//-------------------------------------------------------// Today Is Different -by Stormy Dawn- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// We Can Do It //-------------------------------------------------------// We Can Do It I felt an old but familiar urge in my throat. I knew exactly what it was. "Has something ever gotten you down? Can't lie, so have I! Just haven't shown it at all! But don't you know, that's not the way, to solve all of your, prob-e-lems?! I have to say, my life has not been fine, just like used toooo! But now that I seeeee! I can't give up right away, can't let disappointment take overrrrr! Won't let failure shine through, gotta try harder than before! Cause now that I see the sunshine of the daaaaaayyyy, I don't want it to go awaaaayyy!" I sang. "Hey Bon Bon! Has life ever gotten you sad? Has life ever made you wanna give up? Y'know there's a way to make happiness again! Hi Lyra! have you ever tried so much, but you just can't get it right? Well don't give up, or her mad, cause that's not the way to solve prob-e-lems! I can't give up right away, can't let disappointment take overrrr! Won't let failure shine through, gotta try harder than before! Cause you're all my best frieeeeendsss!" I sat down. "i just wish I could have... The friends I've wanted for so long.... So now I'm gonna get iiiiiiit!!! Cause she said- dear Princess Celestia, and she said- it's the honest truth! I have to say, she said- if that's okay with youuuu.... I can't forget it... She said- eww my hooves are dirty, or she said- you guys are awesome!!!! And I've always longed, to say this again...." I took a deep breath. "CMON EVERYPONY!" I yelled. "I WANNA SEE YOU SMILE!!!!!!" Everybody cheered. "Because.... I can't give up right away, can't let disappointment take overrrr! Won't let failure shine through, gotta try harder than before! Yeah I said- I can't give up right away, can't let disappointment take overrrr! Won't let failure shine through, gotta try harder than before!" I lowered my voice. "gotta try harder than before...." I stopped singing right near Fluttershy's cottage. I waved goodbye to everypony and walked down the pathway. I knocked on the door. No answer. Normally, I would've walked away, not trying. But today... today was different. I pushed on the door, which surprisingly opened, but then I remembered there's no lock on her door. The door creaked as I walked inside. My hoof steps echoed through the hall. A picture of our friends caught my eye, and another of Angel Bunny. "Who's there?" A tiny voice asked from the living room. I smiled at the small voice. "Oh don't worry, your Auntie Pinkie Pie wouldn't hurt you!" I giggled. I rounded the corner and saw Fluttershy with a huge smile on her face. "Pinkie Pie! I've missed you so much!" Her wings flared open and she flew at me and wrapped me in a bone crushing hug. I guess I deserved that. "Looks like you've finally -gasp- learned how to hug like me!" I wheezed. "Oops, sorry." She said as she let go of me. "Hey, if you've missed me so much, why haven't you left your house?" I asked. "Oh, ever since we started to grow distant, I got this terrible feeling that somepony was going to hurt me or something like that!" She cried. "Now why would you ever think that?" I asked. "Ponyville is like, the safest town ever!" She sighed. "You're right. I could've at least come to you." She said. "I hope you can forgive me." "I already have." I said. I opened the door and pointed to it. She smiled and walked outside. She was immediately greeted by all sorts of animals. "Oh, I can't believe I've missed out!" Fluttershy beamed. I smiled. "I don't have much time." I said. "The reins are in my hooves and it's up to me!" I said. "Huh?" Fluttershy asked. "Just meet at town square next Tuesday at 4:30!" I said before I ran off. I waved to everypony on my way to Sweet Apple Acres. Once I reached the gates, I swallowed hard. "Here it goes..." I muttered as I walked down the dirt road. As I was looking around, I bumped into somepony in front of me. "Oof!" I fell backwards. I rubbed my head as I looked up. "Oh, hey Big Mac!" I said. "Eeyup." He said. "Seen Applejack?" I asked. His expression changed from calm to worried. He pointed towards one of the orchards. "Over there." He said. "G'luck talkn' to the gal." "Thanks!" I said cheerfully. I bounced past him as I started humming a happy tune. As I neared the orchard, I heard the familiar thwacking against trees. I looked around and spotted an orange earth pony with a hat. I ran over. "Applejack!" I shouted as I ran over. She didn't reply. She didn't even make it noticeable that I was there. "Applejack!" I said a little bit louder. Now I understood what Big Mac was talking about. I walked up to her and waved my hoof in her face. She still didn't answer. I had to take it to desperate measures. As she brought up her hind legs to buck the tree, I pushed my fore hooves against her back, knocking her over. "Woah!" She mumbled as she toppled over. She shook her head and scratched her neck. She looked up. "P-Pinkie Pie!" She shouted. "Why'd ya do that?!" "Well you weren't answering the first time, or the second... or the third." I said. "So I had to her your attention some how!" "Why are ya here?" She asked. "I haven't seen you in like, forever, so I wanted to see you, and now I see that you're sad or angry, so... What can I do to turn that frown upside down?!" I said. "Ah see you haven't changed much." She muttered. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Most of us have changed, ya seem to be exactly the same." She said. "Ooooohh, well actually, today, I just changed like this again." I said. "Before that I was all sady waddy." "What in Equestria are ya sad 'bout?" She asked. "Our friendship between the six of us is like, completely gone, so I'm gonna try to make it better!" I explained. "Ah don't think anypony can make me happy now." AJ said. "Why not?" I asked. "Granny Smith has passed," she said. "She was a very big part of the family." "AJ, that was over a year and a half ago! You have to move on!" I said. "Ah don't think so." She said. "Sometimes, your not sure what your friends are capable of!" I said. "What on earth have you been reading?" She asked. "Just an old purple journal." I said. "Oh." She said. "Applejack, you're the one who said we'd always be connected by the elements," I said. "What happened?" "We aren't connected to the elements anymore!" She shouted. "And anyways, we haven't used them in almost three years." "But we are still connected!" I argued. "Don't you still believe in your friends?" I asked. "Ah do, but ah just don't believe ah'll ever see half of them again!" She said. "But we will." I said. "Meet in town square, next Tuesday at 4:30!" I said before I ran away. Once I reached the town again, I frowned. "Now I have to get a hold of a Wonderbolt, a princess, and a fashion star." I mumbled. I decided to find Rarity first, since she was coming to Canterlot the next day. Then, since Twilight's in Canterlot, I'll go to her next. Then I'd go to Fillydelphia, where the Wonderbolts were preforming on Dashie's birthday. I almost jumped up and down with excitement on how well this all worked out. But now, I had to get some well deserved sleep on the train to Canterlot. Author's Note This is just the start of Pinkie's amazing be-my-friend-again-adventure! Oh yeah, that song, just put it into any tune you want because it's not a real song..... //-------------------------------------------------------// The Train Ride //-------------------------------------------------------// The Train Ride "Dashie, please down go!" I begged. "No, how many times do we have to go over this?" Dashie asked. "I'm going, this is my dream!" "But we've already lost Twilight, I don't wanna lose you!" I cried. "Too bad!" Dashie yelled. "This is my life's work! I can't stop here, it took me so long to her to this place!" "Rainbow, Darling, don't be harsh." Rarity said. "Yeah, tone down a bit." Applejack said. I looked back at Dashie, with tears in my eyes. "Please Dashie..." I mumbled. "Uh, don't cry." She groaned. "But Dashie... I don't want to lose you! We don't want to lose you..." I sobbed. "Do you know how long it took for me to get here?" Dashie asked. "Yes, but-" I started. "Exactly!" She shot. "I'm going and there's nothing you can do about it!!!" I didn't say anything, but I burst into tears. "Oh, Pinkie, don't cry." Fluttershy said. "Rainbow, you didn't have to be so harsh." "Harsh?! That wasn't harsh. If I was going to be harsh, I would've already been gone!" Dashie snorted. "This would be a little bit easier if Pinkie wasn't being such a cry baby!" I sniffled and looked at her. "Hey! You don't have to be a JERK!" I yelled. "Just because you're a Wonderbolt, it doesn't mean you can act above all of us!" Dashie only glared at me. "You hurt me! A lot!" I walked up to her until I was nose to nose with her and bared my teeth. "Not to loyal now, huh?" I muttered. I backed up and growled. "Hey! If you're going to call me names, I'll leave right now!" Dashie said. She turned around. "Goodby everypony. Oh, and Pinkie, I never want to see you again." With that, she darted into the sky. I lost all feeling in my legs as I crumbled to the ground. My mane deflated to almost straight as my bright colours turned bland and sad. I laid my head between my outstretched forelegs and cried. I felt a soft hoof on my back. "Shh, it's okay Pinkie." Fluttershy said. "I'm sure she didn't mean it." I looked up. "It's different." I said. "What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked. "Nothing." I said. I limply stood up and started walking home. "Hey Pinkie, You're not as annoying as I thought you would be. Wanna hang out?" "I'd rather hand out with you." "Pinkie! Are you alright?" "Good one Pinkie!" "Pinkie, you are so random!" "You're Ponyville's permanent party pony!" "No one could replace you." All the thoughts of the great times we had only made me cry more. I looked up in the sky and saw a faint rainbow trail. "What have I done?" "WAH!!" I shot out of my train seat. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. I wiped away the tears that had (magically) appeared when I was sleeping. Then a terrible thought hit me. What if Dashie didn't want to see me? The fight was pretty rough, and she said she never wanted to see me again. I took another deep breath. I couldn't think that way. That was two years ago. I stood up and walked into the snack car. I bought a coffee and a donut from Donut Joe. "Hey Joe, what's up?" I asked. "Oh, I'm just earning enough money to but a new shop, what 'bout you?" He asked. "I'm trying to get my friendship back together with the other girls." I said. "It's hard to see you six apart from each other." Joe said. "Well, work and stuff got in the way." I replied. "I see." He said. "Well, good luck." "Thanks!" I smiled and walked back to my train car. I ate my snack and despite the coffee, I drifted off to sleep. "That was a scary story." I said as I shivered and cuddled up to Dashie's side. She patted my head. "Giggle at the ghosties though, right?" She asked. "Mhm." I responded. Take the stupid hint! I yelled in my head. "Who wants nachos?!" Spike said cheerfully as he walked into the room. All six of our hooves shot up as we shouted, "ME!" Right after he set the plates down in front of us, he burped as green fire flared out of his mouth, and a scroll materialized. Twilight's horn glowed as she levitated the paper over to her. She unrolled it and cleared her throat. "My Dearest Twilight Sparkle, I am terribly sorry to inconvenience you, but we've had a major increase on orders, and you are required to move back to Canterlot in two days time. We have no preference on how long you will have to live here. From, Princess Celestia." All of our eyes widened in terror. Twilight slowly lowered the paper to the floor. "Move?" She quietly asked. "I don't want you to go!" I cried. "I don't want to go either." Twilight said. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry girls, but I have to." "Oh no." Fluttershy said. I shot out from under Dashie's wing and wrapped my arms around her. "Don't go!!!" I cried. "Pinkie, I'm sorry, but I have to." Twilight said. "It's Celestia's orders." "But you're a princess too. Can't you defy that order?" Dashie asked as she closed her open wing. "Rainbow, this is the princess of Equestria, I'm just... Well, a princess." She said. "I can't do much." We all looked down. "I'm sorry girls." She said. "Let's make the best of this slumber party before I go!" She said, trying to lighten the mood. The rest of the night was pretty downbeat. All of us were down about Twilight leaving. ~~~~~~~~~~ I softly hugged Twilight. "I can't believe you're leaving..." I muttered. She tried to smile. "Hey, it's not like I'm gone forever," she said. "It's an order increase. It won't last forever." I jerked up. I looked around and saw the familiar train car. I leaned back and covered my eyes with my hooves. I guess it is lasting forever.... that or she forgot us. I thought. Why was I having these dreams now, and not before when I was alone? I looked out the window. We were at the gates. I eyed Canterlot Castle, wondering what Twilight was doing right now. The train lurched to a stop. I got on my hooves and started walking towards the doorway. I inhaled deeply once I got outside. I started following the advertisements for Rarity's visit, hoping that all of this would be easy. Author's Note Hey everypony, sorry this chapter took longer to come out, I've just been so exhausted the past few days and I've been unable to keep up with everything. Hopefully the next chapter comes out a little bit sooner, I'm not one to forget about my stories (most of the time)! //-------------------------------------------------------// (Mini Chapter) Pinkie's Plan //-------------------------------------------------------// (Mini Chapter) Pinkie's Plan With Gummy back in my mane, I climbed up the tree that leaned a bit over Rarity's trailer. Climbing straight up was easy for me, my hooves seemingly worked like suction cups. I twisted my head around to see how high I was. High enough. I thought as I gripped the thick tree a little harder than before. I lowered myself a metre or two and shot myself off the tree. Slowing my fall without any help came natural for me. I safely landed on the top of the trailer. I started walking towards the edge of the roof, being careful not to make any noises to attract the bodyguard somewhere below me. Once I was at the side of the roof, using my tail to stay on the roof, I lowered myself so I was just above the stallion. I changed my position so I was head first. I took Gummy out of my mane and lowered him onto his. It looked as if his whole body froze at the feeling of Gummy's small claws. He lifted his shaky hoof up to his head, but right before he touched him, I snatched Gummy off his head. His hoof met with his head. He twisted his neck around to where I was hanging, only I wasn't hanging there anymore. I was on the ground in front of him. When he went back to looking forward, I slipped to his side. I opened Gummy's jaws and clamped him on his back. Before anything else happened, the bodyguard's hind legs bucked up, almost slamming into the trailer. He repeated it at least a dozen times before I took Gummy off of his back. I didn't stop there, though. I repeated the same movement, only I clamped him to his stomach. His nervous eyes darted around as he lifted his back leg to scratch Gummy off. I wrapped my forearm around Gummy and jerked him off his stomach. Repetitive? I know, but it was working. You see, a Pinkie Pie style party wouldn't work that well considering his personality was equivalent to Maud's pet rock. I let Gummy crawl up his neck and onto his chin, until he was square on his face. He shook his head all over the place, desperately trying to get Gummy off his face. He eventually left his post, running all over the place. Gummy started to crawl up his face, letting his eyes see were he was going. Sadly for him, he rammed into a tree. Gummy crawled off his head and made it towards me. To my utter surprise (again), a group of fans, reporters and photographers jumped out of nowhere, banging on the door and calling Rarity's name. I watched as the door nob slowly twisted, and Rarity emerged from the trailer. She met with bright flashes and rambling questions. I moaned loudly. "Stop!" I yelled. Only one unicorn turned around. "What gives you the right to see her more than the rest of us?" A snooty Canterlot resident asked. No sooner did she say that, a big flash of blue erupted from Rarity. Everypony but me was engulfed in a blue aura and moved back. The hue dissapeared, and they got up and hurried right back, only to be stopped by the stallion who had finally come to his senses. He reached out to grab me, but was stopped by another magical flash of my friend's horn. His hoof retracted slightly as he nodded. Rarity looked down at me and smiled. "Come in dear," she said. "I do believe we have some catching up to do." Author's Note Sorry for the short chapter (and the long wait again), but it's titled Pinkie's Plan, so that's what it is. //-------------------------------------------------------// Catching Up //-------------------------------------------------------// Catching Up A clink came from a teacup as it made contact with the glass plate under it. Rarity's horn stopped glowing as she smiled. "To start, dear, how are you?" She asked. "Oh, Y'know," I paused. What have I been doing? After I started to talk to my friends again, I forgot my main course of life before. "I've been working on getting the gang back together, cause it's soooooo boring without you guys!" Rarity slowly nodded. "How have you been?" "Well, I've been traveling all over Equestria with my fashion lines." She paused. "It's quite tiring, really." She giggled. "Let me tell you, never go to Appaloosa with a fashion line." "Don't worry, I know zip about fashion." I chuckled. "Oh, yes." Rarity said before taking a sip of her tea. "I cannot believe we let all this carried with all that we've been through." "I know, right?!" I replied. "I'm so glad that somepony decided to do something about it." She hinted. "Awe, you're welcome!" I closed my eyes and smiled. "Oh, I can't believe you're actually going to try and collect a princess and a Wonderbolt!" Rarity exclaimed. "It was hard enough with me." "I dunno, I'm pretty sure they'll recognize me, and that's a start." The memories of the Wonderbolts Academy fludded back into my head. "Unless they don't recognize me!" I cried. "Dear, we are the best of friends, I think they'll recognize you." Rarity said flatly. I giggled. "You're probably right." I took a sip from my teacup. I sheepishly took two sugar cubes and dropped them in the tea with two plops. There was a short silence. "Rarity, can I tell you something?" I asked. "Of course, darling." She replied. "Well, I guess I'll start off by asking," I paused. "Do you have a crush on somepony right now?" I asked. Rarity stopped in mid-sip. She levitated the cup back to its plate. "Well, if that's what you would like to call it, I suppose I," she paused. "I actually don't believe I do." She said. "Seriously?" I asked. "Out of you and me, I'm the one who has a crush?!" I cried. "Run that by me again?" Rarity asked as she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. "I said," I took a big breath of air. "I'm the one that has a crush." "Ooh, who is it?" She asked. "Is it somepony from Ponyville? Canterlot? Appaloosa?" She asked greedily. "No, she's from Cloudsdale." I said quietly. "She?" Rarity asked. "That's alright, isn't it?" I asked. "Of course, I just, didn't expect it from you." She said. I shrugged. "Any who, who's this mystery mare?" She asked. "Are you sure you wanna know?" I asked. Rarity nodded intently. "It's..." I paused. "It's Rainbow Dash." I said, tilting my head down. "Rainbow Dash?" She asked. "The one who crushed your heart and left you forever?" "Look who's talking." I joked. "That's beside the point," she said. "How could you possibly like her after what