The Blessed

Chapters

4

The next evening, Twilight found Pinkie sitting in one of the booths in Sugar Cube Corner. It was nearly 9:40, well after the shop had closed for the night. Only, she was sitting in the dark. To her left, a large, messy pile of candy wrappers kept her company, and to her right, a large uneaten pile of chocolates sat patiently awaiting their turn. Twilight grimaced. There was definitely something strange going on.

Quietly, the mage entered the shop with the most calming smile she could muster. Pinkie didn't move a muscle, remaining where she was sitting. Her expression was passive, save for wildly jerking, jittery eyes. For a brief second, they stopped on Twilight. Twilight shivered. Somehow, she was getting the distinct impression that Pinkie had been waiting for her. That didn't make any sense, of course, but Pinkie had chosen to sit in an open booth, not one of the many chairs scattered about the room. She had the chocolates and the wrappers piled on her side of the booth, as if she'd left room specifically for Twilight to sit.

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked quietly. Pinkie immediately smiled, but it was clear her concentration was divided between looking at the clock and the chocolates next to her. The clock. The chocolates. The clock. The chocolates. Why was the clock so important? Twilight made a mental note.

"YES?!" she screamed. Twilight wrinkled her nose as she got closer. It smelled like she'd taken a bath in coffee. There were bits of candy in her mane and her mouth was smeared with chocolate like she'd tried to put on brown lipstick during an earthquake.

"Hey. Hey Pinkie, How are you?" Twilight asked softly, setting herself down opposite of where Pinkie sat. The pink pony flashed a wide, wide, wide grin and shoveled another chocolate bar into her mouth. An entire bar. She breathed heavily through her nose, chewing until her cheeks bulged out obscenely, before finally swallowing and offering Twilight another jittery smile.

"FINE! EVERYTHING IS FINE! THANK YOU FOR ASKING, TWILIGHT! WHY ARE YOU HERE? IS THIS REAL? WOULD YOU LIKE SOME CHOCOLATE?!" Pinkie hollered, grabbing a candy bar and shoving it firmly into Twilight's grasp. Twilight cocked her head slightly to the side, holding the candy bar in her hooves. She didn't look at it. She had her eyes trained on Pinkie, the same way Pinkie had eyes trained on her. But only for a second. The pattern had changed. The clock. The chocolates. Twilight. The clock. The chocolates. Twilight. The clock. The chocolates. Twilight.

"That's...a...strange question. Yes, as far as I'm aware this is real. Pinkie, Mrs. Cake is, getting a little worried about you, and I have to say, you seem to be acting a little strange. Is there anything you'd like to talk with me about? You know you can tell me anything, right? Is there something bothering you, Pinkie?" Twilight cooed. Her voice was affectionate and friendly. Calming and quiet. Soothing was a good word for it, and for a second, it looked like Pinkie wanted to cry. She swallowed, glancing at the clock again, the chocolates, the clock and then back to Twilight. She opened her mouth, paused, closed it, and shook her head. She climbed to her hooves and pulled herself out of the booth. Quietly, she moved towards the window, where she stared out into the ebon evening at ponyville's glowing lights.

"Sometimes it feels like I can't wake up, Twilight," she said softly. Twilight nodded her head slowly, even though Pinkie wasn't looking at her. There was something definitely going on.

"Pinkie, what does that mean?" Twilight asked. Pinkie's back was still turned to her. She was still staring out the window. Silently, subtly, Twilight stole a glance at the front door. Silently, subtly, the lock slid shut, with only the barest hint of a purple aura giving away Twilight's magic. Pinkie didn't notice. Pinkie was still staring out the window. Her frame jerked. She hiccuped. Was she crying? Twilight winced.

"It's all a bad dream, Twilight. That's all it is," Pinkie sputtered, her voice choked and strained. Twilight frowned.

"Pinkie?" she asked at Pinkie's cryptic response. Pinkie didn't answer. Twilight tilted her head. Pinkie was fiddling with something in her hooves. No, she was fiddling with the window. Wait, was she- Twilight immediately stood up and Pinkie instantly glanced over her shoulder. NO!

"Pinkie! Pinkie, wait!" Twilight squeaked, but it was too late. The pink pony had opened the window and was climbing out of it before Twilight could stop her.

"SORRY, TWILIGHT! GOTTA RUN! GOTTA GO GO GO GO! GOTTA GO!!" Pinkie shrieked, tearing down the road as fast as she could and disappeared into the darkness of the night. Twilight stared quietly after her. Idly, she unraveled the chocolate bar she was holding, and began to nibble on one of the corners, while her mind raced as fast as Pinkie's hooves.

She'd gone east. Towards housing. Kept looking at the clock. Time has something to do with this. What time is it? 9:49. Why is time important to her? Why the chocolate? How many chocolates? 86 bars. That's 34916 calories. No. Scratch that. She gave me a chocolate bar. That's 34510 calories. No. Calories not important. That's 5950 mgs of caffeine. Why so much? Where is she going? Can't wake up? How did she know I'd locked the door? Did she see me? No. Back was turned. I made no sound. Did she see magic in reflection of the window? Unlikely. Magic hardly visible. Made sure to mask horn aura. More questions. Need notebook. Need leads. Talk with Mrs. Cake tomorrow.

5

Twilight stared at the newspaper.

It was laying on the kitchen table, right in the place Spike had left it for her. She'd been staring at it for the last twenty minutes. She had been waiting for the pit in her stomach to come back from dropping out. She had been waiting for the moisture in her mouth to return. She had been waiting for the horrible feelings washing over her to finally stop. None of those things happened.

Twlight stared at the newspaper.

7

"Do you know where Pinkie is? It's very very important that I speak with her," Twilight said. She had cut in line at the bakery. Twilight never cut in line, but she wasn't at Sugar Cube Corner to purchase anything. The other ponies behind her could wait. She just needed Mrs. Cake's answer. That was all. This was quick. Ponies could wait for just a moment while she questioned Pinkie's whereabouts.

Mrs. Cake winced at the question but twisted around and pointed towards the door at the back of the shop that lead to the living area.

"She's upstairs. She looked so exhausted after she came home last night, I told her to take the day off. I think...I hope she's getting some rest. Can you do me a favor? Would you check on h-" Mrs. Cake was saying, but Twilight was gone before she could get the words out.

8

Pools of foul smelling vomit were all over the room. Brownish, greenish sludge that forced Twilight to gag the moment she set hoof inside. Pinkie didn't seem to mind though. She was sitting in the corner, surrounded by empty candy bar wrappers and cupcake trays. She was rocking back and forth, holding her hindlegs with her forelegs and muttering something over and over again in a string of unintelligible words. The bags under her eyes were industrial sized and prominent evidence of her lack of sleep.

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked nervously. Pinkie continued to rock.

