Don't Feed the Birds

by Xeadin

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Slice of Life
Length: 5269

When somepony doesn't heed the word of warning from Ponyville's denizen woodland vet, things go terribly wrong at Sugarcube Corner.

Fluttershy takes a stroll through downtown Ponyville to find Pinkie Pie serving leftover pastries from last night to the denizen ducks. Fluttershy warns Pinkie Pie about her actions, and Pinkie heeds to Fluttershy's words of wisdom.

Being Pinkie Pie, though, she always finds a way around a sticky situation, but perhaps she shouldn't have found a loophole this time around...

The following day, Sugarcube Corner is surrounded by a mob of hungry woodland creatures of all types, and it only gets worse for the rest of the town.

Figured I should write another family-friendly fic, focusing more on Ponyville's resident element bearers.

I wrote this story as a challenge for myself to write as close to canon as I could. I think I did alright, for the most part-- at least for my standards.

I got inspired to write this from a sign hung outside the local bakery in a nearby community mall.

Published 2014-04-24 14:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-04-24 14:50:02 UTC

Poor Sugarcube Corner!

It was the height of spring, and downtown Ponyville was bustling with all sorts of activity. Fresh garden stands lined the web-like structure of the dirt roads against their prospective stores and houses, and flower pots garnered the lucrative attention of all the passing ponies coming out to enjoy the Ponyville Spring Fair.

The smell of a multitude of fragrances from all of the fresh vegetables and flowers permeated the air, creating a welcoming atmosphere that got just about everypony off of their chairs. Pinkie Pie hopped joyously along the greatest stretch of dirt road that cut right through much of Ponyville. Her spongy magenta mane and tail bobbed back and forth from each hop off of all four of her hooves.

She hopped right through the thick crowds surrounding Sugarcube Corner, and proceeded to make her way right up to the front door. Cup Cake and Carrot Cake were busy showcasing their newest pastries to many of the passing ponies that made their rounds about town. Pinkie Pie opened the door halfway, slid right through the open threshold, and closed it with such gentle precision that almost nopony had even noticed.

A small puddle of water lined one corner of the sandstone foundation of the local bakery, which two ducks were frolicking around in. They quacked and honked at each other, flapping their wings and covering themselves with the sun-bathed rainwater.

A door opened near the puddle, forcing the attention of the ducks to inspect the origination of the sound. Pinkie Pie walked out with a small blue bag hung around her shoulders. She spotted the ducks on the puddle and grinned widely. The ducks quacked gleefully, and waddled their way towards the base steps of the foundation.

“Hello, Mister Duckington and Miss Quackston,” Pinkie Pie spoke with a whimsical tune in her voice. “How are you two doing today?”

Following the advice of Fluttershy about how to speak calmly with other animals, Pinkie Pie was able to make friends with a few of Fluttershy’s docile critters while she had tea over at the cottage near the outskirts of Ponyville. She also knew that wild animals needed to be fed on a regular basis to be happy.

The ducks quacked in unison.

Pinkie’s cheeks ballooned, accentuating her smile. “Really? That sounds wonderful!” She put the bag down and took out a few remaining morsels of apple cinnamon muffins from last night. “I bet you came all the way out here for these!”

The ducks took a few steps forward and grabbed onto the morsels with their bills. They gobbled the muffin scraps and gave a satisfied quack in return.

Pinkie Pie closed the bag back up, which garnered a slightly distraught look from the ducks. “Aw, it’s okay you two. You can come back later for more when you get hungry.”

The ducks quacked in agreement, and fluttered their way down the street and over the congesting crowds. Pinkie Pie walked back up the steps and shut the door behind her, and slid the lock in place with a ‘click.’ A flowerbed right next to the short stairway rustled, and a pair of little, beady yellow eyes were barely visible. A giant, dark rodent-like nose protruded from the edge of the bush, sniffing the air for any nearby morsels left behind by the ducks.