she's done to you?" She asked. I sighed. "If you remember correctly, it was me who started it in the first place, and me who made her leave mad." I looked down. "It was all my fault." I felt Rarity's arms wrap around me. "Don't worry about the past, think about the present." She said. "I highly doubt she's still upset with you." "Thanks, Rarity." I smiled as she released me. "Anyhow, why are you telling me this?" She asked. "I wanted your advice." I said simply. "My advice?" She asked with surprise. "Why are you so surprised?" I asked. "When it comes to love, you're the most qualified." "I suppose that's true, but this is Rainbow Dash and you." Her smile faltered. "No offence, but you two are far too uncouth for me to work with." Ignoring the comment, I opened my noir and closed it. I opened it again. "I'm not asking you to set up a date, I'm asking you to help me... Mmmm..." I said, searching for the right word. "Confess." I finally said. "Exactly, confessing for me would be very different than from something that works for you." She tapped her chin. "Hmmm, I suppose I could help you with this." "Oh, thank you so much!" I beamed. She flipped her mane. "I won't be able to help much, but I will attempt." She became lost in thought. "First thing's first, try not to get nervous," "Mhm." I mumbled through my tea. She rubbed her temples. "Don't set the mood... That won't go well for Dash." Rarity added. She took a look at me and smiled. "You know what you should do?" She asked. "What?" I asked. "Be yourself." She said. "If you remember when you first started spending time with each other, you two became so close." "And?" I asked. "And she seemed very fond of you!" Rarity beamed. "Though her and I could both admit you can be a bit of a pain sometimes, you're genuinely a good pony." "Thanks, Rares." I said as a slightly darker than my coat blush warmed my cheeks. Both our thoughts were interrupted by several bangs on the door. "What, did they dog pile the bodyguard?!" Rarity asked in annoyance. "Excuse me." She said politely. She stood up from her chair and walked towards the door. "Excuse me." She said politely. She stood up from her chair and walked towards the door. After some shouting, groaning that sounded like Rarity's, and some 'shoos', Rarity returned to her spot. "Ahem, they just wanted some autographs from me, and they were outnumbered by my bodyguard, but he was trying his hardest." Rarity explained. "Oh," I breathed. "Now that that's over with, what would you like to talk about now?" I asked. "Nonsense, you're trying to get our friends back together, you should get it done as fast as possible!" Rares smiled. "No need to waste time here." I nodded slowly. "Alright!" I said. "Oh, and meet at town square in Ponyville next Tuesday at 4:30!" "I'll be sure to." Rarity smiled. "Kay, bye!!" I said energetically as a hopped out the door. Once I was outside, my eyes fixed on Canterlot Castle. I better hurry up, Dashie's birthday is in a few days. I started walking towards the heart of Caterlot. The home that housed three of four princesses. Author's Note I know, I know, I can't write Rarity, but she needed to be included. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Royal Guard //-------------------------------------------------------// The Royal Guard The soft clip clop of my hooves against Canterlot's streets echoed through the night. Only a few Canterlotians roamed the streets, giving me strange looks. Maybe it was because I wasn't wearing clothes. I smirked. I tilted my head up to see Canterlot Tower, towering above the rest of the rest of the castle. As Princess Celestia's sun dipped lower, the unicorns that remained, left the streets into their own homes. I sighed. It was getting late, and I sure couldn't get inside the castle now. Luna's guards could be harsh. After buying a cinnamon bun right before that shop closed, I spotted a hotel down the street. A sign blinked 'The Royal Guard' and below in green, was 'vacancy'. I smiled cantered towards it. Before I could stop myself, my head bumped square into somepony's chest, making me fall onto my back. How many more ponies do you wanna bump in to you, Pinkie Pie? I said to myself. I looked up. A unicorn stallion with gleaming red eyes looked back at me. He had a dull brown coat that matched with a messy dark grey mane. He had a mismatched blue horn, and his cutie mark appeared to be a tornado. "O-oh, sorry...!" I stammered as I got back in my hooves. "I wasn't watching where I was going." "Pardon me, dear." He said with a somewhat mischievous and familiar voice. "I seemed to have been doing the same." Make sense? Oh, what fun is making sense? Seemed to follow after in my head. Where did I know that voice from?! There was a painful silence. I blinked a few times as I looked at him more closely. Though I was looking at him a little funny, he didn't seen to mind, and kept a small smile on. He walked around me and smiled slyly. I watched him until he was walking in the opposite direction of me. I shrugged in started walking again. I didn't have time to figure out why that stallion seemed so familiar. As I approached the hotel I had my eye on, I realized that it was much bigger than I saw from down the street. What I thought was three floors turned out to be five. A bell rang as the door opened, signalling I walked inside. A rather bored looking mare at the desk had her head propped on her hoof. She looked up from The Canterlot Express newspaper and smiled. "Welcome to The Royal Guard," She said. "How may I help you?" I skipped to the desk and smiled back. "One room, please!" I replied. She nodded as he jotted it down. "How many nights?" She asked. I tapped my chin. How long would I need to get a hop of Twilight? "Two." I probably couldn't afford more than two nights, considering the fanciness of this place. Plus, Tuesday was coming, and I would have to move on if I couldn't get a hold of Twi. "That'll be 75 bits." She responded. I nodded as I pulled out 74 golden bits and four silver ones. I placed them on the desk. "Thank you for choosing The Royal Guard, your room is on the second floor, number 14." She said as her horn glowed a light, sparkly green that lifted a key with the mark '14' on it. I grabbed it out of the air and smiled. "You're welcome!" I waved before hopping up the stairs. I reached the second floor, and stared counting with the numbers on the doors for fun. I reached 14 and started fumbling with the silver key until I got it in the lock and turned it. The hinges creaked quietly as I opened the door. The room was big, with a bed against the wall, a bathroom (which I probably wouldn't use) and a screen door that led to a Canterlot Castle style balcony that had a view of the castle. I opened the glass door, making a whoosh of cool breeze flow through the room. After looking at Luna's moon and stars for a minute, I closed the door and started pulling the covers of the bed out. As I snuggled under the blankets, the image of that stallion pushed it's way back to the front of my mind. I shook my head as I turned on my side. My eyelids droop, and I fell into a deep sleep that rivalled Maud's pet rock. Though I fell asleep fast, that didn't mean I wasn't prone to dreams. "This doesn't make sense!" Princess Celestia said in surprise. Mysterious laughter echoed through the room. "Make sense? Oh, what fun is making sense?" A mischievous voice replied. "Discord!" Celestia growled. "Show yourself!" More laughter. "Have you missed me Celestia?" He asked. "I've missed you." He said, as he came to life on the window and skipped to the next window. "It's quite lonely being trapped in stone, but you wouldn't know that, because I don't turn ponies to stone!" He sat on Fluttershy's glass figure and knocked on her head. "Enough!" Celestia yelled. "What have you done with the Elements of Harmony!?" She said, slightly unfurling her wings "Oh, I've just borrowed them for a little bit." He snapped his eagle claw, making the elements below him disappear. "You'll never get away with this." Celestia snarled, brushing her hoof against the ground. "Oh, I've forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia." He said, looking at his lion paw. "It's really quite boooring." Who seemed to be Discord said. At that moment, my eyes snapped open. Discord! Author's Note I'm sorry if you didn't want Discord in here, but I've been into a lot of Discord lately, so yeah. Even though Twilight's kingdom never happened, he still passed the final step on being a good friend. Also, sorry for the short chapter, but there wasn't much to work with. As you can see, my personal minimum (1 000) was barely reached. //-------------------------------------------------------// Canterlot Castle and Discord //-------------------------------------------------------// Canterlot Castle and Discord I let my dream's words sink in. DiscordDiscordDiscordDiscordDiscordDiscordDiscord! That's Who that mysterious stallion was! How I couldn't see that sooner, I may never know, but at the moment, I was trying my hardest not to let my brain explode. "Well, it's about time you figured out who I was." A familiar voice said. "I was afraid you'd forgotten one of your most valuable friends." Discord said as he wrapped his snake-like body around me, resting his front claw and paw on my head. He smirked. "How the hay did you know what I was thinking?!" I questioned. "Excuse me, don't I deserve a hello? It has been awhile." He said. "You didn't give one to me." I said flatly. "Psh, uh." He chuckled as he poofed to in front of me. "Never mind that, and back to the question at hoof." He smiled. "You do know who I am, right?" "Yeah, you're Discord!" I smirked. "Of course I am. I'm also the ex-spirit of chaos and disharmony." He said. "You'd think I'd have a little magic for mind reading, when I can make your mind turn against you from your own insecurities and desires." I shook my head. "Whatever." I said as I opened the door, after seeing it was already morning. I closed the door behind me. "Now, you wouldn't want me left behind in your hotel room