"Pinkie. Hey, Pinkie, it's me, Twilight," Twilight cooed, daring to take a step closer. Pinkie continued to rock, but she craned her neck to look up at Twilight, teary-eyed and trembling. Twilight bit at her lower lip, daring to take another step closer.

"Hey, Pinkie...how...how are you holding up? We didn't get to finish talking the other night and I...I..." Twilight trailed off, her mouth suddenly going dry as her eyes gazed across Pinkie's frame. Disheveled mane and the heavy fragrance of coffee clinging to her fur aside, it was the dirty hooves that caught her attention the most. Hooves smeared with ash and soot.

Twilight swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to dismiss the freezing shiver that crept through her soul. "Oh, Pinkie ... no..." she sputtered under her breath. Her voice a whisper and only barely audible at that. Pinkie didn't seem to notice though, and if she did, she didn't say a word. She reached down into the mountain of wrappers next to her and produced a candy bar. Chocolate. She tore it off and thrust it into her mouth, chewing mightily, before she swallowed.

She immediately vomited and started to cry. "It's not working anymore," she sobbed, peering over at Twilight through her tears.

Twilight nodded her head, as if she could understand. She took another step. Pinkie jerked towards her. Twilight stopped, tense and wary, watching Pinkie's every jittery movement. She had to press this. She didn't want to, but she had to know.

"Pinkie...last night there was fire," Twilight said slowly. Pinkie's ears twitched.

"Oh. No. N-no no, it was a dream. That was just a dream. A dreamy dream. I-I call them sleep movies sometimes..." she sputtered, staring off into space, before nodding her head, as if she needed to confirm what she said to herself. Twilight frowned.

"No. Pinkie. That wasn't a dream. A lot of ponies almost got hurt and some of them lost their homes. You were out last night, Pinkie, and that's the direction you ran off...and...and...Mrs. Cake says you haven't been to sleep in a long time. Is that right?"

"Can't sleep. Oh, no. No, no, no. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. Can't sleep. I can't, I can't, I-I can't stay awake, Twilight, but I gotta stay awake. I can't go to sleep again," Pinkie sobbed quietly. Twilight nodded and drew in a quiet breath, held it and steeled herself.

"Pinkie. Listen to me. I need you to tell me you didn't have anything to do with that fire last night. Please. This is important, Pinkie. This is very serious. I can see ash on your...I just...I need you to tell me the truth, okay?" Twilight said. She begged. She took another step forward. Pinkie jumped to her hooves in a jittery quake, glaring at Twilight. No. Not glaring, daring Twilight to make another move. She did not.

"Is that what you think? You think I ...HAAHAHAHAAHAHAA Come on, Twilight! COME ON TWILIGHT!" Pinkie cackled. A rip-roaring shriek of a laugh that echoed through the room. " You know that I didn't start that fire. I didn't...You know I didn't...it's...it's like that song...YOU KNOW WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE! IT'S BEEN BURNING SINCE THE WORLDS BEEN TURNING!" Pinkie laughed. She laughed as if she were trying to get Twilight to laugh along with her. Laughter that involved tears streaming down her streaks until it devolved into sobbing again. She sat back down trembling quietly, shaking her head and mumbling to herself.

"Ok. Pinkie. Ok. It's okay," Twilight whispered, taking a slow step back. "I'm your friend. You know me, right? You trust me, right?" Twilight whispered. Pinkie peered up at her and reached down into the mountain of wrappers again, producing another chocolate bar. She held it out to Twilight with a trembling hoof, like she weren't strong enough to hold its weight. Carefully, Twilight clutched the bar in her telekinesis and forced a smile.

"Thank you. Pinkie, I need you to listen to me, okay?" Twilight purred, placing the candy bar to the side. Pinkie nodded her head quietly.

"Ok...Ok Twilight," she mumbled.

"I think you're very sick,"

"I don't feel good. I don't. It's so hard, Twilight. I can't keep this up. I can't do it anymore. I c-cant. I can't, but I hafta, and I can't, and I don't wanna and I can't and...and... I don't...I don't feel good at all," Pinkie sputtered sadly. Twilight nodded her head, her heart breaking with each of Pinkie's sobbed cries for help.

"It doesn't look like it. I imagine it's all that caffeine you've been consuming. Can you tell me the last time you had any sleep?"

"I-I don't know...I don't know anymore. I don't know Twilight! I can't tell anymore!!" Pinkie sobbed, breaking into tears once again. She was trying to say something, to explain something, but her words came out in sobbing gibberish. Twilight winced.

"Hey, no, no. Shhhhh, shhhhh it's okay. It's okay, Pinkie. Hey, look at me, okay? Hey, hey, over here. Look over here. It's me. Twilight. You know me. It's gonna be okay, Pinkie. We're gonna make it okay, but I need your help, alright?" Twilight whispered softly. Pinkie sniffled and buried her face in her hooves. Twilight lapped at her lips. They were chapped and dry. She rarely cast spells on other ponies. She rarely wanted to hurt anypony. Pinkie wasn't doing well. She wasn't a threat, but she wasn't safe either. Twilight could tell that much. No, she didn't need to hurt Pinkie, but a simple slumber spell would put her down long enough for Twilight to figure out what to do next. Take her to Canterlot General, perhaps. Maybe find Zecora? Twilight took a step forward, keeping her eyes on Pinkie Pie, waiting for the other pony to drop her guard. One shot. That's all she needed. Pinkie was point blank in range, so missing was out of the question. Twilight simply needed to bide her time and find the perfect moment to strike. She smiled sweetly.

"May I have another chocolate bar, Pinkie?" she asked gently. The pudgy pink pony sniffled and reached down into the pile, searching for another bar underneath the mountain of empty wrappers. There! NOW!

"We're gonna get you some help, Pinkie, I promise," she whispered, pointing her horn towards Pinkie. A horn that surged with magic. She fired the shot. A slumber spell. The perfect spell for the situation and yet it was Twilight who was caught off guard. Pinkie's reaction speed was phenomenal and the pink pony was impossibly accurate as if she'd somehow prepared for this in advance. She had found the chocolate bar Twilight had asked for, her hoof concealed by the numerous wrappers. She gripped it and she threw it. Point blank range. Missing was out of the question. It caught the purple mage by surprise, the chocolate bar thrown perfectly through the air, deflecting Twilight's spell dead on. It was a shocking twist Twilight wasn't expecting and it gave her pause for a second and a second was all Pinkie needed. She shot forward, tackling Twilight onto the floor with a loud resounding thunk, the unicorn's head slamming into the ground solidly. Twilight groaned. Oh. Right. Pinkie's 'Pinkie-sense' alerted her to any incoming danger. Right, right. A forced slumber spell would certainly qualify, especially if she were actively trying to avoid sleep.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND!! YOU REFUSE!! YOU NEVER BELIEVED ME! YOU NEVER BELIEVED IN IT! SCIENCE SCIENCE SCIENCE! THAT'S ALL YOU KNOW, TWILIGHT! THAT'S ALL YOU CARE ABOUT AND IT CAN'T HELP!" she shrieked, tears in her eyes. She pinned Twilight easily, the frailty of a unicorn no match for earth pony strength and Pinkie's girth.

