a logical explanation. I better check on Fluttershy and Applejack. Surely one of them must be home.

    Fluttershy's cottage looked different than usual. Pinkie Pie just couldn't figure out why. She trotted up the sidewalk cautiously and gently knocked her hoof on the front door. It swung open so she figured she could walk inside.

    The cottage was dark and quiet. It seemed as though it had been abandoned years ago. Then she realized what was so different about fluttershy's home. "The animals!" she screamed, "The animals are all gone!" Pinkie was getting frantic now. She realized that she hadn't seen anypony at all that day. After all of her running around, not a single living creature. The party pony remained motionless for several minutes. "Where is everypony?"

    For Pinkies last final chance to find anypony, she sprinted wildly for Sweet Apple Acres."Applejack? Big Mac? Granny Smith? Apple Bloom?" she screamed. The feeling of panic was something she had never experienced before. "Where is everypony?" The once happy pony felt like the loneliest mare in the world.

    The front door to Sugar Cube Corner creaked open as Pinkie slipped through and gently closed it behind her. She was all alone. She had nothing left. Joy and laughter were all that mattered to the pink equine, but it meant nothing when it couldn't be shared with friends.

    The day was drawing to an end. Pinkie was feeling scared and alone. None of the lights were on, and the sun was almost out of sight. The darkness was closing in and she did nothing about it. There was no reason to try anymore. All of her neighbors, family, and most importantly, friends, were gone.

    Her only hope was to fall asleep and wake up out of this nightmare. The building didn't even feel like her home anymore. The bed that used to be so comforting was now cold and uninviting. The walls creaked and cool drafts of air would send chills down her back. It was the most she'd ever tried to fall asleep. Unfortunately though, she could not do it.

    Morning came and the sun shone through the window directly on the depressed mares face. She looked away before the light could bring tears to her eyes. Despite all that was happening, the one thing she absolutely positively would refuse to do, is cry.

    Almost two hours had passed before Pinkie Pie decided to roll out of bed. She kept the blanket draped over her back as she slowly made her way downstairs. On the counter sat a fresh batch of cookies that had been set out to cool, then left to waste away. It was very unlike Mr. and Ms. Cake to just leave freshly baked treats out and forget about them. Whatever happened to them, it must have happened fast.

    The streets of ponyville were bare. Not a creature in sight. Pinkie had been walking around for a few hours now. Normally it would only take her a few minutes to bounce around the entire town, but in her current state, she was not going to start jumping anywhere.

    She rested down by the lake. Her and Rainbow Dash used to hang out there for hours on end. On this day however, it was only her. For the first time, she would see the sun reflecting from the water, feel the warm sand engulf her body, and listen to the birds all on her own.

    "Wait. Birds?" Pinkie jumped to her hooves and began chasing down the source of the sound that she had just heard. "Birds! Birds! Birds!" she yelled joyously. She ran and ran as fast as she could just to get one glimpse of the life that she'd been longing to see, but alas there was no bird. Pinkie had merely been imagining the noises due to her lack of sleep and food. Her stomach decided which she should get first.

    The pink mare walked home slowly, but stopped as she passed The Carousel Boutique. "Oh rarity." Pinkie whispered to herself. "I'm sorry that I didn't show more of a liking for your outfits. I really do like them. You deserved more credit. You deserved a better friend." Pinkie confessed her feelings aloud hoping that somehow the words would reach the ears of the diva who needed to hear them.Pinkie decided that now was as good a time as any to confess how she really fealt about all of her closest friends.

    The front door to Sugar Cube Corner swung open with great force as Ms. Pie burst in with determination. Her mind was no longer thinking of food or sleep. She was on a mission; one that would change her outlook on the lonely world she was now living in. Her friends may not be able to talk to her, but she sure as hell was going to talk to them.

    The Cakes weren't the most organized ponies. So it took Pinkie quite some time to find some paper and a pencil. It wasn't much but it would have to do. She was going to write a letter to all of her friends if it was the last thing she did. Nopony needed to know what the letters said, because all that mattered was that Pinkie was finally able to be honest.

    Her feelings were going to be expressed even if everypony really is gone. Forever.

Letters Part 1

    Pinkie sat down at one of the tables in Sugarcube Corner. Her chair faced the windows. As Pinkie overlooked the street, she thought of who she should write to first. After several minutes of pondering, she decided on twilight.

    Twilight was the closest of her close friends. They spent more time together than Pinkie spent with anypony else. There was even a point where Pinkie had felt romantic emotions toward the lavender unicorn, but she never said anything out of fear of embarrassment. This also lead her to say things that she didn't mean out of nervousness. Trying to hide her feelings seemed to make things worse. Now was her chance to make things right.

    A pink hoof reached down and grabbed a pencil. She wasn't used to holding writing utensils. Normally she would just talk to everypony directly when she had something to say. After quite a bit of fumbling she managed to gain control of the yellow stick, and words finally made their way to the paper.