alone, do you?" He asked as he appeared beside me. I giggled. "I guess not," he frowned. "If you don't mind me taking note of," he said. "I've noticed you've been lacking of your normal personality!" He said. "What do you mean?" I asked, raising a brow. "Well, knowing you, you'd be bouncing around Ponyville and singing random songs," he said. "Not hanging in Canterlot." I smirked. "Why are you hanging in Canterlot?" I asked. "I've just felt like it," he said, shrugging. "That's nothing of what I asked." "Fine. I've been trying to get my friends back together." I said. "I'm in Canterlot to find Twi, I've already found Rares and gotten her to agree to my plan." "Back together?" He chuckled. "I thought you girls stuck to each other like leeches!" "Not at the moment." I simply replied. "Why not?" Discord asked. "Applejack's been really depressed lately 'cause of a death, Fluttershy hasn't been outside in ages, Rarity's a fashion star, Twilight moved back to Canterlot, and Dashie's a Wonderbolt." I said. "Is that a good example?" "Twilight moved back to Canterlot?" He asked with surprise. "You didn't know?" I asked. "Oh, no. I don't waste my time seeing which princesses are where." He said. "You don't are about the whereabouts of the princesses?" "And dear Fluttershy?" He asked "she hasn't been outside in ages?" "No." I responded. "Is that why she hasn't been responding to my letters?" He asked. "Yes," I said. "She's been too scared to go outside after Dashie and my other friends left." Discord stroked his white beard. I gasped. "I just had a great idea!" I beamed as I jumped up to his head as hung my hooves around his long muzzle. "And what, would that be?" He asked half-lidded. "You can help me find Twilight!" I beamed. "And how, do you think I'm going to do that?" Discord asked. "Did you seriously just ask that question?" I said between little giggles. "Fine, I'll help." He said while he rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do?" ~~~~~~~~~~ Discord's pony form walked beside me as we made our way towards Canterlot Castle. The white and gold towers stretched out in front of us. As we neared the castle, we were stopped by a guard. I have a sideways glance to Discord. He disappeared and reappeared beside the guard in his natural born form. "White Streak, what ever are you doing here?" He asked as he put his lion paw around who I guessed was White Streak. "This is my job." He said flatly as his wings flared and ducked under his arm. His eyes narrowed. "I should be asking you the same thing." Discord chuckled. "Just hanging around Equestria's capital." He winked at me. "And who's this mare you've came with?" He asked, eyeing me. "Oh-!" Discord laughed. "Her-?!" He continued to laugh. "This mare here is-!" He laughed again. He cleared his throat. "This mare here is The Element Of Laughter!" He smiled. "Personal friend of princess Twilight Sparkle?" He asked. "Ringing any bells?" He looked at me closely. "I guess she does seem to look similar to the stain glass image." I giggled. His blue eyes softened. "Pinkie Pie, is it?" He asked. "Yeah," I replied. He bowed slightly, making my mouth fall agape slightly. "Why so surprised, Pinkie?" He asked. "Oh," I giggled. "I've just never been bowed for!" "That's quite alright." He said as he got back on his hooves. "Well, this has been a lovely chat," Discord said, intervening with our small conversation. "But Laughter and I should really get going!" "Yeah, we should," I said. "Got someone to see inside the castle." White Streak nodded. "Go right ahead, Element Of Laughter." He responded. I said thanks and walked inside the castle as Discord turned back into a pony and followed behind me. Author's Note DISSCOOORRD! Yays. Aaaannywaay, I hope this chapter was enjoyable for you people. I don't really have much to say, except that she might find Twi next chapter cuz she's Laughter and all, giving her excesses extra stuff in the castle. Plus, she's got Discord on her side. Have a fandiddlytastic day everyone! ~Stormy //-------------------------------------------------------// Captivity.....? //-------------------------------------------------------// Captivity.....? The fuzzy red carpet felt good under my hooves as we walked down the long hallways of Canterlot Castle. If it weren't for Discord, I'd probably be lost. Every so often, we'd pass a window with some kind of amazing achievement from the past, a few of which being my friends and I. I still don't understand how Twi could live in a place so big but boring for two years straight, with none of her friends. The princesses, sure, they'd be her friends (I hope), but wouldn't it be nice if you had some friends to spend time with that weren't thousands of years older than her? I shrugged my mind's subject of. "Pinkie Pie!" Discord shouted. "WHA!" I yelled as I snapped out of my trance of deep thought. "I've been trying to talk to you for the past minute, but obviously you don't care enough to listen!" He said, narrowing his eyes. "Sorry, I'll listen, I was just thinking." I said. "Alright." He said, turning back into his dranconquis self. "The princesses private chambers are right part the left way of that coming hallway." He said. "Private?" I asked. "We wanna go to the private chambers of the princesses?" He shrugged. "Why not?" He asked. "What part of private do you not understand?!" I shouted. My phrase echoed repeatedly a few times through the empty hallways. "Oh, I understand, I just usually don't listen to that kind of stuff."Discord smirked. "Discord, I-" I stopped as I white golden-plated hoof stepped right in front of my own. "Mister, miss, what do you think you're doing?" A guard asked. "What do you mean?" Discord asked. "Past this point is the princesses private chambers. I cannot allow you to pass." He said, keeping his stone face on. "But,I need to see Princess Twilight!" I cried. "And what gives you the right?" He asked. "I'm her best friend!" I said. "Yeah right." He replied. "I'm also the Element of Laughter!" I said, my eyes narrowing. I didn't feel right using my element as a privilege, but it could've been a way to get in. "I'll believe it when I see it." He said. "I can't! We had to return the elements!" I said, growing annoyed. "Look, I don't care who you are, or why you're with Discord, but you'll either have to leave or take you into captivity until further notice." He said, glaring at me as a blue aura began to wrap around his horn. Discord laughed nervously. "I don't know about you, but I think leaving sounds like a stupendous idea!" He grinned. "I am not leaving until I talk to Twilight!" I said, stamping my hoof against the ground. Whatever common sense I had left was drowned out by my confidence and ignorance. A hard nudge came from Discord. "Suit yourselves." His horn flashed, and we were teleported to a room, rather large, and having luxurious things I never thought somepony captive would get. "What in Equestria were you thinking!?" Discord shouted. "Sorry, I just really wanna try and talk to Twilight," I said. "And I'm not giving up that easily." I smirked. "Why were you so nervous back there?" "Nervous? Whatever are you talking about?" He chuckled. I raised my eyebrows. "Fine, fine." He said. "It wasn't a big deal, it's just, when you've been imprisoned twice and threatened to be again, it's easy to develop a small phobia." He said. "Now, let's get out of here." He said while he snapped his claws. Nothing happened. "W-what's going on?" He said. He snapped multiple times. Still no reply by his all-knowing magic. I sat down on a nearby cushion and watched with a worried expression plastered on my face. "Are you okay?" I asked. "No!" He snapped. "The one thing that has been holding my life half afloat is gone!" His ears taped to the back of his head. "Calm down!" I said. "Coming from you, I don't think I can!" Discord cried. "And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked, raising my eyebrows again. "Never mind that, mind why my magic isn't here!" He said, loosing his usual handle on things. I reached my foreleg up and wrapped it around his grey neck. I pulled him down, making his back arch. I pressed my nose against his. "For Celestia's sake!" I cried "calm down! "You expect me to calm down when something that's part of me is missing?" He huffed. "It's not missing, it was probably taken away." I said calmly. "Why would it be taken away?" He asked. "Well, what's the point of captivity when you can just teleport out?" I asked. "When that guard teleported us her, he probably room away all magic so we couldn't get out!" I explained. "I'll believe you, but just because it's sounds like the best scenario." Discord replied. I shrugged off his comment. ~~~~~~~~~~ I lazily played with the tuft of mane thy hung in front of my face. I looked up and saw Discord looking out the window. The sun was going down. There was a view of Celestia's balcony from there, where she stood with her sister to rise the moon and lower the sun. Both of their horns were lot with their aura as the sun and moon moved slow and steady. "Whatchya looking at?" I asked as I walked up to him, waggling my eyebrows and elbowing him. "What?" He blurted, snapping out of his trance. "Nothing!" I light tint of pink covered his cheeks. I laughed. "Look luck with that!" I said as I walked away from the window and settled back on the cushions where I was on before. "I have three days." I said as my smile faltered. Discord turned around and flapped his wings, making him fly towards the pile of cushions where I was sitting. I settled down beside my and curled up like a snake. He rested his head on the ground and closed his eyes, probably intent on getting some sleep. I did the same as laid my head down beside him and yawn. I closed my eyes and slept. Author's Note Yay, two chapters in one day! :3 YEAH OKAY I MADE A CELESTCORD HINT, but I still don't like it. Anyway, screw what I said last AN, I'm waiting until next chapter... Probably. //-------------------------------------------------------// Some Sort Of Wake Up Call //-------------------------------------------------------// Some