"I won't go to sleep! I CAN'T! I don't want another one! I CAN'T take another! I don't wanna see it! I can't! I-I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't! I CAN'T!" Pinkie screamed. Twilight squirmed, and wriggled, trying her best to turn the tables or at least pull herself out from under Pinkie's weight.

"P-Pinkie! Stop! Get off! Please, just listen to me!" Twilight shrieked. She could teleport. Yes. But that would take her out of Pinkie's range. As far as she was concerned, she had Pinkie right where she wanted her. Pinkie thought she was in charge. She thought Twilight was powerless. They could talk as long as Pinkie held that belief. Twilight didn't have to try and chase her down as long as she was atop her. A very effective means of keeping Pinkie in place for the time being. Painful, but effective.

"Ok. OK, Pinkie. Can you help me understand?" Twilight sputtered. Pinkie shook her head sadly. It looked like she wanted to move away, but at the same time, she didn't want to let Twilight go.

"I don't wanna fight. Please, don't do this. I don't wanna. I'm sorry, I- I have to go now, Twilight. M-My time is up, I have to go...Please..." Pinkie sobbed quietly. Twilight nodded her head best she could and nibbled at her lower lip. Pinkie's Pinkie-Sense wasn't pulling any punches. Twilight hoped Pinkie realized that if she'd wanted to, she could have blasted Pinkie off of her. She hadn't done so yet, and Pinkie hadn't tried to actively hurt her, just stop her from casting another spell. There was still some amount of trust between them. Pinkie, admittedly, showing more towards Twilight than Twilight towards Pinkie. In retrospect, Twilight wasn't sure a slumber spell would have even had an effect. All the caffeine Pinkie had been ingesting would have nullified the spell anyway. The mage sighed. Ok. No spells. She wouldn't cast anything. She didn't want to hurt Pinkie. They were friends. She wanted to help. She only wanted to help.

As if sensing Twilight's new resolve, Pinkie shifted her hips, climbing off of her and slowly started to back out of the room, keeping her eyes peeled on Twilight at all times, until she was gone. Down the stairs and out the door.

Twilight climbed to her hooves and immediately shot over to the window, doing her best to tell which way Pinkie had gone, if she'd left the bakery at all. She did. Twilight could hear the door bell chime below her moments after Pinkie ran off. There! Down the street! To the east! Towards residential again. Back towards the scene of the crime. Twilight felt the pit of her stomach drop back out, but she quickly shook the sensation off. No. She would not jump to conclusions. There was a logical, reasonable explanation behind all of this. There was, and she was going to find it. She had come to Sugar Cube Corner seeking answers, and answers were what she had found. Not the answers she was seeking but answers none the less. More leads at least. More riddles to solve. She let her mind rifle through the new information while peering out the window wondering where Pinkie had gone.

Pinkie is sick. Hasn't been sleeping. Refuses to sleep. Why? Obvious answer: Nightmares. Dreams perhaps? Consult with Princess Luna. No. No time to get to Canterlot. Pinkie needs help now. Correspondence with Celestia? Possibility. Pinkie claims not to have started the fire, but she knew about it. Perhaps from newspaper. Perhaps from witnessing it. She ran in that direction the other night. Too many coincidences. May not be culprit. Definitely knows something. Claimed fire was a dream. Perhaps neurological psychosis? Chocolate induced hallucinations? Pools of chocolate vomit indicate overdoses. Also, yuck. Potential caffeine addiction. Potential caffeine poisoning. List of things to do 1: Find books in library about sleep deprivation and caffeine addiction. 2: Round up girls. 3: Track down Pinkie Pie. 4: Get shower. Wash vomit smell out of fur. Ick. Move shower to front of list.

9

Dear Princess Celestia

I'm sorry for my late correspondence this week. Things in Ponyville have been very hectic lately. You see there have been some number of accidents occurring around town, and I'm becoming concerned that Pinkie Pie may be involved with a majority them. Ponies are getting hurt. I don't quite know whats going on, but when I tried to talk to her about it, she babbled about not being able to sleep wanting to go to sleep. She's been eating so much chocolate to stay awake that she's been making herself sick. She's been throwing up. A lot. I originally thought it was an addiction, but now I think it's more than that. I'm writing to you in hopes that you could perhaps request council from Princess Luna as I think Pinkie's sleep deprivation maybe stemming from nightmares.
I will keep you posted as the situation develops

Your Faithful Student
Twilight Sparkle.

10

"Hey,"

Twilight jerked her head up, tearing her eyes from the words that were beginning to blur together and groaned. She blinked, twice, and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof, forcing the double image of the floating blue blur in front of her into focus.

"Ugh. Sorry, hey Rainbow. Did you, ugh, did you find her? Any sign of her? Anything?" Twilight groaned. She peered around the room, squinting at the light. Right. Right. She was in the library. She leaned back stiffy, listening to her bones crack. Idly, she wondered how long Rainbow had been there letting her sleep. Watching her sleep.

"Sorry. No sign of her. I dropped by Sugar Cube Corner, but Mrs. Cake hasn't seen her at all. She didn't go home last night after you guys had that chat. I asked Applejack to keep a lookout for her around the sticks, and Rarity is tapping her resources in town but she hasn't cropped up. Fluttershy sent her birds out to search from the air, but none of them have spotted her. Were you up all night?" Rainbow asked gently, hovering around the side of the table where Twilight was sitting.

"MMmmph, most of it, what time is it?" she mumbled. Rainbow nodded her head and fluttered to Twilight's other side, peering over her shoulder at the open book she'd been sleeping on.

"'Bout nine in the morning. Find anything?" she asked. The unicorn sighed.

"Nothing really useful. Caffeine is a stimulant. It can be addictive. If taken intravenously it can kill you. Blah blah blah. Nothing really helpful. Nothing I didn't already know," Twilight mumbled, sliding the book away from her with a frustrated groan. "All the chocolate she's been eating can have an effect as a mood-altering substance, but it wouldn't lead to the way she's been acting," Twilight huffed. Rainbow bit at her lower lip, gazing over the haggard unicorn and resisted the urge to argue with her about going to bed No. Once Twilight put her mind to something it was nearly impossible to talk her out of it. If she wanted to stay up all night, trying to find a way to help Pinkie Pie, that's what she was going to do. Rainbow admired her for that and worried about her in equal measure. Twilight had spent the entire evening going through books on dreams, caffeine, and addictions and certainly looked the part with a ragged mane, and bloodshot eyes.