Dear Twilight,

I know we haven't spent quite as much time together as we used to, but that has been making our time together more special. I'm not sure if I will ever see you again, but I hope I will, and I hope it will be soon. There are many things that I need to share with you. In case I never get to share them with you in person, I would like to share them here. To start off, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being nonsupporting and for running away in your times of need. I was scared. Scared of how you would react if I ever told you the truth. That truth is, I love you. I really do. I'm sorry that I can't say that to your face. Our time together has been wonderful, and yet, saddening. I feared that you would one day realize how I felt about you and stop being my friend because things would be too awkward between us. That's why I acted so mean. That's why I ran away when you needed me most. I couldn't seem too interested in you, and for that I apologize 1000 times. You deserve a better friend. I know you probably won't even get this letter, but at least it's out in the open now. I have said what needed to be said. I hope we will see each other again soon.

Love,

Pinkie Pie

    With that out of the way, Pinkie began to scramble for the next piece of paper. She wasn't very good at prioritizing her friends so she decided on the one that was still fresh in her mind. Rarity.

    They weren't exactly the closest, but Pinkie still cared for her deeply. They had spent some time in the boutique together, with Rarity working on her dresses and Pinkie usually playing with the materials and tools. Things always came to an end the same way though. With Rarity wanting to make a dress for Pinkie and for Pinkie to decline, then leave.

    Rarity had thought that this was because Pinkie didn't like her dresses, and she would usually feel hurt or offended. She let it go though every time though. It's not that she found Pinkie to be rude or anything. It just happened to hurt knowing that she was only trying her best and it was going unappreciated.

    Pinkie thought back to what she had said when she passed the boutique on her way home. The words were a bit fuzzy, but the meaning was crystal clear. She picked up the pencil again and began to write.

Dear Rarity,

We have not been very close to each other recently. I hope that isn't because of how I always run away when you want to make dresses for me. I like your dresses, I really do, but I don't really need one. I enjoy just being regular old me when I'm around other ponies. The dresses just make me feel fake, as if I'm trying to disguise myself. The one you made for me at the gala was really nice and it represented me well, but I still didn't feel like me. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm  sorry. I wanted you to be happy, but if I just said that I didn't want a dress from you, you might get angry and think that I don't like your work. It's not true though. I do like it, and I should've told you while we were together. Unfortunately, we may never see each other again, and you may never truly know how I feel about what you try to do for me. Thank you for being such a good friend even when I was so mean to you.

Sincerely,

Pinkie Pie

    Pinkie looked back at what she had written. Both letters seemed to have something in common but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.

    The sun was setting, marking the end of Pinkie's second day of full isolation. Maybe she could determine the similarities after she gets some sleep. Pinkie grabbed the papers and brought them up to her room, setting them down on the table next to her bed. It felt just like the night before. There was silence everywhere. Her blankets were cold, and stiff. The bed was the last place Pinkie wanted to be right now, but she needed the sleep. Even if she couldn't fall asleep, she was at least going to try her best.

    It was getting colder. The wind was blowing in through the window which was left open. Pinkie was still wide awake. She was never going to get any sleep under these conditions. Pinkie got out of bed. The floor creaked as she made her way to the window. She closed it tightly to make sure that no air could get through.

    The silence was driving Pinkie mad. She couldn’t handle the lack of socialization. As she stared out the window, she realized that this really could be the end. There were no living things in sight, but deep down inside she felt like there was a presence. It was like she could feel somepony out there, watching her.

    Pinkie blamed her paranoia on her lack of sleep and once again returned to her bed. She hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.

Letters Part 2

    The sun came up after yet another sleepless night. Pinkie had never gone a night without sleep, let alone three. However, she was a mare on a mission and she was not going to let this hold her back. A weak hoof reached out and grabbed a piece of paper and the pencil. Rainbow Dash was next on the list.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

I followed you around way too much. It was very rude and unfriendly of me to do that to you. Whenever you would fly away, I would follow. You normally knew when I was around, but there were times that I would just hide in the distance and watch you. It is creepy and I understand that. I'm sorry that I treated you that way. Everypony deserves privacy, and I was not respectful enough to give you yours. You are just so cool though, and I really wanted to hang out with you.

Your friend,

Pinkie Pie

Fluttershy's letter came next. Pinkie's handwriting was beginning to suffer from the lack of food and rest.

Dear Fluttershy,

We never really hung out together. I suppose it's because we don't really have the same interests. Your animals are cute and all, but I like ponies. Talking is what I do and you can't really take that from me. That's why I don't usually come to your house. It's not that I don't like you, I just like to talk to everypony and we never have much of a crowd with all of your animals around. I'm sorry for being insensitive, but that's just how I am. If we ever see each other again, I will make up for it somehow.

Sincerely,

Pinkie Pie

    Pinkie's hooves were shaking and it was getting harder and harder to think. "Only one more left." she reassured herself. This was all she had left in the world and was determined to finish what she started.

Dear Applejack,

You are a very respectable mare. The things that you have accomplished are unmatched by anypony else. You work hard and you treat everypony with respect. I wish I could say the same about myself. I'm just too busy talking and partying to do anything productive. I made up excuses every time you would ask me to come help you on the farm. I want to help, but I would rather do things that are more fun. I'm sorry that you've had to do all of those things on your own, even after you helped me with my silly tasks. I wish you could see how hard I can work, but I may never get the chance to prove myself.