A squirrel spiraled its way up a tree limb of Fluttershy’s cottage in a panic. It made its way through a small opening in the circular window. It slid down an angled pole on top of one of the beams that made up part of the support for the thatched hay roof.

Fluttershy flew around one part of the cottage to the other, neatly packing an assortment of vegetables she gathered from the fair earlier in the day. She hummed a natural, vibrant tune to herself, laying the fruits and vegetables one by one on a table covered with a white cloth.

She heard the furious chattering of the squirrel above her, and she gasped lightly at the sudden outburst. She put the remaining pile down on the side of the table and turned herself around and flew up to the support beam, where the squirrel sat down on—tapping its foot fervently on the dark, dry wood.

“Yes, Mr. Squirrel?” she said soothingly.

The squirrel pointed its stubby paws out towards the direction of Ponyville, conveying a complex message of hand signals and constant chattering. It was as if it was playing a game of charades.

Having been around animals since her first arrival to Ponyville, Fluttershy knew all too well how to read an animal’s body language for common cues, especially in demanding emergencies.

“What’s wrong with Pinkie Pie?” she asked—a confused look crossing her face.

The squirrel continued its ranting chattering, which began to make more sense to her.

“She’s feeding the animals? Well, isn’t that a good thing?”

The squirrel shook its head furiously. It stamped its foot on the log, forcing a light creak from it. It motioned its hand to and from its side, trying to reimagine what it had saw down at Sugarcube Corner.

“Oh, my. She’s feeding them more than they need?” She knew that scenario all too well. Feeding an animal stuff only ponies ate would draw in more. It’d be a ripple effect reminiscent to the parasprite swarm, if left unchecked. “I’ve got to tell Pinkie Pie about this!”

With an affirmed nod, the squirrel trotted back out the window on all fours. Fluttershy put on a long brimmed white hat, with a multitude of assorted roses adorned all along the base of its crown. It was given to her by Rarity while she was down at the fair. She opened the door, letting a delicate breeze pass by before shutting it behind her.

Fluttershy made her way through town, passing above the heads of many bystanders eyeing the delicious fresh produce displayed in all their indulging glory. She landed at the back steps of Sugarcube Corner and gently knocked on the door with three light hoof-falls. She noticed the ducks playing vigorously in the puddle next to the steps. She oriented herself to get a good view of them. She saw a small speck of white icing on the bill of one duck. She gasped, and shooed them off as gently as she could.

The ducks looked at each other. One of them made a quiet quack of confusion.

Fluttershy stared openly at them, menacingly locking her eyes with theirs. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll do as I tell you!” she growled in a harsh tone.

The ducks panicked and flew in the opposite direction from Fluttershy, occasionally bumping into each other mid-flight.

The door swung open, revealing Pinkie Pie—finishing off a mouth-full of a large decadent slice of triple-chocolate cake.

“Hi, Phwudderthy,” she said, spraying pieces of cake out towards her warm-hearted friend.

“Oh, um, hi Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy replied softly.

Pinkie Pie gulped her mouth full of cake in one easy motion. She licked her lips, getting any residual icing left behind. “Yum! So, what brings you out here today?”

“Oh, well, I just wanted to see how things were going with you and the fair.”

“Are you kidding?? We’re all having a blast!” Pinkie Pie jumped in glee. She looked over to the pond to notice that the ducks were gone. She had seen them there a few minutes ago. She cocked her head to the side. “Hey, what happened to Mister Duckington and Miss Quackston?”

Fluttershy tried her best to make up an excuse. “I guess they needed to go check up on their younglings. It’s awfully dangerous leaving baby ducks behind for long periods of time.”

Pinkie Pie bought Fluttershy’s explanation. “Well, I hope they do come back soon, because I’ve got a few tasty bits for them to try. Maybe they could bring their young ones along as well!”

“Um, well, about that…” Fluttershy trailed off.

Pinkie Pie scrunched her nose. “What’s on your mind?”