"Did Celestia write yo-"

"No, she's busy. That's the only reason she wouldn't," Twilight sputtered quickly, but not so quickly that Rainbow couldn't detect the frustration hiding under her tone.

"Well, the Sun Celebration is coming up soon so she probably is," Rainbow murmured, watching Twilight's ears perk with awareness.

"...You forgot about the Sun Celebration, didn't you?" said Rainbow. Twilight groaned and rubbed a hoof over her nose.

"I've been a little busy, but, yeah. Yeah, the sun. Right. Yeah," Twilight groaned. Her horn sparked to life. The book began to slide back across the table towards her. It stopped when Rainbow Dash pressed a hoof against it.

"Get some rest," she said quietly. Twilight frowned.

"Rainbow, I'm not-"

"Gonna be any good to anypony tired. We can find Pinkie Pie, or don't you have faith in us to take care of our friends?" Rainbow asked snidely, regardless of the ghost of a smirk tugging at her lips. Twilight frowned, sitting up straight.

"It's not tha-" she began, but Rainbow cut her off instantly.

"Then go to bed. Easy. I'm gonna take another lap around the town, to see if I spot her. I'll letcha know if I find anything!" Rainbow exclaimed, and like that, she was gone. Out of the library before Twilight could get another word in. Clever pegasus. Twilight gave an angry snort and tugged herself to her hooves, the book floating into the air with an irritated pull of magic. Sure, she'd go to bed. A nap wouldn't kill her, and neither would another chapter.

12

"When I...was a little filly and the sun was...was going down...heh, the darkness and the shadows, they would always make...make me...make me..." Pinkie sputtered, stumbling through the under brush. It was agony. Everything was agony. Her legs hurt. Her sides hurt. Her tummy hurt. Everything hurt. She drew in a quiet breath of air, coughed, and limped forward, forcing herself to continue through the darkness of the forest.

"I'd hide under my pillow, from what I thought... I...I saw, but Granny Pie said...she said...I...I can't remember..." Pinkie coughed. She reached a hoof up and rubbed her eyes, trying to discern where she was supposed to be going. Or even where she was. All the trees looked the same under a blanket of darkness and she wasn't too familiar with the Everfree Forest. But it was the only place she knew would be safe. Safe from Twilight and the others at least. Safe for the time being. She'd have to deal with Twilight sooner rather than later if she wanted to proceed with her plans. She'd have no choice in the matter. What she really wanted more than anything at all, for that matter, was to sleep. Just for a little bit. Just for a few minutes. She chuckled sadly. Sleep, of course, was impossible at the moment. She'd eaten her weight in chocolate, so she was entirely sure that sleep wasn't going to be happening anytime in the near or distant future. The longing for slumber was no match for the agony to be had if she did, go to sleep, however. She took another look around and sighed. Every direction seemed to point to darkness. There wasn't any light in sight. Not as deep as she was in the forest.

Tentatively, Pinkie decided that this was as good a place as any and sat down. Or, more accurately, this was the place Pinkie's legs finally gave out from under her weight, and she crumpled to the forest floor with an intense squeal of pain. The explosion had really done a number on her, afterwhich she'd forced herself to walk from town into the forest as quickly as she could on battered, beaten legs, singed fur and sprained joints. She'd been much, much to close when the blast happened. She groaned. For all the trouble she'd gone through, the planning, staking out the area, trying to time everything just right, she still managed to fail in her task. She didn't get all three of them. She'd tried though. It wasn't because she didn't try. She pulled herself into a sitting position, and crawled towards the nearest tree trunk to lean back against it and prop herself up. Why did she feel so cold all of a sudden? Cold and lonely. She could fix one of those issues, however, and she reached up into her singed, tattered mane and pulled free a crumpled piece of pink rubber.

A few puffs later with a tug and a twist and she held a flimsy balloon animal that vaguely resembled an alligator. It wasn't the love of a friendly toothless pet, but it was the closest thing she had at the moment. It would have to do, because right now, Pinkie really really needed a hug. Sheepishly, she squeezed it close and shut her eyes, doing the best to ignore the shooting pain somewhere deep in her core. Were those her ribs? Were they cracked? Celestia, everything felt like it was on fire.

"Do you think Gummy misses me, Balloonie?" Pinkie asked quietly. The little pink balloon nodded its little pink head with the help of a little pink hoof. Pinkie smiled weakly.

"And, and maybe the Cakes, too? Mr. n' Mrs. and Pound and Pumpkin?" Pinkie whimpered. Again, Balloonie nodded. Pinkie gave a little sigh of relief and hugged him.

"You're right, Balloonie. They probably do miss me. M-maybe they'll forgive me for all the silly things I've done. They would, don't you think? T-they have to, right? They're my family. M-my other family, I mean. It's okay, though. They'll forgive me, j-just like Twilight and the others, right? They will, w-won't they?" Pinkie squawked. The little Balloon animal was silent. Pinkie sighed.

"Balloonie...I wanna go home...I'm done. I think I'm done," she whispered. Quietly, Balloonie shook his little pink head.

"No,"

Pinkie balked. She leaned back against the tree and examined at the little balloon animal carefully. Did it just speak? That couldn't be right. She wasn't that tired, was she? Sure it has been days since she'd last slept, and she'd started seeing things move out of the corner of her eye, but this wasn't happening, was it? No. No there wasn't anyway that the balloon was talking to her. She narrowed her eyes and placed Balloonie on the ground. Much to Pinkie's amazement, it took a wobbly little step forward and turned around, glaring up at her.

"You are not done, Pinkie. There is more work to do. You must finish the work, Pinkie, you must finish the work," Balloonie hissed.

"Yes, I know, b-but.."

"No buts, Pinkie. You have to keep going. You cannot stop," Balloonie hissed.

"I'm so tired. I don't feel good. I wanna go home...please..."

"You cannot stop, Pinkie. You cannot stop," Balloonie hissed.

"I know, but, maybe..."

"No. Pinkie. You know what must be done. You know what will happen if you fail. You must continue, Pinkie. No pony else will understand. You know what must be done, Pinkie. You cannot stop. You cannot stop. You cannot stop," Balloonie hissed.

"N-no...I...I..."

"Get up, Pinkie. Your work is not finished," Balloonie hissed. Pinkie shook her head quietly.

"I can't get up. It hurts to move. My legs aren't working right, and-"

"Get up, Pinkie,"

"I told you, I can't. I-"

"GET UP, PINKIE!"

"I SAID I CAN'T!" Pinkie screamed, the pink balloon growing blurry through tears. She could still hear it, though. Clear as a bell and ringing in her skull.

"GET UP, PINKIE!!"