Sort Of Wake Up Call I laid unmoving, I didn't dare wake Discord. His paw slung over my back and curled slightly under my stomach. I giggled in my mind. Who knew he was a sleep hugger? I had woke up at some point during the night. Discord was sound asleep when I woke up, and from the view of the window, the moon was still high in the sky. My ears perked up as Discord grunted and slid his arm off my back. Then the tuft of white fur on the end of his tail started tickling my flank. I shuffled away from Discord's sleeping form and stood up. I slid my forelegs in front of me as the front of my body lowered in the form of a stretch. I yawned and curled up again beside Discord. "You two, who's in here?" A faint voice on the other other side of the locked door asked. I got up and pressed my ear against the white door. The voice sounded extremely familiar, but so vague in my memories. But I knew exactly who it was. "We found two... people who wanted to go down the Royal chambers hallway." What sounded like a guard replied. "We disabled one's magic and sent them here until further notice unless they wanted to leave the castle." What sounded like another guard asked. "One's magic?" She asked. "Yes, the other one was a pink earth pony who claimed she was an Element of Harmony." One of the guards replied. There was a pause. "I'll talk to them in the morning." She finally answered. "Yes your highness." A guard answered, followed by some clanking of armour, probably from saluting. My cheek left the side of the door as there was silence again. I laid down beside Discord again and closed my eyes. Cant be that late if they were talking. I thought before I drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~ I surprised shiver shot up my spine as the door opened, making me jolt straight up. Two grey unicorn guards stood in the centre of the doorway, holding spears. I looked over at Discord. He was still sound asleep. The stallions stepped aside to reveal Twilight Sparkle herself. "Princess Twilight Sparkle." I said as I smirked and bowed. "Pinkie Pie, you know you don't have to call me that." She said. My back legs made mind of it's own as they sprung out and wrapped my arms around Twilight's neck. The force knocked her backwards and onto her back. The guards pointed their spears at me, but hay, I didn't are at the moment. "Put your weapons down...!" She said after giggling. They did as they told. "You remember me!" I cried. "Of course I remember you." Twi said as she stood up. "How could I forget the pony who taught me how to giggle at the ghosties?" She asked. "You remember that too?" I asked. "Probably because of the same reason you do." Twilight said. My smile faltered. "How come you never came, then?" I asked quietly. "Did you not want to be friends with us anymore?" "Of course not." She said. "It's just, things kept coming along that held me in Canterlot. I'll never not want to be friends with you, or any of you five." She glanced at Discord. "Or that long multi-coloured snake either." She joked. Her purple horn lit up, and so did Discord. The glowing stopped as he blinked his eyes open. He snapped making a cup of chocolate milk appear in his claw. He grinned. "Did I hear somepony call me a multi-coloured snake?" He asked. "Nice to see you're awake!" I said. "Sleep hugger." I mumbled. "What was that?" He asked. Twilight and I giggled. "Never mind." Twi said. "What are you doing here, Pinkie?" "To see you, of course!" I beamed. "I wasn't gonna sit around for more than two years and let our friendship fall apart!" "Fall apart?" Twi asked. "Oh, I don't know, Dashie is a Wonderbolt, Rares is a fashion star who travels all over Equestria. AJ's granny died, and Fluttershy's scared of the outdoors." I said flatly. "Our friendship hasn't been going well." "That's terrible!" Twi said, covering her mouth with her front hoof. "But don't worry, I'm working on it!" I said. "After this, I just need to convince Dashie to come home for a little bit so we can all catch up!" "Y-you'd do that for us?" Twi asked. "Oooof course I would!" I said. "I value our friendship more than anything! "Hellooo," Discord said. "Still here." "Discord, thank you so much for helping Pinkie find me." Twi said. "Oh, PPFFF, it wasn't that special." He said, flicking his paw down as a light shade of pink coloured his cheeks. "Of course it's special!" Twi said. "I don't know what Pinkie would've done if you weren't there, uh, no offence." I shrugged. "Oh, I've missed you I suppose, Twilight." He said. "It's quite boring when your friends never visit." "I've missed you too, Discord." Twi responded. "Princess Twilight I've been loo-" A familiar deep voice said from the hallway. Princess Celestia stopped herself as she walked into the room. "Well hello there," she said, smiling at me. "It appears you have some old friends visiting, hm, Princess?" Celestia asked, turning her gaze to Twi. "Yes, Pinkie and Discord came by for a visit, and wondering if they could borrow me at..?" She glanced at me. "4:30 next Tuesday!" I said, answering her question. "Yes, then." Twilight said. Celestia closed her eyes and nodded "I'm sure Princess Luna and I can take care of things without falling too far behind while you visit your old Ponyville friends for a day." She replied. Twi nodded in return. "Thank you so much Princess!" She beamed. "Now, who would like to join Luna and I for a Royal breakfast?" Celestia smiled. "I'd love to." Twi answered. "Can I come too?" Spike asked as he rounded the corner. "Of course, Spike." Twi said. "Hey Spike!" I turned to Celestia. "Me and Discord would love to come!" I beamed. "I-I would?" Discord blurted. He chuckled. "Oh yes, I suppose so." Author's Note Well, I'm currently sitting beside a big jar of sugar wishing I could eat all of it, but that's not really the best idea. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Wonderbolt Derby //-------------------------------------------------------// A Wonderbolt Derby I waved goodbye to the princesses and Spike, then left the castle. It was almost noon when Discord and I finished our business there, and now we had to get to Fillydelphia, which wasn't a problem when you had Discord with you. He snapped his lion paw, making a blue portal looking thing appear in front of us. Before we got any strange looks, I hopped through the portal. I turned around to face the orange portal and waited for Discord to come through. The orange circle disappeared as his deer hoof stepped out of it. I turned around. The tall buildings could've made this city mistaken for Manehatten, but we were in Fillydelphia. The Wonderbolt Derby wasn't until that night, so we had to do something for the afternoon. "Let's go!" I beamed. "Uh, do I have to follow you around all day until the Wonderbolt Derby?" He asked as he appeared beside me as his pony form, only he didn't have a blue horn, but a blue wing and a black-ish blue wing. "Well, if we don't stick together, I probably won't be able to find you again, soooo," I said. "Yes." He grunted. "Fine, let's go." ~~~~~~~~~~ "That was sooo much fun!" I beamed as I bounced down the streets with Discord flapping his wings lazily behind me. "It was breath taking." He said sarcastically. I glanced at a clock in the window of a shop. I gasped. "We gotta go!" I shouted before taking off. Discord didn't answer, but I could tell he was there out of the corner of my eye. About five minutes later, we reached a stadium without a roof. A big banner that shouted 'Wonderbolt Derby' slung above the double-double doors. Beside the doors, there were individual pictures with the featured Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, Soarin and Firestreak, who rarely made an appearance at any of the Wonderbolt's shows. It was nice to see Dashie's face again. After buying tickets, we walked inside and took our seats. The stadium was already almost full, and it was still fifteen minutes before the derby started. That time passed slowly as the stands got fuller and louder every second. Discord hoofed my a bag of popcorn out of nowhere, which I took with a puzzled expression. My ears perked up as the noise died down and somepony started speaking with a microphone. "Alright everypony," He boomed. "You've all come here for one reason," he paused. "The celebrity arise stunt flyers you've all been waiting for! Please welcome.... Theeeeee Wonderbolts!" He shouted. The crowd started up again as four pegasus with Wonderbolt uniforms jetted out from the corner doors. One of which sporting a rainbow trail instead of a cloud of smoke. She was here. Before settling at their starting lines, the three spread out around Dashie as try flew upwards. The sound barrier broke as a Sonic Rainboom erupted from behind Dashie. Oohs and awes came from the crowd. Making a few looptie-loops, they settled down at their starting lines. "At the starting line, we have the Captain of The Winderbolts," he paused. "Spitfire!" The fire maned pegasus looked up to wave before putting her goggles on and flaring her wings out. "Second in line, we have the stallion of the Wonderbolts," the announcer said. "Soarin!!" Most of the mares in the crowd cheered louder than the rest as he waved and did the same as Spitfire. "Third, we have a rare Wonderbolt joining us today!" He said. "Firestreak!" He shouted. The crowd bursted into cheers as the white and yellow mare flashed a grin before putting her goggles on and unfolding her wings. "And that's but not least, one of the most popular Wonderbolts around, might I add the birthday girl of the day," I scooted to the edge of my seat. "Rainbow Dash!" I cheered as loud as I could for Dashie as she lifted into the air slightly and waved bother her hooves and smiled. "On your marks racers." The announcer said. Dashie stretched her wings before crouching and licking her lips. I smiled gently. An old habit of hers that never subsided. "Ready..." He said quietly. The whole stadium became painfully quiet. "Set..." I almost fell off my seat. "GO!!!" He shouted. As soon as the word got out of his mouth, the four Wonderbolts were off. It didn't take them long to finish their first lap. Dashie, though, was lagging behind. "C'mon Rainbow Dash!" I shouted. "Lap three!" The announcer beamed. "Who do you think is gonna win?" I asked Discord. "Oh, by the looks of it, not your precious Dashie." He teased. I giggled and elbowed him in the side. "I don't care what place she's in." I said. Soarin hung out it second, Firestreak making it in first, Spitfire coming up behind Soarin in third, and Dashie was hanging back in fourth. She had a confident look on her face. That was the Dashie I knew. "Lap four!" The pegasus announced. "Two more to go!" I blinked for what I realized was the first time since the race started. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Dashie kicked into high gear, pushing her ahead past the tired looking racers. "Oooooh!" I get it!" I giggled. She zoomed past Soarin, gaining second place, and as they neared the finish line for the last time, another colourful Rainboom made Dashie shoot in front of Firestreak and dash across the finish line. As the moment happened, an image flashed through my head. It was Dashie, racing towards the ground, set on catching Rarity and the Wobderbolts from certain doom, and out of nowhere, she raced forward, after a Sonic Rainboom exploded behind her, saving all the falling ponies. The crowd, as they say, went wild. "Yeah Dashie!" I shouted. "Dashie? Who's Dashie?" A stallion on the other side of me asked. "Rainbow Dash!" I said. "That's my nickname for her 'cause I know her. The stallion laughed. "Yeah, and I know the Element of Laughter." He said sarcastically. I giggled. "Actually, you do!" I said. "You're talking to her right now!" He looked puzzled. "Yeah right." He said as he turned back to the race track. "And the birthday mare wins the derby!" He announcer shouted. "Well there you have it, fillies and gentlecolts." He said. "Remember, these four will be signing autographs in the lobby right after this!" I giant crowd started to spill out o the stadium part and into the lobby. Me and Discord followed reluctantly, not wanting to get sucked into a quick sand like mob. When the way was clear, we walked through the door. I took a deep breath. She was here. She was really here. This want a dean or hallucination. Dashie was really here. "Are we actually going in, or are we just going to stand here?" Discord asked, snapping me out his trance. "Yeah," I said. "Let's go!" I beamed, running into the lobby at full speed, ready to find my bestest friend in the whole wide world of Equestria. Author's Note Gah, my arm hurts from moving my thumbs so much cause I use my phone to write. Oh well. If I'm lucky, I may even get a third chapter out today. Oh, and yay for Portal reference! Have a fandiddlytastic day everyone! ~Miss. Dawn //-------------------------------------------------------// Dashie //-------------------------------------------------------// Dashie "Maybe you should wait outside." I smiled. "Please?" "But what if I want to get an autograph?" Discord asked. I raised an eyebrow. "Fine." He disappeared. I continued to fight my way through the crowd. After I reached a clear area where I could see the celebrities signing pictures and notebooks of excited fillies, colts, stallions and mares, I stopped dead in my tracks. Surely I couldn't keep my feeling for her bottled up inside of me while I talked to her. I didn't even want her autograph anyway, I just wanted to talk to her. I made a final decision to wait until autographing was over, then I could talk to her in private. Time passed as the fans slowly drained out of the building to go home. "Alright everypony, it's getting late, and it's time for autographing to end." The announcer said from a stage at the front of the room. "The Wonderbolts, unfortunately have to head home soon, so if you could make your way to the exit, that would be fantastic." This was my chance. I watched Dashie hover down a hallway and into what was probably her room here. I followed slowly behind her. After the door closed, I waited a few minutes. I reluctantly raised a hoof and banged on the door. There was a bit of shuffling, and then a voice. "Sorry autographing is over." She said. "You gotta head home." "I was just gonna say happy birthday!" I said. There was a crash of some sort, then the door clicked, and it slowly opened. "Pinkie Pie?" Was the only thing Dashie could manage to say when she opened the door. Dashie looked different. Different as in, she seemed to be more muscular, her mane shined brighter and her wings seemed to be bigger. But her eyes. Her eyes looked exactly the same as the day I met her as I filly. Big, bold, and a beautiful magenta. Little did I know, I was kind of just standing there in the doorway staring at her. "PINKIE!!" She shouted. "Oh-!" I replied as an embarrassing blush tinted my cheeks. "Pinkie, what are you doing here?" She asked. "It's a long story," I said. "But... I need to know.... D-do you still like me?" I asked as my ears folded back. I stepped inside and closed the door with my back leg, keeping an eye on Dashie. He ears folded back and she smiled softly. "Pinkie, c'mere." She said. I did as she said, and I was randomly encased in a hug from my friend. I gasped caught in my throat, but I forced in back down. "Of course I still like you." "But that fight... You said you," I paused. "You said you never wanted to see me again..." My whole body tensed as Dashie rested her head on my shoulder. I'm not kidding, I'm sure my heart stopped. "Honestly, I wasn't really feeling myself that day." She looked at me with sad eyes. Her breath tickled my nose. "I-I-I'm so sorry..." She buried her face in the crevice of my neck. Her mane brushed with my nose, letting me know she smelt like fruit. Then I felt something wet on my neck. "Rainbow... Don't cry..." I said "it's not like you." She looked up. "I-I know, but I just couldn't live with myself for the rest of that month... I-I just felt so terrible..." She paused. "I meant to come back, but my schedule, and I thought you hated me..." By now I had tears in my eyes. "Dashie, I would never hate you," I said as I wiped her tears away. "Really?" She said before sniffling. "Of course not." "B-but-" I put a hoof over her mouth. "No buts." "I just feel like I owe you something..." "...a sorry's always enough." "But it's not, this time." "Just, shut up, okay? I've already forgiven you. I have for two years." "Really?" "Of course." "I still owe you something." "Dashie," My voice box stopped dead in its tracks. Dashie had pressed my muzzle against her own. Everything in the world came to a screeching halt as Dashie's soft lips contacted with mine. I hugged her neck and stroked her multi-coloured mane. She pulled away. "H-how did you know?" I asked. She have a small, sad smile. "Oh come on, I saw you glancing at me while I was flying when I lived in Ponyville all those years ago." She laughed. "Oh.." "All those years..." Her ears folded back. "You still loved me... After.. That?" She asked. He stopped when I planted a kiss on her nose. "Of course I do." I giggled "excuse me for being sappy," I said. "Sure, we had a big fight that could've broken anypony's friendship, but, Y'know, our friendship is different." Dashie nodded slowly. "we've been through the thick and thin, sticking together through it all." I paused. "I guess I've always loved you, from the moment you crashed into me when I arrived in Ponyville." "But we were just fillies." Dashie chuckled. "That doesn't matter, does it?" I asked. "It just matters if you actually love them, and it isn't just a dumb elementary school crush." "I guess you're right." I smiled. "Now, I think you've forgiven me lots." I said. "Me too." She answered. "Why are you even here?" She asked. "Oh, I need you to come to Town square in Ponyville at 4:30 on Tuesday." I said. "I dunno..." She looked the other way. "Let me check to see if I have any shows." She hovered across the room and opened a mini calendar. She traced we hoof along a part of a page and smiled. "I'm free!" She beamed as she looked back at me. "Yes!!" I jumped up and down. "Why are you going to do, though?" Dashie asked. "You'll see!" I said. "Oh, one more thing I want you to do!" "Anything for you, Pinks." Author's Note Auhg! Sorry, I was craving some fluff, Y'know? I just had to. Sad Dashie is sad, too. ~Stormy L. Dawn //-------------------------------------------------------// The Journey Comes To A Close //-------------------------------------------------------// The Journey Comes To A Close Well, as all journeys, this one had come to an end. To be honest, I actually doubted I'd be able to get all y friends to come. I still had doubts that AJ would come, but thankfully, that didn't happen. I suppose you want to see what happened hm? Yeah, I don't like to be on the edge of my seat about something that's never going to be presented. Lucky for you, this one will be. Kick your hooves back and enjoy! ~~~ I sat on the side of the fountain with Flutteshy, waiting for the rest of my friends. "I'm so glad you decided to come, Fluttershy." I said, breaking the silence. "Oh, I wouldn't miss it for the world." She replied. We went silent again, occasionally broken by the hellos of passers. After a little bit of waiting, Applejack arrived. "Applejack! You made it!" I beamed. "Ah wouldn't pass on it for for te fresh pie ah just made back at the farm." She have a small smile. "Oh, hello Applejack." Fluttershy said quietly. "Howdy Fluttershy," She said. "Been awhile, ain't it?" "Oh yes, I'm so glad to see you out and about." She answered. "Ah could say the same about ya." She said. "Yes," Fluttershy replied. "I'm soooo happy to see you interacting!" I beamed. "Awe, it's nothin. It was your idea, and we're very proud of ya." AJ said. Our conversation was interrupted by another voice. "Hello girls, did I miss anything?" Rarity asked. She wore a big hat with a feather sticking out of it. "Rarity!" Both girl beamed. "Oh, I've missed you so much." Flutters' said. "Oh, I've missed you too, girls." She said. "My