“Can I talk to you for a moment, Pinkie?” She motioned toward the open door.

“Yeah, sure!” Pinkie trotted down the stairway, and closed the door-- keeping it cracked enough so that she could get back in at anytime. “So, what’s on your mind, Fluttershy?”

“Pinkie, can I ask you a favor?”

Pinkie excitedly trotted in place. “Anything for you, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy gulped, thinking of what to say next. She didn’t want to hurt Pinkie’s feelings over doing a good deed for the animals, but the line needed to be drawn before Sugarcube Corner became the capitol of critterville. “Can I ask you to not feed the local animals?”

Pinkie Pie twisted her head. “Why not?”

“Well, I know that you want to feed them food, and that’s great. I’d like you to keep doing it, but I don’t think you should be feeding them pastries and bread. It might attract other animals that may be unwelcome in certain parts of town.”

Pinkie Pie chortled for a moment. “I don’t see any harm in feeding more hungry critters. That just means we’ll have to deal with less leftover trash piles—”

“And more hungry critters,” Fluttershy interrupted. “Don’t you see, Pinkie? The animals might think of it as an invitation to live near or within your bakery. You know the story of what happened to the last local bread business, don’t you?”

Pinkie Pie tapped her hoof on her cheek, perusing her thoughts. She shrugged, as she came empty-hoofed.

“Well, the owner did the same thing and more animals came in. Soon, the business was overwhelmed, and the inspectors deemed his bakery as an unclean health hazard. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you too, Pinkie.” Fluttershy shed a single tear after recalling that fateful tale.

Pinkie understood all too well about Fluttershy’s wisdom. “Well, what should I do now?” she asked, worriedly.

Fluttershy’s frown broke into a small grin. “It won’t be much of a change. You can still feed them smaller portions. They just shouldn’t be dependent on only our food.”

Pinkie Pie nodded. “Okey dokey lokey!” She opened the door and trotted back in. After the door shut with an audible click, Fluttershy drew a sigh of relief. She had helped in avoiding a greater calamity with Sugarcube Corner.

The last of the day drew to a close, and farmers and bakers alike packed up their belongings and displays to return to their homes and shops—in preparation for tomorrow’s continued order of business. The sun began to set behind the treetops to the west of Ponyville, gradually welcoming in a front of cold air from the north.

Fluttershy flew back towards her cottage, leaving the bakery mostly deserted. The bush next to the door rustled more violently, and a series of frightening growls and cackles emanated from it. The head of a raccoon popped out from the side of the bush, looking in both directions—cautiously planning its next moves. It jumped out, exposing the rest of its gray bulk and its black and white striped bushy tail.

The ducks returned from their temporary hiding place, landing in the puddle with a splash. They kept themselves on the lookout for any signs of the intimidating, pink-maned, yellow coated pegasus. They quacked cautiously, hoping that their pink mare friend would show up from behind the door.

Surely enough, the door opened and Pinkie Pie bounded out. She heard the splash of the puddle and prepared her morsels again—this time, she took Fluttershy’s advice.

“Hello, Mister Duckington and Miss Quackston. Did you bring your youngling with you?”

The ducks looked at each other, puzzled.

Pinkie Pie slightly raised a brow. She barely noticed the raccoon out on the corner of her eye. “Hi there, Mister Fluffytail. You came to try some of our tasty blueberry apple scones?”

The raccoon could smell the fruit and grains within her sack. She pulled out a plate with much smaller morsels than before. “You can have this. Fluttershy says that I need to cut down a little bit for you guys—something about feeding you all too much, perhaps?” She giggled at the thought. “You can never feed something too much, but I suppose she does have a point.”

The ducks and raccoons didn’t make much sense out of what Pinkie Pie had said. “Oh, you know what? Maybe I could give you a little extra for being so polite!” She scooped out another plate full of small crumbs. Both the ducks and the raccoon ate their fair share until the plate was spotless.