"You're in my head! You're just in my head! YOU'RE NOT REAL!! THIS ISN'T REAL! SHUT UP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT!! I DON'T WANT TO! I SAID I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!!" she shrieked as loud as she could. Too much coffee. Too much caffeine. Not enough sleep. That was all. That was all it wa-

"GET UP, PINKIE!! GET UP, PINKIE!! GET UP, PINKIE!!"

Pinkie blinked away her tears and seized the little pink balloon, popping it with an ear splitting, echoing SCREAM of a sound that she was sure could be heard for miles. With an explosive blast that rattled the trees and trembled the earth, the balloon was no more. Slowly, Pinkie reached a hoof up, and rubbed it across her eyes. Even that movement was fire screaming inside of her. She wanted t-

G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝G̴̨̢̰͖̜͖̙̱͗͋̋̂͂͝Ĕ̴͉̼͖̮̹̙̳̭͠ͅT̵̢̡̫͔̣̟̮̦̯̰͇͎̈́͜ͅ ̶̧̖͕̦͎̜͈̪̆͌̂́̽̊̾U̴̮̤̹̚P̵̻̟̑̐̎̋̎̍̇̓̆̇͗̈́̉͘̚ ̴̢̛̺̲̱͉̲̭̺̗̺̃͂̈́̏͒̎̐̄̾̂͑̒̕͜͝ͅP̷̥̫̼̙͔̟̬̳̄̓̋̈̌̌I̴͖̭̓͘N̴̺̟̰̭̮͚̰̱̩̎̿̃͐͊̈́͊͘̚͜K̷̘̝̀̓̆Ì̵̧̜̗͉̫̬͙̤͖̥̖͇͚͔̪̓̈́̅́̌̊̋̅̀͝Ẹ̴̤̫̺̳͔͒̂͊̈́͜ͅ!̶̢̜̻̼͚̼̪͈̣̻͇̣͋̂͛̅́͜!̶̢̼̃̂̈́̇́͐̈̚͝

Pinkie sobbed. The thundering echo of the voice was relentless. Screaming at her over and over and over again, bouncing in her mind and gnawing at her soul. What else was there to do? Pinkie crawled to her hooves, trembling at her body weight and took an agonizing step forward. She couldn't stop. Not yet. She still had work to do, after all.

13

Reality was not gentle when it greeted Pinkie Pie. No. It slammed into her with the full force of a train and the world that crept into view was a blurry tornado of sensations and sounds, smells and colors. Her senses came back to her in jarring fragments and broken chunks. Jagged and punctured, they did not all return at once. Sleep. She had fallen asleep. Or, perhaps, exhaustion had finally won and she couldn't flee anymore. She couldn't remember. The last clear memory that she could play back in her mind was the explosion, then fleeing for the forest. She groaned. She was so close. She'd gotten so close to escaping the town and its influence. But escape was not in the cards. No. She had fallen asleep and that meant now she had to go back. She knew she had to go back. There was no other choice. It was time for ponies to suffer.

Pinkie tried to sit up, really she did, but her body refused to answer her commands. Instead of smoothly climbing to her hooves like she wanted, the little pink pony convulsed and jerked, twitching spasmodically and coughing up a storm.

You have to get up Pinkie.

That voice again. She made another attempt. This time she managed to make it into a sitting position, but that was as far as she got before a hoof gently pressed against her chest, ushering her back into a sea of softness. She did not resist it.

"Any attempt you make to move, I would strongly disapprove," rhymed a soothing voice from somewhere to her left. Pinkie groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and meekly nodded her head. It was good advice. It was advice she wanted to take. She was tired. She was so very tired. But there was another voice. A voice that wouldn't let her rest. A persistent whisper bouncing and echoing in her head, lashing at her like a whip to force her into action.

You have to get up, Pinkie Pie

"I found you on the forest floor and brought you here, through my front door," words sprinkled that air over head in a gentle coo, "I gave you some of my special brew, but I was worried you'd not pull through,"

Get up Pinkie

"You're very sick, this I can tell, and not just from the coffee smell," somepony was saying. Pinkie swore she knew that voice. It sounded familiar, so familiar. She reached a hoof out to try and find the source of the sound, but there was nothing in front of her. To her left, there was floor. She wasn't in a bed. She was on a mat or something. On the floor. She was on the floor. Good. That would make it easier to leave. Once she had the chance, she had to get back to ponyville as soon as possible.

"You must have an important mission to be out in your condition. But I suggest, that you stay here, and recover from your stress my dear," Somepony cooed to her. Pinkie sat up again, slower this time, and gave a low groan while the swimming room came to a stand still. A hut. She was in a hut, and next to her sat a Zebra. Aside from her warm smile, Pinkie could make out relief sketched across the canvas of her face. Zecora. For the first time in weeks, Pinkie found herself smiling. A weak, flimsy smile, but a smile none the less.

"Hey," she said meekly. Zecora offered a warm smile in return and dipped her head softly in acknowledgement. "Thank you for your help, Zecora, but I have to go," Pinkie sputtered quietly. Zecora frowned, slowly shaking her head.

"I must insist that you stay, Pinkie Pie, please say 'Okay'. You're very sick, to me it's clear, you lack your normal pep and cheer. You are my friend and need my care, to let you go, I would not dare, " Zecora murmured. Pinkie opened her mouth, paused and tilted her head. For a long few moments she stared at Zecora, before a fierce shiver raced down her spine. She sighed.

You know what comes next, Pinkie. There's no choice.

"Maybe...I should stay put. Y-you're right. I don't feel good at all. D-do you think you can make me something to help me rest?" Pinkie whimpered. Another look of relief washed over Zecora and she smiled softly.

"Something I can make for you, if sleepings what you plan to do," Zecora purred, before she stood up and made her way to a table at the side of the room and began to collect herbs and roots.

"Pinkie Pie, if you need an ear, I can lend one, while you're here," Zecora called over her shoulder. She grasped her mortar and pedestal and picked up a hoof-full of purple petals she sprinkled into the bowl. Pinkie Pie smiled thinly and silently climbed to her hooves.

"Wandering the forest exhausted, you're lucky you were not accosted. There are Timberwolves and monsters too, one wrong move could be the end of you," Zecora explained, mixing the petals she'd gathered with a number of roots she had nearby. It wouldn't take long for the brew to finish. All she needed now was a cinder fern to grind and it would be complete. She had one somewhere, didn't she? Oh, yes, there. Top shelf. She grabbed it quickly and mixed the ingredients together into a fine powder. A sleeping aid as requested. She smiled quietly at her handy work. Perfect, like usual, and slightly faster than normal. Even as experienced as she was with crafting mixtures, it was nice to know she was still getting faster. She caught a flash of pink out of the corner of her eye. The warm hooves on the back of her head were surprisingly strong. Certainly strong enough to forcefully press her face into the wooden table Zecora was standing at. Strong enough to hold her nose against the powder she made and strong enough to keep her there, despite her struggles and shouts until the drug took effect and the room slipped into darkness.