Sincerely

Pinkie Pie

    That was it. Pinkie had expressed her feelings toward each one of her closest friends. She still felt that there was something similar about the letters. She glanced back over all five of her writings to no avail.

    Pinkie sealed up the letters in their own envelopes and marked each one accordingly. Next step, delivery. She walked down the stairs with the letters in her mouth. Only then did she realize how hungry she was. It had been days since her last meal.

    The five envelopes were spat out onto one of the tables. Pinkie turned around and headed for the kitchen, remembering the cookies that the Cakes had left out before their disappearance.

    "That's odd." Pinkie said with confusion. The cookies were gone. She swore that she had seen them there just the other day. "Either somepony is around that I don't know about, or I'm going crazy." She assumed the latter due to the combination of recent events.

    Pinkie finally decided to make a daffodil and daisy sandwich. It was one of Twilight's favourites, and by extension, hers. She walked outside for the ingredients, reminiscing on when she would do this with Twilight for lunch when the weren't too busy. "I miss you Twi." Pinkie said with a tear forming in her eye.

    When Pinkie returned to the kitchen, she located the loaf of bread and began to compose her sandwich. As she was topping it off, she heard hoofsteps outside. She sprinted to the door with as much energy as she could muster up only to catch a split second glimpse of a pegasus flying away.

    The mysterious pony vanished in the blue, but not how you would think. The sky twisted and warped as the pony reached it. The equine silhouette passed right through as the ripples subsided. It was as if the sky had eaten the only sign of life Pinkie had seen in days. She believed that her mind was playing tricks on her. Things like that don't just happen. Ponies don't just disappear either.

    Pinkie was beginning to get worried about her own sanity. She knew what she was seeing but wasn't sure if she believed it. None of it could be explained. Her final decision was to press forward.

    All five letters found their way to their respective home's mailbox. Pinkies quest was complete. She was proud of what she had done. Her feelings were finally out in the open, even if nopony knew it. Pinkie then vowed that even if everypony returned, she would leave the letters. Her friends deserved to know how she felt.

    The walk back to her home drove Pinkie into a very depressed state. If those letters were all she had of herself, then what would she be if she never made those friends in the first place. She was nothing without her friends. They made her who she was. Now that they were were gone Pinkie had nothing left to live for.

    Pinkie walked into the shop. It was once a place of happiness, laughter, and fulfillment. Now it would become her grave. She grabbed a length of rope from the storage closet, tied it to one of the support beams on the ceiling, and stood on a chair directly below. With the noose around her neck, she finally realized what was so similar in all of her letters. The one thing that needed to be said to all of her friends. She figured they would be the best last words she could have. As she stepped towards the edge of the chair. She said it for the first time out loud. "I'm sorry."

Missing

    "Hey Fluttershy." Twilight said cheerfully as she passed her in the market.

    "Oh. Hey there Twilight." Fluttershy responded.

    "You're still coming to my slumber party right?" the lavender unicorn asked as if any of her friends would ever dream of cancelling on her. "It's going to be my biggest one yet."

    "Oh of course I'll be there. I wouldn't miss is for the world." Her timid voice covering her own excitement.

    "I have to finish getting the food for the party now, so I'll see you tonight. Bye Fluttershy."

    "Goodbye Twilight."

    "Oh. One more thing Fluttershy." Twilight said just before leaving speaking distance from her friend. "Have you seen Pinkie recently?"

    "I can't say that I have, but i don't see her very often anyway. She usually seems to avoid my cottage whenever she can."

    "Ok well thanks anyway. See you tonight." With that, Twilight sparkle trotted off to finish her preparations.

    Twilight went to sweet apple acres soon after she ran into Fluttershy at the market. Applejack was going to make some special apple cider for the slumber party, and Twilight was not going to let her forget. After all, this was her biggest slumber party yet. She wanted everything to go perfectly.

    "Applejack? Where are you Applejack?" twilight repeated as she walked through the orchard.

    "Over here Twi."

    Twilight followed the voice to a small shed in a small open field. "Can I come in Applejack?" she asked curiously.

    "You sure can't. There are secret apple family recipes in here. Only people allowed are Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Myself.

    "What about Apple Bloom?"

    "Well, she aint too good with secrets, so lets just say there's a chance that she doesn't even know that this shed is out here.

    "I see. So have you made the apple cider for my party yet?" Twilight had a one track mind, and for today, that track was her party.

    "I'm just finishing it up if you would wait just a minute."

    "OK. Are you sure you made enough of it?"

    "You tell me." Applejack said as she slid the barrel of cider out of the door.

    "That should be perfect."

    "Unless a certain pink friend of ours is thirsty."

    "Speaking of Pinkie, have you seen her around? It's been a couple of days since I last saw her." Twilight seemed more concerned than when she had asked Fluttershy.