“Well, weren’t you all hungry?” She put the plates back into the sack, and proceeded to walk up the stairs. She barely tripped off of one step and slammed her rear right hoof into the side of a cardboard box. It fell over to the side, spilling over its contents of delicious morsels left over from the fair. Pinkie Pie turned around and rushed down the stairs again, bringing the box upright. She saw the raccoon already munching on one of the pastries. At first, she wanted to try that take it away, but then she realized how much it had already eaten. It was too late to make that decision.

She gathered what other pastries she could and put them back in the box. She folded the top part so that nothing could get in, and left it out at the bottom of the steps without giving it any second thought. “Maybe tomorrow, I could give those away to anypony and any critter who wanted a good eat.” She shut the door, leaving the box out in the open. The raccoon had already vacated and the ducks left to return to their nesting spot. All was nearly silent in the streets of Ponyville, as the last glow of candlelit windows were blown out.

The following morning, Fluttershy woke up to the dazzling rays of sun filtering through the back window. It was a remarkably ordinary morning for her, at least for the time being. She stretched her forelegs and her wings out and across herself, yawning heavily as she prepared herself for more rearrangements of her vegetables and fruits.

Upon getting out of her bed, the same squirrel darted through the window and clamored in a more furious tone than last time. Fluttershy looked up and softly flew up to eye level with the squirrel. It made similar gestures as before, but it emphasized a large crowding around a building.

“Oh, Sugarcube Corner again? It could be the fair, you know, Mr. Squirrel.”

The squirrel slapped its hand against its face with a smack, gritting its teeth angrily. It further emphasized the audience of various woodland creatures.

Fluttershy gasped. She knew what the squirrel was talking about now. Did Pinkie Pie goof up, somehow? It was certainly strange that somepony such as Pinkie would easily be that forgetful.

She flew straight for the door, without grabbing any other adornments, and softly shut it behind her. She made a beeline straight for Ponyville.

Confusion clouded the concessions of the townsfolk. Dozens of woodland critters of all kinds paraded around the perimeter of Sugarcube Corner. The box that once sat next to the back door was completely torn apart, and its contents were gobbled up by hungry rodents and mammals of all kinds. There were even a few different birds there as well, propped up on the windowsills—entranced by the sweet aromas of pastries that were displayed within.

At the front, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake were adorned with aprons and had overturned pots on their heads. They clamored about with fly swatters and spatulas, contently shooing away the gathering animals that seemed to have no intentions of leaving the premise. As soon as the shop owners plowed right through the mass, they quickly reformed right behind, forming a cordon around the frightened couple.

“Where did they all come from?” Cup Cake inquired, shivering in fright.

“I have no idea, but we’ve got to do something about this!” Carrot Cake implied.

Inside, Pinkie Pie darted her way around to each and every window, making sure that there wasn’t a single crack that anything could come through. She used her super-dexterous puffy pink hair to search for the smallest of cracks. Pinkie Pie’s was full of all sorts of talents that she could pull off with her mane.

She saw Fluttershy dart past one window and in front of the next. Pinkie Pie raised her hoof, pointing out to go upstairs. Fluttershy did so, and Pinkie rushed up the stairs to her room. She carefully scanned the window for any residing critters. Once Fluttershy gave the okay, Pinkie Pie opened the window wide enough for Fluttershy to file through. She quickly slammed it shut, preventing any birds from getting through.

“Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy exclaimed quietly. “What happened?”

Pinkie Pie shuddered. “Last night I did what you told me, which was to feed them only a little bit of food at a time, and so I did, but I tripped over a large box of leftover pastries and I had to prop it back up, and because it was outside, I had to leave it closed so that I could deal with it in the morning because it was getting dark!” She was talking so fast that Fluttershy could barely catch up.

“So, I left it out there with the intent to give them all away to those who needed it, including some critters in need, but now it’s all gone because the animals from the Everfree Forest smelled them and gobbled them all up, and now they want more of our stuff!”