It has to be this way. You know it has to be this way, Pinkie. The Celebration is coming, Pinkie. They'll all be in one place. Finish your work.

14

Dear Twilight Sparkle

As requested, I've conferred with Luna over the issue, describing the situation to her of Pinkie Pie and your theory of nightmares along with the accidents happening around town. Luna has suggested that Pinkie Pie could have a very special, very specific type of magic, few Earth Ponies possess.

She has suggested that Pinkie Pie could have a power called 'precognition' and it certainly fits from what you've described to me of her in the past. Luna further explained to me that there are numerous ways this power can develop and if Pinkie uses this ability often, with or without realizing it, it could become more and more potent. This could indeed potentially affect her dreams and if this is the case, Pinkie's constant 'nightmares' may, in fact, be future scenarios she is forced to watch play out as she dreams. Luna has offered to look into these matters the next time Pinkie goes to sleep. Please contact me if further issues of this nature develop. Luna says without training, the overwhelming knowledge of future events can prove to be devastating on the mind.

Your proud mentor
Princess Celestia

P.S.
Please forgive my late reply. I have been very busy preparing for The Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot tomorrow. I hope the Celebration in Ponyville goes smoothly and you are able to enjoy it. If time permits, I may stop by.☀

Twilight rubbed her chin, thoughtfully letting her gaze draw itself back to the scroll Spike had parked in front of her on the kitchen table. She gave a vexed snort, scanning across the shapely ink over and over again. 'Precognition?' Could that really have been Pinkie's problem? She'd been suffering from seeing the future? How did that make any sense? How could a pony suffer from knowing what would happen tomorrow?

The mage gave a haggard groan and looked across the kitchen table where numerous books and various scrolls stretched across it. The same table she'd been sitting at for the last six hours, trying to figure out how to help Pinkie. She'd spent the better part of the day searching through town for signs of the pink pony but had no luck in her endeavors. Her ears perked at the sound of the door opening in the library. Spike was back. He'd gone on an errand to the store for a fresh bottle of milk even though it was getting late in the evening. Something to go with the cookies he'd baked to help cheer Twilight up from the situation at hoof. Celestia how she loved that little dragon. Before he left, he'd given her the scroll that now rested in front of her. Now he was back and she hadn't made any progress. No, she was lost in thought, going over the data again and again and again, hardly noticing when he'd stepped into the kitchen behind her.

Precognition. Was it really possible? She'd not believed Pinkie's 'Pinkie-Sense' when she'd first showed it to her, but time and time and time and time again, Pinkie had proven to have an uncanny knack for predicting things before they happened. Was it really so far fetched that the 'power' could affect her dreams? Impossible. That was impossible...right? What Earth pony could use dream magic like Luna could? No, that wasn't it. Impossible. Twilight groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. Why was that impossible? Obviously, because there was no real documented evidence to support such a power actually existed. Aside from Pinkie's bizarre habits, there was just nothing that could scientifically prove that-

Twilight stopped herself and shook her head with a growl bubbling in her throat. She was doing it again. Doubting things. Doubting her friends. Not trusting her friends. Hadn't she learned her lesson the last time something like this had happened with Pinkie? First the para-sprites, and then the Pinkie-Sense, and now? Now she was doubting Pinkie again. She was failing Pinkie again when she needed Twilight the most. For Celestia's sake, she'd tried to force her to go to sleep thinking it was for her own good without actually listening to what she was saying. What was she saying?

Twilight let her mind drift back to the encounter, plucking the events from her memory one by one. In the bakery, Pinkie had claimed she couldn't wake up, and everything was a bad dream. In her room, she'd claimed she 'couldn't take another one,' Twilight frowned. Another 'what', though? Another dream? Another vision of the future? Was it really so bad to know what was going to happen tomorrow? Twilight scoffed. Pinkie could win the lottery if she wanted to with powers like that.

The mage snarled quietly and shook her head. No. That wasn't it. There was something else here. She was close to something. She could feel it. Come on, Twilight, think. You have to help Pinkie! Think!! OK. Step by step. Sort out the clues. The answer is here. It's staring you in the face. You just need to see it. Come on. You've got this. One: Pinkie has Pinkie-Sense. Two: Pinkie can predict the future, especially when danger is near her. It was how she dodged the rocks during the Mare-Do-Well fiasco. Three: Pinkie's Pinkie-Sense could potentially be triggering in her dreams. That's why she didn't want to go to sleep. That makes sense. Ok. What else? Four: The accidents around town lately had something to do with Pinkie. The fire, the explosion, probably several others. What's the connection? Was Pinkie seeing those things before they happened? That was silly. Why would she? Her Pinkie-Sense only extended to her. Right?

...Right?

Twilight's eyes shot to the scroll in front of her and she yanked it to her in a fierce grasp of magic. Nonononononono!! 'If Pinkie uses this power often, with or without realizing it, it could become more and more potent' by the circle of the sun! What if Pinkie wasn't just seeing danger happening to her? What if she was seeing it happen to the town? Was that what was happening?! If Pinkie was only seeing dangerous things, could it be Pinkie was seeing the outcome as well? Gruesome fires and grisly explosions? Each vivid, horrifying death, night after night after night after night every time she closed her eyes? By Celestia, that was it! That's why she didn't want to sleep! That was what all the caffeine was for!

Twilight rested her head in her hooves, a sudden sense of nausea twisting her stomach in on itself. Oh, god, the stress that must have caused the pink pony. Poor, poor Pinkie Pie. That mare loved everypony in town. Everypony. Of course she'd be running herself ragged trying to stop these things from happening and every time she'd try to rest all she'd see was more carnage. More suffering. More death. Did she see the ponies burning in the fire? Did she see the explosion and the mangled bodies in the aftermath? What else had she been seeing? How many accidents had she stopped? Pinkie would never forgive herself if she didn't at least try to help. It was in her nature. That beautiful heart of hers would force her forward, regardless of the exhaustion that was killing her! Failure wasn't a option, and the only reason things would be in the paper is if she'd failed. Failing would have driven her crazy with guilt. Knowing what was about to happen yet being unable to prevent it? Such a thing It would have broken said beautiful heart into a thousand pieces. The two ponies that died in that explosion? Had Pinkie been there, trying to stop it? Was she the reason the third had survived? That was a burden no pony should have to shoulder and Pinkie was doing it all without help. No. No, she had screamed she didn't want to do this anymore. That had been Pinkie asking Twilight for help, no, not asking, begging Twilight for help, and Twilight had tried to put her to sleep in response! She'd tried to sentence Pinkie to more cruelty without even realizing it! Of course Pinkie wouldn't have told her what was going on! Of course Pinkie didn't trust her! Of course Pinkie wouldn't let her help!