    "Sorry Twi, but I haven't seen her for a few days either. I've been working quite a bit as of late and she doesn't like work, so she doesn't come around. Go ask Rainbow Dash. Those two are always getting into trouble together." Applejack was getting annoyed just thinking about some of the pranks they have pulled on her.

    "Good thinking Applejack. Those two are always up to no good." Twilight began trotting away at a brisk pace. "I'll see you tonight."

    "See you tonight sugarcube."

    Twilight arrived at Rainbow Dash's house. "Rainbow Dash! Are you home?" Twilight hated having to yell for her every time she was at her house.

    "Of course I'm home." The cyan pegasus poked her head out of one of the windows. "And for the record, I was taking a nap that you happened to wake me up from, so this better be important.

    "Actually Rainbow, it is." Twilight was showing genuine concern at this point. "I can't seem to find Pinkie Pie anywhere and I wanted to make sure she didn't forget about my slumber party. Nopony else has seen her for a few days either."

    "Have you checked her house. If she's not out and about on the streets, then she's probably there." Rainbow made it sound so obvious.

    "That sounds like a great place to look. Thanks for the help Dash." Twilight turned around to walk away, but stopped briefly to ask her usual question. "You'll be at my party too right?"

    "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

    Twilight was satisfied enough with that response. It was just Rainbow Dash's way of pretending that she didn't really care so that she could seem cool. So Twilight made her way for Sugarcube Corner.

    It was a slow day in the small shop. There were only two ponies there as customers. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were working the counter together.

    "Hey Twilight!" Mr. Cake shouted with his usual enthusiasm. "Come here for lunch?"

    "Actually, I'm looking for Pinkie. Have either of you seen her?" Twilight replied.

    "Sorry Twilight, but I think she just left." Mrs. Cake chimed in. "We found this daffodil and daisy sandwich on the counter that she made and probably forgot to bring with her. You can have it though if you want."

    "Thank you Mrs. Cake, but I had a big breakfast. When was the last time you actually saw Pinkie Pie?"

    "I suppose it's been a few days. Why?"

    "I've been looking around for her and nopony so far has seen her for a few days. It's just not like her to disappear like that." Twilight was now at the point of being worried. She didn't know what happened to Pinkie, but she had a feeling that it wasn't good.

    "You're right. She never just runs away like that." Now Mrs. Cake was getting worried. "Please let us know if you find her."

    "I will Mrs. Cake. You can count on me." Twilight waved goodbye as she galloped straight for the door.

    Twilight took the fastest route she could think of back to the library. Surely she would have a book that could help her find Pinkie. She remembered having a few books on the subject. Alien abductions, foalnapping, even some of her Daring Do books might have some relevant theories.

    After arriving at the library she called home, Twilight slowed her pace. She grabbed her mail from her mailbox and threw the pile of letters on her table inside. She took one deep breath and began searching for knowledge. She would need to learn everything there was to learn about disappearances if she was ever going to find Pinkie.

Plan

    Twilight had searched through nearly every book in her library. Only a few seemed remotely accurate to the situation. Maybe she just wasn't looking in the right places. She checked every book that she knew of, but the information just wasn't there. All of the books she could think of were just old pony tales and had no true evidence. Nothing would help her find Pinkie Pie at this rate, and time was only adding to her stress. The longer she waited, the more there was a chance that something bad could be happening to Pinkie.

    Three loud knocks were heard at the door. "Twilight? Are you in there?" The southern drawl was unmistakeably Applejack. "We're all here and we have some things that you might want to see.

    Twilight walked to the door and opened it slowly as if all hope was lost. "Unless it's about where Pinkie is, I probably wont care." The disappearance of her pink friend was driving her happy spirit into the ground. Pinkie was all she could think about.

    "Actually Twilight. It is."

    This made the purple unicorn very happy. Her eyes were glowing with hope. "What is it?" she screamed with excitement. "Where is she? What do you know?"

    "Unfortunately, Twilight," Applejack sighed, "We don't know where she is. All we know is that she is gone. We all got these letters from her. They all talk about how sorry she is for things that she has done, or in my case, hasn't done. Then she said that she may never see us again."

    "It doesn't say where she went?" Twilight questioned. "Not even any clues?" She grabbed the letters from her friends and began inspecting them for herself. "Who gave these to you? Why didn't I get one?" She had entirely forgotten about the mail that she had just brought inside. "We need to find her. Does anypony have any ideas as to where she might be?

    "I'm afraid not darling." Rarity chimed in. "We discussed it on the way here, but none of us could think of anywhere that we have not already checked." She looked down at her hooves in sorrow as if this had all been her fault.

    Twilight looked over the letters once more. She took note of all of the details. "She's clearly sorry for how she treated you all." Twilight began analyzing the letters out loud. "She clearly felt like she was not being a very good friend. I bet she thought that we would all be better off without her, so she left. We weren't even good enough friends to realize that she felt that way." Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "Now she's gone. It's all our fault. We should have picked up on her feelings, but we didn't. Now we need to find her and explain how we feel about her. Like how much we love her parties, her smile, her laugh," Twilight inhaled deeply and continued the list, "the way she pretends to read books to seem more book-smart, how cute she is when she curls up into a ball and falls asleep on my floor."

