We Found Your Hat

After breakfast, which consisted solely of candy and desserts, the trio ventured off to Sugarcube Corner. Logo had already told them about the incident with Pinkie, and despite chances of getting caught with a fake crown, they decided to attend the welcome party. It could arouse more suspicion by skipping out. Plus, that could leave a poor witness, and seeing as this town had religious-absence, they did not want to leave a terrible first impression. On they went.

Upon entering the village, Loops skipped into the sky. He hovered above his two walking friends and simultaneously kept an eye out for Rainbow. He wanted to see all her moves, so he could copy them. After all, she was much better than him at air aerobatics. The other two were more concerned about getting to their destination promptly.

Halfway through town, the three passed by the beauty salon. Loops went slightly ahead peering out for some action, and he indeed found some, though not of Rainbow neither in air. A tan Earth Pony darted across the ground heading straight for Pixer and Logo. “H-hey, guys! Look ou-” Too late. Pixer rounded the corner and he and the speeding pony collided. The crash ended up dumping the contents of Pixer's saddlebags. The crown flew out. Taking a second look, Loops noticed two crowns—identical.

“Oh my goodness!” Logo immediately went to help the stranger. Giving a hoof, he lifted the poor fellow up, but as both their eyes met, Logo jumped back in terror. “Gah! What in the world?!” Once up, the tan pony jumped to the mess that had come from the crash. He stared intently on the duplicate tiaras, then shook his head widely, grabbed one at random, and sprinted away. Before helping Pixer off the ground, Logo made note of that pony's cutie mark. “Guys, remember an hourglass.”

While picking up his stuff, the dazed Pegasus inquired, “Why?”

Logo shuddered and shut his eyes. “They looked dead. Bleh... it makes me gag just thinking about it!”

“What did?”

“His eyes! His hoof! He was cold to the touch! He smelled like a rotting corpse!” Suddenly, the yellow pony lift a hoof to his mouth resiting the urge to empty his stomach contents. He lurched. Despite attempts at at the alternative, the delicious meal of unhealthy sweets shot up from his stomach and spewed on the ground. Pixer immediately abandoned his things, as he watched his friend barf in public. He went to get closer, but Logo regurgitated again. Once finished, the empty-stomached pony stepped away from the mess he had left, turned around, and quivered sharply.

“Are you all right?” Pixer asked with great concern and came up beside his buddy. A head shake answered. “What happened?” Around the time he asked, a few neighborly ponies cantered over and handed out concern. “N-no, uh, we're fine. He'll be all right.” Crunch. One of the native ponies had noticed Pixer's things on the ground and walked over to get a closer look. In doing so, he accidentally crushed one of Pixer's camera lens.

Callous to the damage he had done, the pony poked the painted tiara and asked, “Isn't this Princess Twilight's crown?”

With double urgency Pixer scurried to the mess and tossed it all into his bag. “Heh, no. It's a fake, a toy.” His tone had grown somewhat fierce, for that lens was brand new. “Go away. I'll take care of him.” When the townspony hesitated, the photographer yelled, “Go away!” At least, he scrammed along with the two ponies that had accompanied him. “Loops, we should get Logo to a doctor. Loops?” Pixer looked up but found nopony. “Where did he go?” The red Pegasus shook his head before moving to his sickly friend again. “We should take you to the doctor.” Logo held his rump to the ground staring into the ground with one hoof over his mouth. The words made no effect. After losing that expensive camera lens, a deal of frustration hung over Pixer, but he held it within. “Logo.” No response. “Logo!” He waves in front of the Earth Pony's face. Finally, the photo-taker backed away to give his pal space.

For several minutes, the two sat in silence. Ponies passed by, and some offered to help; nevertheless, Pixer sternly refused each time. As time waned, worry and panic began to set in. Something was wrong with Logo, Loops had gone missing, and Pixer knew no means of helping. Useless. Additionally, guilt had started to set in over his reaction to the loss of his lens. In every way, he felt terrible.

“We should go to the party,” Logo spoke weakly. Although, even with a weak tone, he managed to startle Pixer.

“H-hey.” The flying pony looked at the flightless one but averted eye contact. “I'm sorry.”

“Huh?” With both eyes squinted, Logo dipped his head forward. “What are you talking about?”

“I got upset, and I yelled.”

“Oh. I didn't hear that. You're forgiven, though.” Like nothing ever happened, Logo jogged up to his comrade and nudged him in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. “I'll explain what happened on the way. Though, I do apologize for zoning out like that; I... I don't understand what happened.” The two reengaged their venture to the party.

“It's okay, but what did happen? You had me worried.”

While strolling through town with Pixer, Logo handed out details. “When I went to help him up, everything was fine.”

“You mean the hourglass pony?”

The Earth Pony replied, “Yeah.” His hoof smacked the bridge between his eyes. “It happened when he looked me in the eye. Uh, it's hard to explain, but I saw death. There was no life in his eyes, and as soon as I realized this, he went cold. And I smelled something rotting too, and I don't know how to explain it.” Logo rubbed his forehead. “Something is rotting inside that pony, and I could feel, see, and smell it. Once he let go of me, he looked like a normal pony again. And he didn't smell dead anymore. I-I don't know.”

“Well, I didn't smell anything,” the comment returned. “It could have been a vision.”

“A vision? Into his soul?”

“Yeah.”

“Does God even do that?”

“I don't know. I don't think that ever happened in the Bible, but God does give word of knowledge.” The photographer shrugged briefly. “Maybe He decided to show you instead of tell you.” Hoofsteps ceased suddenly. Pixer still felt the weight of his uselessness, though he had overcome the weight from his worry and his anger. “I felt like I should have done something.”

Having stopped a yard in front of his friend, the brown-maned Earth Pony looked back at Pixer and bobbed his head. “What do you mean?”

“When you were sick, I felt like I should have helped.”

“Oh.” Logo trotted back to Pixer. “That's ridiculous.” Putting a hoof on the Pegasus' shoulder, the writer continued, “There are plenty of reasons you couldn't have. You didn't know that pony would run into you, you didn't know that I would help him up, and you didn't know that he would make me sick. Sure, you got upset and yelled, but that's already forgiven and forgotten. What were you supposed to do? Catch my vomit for me? That wouldn't help.”

The photographer nodded somberly. “You're right. Thanks.”

A disgruntled expression overcame the ex-pukish one. He pondered the sky, so Pixer leaned in closer with anticipation.“I just lost the game.”

“Gah! I just lost the game.” This was another of the trio's quirks; though, “the game” was not worth explaining to anypony except friends and family.

“Pffft-HAHGAHAHA!” Logo collapsed onto the floor in a fit of maniacal laughter. “Hehehe. Hahah. Hahaha! HAHAHA!!!” Pixer looked at this friend askance. Regardless, the cackling slowing infected him, except when Pixer laughed, the noise was far more reserved. Pedestrians all around gave weird looks; although, none of them dared to confront them. After the needed giggling ended, Logo hopped to his hooves. “Let's go to the party. Even though I'll probably worry about it anyways, we shouldn't worry about Loops. He probably chased after that hourglass pony.” Abruptly, he stopped speaking. After rolling his tongue against his cheek and biting his bottom lip, he continued with disdain, “That actually makes me worry more.”

“Well don't worry.”

“Easy to say, harder to do. Right... I take this thought captive unto Jesus Christ; take no thought what you shall eat, nor what you shall drink, nor have an anxious mind. Be anxious for nothing.”  A sigh of relief dropped. “That's better. Let's go then.” The two marched off to Sugarcube Corner.