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND!! YOU REFUSE!! YOU NEVER BELIEVED ME! YOU NEVER BELIEVED IN IT!"

It made sense. It all made horrifying, terrifying dreadful sense. Pinkie hadn't been causing those accidents. She'd been trying to stop them. Who would have believed her if she said anything? Not after the huge stink Twilight had made in the past about her powers not being real. Why would she trust Twilight? How could she? She was right not to, Twilight wouldn't have believed her if she said a fire was going to break out and ponies were going to be burned alive! But there was a solution! Luna! All Twilight had to do was find Pinkie and tell her she knew what was going on. Tell her that she believed her and she could help and Luna could help and everything would be okay! That was it!

"SPIKE!!" Twilight hollered. Standing up from the table, looking at her books and scrolls.

"Spike I'm going out to look for Pinkie again!!" Twilight screamed.

"I'm right here," Pinkie said quietly. Twilight whirled around, and her heart stopped dead in her chest. They stared at each other. Pinkie was standing there quietly, glaring daggers. Her hair was down, her fur was in shambles and she reeked of coffee and vomit. Twilight couldn't blame her. Nervously, the mage mare swallowed. Her first instinct was to hug Pinkie as tightly as she could and never stop apologizing, but her brain overrode that desire and instead simply commanded her to do one thing: run.

"Pink-" Twilight couldn't get the words out. Pinkie pounced viciously, tackling Twilight to the floor where they wrestled for a moment. Just like before, Pinkie's girth won the contest with an easily decided victory. Did Pinkie see this too? No. Of course not. Twilight wasn't in any danger. She wasn't going to hurt her. This was a preemptive strike.

"Pinkie!! PINKIE PLEAS-" Twilight squealed, before she found something firmly pressed across her muzzle. A cloth of some sort that smelled strongly of flowers. Lovely, cozy flowers that made her feel warm and sleepy. Somewhere in the back of her head, alarms were going off and red flags were waving. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she needed to cast a spell, and she needed to do it now! But nothing came to mind. There was nothing on her mind. Certainly not spells. The only thing she could concentrate on was keeping her eyelids open, but even that was a losing battle. Sluggishly, Twilight slumped to the floor and Pinkie stood over her.

"It has to be this way, Twilight. I can't let you stop me. I have to finish my work,"

Author's Note

You might have noticed I changed some of the tags for this story. The original draft was much, MUCH gorier than this, with several main characters dying horrid deaths. But as I wrote it, I leaned more and more into the suspense/thriller concept instead of the horror I was originally going with. I think I like it better this way. :raritywink:

16

Pinkie staggered towards the town hall, stifling a yawn and biting back whimpers with every step. Everything hurt. But that was alright. It would all be over soon anyway.

You're close, Pinkie

She could hear the voice in her head again. Her conscience screaming at her. An audio hallucination she was sure, but it urged her to save as many as she could all the same. She couldn't stop. The work wasn't finished. She had to force herself forward.

The plaza was empty. It had grown late. The moon was peeking past clouds high in the sky. Pinkie smiled. She'd always liked the moon. It was big and round and bright. It was a shame more ponies didn't take in its splendor. She groaned and reached a hoof up and slapped herself across the face when she felt herself nodding off. She wasn't going to let exhaustion stop her. No. She would rest once the work was complete. She was sure she wasn't thinking straight, hallucinating, and tired, but the voice demanded her to keep going. She would keep going. She had to keep going. She couldn't stop now. She couldn't stop.

Soon

Pinkie sat down on the steps and glanced around. Not a pony to be seen. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. This is where it happened. Where the Sun Celebration would take place in the morning. This is where all of the ponies gathered around. This is where everypony died.

She could see the dream vividly in her head. She could see everypony waiting patiently for the sun to come up. Early in the morning. She could see how tired they were. She could see the barrels of fireworks they shot off the night before. She could see the barrel of magic flares they kept in the basement, along with other things to celebrate events. Banners and ribbons and lanterns and lights. She never quite understood how the fire started. That part was always fuzzy in her head. But the end result was always the same: An explosion would echo through Town Hall and the whole place would suddenly collapse. The mayor never did manage to collect that money for the repairs. The blast would destroy what little support the building had left, crumbling the walls and eating the foundation. It would come crashing down atop everypony gathered near by.

Ponies were buried under rubble and debris. Some suffocating. Others impaled by shards of glass from windows. Blood was everywhere. Ponies were screaming in pain and begged for help while other ponies furiously tried to dig out crushed foals and relatives. All the while the fire burned furiously at what was left of the building under a cloud of choking smoke and blinding dust.

You can't let this happen

Pinke's head hurt. For some reason, it felt like the past weeks had been leading up to this. Accident after accident, sure, but then there was the fire at the house. Then the explosion in the basement. It felt like everything fell into place like some dark and twisted puzzle she was piecing together. She swallowed and gently pulled herself up to her hooves and peered up at the building. It was a shame, really. She rather liked the Town Hall. She thought it was a pretty building. Almost like a miniature castle with waving, colorful flags at the top of it. A miniature castle that would end up killing everypony in town if Pinkie didn't do something about it.

This is the only way

Nopony would believe her if she told them. If she warned them that a building was going to collapse, they'd laugh and tell her she was just being silly. Too much sugar. That's what they always did. That's what they always said. Nopony listened to the silly pink party pony. Not when the Parasprites invaded. Not when she tried to prove her powers to Twilight. Nopony ever listened. She smirked at the thought Twilight. Ha. She'd dreamt of their encounter in her room. She knew she was going to sit with her at Sugar Cube Corner. She knew Twilight was going to try and stop her. She had to strike first. She had too. In one of her dreams, Twilight met her at the Town Hall. She caught her off guard and hit her with that blasted Slumber spell, putting her to sleep and dooming everypony around.

Pinkie paused and sat up a little straighter, peering around the plaza. The place was still empty. Twilight had not shown up. Of course not, she was unconscious. Pinkie made sure of that, but was it enough? If Twilight wasn't here to stop her, did that change the future? Would the building still collapse now that she'd chosen an alternate route?

Do it, Pinkie

The answer was obvious to her. It was simple, really. It was better to be safe than sorry. The building couldn't collapse on ponies if there wasn't a building there to begin with. All Pinkie had to do was burn it to the ground.