Pinkie Pie collapsed to the floor with streams of tears flowing down her cheeks. “Gaahahahaa! Make it stop! Oh, make it STOOOPP!”

Fluttershy slightly retreated backwards as Pinkie Pie tried wrapping her hooves around the timid pegasus’s own. “We should go see Twilight and see if she has a fix for this mess.”

Pinkie’s eyes snapped open. She bounced up into the air, spreading her tears around the room. Her face was replaced with joy. “You’re right! To Twilight’s house we go!” She sped her way down from the second floor and made sure that Fluttershy was close by. She readied her stare against any critters that would try to sneak on by.

Once the door was open, the crowd of animals looked up and saw the opening. Many of them reared up to get a head start from the rest. As soon as they did, Fluttershy locked her gaze on each and every one of them, stopping them all cold in their tracks—they all gazed back like statues.

Pinkie Pie took this opportunity to make her way out the door, followed by Fluttershy. As soon as they were clear, Pinkie shut the door and motioned to Fluttershy to let go of the gaze. She returned to her normal self, letting the animals get a breath of fresh air before continuing their clamoring around Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie quickly galloped down the dirt streets past the puzzled onlookers, while Fluttershy took to the skies towards Twilight’s treehouse.

“Okay, Spike. Hold it still—right there.”

Spike struggled to keep his footing; he held a large oak bookshelf still, as it levitated in the air right next to Twilight’s bed. Twilight Sparkle swept the spot where the shelf once was with a broom, using another fond of magic. It was tough for her to accomplish two different tasks at once, yet as a princess she would have to learn how to live as one. Multitasking was one of those qualities a good princess must have.

She had no idea that simple housecleaning chores would be tedious with all that she had to learn. She had to start somewhere, though.

“Twilight, are you… done yet?” Spike’s legs began to wobble a bit, keeping the bookshelf from bumping into her overhanging shelf of personal belongings—including her crown. Again, it was difficult to multitask. As soon as Twilight had lifted the shelf off of the ground, it began to rotate slightly. She did not enjoy that, especially if she considered that it may have likely tried to spin around at a faster speed.

Once she got done sweeping the spot where the bookshelf once was, she dropped the broom on the floor right next to her and reoriented the exquisite oak shelf back onto its proper spot. Spike wiped a hand across his head, and sighed. “I thought that I was gonna go along for a roller coaster ride in a bookshelf.” He laughed innocently, which made Twilight giggle a bit.

She heard her front door slam open, which the sound resounded through the entirety of the treehouse. Spike’s ears rang, and Twilight was snapped out of her plans of what to do next.

She heard Pinkie Pie scream. “TWILIGHT!” The volume of her voice seemed desperate.

Twilight and Spike looked at each other. “Pinkie Pie? What’s going on?” she asked.

She heard Pinkie running up the stairs. When she got to Twilight’s bedroom, she panted heavily—recovering herself from dread and exhaustion. She finally got a chance to speak. “Twilight! You’ve gotta help! There’s a whole bunch of critters surrounding Sugarcube Corner, and we’ve tried shaking them off, but they keep on coming back, because they want more of our food, but Fluttershy said that it’d put the bakery in danger, so we need you to help us find a way to keep them away for good!”

Twilight raised her brow in question. Spike cleaned out the inside of his ears. “Uhh, what now?”

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, dashing through the open balcony doorway. She spotted the small gathering and darted straight to them. “Twilight! There’s a whole bunch of critters from the Everfree Forest surrounding Sugarcube Corner! I don’t know what’s gotten into them, but they’re terrorizing much of the town already!” She was equally surprised to see Pinkie Pie in attendance as well. “Pinkie Pie?? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be helping your folks at Sugarcube Corner with the pesky rodents??”

Pinkie Pie nodded her head. “That’s why I came over here!”

“Oh.”

Twilight glanced over to Spike, who was eager to listen to her next task. “Spike, I need you to find the spellbook on simple telepathic charms.”