    "Um. Twilight." Applejack interrupted the seemingly endless trail of words. "Is there something that you need to tell us about you and Pinkie Pie? Because these don't seem to apply to all of us."

    Twilight was shocked at how easily her mind got side tracked. She was saying things out loud that she never would've considered letting out of her own mind. She looked away as she began to blush. "Never mind what I just said. The point is, we need to find out where she is, and we need to get her back." Her voiced changed to one of determination. "Now who has any ideas as to where somepony would go if they thought that they were unworthy of being around their closest friends?"

    "Maybe she went home." Fluttershy said quietly from behind her friends. "Wherever that is."

    Twilight thought for a moment about what she just heard. "I don't think I even know where Pinkie is from." She momentarily dropped her motivation and fell back into her feelings of sadness. "I've spent so much time with her. We've been such close friends. Not once have I asked where she was from." Tears were now trickling down her lavender cheeks. "Now we may never find her."

    "Maybe we can help." Said a small voice.

    "Yeah. We might know where Pinkie could've gone." Said another mysterious voice.

    "We would love to help you guys out." Rarity had recognized this third voice as her little sister's.

    "Why are you and your friends listening to our conversations, Sweetie Belle?" Rarity was not fond of it when Her little sister would eavesdrop on their conversations.

    Apple Bloom answered for Sweetie. "We were spying on you guys to see if we could get our cutie marks." She was too honest sometimes, much like her sister.

    Now it was Applejack's turn to cut into the conversation. "You really shouldn't be treating other ponies like that, Apple Bloom. You'll get yourself into trouble someday if you keep snooping around like that."

    "But Applejack." Apple Bloom whined. "how can I get my cutie mark if I don't try everything?"

    "I told you to just be patient and your cutie mark will just come to you someday. Searching for it won't speed up the process."

    "Will you two cut it out for a minute. Now is not the time for this conversation." Twilight was not playing around today. "Now what can you three fillies tell me about Pinkie?"

    "Well." Scootaloo spoke. "She once told us about how she got her cutie mark, and she may have mentioned where she was when that happened. I'm guessing that it was where she lived."

    "So where was it?" Twilight asked sternly.

    "It was some rock farm somewhere. That's all we know though." Scootaloo was straining her brain to remember more details about it but there wasn't much more that they were told.

    "Sounds like you three should go and try to find the exact location of it then." Twilight said enthusiastically. "Maybe you'll get your cutie marks in searching for things." She put on a very non-genuine smile, but the three fillies couldn't seem to tell.

    "We're on it!" the trio yelled in unison.

    As the cutie mark crusaders rode away on Scootaloo's scooter, Twilight turned to her friends to reveal her plan. "OK. That should keep them busy and out of our way. Now let's head to Canterlot and see if Celestia has any knowledge about which rock farm Pinkie used to live on, and where we will be able to find it. Are you ready girls?" Twilight was now beaming with hope. "Let's do this. For Pinkie!"

Discoveries

    The cutie mark crusaders were lost in the Everfree forest. They weren't really sure where a rock farm could possibly be, but everything mysterious to them was usually through the Everfree. Though they had been through the dark forest many times before, they didn't have the slightest idea where anything was. It was as if the forest changed every time they went back.

    There was a chilling wind that found its way through the trees. The three fillies shivered every time the cold air rushed against them. They had to continue though if they were ever going to find out what had happened to Pinkie Pie.

    Zecora's small hut could be seen through the trees, so the CMCs knew that they were at least making it further from Ponyville. They set course for the direction opposite their home. It was going to be a long walk if they were ever going to make it out of the other side of the forest. They didn't even know how big it was, or even if there was another side.

    "Have you guys even heard of a rock farm before?" Scootaloo asked her friends.

    "No. I guess I haven't." Sweetie replied. She was already starting to doubt that they would find it, or even if it existed for that matter.

    "I've never heard of it either," stated Apple Bloom, "but I'm sure it's out here somewhere." She was the most confident out of the trio. She trusted that what Pinkie had told them was true, and she believed that they really could do anything that they wanted when they tried hard enough.

    "Do either one of you even know how big the Everfree forest is?" Sweetie asked more curiously than usual. Her doubt of finding the rock farm was growing slowly.

    "It can't be too big." Scootaloo replied. "I'm sure plenty of ponies have crossed it before."

    "I guess we'll just have to find out." Apple Bloom added.

    They pushed onward despite the unbearable cold and loud noises of the wild animals that lurked in the shadows. The breeze grew stronger as the trees became denser. It was hard to keep their direction as they navigated their way around the nature that stood in their path.

    The howling of the timber wolves was frightening, but the three fillies pushed on. They had come too far to be stopped by fear. They knew that this quest would be dangerous. None of the risks went unnoticed. Even if this was the end of their lives, at least they went out knowing that it was for Pinkie.

    Light was starting to peek through the trees. It had been several hours now but the end was finally near. The three fillies picked up their pace hoping to make it out of the forest.