goodness, we have so much to catch up on." "Wait!" I shouted. "You have to wait..." "Alright," Rarity said as she turned around. "I can wait." I made conversation while we waited for Twi and Dashie. We talked about Rarity's travels, and that's about it, considering the other two hadn't left Ponyville, or done anything for that matter. "Hey girls!" Twi called as she flapped her wings to keep her in the air until she made contact with the ground. Spike balanced on her back. "Twilight, darling, my have I missed you!" Rares said. "I'm extremely sorry I left you girls behind, I really didn't mean to." Twi said as Spike climbed off of her. "Oh, don't mention it." Rares said. Her gaze turned to Spike. "Oh, and I've missed you too, Spikey-Wikey!" She said as she used her magic to lift him into the air. "I-I've missed you too, Rarity..." He said. More conversation was made. It was almost 4:40. I glued my eyes on the sky to watch for my final guest. We went dead silent as a boom erupted from the sky. We all looked up to see a Sonic Rainboom spreading across the sky. A rainbow trail shot through the sky. I looked at my friend's eyes. They were sparkling with excitement. The rainbow trail got closer and closer to us. Dashie landed right in front of us with her most popular pose. "You made it!!" I beamed before jumping on top of we and wrapping her in a bone crushing hug. "Of course, I wouldn't want to miss it," Dashie said. She looked at our group of friends. "And now that I see what you're doing, I would regret not coming." "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight beamed. "You could make it!" "Yeah," Dashie said. "I don't know if you two remember, but I do!" I beamed. "Dashie and AJ are still tied for most daring pony!" I giggled. "You had to mention that, dear?" Rares said as she covered her face with her hoof. "You're on!" Dashie smirked. I laughed. "C'mon everypony! Les go to Sugarcube Corner and have a PARTY!!" I beamed. They all cheered. "I could use one of those." Twi said as she followed the group. ~~~~~~~~~~ Dashie shoved a whole piece of cake in her mouth and laughed through the bits of cake in her mouth. "Uh, Rainbow Dash, that is the most uncouth thing I have ever seen!" Rarity said in a disgusted manner. "What? I was just eating some cake!" Dashie complained. "Is that a problem?" "Of course not, just use a fork!" Rarity said. "Um, I don't know if you've noticed, but I can't really use a fork," Dashie said as she raised an eyebrow. "But I can." Rarity responded. "Well, not everypony has magic, Rarity!" Dashie responded. "Hey girls, are you having fun!?" I asked. "Plenty." Rarity smiled. "Awe yeah, most fun I've had in years!" Dashie answered. "Really?" I asked as I blinked a bunch of times. "Sure! All the parties I go to with the Wonderbolts are cool, but I haven't had one of these with just my good ole' friends in awhile!" Dashie said. "Awesome!" I said before bouncing away. "Hey Twi!" I beamed. "Hey Pinkie." Twi said. "Hey, wasn't Discord with you?" "Yeah, but I told him to leave himself out of this so we could have some time to ourselves!" I explained. "I see." Twi said as she nodded. "Where is he now?" "I dunno," I answered. "It's not like letting him roam free was ever a problem now." "I suppose." Twi said. "Hey, want some cake before Dashie eats it all?" I asked. "Yeah, I guess so." She replied. I watched Twi walk until she was standing in front of the cake. I spun around, almost ramming into Fluttershy. "Oops, sorry about thy Flutters'!" I said. "Oh, it's okay, I just wanted a cup of punch." She said. "Sure! I'll get that for you!" I said. "Oh, okay." She said. I poured some punch into a bowl and hoofed it to her. "Thank you." She said. "Hey RD!" AJ called. Dashie looked up from the cake. "What?" She asked. "How about a challenge of bobbing fer apples?" She asked. "You're on!" She grinned and narrowed her eyes. "You're on!" She grinned and narrowed her eyes. The party continued for a long time, considering it was dark when it ended. Everypony was tuckered out from all the dancing, an I'm pretty sure Dashie ate too much cake. "Hey guys, wanna watch fireworks?" I asked. They all looked at one another. "Sure, we'd love to!" Twilight said. "I'll go get them!" I said before running up the stairs. ~~~~~~~~~~ Spike inhaled before blowing out green flames across all the fireworks that stood on posted. We waited a few seconds, then watched the sky explode into different colours of the rainbow. Woahs, oohs an aaahs were said. As Spike lit the second batch, I crawled into Dashie's arms and snuggled my face into her chest. A giggled could be heard from Rarity's spot. "You spmell nicshe." I mumbled trough her fur. "Umm, thanks?" She responded. She rested her chin on my frizzy mane. As the last of the fireworks finished up, my eyelids drooped, and I drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~ Sunlight streamed into my vision as my eyes slowly opened. The sun was already high in the sky, meaning I slept in. Then I remembered we were all there, and we all slept in. Then I realized what I was sleeping on. Dashie had fallen asleep with me still in her hooves. The only leg that managed to stay on top on me, was her right foreleg. Her back was against the ground and I basically laid on top of her like it was my bed. Eventually, the chirping of the birds, the stomping of hooves and the talking of ponies woke the rest of the girls up. "Mmmm," Twilight mumbled. She stood up and ruffled her wings. I deliberately rolled off of Dashie when she started to stir. "Uung, I feel like 80 pounds just slept on me all night..." She moaned. "Oops..." I giggled. "Uh! My mane! It's simply ruined!" Rarity whined. "Isn't it normally like that in tha morin'?" AJ asked as she stood up. "Not is much as this!" She complained. "Maybeh it's beside we slept outside?" Applejack answered. "Oh, girls, I don't mean to interrupt, but I must get home. my animal friends are probably looking for me." She said. "Yes, I have to say, I must head back to Canterlot, Celestia must be looking for me as well." Twilight said as she opened her wings. "Spitfire's gonna kick my flank if I don't get back in time!" Dashie added. We all looked at AJ. "Who, me?" She asked. "Ah got nothin' today." "It was so nice to see all of you girls." Twilight said. She smiled at me. "It was all Pinkie Pie's doing." "Hm, what?" I said before I was encased in the most awesomest group hug with me in the middle ever. "We most certainly have to do this again sometime." Rarity said. "Sometime?" I asked. "I'd say once a week, at least!" They all exchanged looks with one another. "Sounds good to me." Dashie said. "Totally!" Rarity added. We all nodded. "I'd say every Tuesday." Twilight said. "Yeah!" We all cheered. "Well, you girls that have to go should probably be going now." I said. "I can't wait to see you all soon!" Author's Note Well, the real storyline comes to an end. It's been fun writing this long (for my standards) story. But now that this is out of the way, I can get to all those one shots I want to write. What's that? The real storyline? Oh yeah, Epilogue coming soon! //-------------------------------------------------------// I Can't Help It //-------------------------------------------------------// I Can't Help It I hugged the big purple book close to my chest as I laid back on my bed. On the book was a horseshoe. In the middle, was a pink star. Surrounding it, there was a red lightning bolt, a purple gem, a pink butterfly, an orange apple and a sky blue balloon. I sighed. Magic, loyalty, generosity, kindness, honesty, and... Oh yeah, laughter. My best friends. I wiped my tears away, even though they continued to flow. Tears dropped onto the front cover, adding to the previous tear stains. I traced my hoof around each shape. I glanced at the glass case that held my golden necklace with the replaced blue balloon in the middle. My element had sat in that very case for two years, untouched. I just stared at it. I pet my six year old pet alligator as my eyes stayed set on the shiny jewellery. I almost smiled, but then remembered things were different now. "Just a smidgemetre to the south!" Dashie moved grumbled. "PINKIE!" She shouted. "Oh." I said as I blushed. "Sorry, that's good." We waited for a minute, and then a waved my hoof at her. Spike walked out of the building, and Dashie kicked the cloud, making it boom as lightning shot out. "Ahhh!" Spike shouted. We both waited for something to happen. A single hiccup came out of his mouth, followed by several more. "Hahaha, Rainbow, we scared Spike into getting the hiccups!" I laughed. "Haha, good- hic- one Pinkie! -hic- you're always-hic- pull-hic-ing a fast once on me -hic-!" Spike said. "I can think of one thing that more funny." Dashie mumbled, before kicking the cloud again, and a loud boom went off. "WAHH!" I shouted. "Hiccup!" I started laughing uncontrollably. "Hey Pinkie, you're not as annoying as I thought!" Dashie said. "Wanna hang out?" A pang of happiness flowed through me as I shot all over the place. Dashie stopped me by shoving a hoof in my mouth. "A simple nod will work." She said. "Mhm!" I hummed as I nodded. I couldn't bring myself to smiling. Thinking of all the great memories I've had only made it worse. All my best friends are gone, only two remaining in Ponyville, who I never ever see. I remembered all the fights we won, all the laughs we had, all the problems we solved. I choked back a series of sobs. I covered my eyes with my hooves and let all my tears flow out. Why'd they have to leave me behind? I probably seem like a really happy pony. But in reality, I can become really sad if the cards are played right. Whenever I go outside, I put on a completely fake smile, so nopony worries about me. I'd rather suffer by myself than have the whole town down. I know, that seems like something Rarity or Fluttershy would say, but it's true. I took a picture off the wall. It was Twilight's welcome to Ponyville party. I hung it back on the wall and thought- Why can these pictures make me happy like they once did? I knew the