“Got it!” He ran down the stairs to the main part of the lower library. Fluttershy came in through the open balcony doorway and joined in alongside Rainbow Dash.

“Fluttershy! Did you see what was going on out there?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, I did. It was… dreadful. Oh, those poor critters! They became so desperately hungry!”

Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but feel a bit of remorse. “I guess it’s all because of me…”

Fluttershy noticed Pinkie Pie hunkering over the railing. “Oh, of course not. You may have made a mistake, but they just wanted to find something to eat. I couldn’t blame myself if I did the same thing as well.”

Pinkie Pie’s spirits were heightened slighty. Spike ran back up the stairs with a book in hand. “Found it!”

“Great work, Spike!” She enveloped the book in her magic and opened it up in front of her. She scanned through each page, quickly glancing across the finely printed key words that were associated with each spell. Finally, she found the right one. “There! ‘Telepathic Hypnosis. In order for this spell to achieve its desired effect, you must first designate your subject(s) that you want to use it on. This spell can only be used once on the chosen subject(s), so you must plan your objective accordingly.’”

Fluttershy was slightly concerned. “That sounds… complex. Oh, I hope we don’t mess up on that spell.”

“We’ll be fine. As long as they don’t start scattering around too far, we should be okay.”

The door busted open again—this time, they heard Applejack shout through the house. “Twilight! Ya here?”

“Applejack! Come upstairs!”

They heard her running up at a quick pace. She had a few thatched sacks of apples hanging across her back. “Twilight! Did ya see it out there‘n the town square? It’s a total disaster! Rodents a’ creepin’ around Sugarcube Corner, and we just don’t know what’n tarnation is goin’ on!”

“Don’t worry, Applejack,” Twilight assured. “I have a solution.”

“Ah, so ye did know ‘bout it?” She hadn’t realized that Pinkie Pie was standing next to her as well. “Oh. Hi, Pinkie Pie.”

“Hiya, Applejack!” Pinkie said gleefully.

Spike rubbed the bottom of his chin. “Where’s Rarity?”

“Ah reckon she’s still starin’n awe at th’ruckus those varmits’r causin’n town.”

Twilight closed the book and settled her gaze upon the rest of the group. “Well, no time to waste. C’mon, girls!”

They all ran down the stairs and through the open doorway front Applejack’s entrance. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew above the rooftops of town to gauge what the critters were doing at this point.

It was definitely akin to the parasprite swarm. Animals, big and small, scampered around the town square, sniffing and searching for any edible morsels of food they could get their paws and teeth on. After realizing that they couldn’t get inside Sugarcube Corner, they turned to the next best alternative. Many of the animals noticed the open carts, carriages, and tables laden with fresh produce and baked goods.

As a result, this sent much of the town in a mad frenzy. Many passing mares screamed at the top of their lungs fleeing from the clamping jaws of beavers and rats, while many of the stallions tried to shoo away advancing raccoons and weasels, only to find them returning to the same place they had once been.

Twilight was astonished at just how widespread the issue had become. She had hoped that the critters wouldn’t have scattered about. “Alright, time to round them up and get them back into the Everfree!” She glanced over to Apple jack and Pinkie Pie. “Applejack, Pinkie Pie; round up as many of the critters as you can find. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy; gather as many birds as you can, and any remaining critters that they miss. Once we’ve gotten as many as we can find, we’ll gather them all in front of Sugarcube Corner and I’ll be able to use the spell on all of them.”

“Consider it done!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Ahright, Twilight!” Applejack said.

“I’m on it!” Rainbow Dash saluted.

“Okay,” Fluttershy said soflty.

All four spread themselves away from Twilight and centered in on Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash zigzagged her way through all of the nearby streets, getting a good view of where many of the visibly reachable critters were at. In a few minutes of constant checking, she relayed the information to all of them, and they set out to work.