    They were in the final stretches. The grass could be seen reflecting the beautiful rays of light from the sun. Their journey through the treacherous wild would be completed. Then they were heard.

    Three timber wolves sprang from the dark. They were ready to feed, and their meal had just walked right into their home. Their keen sense of hearing helped them notice when the fillies hoof-steps picked up speed. If the crusaders had kept their original pace, they could have gotten out of the Everfree unnoticed. But their excitement ultimately caused this horrifying situation.

    A quick decision had to be made. They could either fight, or run. Scootaloo was the one to make that decision because she was the first and only one to speak. "Run!" she yelled. The others agreed in their minds and not a single other word was spoken.

    The three of them galloped for the edge of the forest. They had never exerted this much energy in their entire lives. The timber wolves were still catching up however. No matter how hard the fillies tried, they just couldn't escape. The sunlight was close, it was almost blinding.

    Then something terrible happened. Apple Bloom tripped. She had screamed in horror with nopony around to hear except for her two friends. Sweetie and Scootaloo turned to help her only to watch as a timber wolf dragged her off into the trees by the tail. They quickly decided that they wouldn't be able to save her now, and resumed their sprint to safety.

    The trees were now behind the two remaining fillies. Their hooves never lost speed. They may have been in the open but they were still being pursued. Their eyes were finally adjusting to the amount of light that they were being subjected to. Just as their surrounding were becoming clear, They heard two loud cries followed by howling and whimpers. They turned only to find that two royal guards had impaled the two beasts with their spears.

    "Thank you." Scootaloo spoke. "but what are you guys doing all the way out here."

    The guards did not speak. Sweetie Belle glanced around the area to get an idea of where they were. The area was barren and desolate. Nothing but rocks. "This must be it." she said to her orange companion. Then she saw something high in the sky. A large spinning mass of black and dark blue hues. She was captivated by the sight. Her brain was being flooded with curiosity and theories as to what it was. That was when she saw it. Hooves were coming out of the center of it. She then knew that it had to be a portal.

    Sweetie was then distracted by a large thump. She glanced to her friend only to find that the young pegasus had been bashed in the head by one of the royal guards spears. "You should've never come here." said one of the guards. Then Sweetie felt a powerful blunt force strike her head. Her vision faded to black and the last thing she could see before going unconscious was the hooves from the portal finally touching the ground. She managed to make out the shape as being a very tall mare figure. She even managed to hear a guard say three words.

    "Welcome back princess."

Meeting

    "Are you sure that you all want to come with me?" Twilight questioned as the five mares stood at the train station. "I know that you all have your responsibilities here, and we don't even know if Celestia will even have any answers to where Pinkie might be."

    "I don't have any responsibi-" Rainbow Dash's sentence was cut off by Applejack hoof being shoved in her mouth.

    "What Rainbow is trying to say is, we're coming with you." Applejack replied.

    "If there is even a chance that this could help us find her, it will be worth missing out on a few days of dressmaking at the shop." Rarity added. "I could use a break anyway."

    Fluttershy then chimed in with, "I taught Angel how to take care of all of my animals in case I ever had to leave for something like this, so I'll be fine for a few days."

    "Well I guess that settles it!" Twilight shouted definitively. "We're all going to Canterlot."

    After a few minutes of waiting by the ticket booth, they heard the loud whistle of the friendship express. Then with some screeching from the metal wheels grinding against the tracks, the train came to a halt. The close friends hopped on right as the door opened, and found five seats right next to each other. There was much to be discussed before finally confronting such a large figure of authority about a missing pony.

    It took several hours for the train to reach Canterlot. Once they arrived, Twilight insisted that they head immediately for the castle, in hopes that Celestia would be able to tell them about the rock farm right away, and they might have enough time left in the day to go and investigate.

    The group arrived at the gates of the castle. It was heavily guarded and the gates were closed. Usually, the gates would be left open, only to be guarded by four or five stallions. This was not the case today. Twilight was worried that something bad was happening. Maybe someone was threatening to attack Canterlot. She approached the head guard and began to speak. "Uh. Excuse me? I really need to speak to princess Celestia right now. It's urgent."

    "I'm sorry Twilight." The guard replied. "But princess Celestia is away at the moment on official business."

    "What's with all of the security?" Twilight questioned. "If the princess isn't even here to be protected, then why do you need to guard the castle this well?"

    "The princess just demanded that the castle be cleared of any visitors until after she has returned and taken care of her business." The guard was speaking in a very worried tone. It was as if he was just as concerned about what was going on as Twilight was. "We don't ask questions, so that's all I know. It's nothing against you Twilight, We're just doing our jobs."

    "I understand." Twilight hung her head as the words came out. "Do you have any idea when she'll be back?"

    "Today." Said the guard. He was happy to share whatever information he could. "Though I don't know much else. Now it would probably be best if you just wandered around town until she gets back. Just check back here every hour or so."