answer right away. This time, my best friends weren't here to comfort me. "Oh look at those happy faces! All the parties that I have thrown! I made them laugh, had such a blast, I smile that's all their own!" I looked up. Wait a minute. "They loved seeing me, the REAL Pinkie!" My ears perked up. "Show them a time of their life like they've never known! Like they've never knooooown!" I glanced back at the journal on my bed. "I've got to get back out there, and show them that I tried, for there's only one great party pony, that is Pinkie Pie!" I rushed back over to my bed and flipped open to the first page. The first letter Twilight wrote to Princess Celestia was copied in, and so were the rest. "Dear Princess Celestia," I read. "I've learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around," I read the rest in my head. I flipped a few pages ahead. "Dearest Princess Celestia, today I learned that it's hard to except when somepony you like wants to spend time with someone who's not so nice." I read. "Though it's impossible to control who your friends hang out with, it is possible to control your behaviour. Just continue to be a good friend. In the end, the difference between a false friend and one who is true will surely come to light." I remembered this. "Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." I flipped to the lesson on the day of Fluttershy's last photoshoot. "Dear Princess Celestia, being a good friend means being able to keep a secret, but you should never be afraid to share your true feelings with a good friend." I sighed. if only I told her... I thought. I read all the entries in the journal. Who knows, maybe you and your future friends are all looking at the same rainbow. You've got to share, you got to care. Having fun is the best part, even if you have to get your hooves a little bit dirty. You should never forget your friends and where you came from, and that's something to be proud of. I'll always chose my friends. I slammed the book shut and looked at Gummy. "Gummy, I know what to do!" I looked at the picture of my friends all together. Gummy blinked as I looked back at him. "My friends are the most important thing to me ever, and I know how to get the gang back together!" I cracked a small smile. Happiness flowed through me as my smile grew. I raced down the stairs as fast as I could and ran across town faster than I ever had before. Author's Note This is sort of based off of Magical Mystery cure, except with Pinkie. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Fashion Show //-------------------------------------------------------// The Fashion Show The advertisements went on for a while until in came to a big building. I looked up and saw a big banner with Rarity on on it, along with the basic information for her visit. I started walking forward, still looking up, only to run chest first into somepony's else's chest. I rubbed my chest as I looked up. "Oh, hi!" What looked like a bodyguard was standing right in front of the door. "Oh, sorry." I said as I crept past him. He stuck out his back leg. My hooves caught on his leg and I fell flat on my face. I got up with a wall-eyed face and my tongue sticking out. "Hey! What was that for?!" I asked as I rubbed my muzzle. "You can not go in without admission." He said. "Um, where can I get that?" I asked. "Over there." He said as he pointed a hoof at a stand. "You better get it before it's sold out." "Okay, thanks!" I said as I walked over to the stand. The unicorn that was currently buying tickets seemed to have the second last ticket. I ran up and smiled. "I'll have one ticket, please." I said. "That'll be 100 bits." He said. My ears folded back. "100 bit?!" I frowned. "100 bits for a ticket is outrageous! 50 bits is the proper price!" I said. "100 bits." He said. "50 bits!" I shot back. "100 bits!" "50 bits!" "100 bits!" "100 bits!" "50 bits!" "100 BITS OR NOTHING!" I yelled. "50 bits and no more!" He said. I smiled "Okie dokie!" I pulled out 50 bits and placed them on his counter. I took the ticket and trotted away. "Wa-huh?" He muttered. I giggled as I hoofed my ticket to the bodyguard. He stepped aside and let me in. When I walked in, my eyes widened at the sight. The place was crowded, waiting for the fashion star to show up on stage. I tried to push my way to the front, but it was positively impossible to get through, so I had to make do in the back. A few minutes later, everypony hushed as the lights dimmed. I turned my attention to the front. My smile grew to about three times the size as a familiar white unicorn stepped onto the stage. Everypony stomped their hooves, and soon I joined in. The stomping died down as she cleared her throat in the microphone. "I want to thank all of you ponies for coming to Canterlot's fashion show!" She said. Everyone cheered. "I simply cannot believe so many fans showed up today, why, there's barely room for the catwalk!" She laughed along with everypony else. I saw a small mare-sized gap in the sea of ponies. As Rarity spoke, I wiggled my way through to the front, surprised the space actually went that far. As she finished her next sentence, cheering filled my ears again. I cheered and stomped too. Being the loud pony I am, my cheering overpowered the rest of the cheering, and it made Rarity look straight down at me. I waved. She blinked. She slowly waved back. She winked and looked back up at the crowd. "But let's not let my talking her in the way of the main event!" She beamed. "Enjoy everypony!" She walked off stage as the lights dimmed more and ponies in breathtaking dresses walked down the catwalk. I heard series of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' and the snapping of cameras. The evening dragged on as millions (I might be exaggerating) of models walked on the catwalk. I had sat on my haunches and rested my cheek on my hoof. My ears perked up as the lights became brighter again. I looked up. Rarity was back on stage and waving for the cameras. She gave me one last glance before walking off the stage and probably to the dressing room. Everypony cheered until she was nowhere to be seen. ~~~~~~~~~~ I bounced a yellow balloon up and down on my hooves, bored out of my mind. It had been an hour, and Rarity still hadn't left the building. I shivered in the evening air. When I was about to give up and leave, I heard the door click, and open. There stood Rarity. I was about to run over to her, but to my surprise, dozens photographers and interviewers came out of nowhere. They all shoved their microphones in her face and she seemed overwhelmed by all the camera flashes. "What is it like being the most popular fashion designer in all of Equestria?" A reporter asked. "Oh, I wouldn't say I'm-" Rarity started. "What's your next fashion line going to be like?" Another asked. "Oh, well, it'll be a bit-" she was cut off again. "Exactly how full is your schedule?" "Well, uh..." She muttered. My mouth dropped open as my ears flattened back. She held her hoof against her face to block out all of the flashing. "I simply don't have the time for this, I'm supposed to be-" she didn't get to get all her words out before being drowned with questions again. She turned to her right, only to be stopped by another group of fans. Every way she turned, ponies were there, trying to get a glimpse of her. I sat back down and stared at the mob that practically swallowed Rarity. I flipped my mane to the other side of my neck and walked away. "This is hopeless." I said as Gummy popped out of my mane. "How am I supposed to get to Rarity when fans are mobbing her twenty four-seven?!" Gummy said nothing. I sat on the ground and watched from the distance as Rarity pushed herself inside of her trailer and slammed the door on screaming fans. A bodyguard pushed them away. After the mob was gone, I trotted up to the muscular stallion. "Can I see Rarity?" I asked in the most calm manor I could. "I'm sorry, I can't let crazy fans into Miss Rarity's trailer." He said. "But I'm not a... Oh wait..." I said. "Well I'm not.... Darn it!" I snorted. "Well, I need to see her!" I said. "I'm sorry." He said. "I can't allow you in." He said sternly. "Fine!" I stomped off. I sat on the ground and tapped my chin. "We need a plan, Gummy!" I said. "And I'm not good at making plans." I mumbled. "I could make a simple plan to get in through the back door..." I said to myself. I let out a huff. "But that bodyguard looks like he's watching everything!" My hoof ran through my mane when it met with Gummy's scaly stomach. My eyes popped open as I gasped. "That's it!" I grabbed Gummy out of my mane. Author's Note Sorry about the long wait.... Again. I just have so many dang stories that I can't put all my writing time into this one, but I haven't given up on it. Stay tuned for more, and have a fandiddlytastic day! ~Stormy Dawn //-------------------------------------------------------// Epilogue //-------------------------------------------------------// Epilogue Hey Journal, So if you're wondering about what happened after that amazing day, it's been nothing but good. AJ has finally moved on and left Sweet Apple Acres often, meaning I see her all the time. Fluttershy has gotten her animal friends back and is no longer afraid of outside, now that she knows her friends are still out there. Rarity predicted herself, that her type of fashion might go out of style soon, meaning her career as a fashion star might have to end and she could return to Ponyville. The order increase in Canterlot was brought down, and Twilight moved back to Ponyville! She says she's so happy to be back in her good ol' Golden Oaks Library. And last but not least, my marefriend, Dashie, often didn't have shows with the Wonderbolts on Tuesdays. She even visited me on every single holiday she could get her hooves on. Bottom line, all the sadness and loneliness ended as our lives started to piece back together. And someday... Someday... Dashie will retire (not that I want her to), and we can all have one big happy friendship again, if Rarity was right, that is. ~I'll write soon, Pinkie Pie