Applejack stomped her hooves on the ground to get the critters to scatter. Fluttershy employed the use of her stare to keep them from running away. Rainbow Dash herded large groups of rodents and mammals towards Sugarcube Corner that Fluttershy and Applejack had rounded up. Pinkie Pie helped alongside Applejack, pointing out obvious scavengers and using her mane to pull out the more difficult hiders.

Some were more difficult than others, evading the group as they came around tight corners and gazed through thin quarters. They had to make sure that every pesky critter was accounted for before bringing them toward Sugarcube Corner.

In the course of an hour and a half, just about all of the troublesome critters were rounded up—kept in check by Fluttershy’s stare. Twilight looked through the page in her book one last time before she let her memory do the work. “Okay, Pinkie Pie. What do you want these critters to do? I’ve only got one shot at this, so make it count!”

Pinkie Pie tapped her hoof underneath her chin. “Hmm. Maybe have them roam around just as before, without bothering Ponyville while special food events are taking place? That’s probably what Fluttershy would say.”

That seemed like a viable option. Twilight nodded in agreement. “Okay. Let’s hope this works!” She concentrated deeply, memorizing the spell’s complex sequences of symbols and incantations. Her horn lit up, surrounding the herd of critters still locked on to Fluttershy’s gaze. Applejack bumped a hoof against Fluttershy in an attempt to free her from the gaze. They had already dealt with Fruit Bat Fluttershy not too long ago; they didn’t want to deal with Rodent Fluttershy.

Fluttershy’s eyes returned to normal, following Applejack’s tapping on her hind leg. The critters continued to gaze in the same manner, as Twilight finished the last of her spell. A full minute passed by for the entire spell to take effect from the start. Once it was done, the magic around her horn dissipated, and the light lavender film covering the animals also disappeared.

The animals still stared motionless. Only when they started blinking did they begin to separate slowly, making their way through the southern end of town towards the Everfree like a parade. Rainbow Dash somersaulted in the air, shouting in glee. Pinkie Pie bounced around Twilight, who was excited that the spell had worked.

“Well ah’ll be, Twilight! It did work after all!” Applejack shouted, happily cheering with the rest of the gathering.

“I’m just so glad nopony got hurt during all of this mess,” Twilight sighed in relief.

“So, what made all of them behave that way in the first place?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

“I guess my duck friends, Mister Duckington and Miss Quackston, really were what started all of this. I should’ve taken care of that big box of leftover pastries when I had the chance.”

Twilight summoned out the journal from her knapsack. She always carried it around when she had other books as well. “Sounds like you’ve got something important to write down, Pinkie Pie,” she grinned.

Twilight held the book out before herself with a quill and ink bottle floating alongside. Pinkie Pie thought hard for a few moment attempting to recite what she was about to say.

“Well, I’d say that you should never give out more than you can allow. Sometimes, when you’re faced with a tough decision whether or not you should give more to somepony, it can be hard to let it go, so the simplest thing to do would be to make a compromise. There are times when making that compromise is not necessary, which can lead to problems further down the road. It’s the little things that can make such huge differences, so it’s important to make sure that you do the right thing to avoid making unnecessary decisions later on.”

“Ah’d say that sounded swell, sugarcube,” Applejack trotted up next to Pinkie.

“Yeah, don’t bite off more than you can chew,” Raindow Dash said, adding on to Pinkie’s phrase.

After writing down the last of Pinkie’s moral, Twilight closed the journal and slipped it back in to her sack. “Well done, everypony. Ponyville is spared from a stampede of wild rodents.” She looked over to Pinkie Pie. “How about we stop by Sugarcube Corner and grab ourselves something to eat? I’m starving.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Yeah. Got anymore ‘leftovers,’ Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie smiled. “Oh, I’ve got more than plenty for you girls!” They all laughed amongst each other. They made their way toward the bakery, weaving their way through the gathering crowds as they reorganized their stands to the way they once were, with their vegetables still untouched from another swarm of the century.