    Twilight looked down at the ground as if she had been defeated. "OK. We will do that then. Thanks for your help sir." Twilight turned around to walk into town to waste away a few hours until the princess arrived. "Come on girls we'll come back later."

    "Wait twilight!" Applejack shouted as she pointed up at the sky. "I think that's her!" There were three ponies flying towards the castle from the Everfree forest. One of them was noticeably larger than the others. As they got closer, the five mares could clearly distinguish Celestia as the larger pony that was leading the pack. The two ponies that were accompanying her could then be clearly made out as royal guards. Though each one had a large mysterious lump on their backs. It was about the size of a young filly or colt.

    Twilight and her friends watched as they all landed in the castle courtyard and proceeded to enter through the main door. They could now see that the lumps on the guards' backs we large bags. Perhaps they were carrying all of Celestia’s supplies for whatever it was that she was out doing. After the guards were inside, Celestia closed the door behind them and made her way to the front gate. "Thank you all for keeping the area secured." Celestia's voice was mild and soothing. "You didn't have too many visitors did you?" She asked jokingly before looking down and seeing Twilight and her friends waiting patiently outside the castle grounds. "Oh. Twilight. Please come in. I wasn't really expecting you. So sorry to keep you waiting." Now Celestia's tone was much more frantic and nervous.

    "Thank you Princess." The group said simultaneously.

    "It's no worry at all." Celestia replied. "But we will have to stay in the courtyard for now until my guards are done putting my um... things... um... away?"

    "Are you OK Celestia?" Twilight asked. "You seem a little bit on edge today."

    "Of course I'm alright, Twilight." Celestia quickly regained her composure. "It's just been a long day. That's all. So what possessed my protege to come all the way out here to Canterlot to see me?"

    "Well Princess, it's kind of a long story. Maybe we should wait until we can go inside, then we can sit down and it will be much easier to explain." Twilight showed sadness in her voice.

    Celestia was seeming even more nervous now. She knew what was going on. She knew exactly what Twilight wanted to talk about. But she did not plan for it. She never thought of how she would respond when it inevitably came up. This was not a good subject for quick thinking. Something like this needed to be handled with care. She needed more time to plan for how she was going to explain the situation to her star pupil. So she did the only thing she could think of in that moment. "Twilight Sparkle. Please come inside. But your friends must remain out here." Celestia tried to sound as calming as possible. "I assure you it's for the best."

Screaming

    Twilight was now leaving her friends so that she could hear what the princess had to say, in private. Princess Celestia lead the way slowly, as though she was thinking about every individual step that she was taking. This concerned Twilight because she had never seen the princess so deep in thought before. Twilight just followed closely behind, and obeyed orders. She did not want to offend the ruler that was clearly having a difficult time with the situation.

    Twilight's friends were looking from afar as the doors to the castle were closed behind their best friend. "I hope she'll be OK." Applejack said. "Whatever it is that Celestia wants to talk about must be pretty darn important for her to only want to tell twilight."

    "I'm sure she'll be fine." Rarity replied. "She's handled quite a few rough situations before, and this should be no exception." She was trying to seem tough and confident, but she was just as concerned as Applejack. In fact, all of the ponies were getting worried. It was very uncommon for the princess to drag Twilight away from her friends just for a conversation. Especially if that conversation was about another one of their friends.

    Nearly an hour had passed. The four mares were laying in the courtyard's grass. Very few words were exchanged during this time. They were beginning to realize the gravity of the current situation. Celestia would never keep Twilight aside for this long unless the circumstances absolutely demanded it. "I really hope she's OK." Fluttershy stated. She had hardly said a word ever since they got into Canterlot. It showed in her voice that she was genuinely concerned.

    "Don't worry darling." Rarity wrapped a leg around Fluttershy's neck, and gently let her hoof rest on the shivering pegasus's shoulder. She slowly pulled Fluttershy closer to provide comfort and ease her mind. "Everything will be just fine. There is no need to worry."

    The waiting was then interrupted by very loud screaming coming from the castle. The noise was high pitched and sounded as if it was filled with terror. It was the kind of sound you would hear from a young filly who had just been awoken by a nightmare.

    "Did you all hear that?" Applejack asked, with no hesitation.

    Rainbow Dash was the first to respond. "You don't think that was twilight, do you?"

    "I certainly hope not." said Fluttershy as she broke away from rarity's embrace.

    "I do believe I have heard that scream before." Rarity added. "It did not, however, sound like Twilight. Either way, I refuse to stand by as somepony that I may know screa-" Rarity was cut off by another round of the terrified hollering. This time though, the voice cracked mid yell, letting out a loud high pitched squeak that Rarity was very familiar with. Her eyes were instantly filled with worry. "Sweetie Belle." she whispered to herself. With that, she was off to the castle. She needed to find out what was wrong.

    "Rarity! Wait for us!" Her friends yelled as they chased after her.

    "No time!" Rarity yelled back, never slowing her steps. "She clearly needs my help right now!" Her pace began to quicken. She had never exerted this much energy all at once before. Her fragile legs were beginning to ache from trying to run at such high speeds. Not even Rainbow Dash or Applejack could keep up.

    When Rarity approached the front door, she was greeted by two guards. "Hello gentlecolts. Mind if I get through those doors? I really need to be inside there right now." Her fear and stress were taking their toll on her flattery, making her sound a little too aggressive.

    "Unfortunately we can't let anypony in at the moment." Replied one of the guards. "One of the prisoners has escaped the dungeon and we can't afford to let anypony go in until she is detained."

    Another loud scream rang out from inside the castle. It sounded like it was just on the other side of the door. "Sweetie Belle!" Rarity cried. She heard tiny hoofsteps getting closer to the door. "Sweetie Belle!" She called again.

    Rarity finally got the answer she was looking for. "Rarity!" The voice calling out to her was unmistakably her little sister. "Rarity! Help!" The sound was getting even closer to the door.

    "Don't worry Sweetie! I'm coming!" Rarity yelled, hoping that her voice would reach her sisters ears. She ran at the door with all her force. The guards were holding her back as much as they could, but Rarity was surprisingly strong. She slowly managed to get just close enough to the door to give it a good push. The door swung open just in time for Rarity to see a group of guards tackle and beat her sister to the ground. "No!" she screamed. "Not my sister!"

    Rarity's disbelief put her into a state of weakness. The two guards used this opportunity to pull her back and shut the door just as Rarity's friends arrived.

    "What's going on?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

    "Just help me!" Rarity replied instantaneously.

    Without second guessing it, Rainbow Dash and Applejack jumped into the action and started pulling the guards off of their friend. Fluttershy kept trying to fight by their side, but whenever she go close enough to throw a punch, she would start to feel sad and back away. When the two guards were finally occupied with Rainbow Dash and Applejack, Rarity sneaked out from the action and started making her way around the castle, looking through the windows to try and spot her sister.

    One of the guards discovered what Rarity was doing, so he turned his attention from the beaten and bloody cyan pegasus to the white unicorn that was attempting to flee. Leaving Rainbow behind, unable to move, the guard began his high speed chase to stop the mare from causing more trouble than she already has.

    Rarity continued running alongside the castle walls, checking through the seemingly endless amount of windows. However, not paying attention to where she was going caused her to accidentally step into a hole in the ground. Her body fell forward with the speed that she had been running, snapping her leg. Rarity had never broken a bone before, so the pain that came over her was worse than anything she could've imagined. She looked down at her hoof, only to see it dangle lifelessly, only being held on by a small amount of muscle and skin.

    The guard that was chasing Rarity saw this as a perfect opportunity to apprehend the unicorn. He grew nearer and nearer until he was suddenly tripped by a light yellow hoof. "Oh I'm so sorry." Fluttershy shrieked. "Are you OK? I didn't mean for you to fall that hard."

    The guard didn't see things the same way. He stood up to face Fluttershy, and with one quick motion, he planted a punch right between the pegasus's eyes, knocking her to the ground. Fluttershy began screaming through her tears wishing that this whole day hadn't happened. The guard placed a hoof on Fluttershy's head as he looked at Rarity. Rarity made eye contact with him as she tried to seem strong despite her own pain. "Say goodbye to your friend." said the guard as he began to apply pressure to Fluttershy's skull. Rarity was speechless. She had no idea what to say. Then the silence was broken by a loud crack as Fluttershy's head collapsed beneath the hoof of the guard, blood spilling out across the grass.

    "You monster." Rarity whispered, unable to yell through all of the emotions going through her head. She turned away so that she wouldn't have to look at the gruesome scene, then decided that it would be for the best if she continued her mission. She would not let such a sweet and innocent life end in vain. With all her might, she stumbled and limped as fast as she could away from the murderer that was chasing her down. luckily, through the next window, she saw Sweetie Belle. She swung her body towards the glass window, smashing it with her shoulder.

    "Rarity." Sweetie tried to scream. She was weak and could barely say her sisters name through the blood that was coming from her nose and mouth. Her bruised body was being dragged through the halls by several armed guards, whose attention was drawn the the mare who had just broken in through the window.

    "You won't give up will you?" said the leader of the group.

    "As long as my sister is alive, I will never stop fighting." Rarity spat the words out with anger and frustration. She had come too far to go down without a fight.

    "Then i guess this should take care of it." The leader replied. The guard that was pulling Sweetie Belle through the castle held the small unicorns body in place on the ground so that it wouldn't move. Then the leader positioned himself behind her head. The two sisters could clearly see each other's faces.

    "Rarity." Sweetie Bell said as strongly as she could.

    "Yes Sweetie?" Rarity replied.

    "I lo-" The words were ended as the leader of the guards swung his forehoof into the back of Sweetie Belles head. The force from the kick snapped her neck, nearly taking the filly's head clean off.

    Rarity was defeated. She had nothing left now. Her legs weakened and she collapsed on the floor. The guard that had been chasing her climbed in through the broken window, bearing a knife. He approached the mare that was laying across the shattered glass and positioned his blade over her throat. "I love you too Sweetie." Rarity spoke softly as the blade began cutting through the flesh of her neck, ending her life.