17

Burn it
Burn it all. Burn it all down. Burn everything. Save everyone. It's the only way. You've seen it, Pinkie. You've seen what happens when you try to tell the mayor. You've seen what happens when you tell the guards. You've seen what happens when you try and tell Twilight. The dreams don't lie. They never lie. There's no hope. It's the same. It's always the same. This is the only way. They think you're just a silly filly, Pinkie. They don't listen to you. They don't trust you. Nopony ever listens. They NEVER listen!! WHY DON'T THEY EVER LISTEN?!
But it's okay. It's okay Pinkie. You have to save them. You have to save all of them. Burn it Pinkie. Burn it all.
Do it Pinkie
DO IT PINKIE
DO IT PINKIE

18

"WAKE UP!! WAKE UP! OH, PLEASE, TWILIGHT! PLEASE!!" Spike hollered. He wrapped his claws around her shoulders and shook her head, watching the lifeless body wobble underneath his efforts. No no no no!!!

"TWILIGHT!" Spike screamed, blinking away the tears that started to blur his vision. Twilight didn't respond. She simply slumped limply against the floor. Spike bit at his lower lip, glancing at the door, then back to the unicorn.

"O-Ok! Ok! Okokok! OK, Twilight? Twilight, I-I'm gonna, I'm gonna get nurse Redheart, okay? J-just, just stay here, and it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay!!" Spike sputtered, taking a hesitant step back. He didn't want to abandon her. He didn't know what might happen if he left her alone, but staying here wasn't doing her any good either! Oh, Celestia, what to do?!

"SOMEPONY?!" he shouted, listening to his voice echo off the library walls. Maybe somepony would be outside. Maybe somepony would hear him screaming and race in wondering what was wrong. He could beg them to go and get nurse Redheart and he wouldn't have to leave Twilight's side!

"SOMEPONY HELP!!!" he shrieked. Loud enough to hurt his throat. No pony responded. Nothing happened. The library was silent. Nervously, Spike pulled himself to his feet, watching Twilight with every motion. He turned to face her and took a step back, and another, and another still, unable to pull his eyes from her while he made his way towards the door.

"I'm, I'm gonna be right back, Twilight! I'm gonna be RIGHT back! I swear, I promise, and it's gonna be okay, a-and it's, we're gonna figure out what's wrong, and i-it's gonna be okay!" Spike sputtered. He glanced at the door. He'd managed to make his way midway across the library before he stopped and let his gaze drift to the window. Maybe THAT was an idea! He could open up the window and scream for help! Somepony would have a better chance of hearing him that way! He threw himself across the foyer to the front windows of the tree. If he did that, he wouldn't have to leave Twilight alone! He fumbled at the latch, swinging it open hard enough to bang it against the wooden frame with a rattle. He didn't care.

"ANYPONY!! HELP!! HELP US PLEASE!!!" He screamed into the empty evening. Immediately he perked his ear fins, straining his senses for the sound of someponies voice. Hoofsteps. Anything! Anything at all to signify somepony had heard his desperate cries.

"Shpike..."

Spike turned around, eyes widen while his heart jumped into his chest. Twilight was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, slumped and wobbling, but standing. She had one eye open and drool dangled from her slacked lips.

"TWILIGHT!" He squealed, voice flooded with relief. He raced over immediately, doing his best to tuck himself under her to offer her support.

"Twilight! Oh, thank Celestia you're alright! Come on, sit down. J-just stay awake for me, okay? Ok, I'm gonna go and get nurse Redheart, and she's gonna come over here and help fix you up and everything is gonna be okay. Okay? Okay Twilight? J-just sit down for me, and-" Spike babbled, but Twilight shook her head, doing her utmost best to take a staggering step forward. The room was spinning, and all she wanted to do was put her head down, but she refused. No, she had to help Pinkie Pie! There was no other option!

"Sphike, lishen, wheresh, Pin-key?" Twilight slurred, forcing herself to take another step forward. Just one step at a time. She could do this. She had to do this. Just keep moving forward.

"Pinkie?! What? No, Twilight, you've got to, you've got to sit down! Please! I don't know what's going on. D-did Pinkie did this to you? She did, didn't she? I don't know where she is. She said something about the sun, but that doesn't matter, Okay? Let's just, let's just get you into bed, okay? Please?" Spike begged, trying to tug Twilight with him towards the staircase. To his horror, Twilight immediately yanked herself away and started to lurch towards the door.

"The shun...the shun...the shun..." Twilight chanted quietly, trying to work her way through the suffocating fog around her. Where was Pinkie going? What did the sun have to do with anything? Was Pinkie referring to the Summer Sun Celebration? Was that it? Twilight groaned. She'd have to make her way to the mayor's office. That was the most logical place Pinkie would go if that were the case. That's where the Summer Sun Celebration took place. She had to make it there! She didn't know what was going to happen, but something in her gut screamed that it would be a disaster.

"Twilight! NO! You have to listen to me! You can't go out in your condition!! You have to stay here!" Spike snapped, dipping in front of Twilight and blocked the door with his body. Twilight staggered on, though, stumbling right up to Spike where she slumped forward, resting her hooves on his shoulders heavily.

"Shpike. Lishen. Lishen to me. Ish Pin-key. She needsh our help," Twilight sputtered. Spike shook his head and pointed towards the staircase.

"And you need to get to bed. I'll...I'll see if I can find Pinkie, but you, you need to sit down, okay?" Spike pleaded. Twilight shook her head, tears in her eyes. She was losing time. Something dreadful was going to happen! She could feel it!

"Shpike. Go and...go and get the girlsh. I know, I know ish bad. Thish ish bad. Go and get them and tell them ish Pin-key. The haff to come here. Now. We haff to save her. I haff to save her. Ish breaking her. The power ish breaking her and I can't let thish happen. Pleash, Shpike, you haff to help. PLEASH! Go and get them. Go and get them!! I'll be fine, but you need to go and get help! Go. Pleash! Thish is the most important thing I've ever ashed you to do, Shpike! You haff to go, get them, and I haff to get to Pin-key. I need you. Pleash. Pleash Shpike," Twilight pleaded in turn, leaning heavily on Spike's tiny shoulder. He stared at his sister, before pulling himself back and opening the door.

Quietly, Twilight dipped her head towards him and stumbled out into the night and quietly Spike wondered if that would be the last time he'd ever see her.

19

Twilight staggered her way forward through the darkness of the street, taking each dizzying, swaying step as they came. With every other step, she found she had to stop to fight off a wave of nausea, but she forced herself forward with one hoof after the other. She would not stop until she found Pinkie Pie and saved her from herself. She would not fail this test of friendship. She refused.

"Pin-key?!" Twilight called, listening to the slur in her voice. Her tongue felt like it was twice the size it normally was. God, what did Pinkie DO to her?! She paused in her march forward, forcing herself to draw in a deep breath in a desperate attempt to clear her head. It didn't help.

"Ish okay, Twilight. Ish gonna be okay. You can do thish. You can do thish. You got thish. Jush...Jush fine Pin-key. Thash all you gotta do. One hoof in front of the other," She sputtered desperately. Still, though, despite her struggles it seemed like she was making progress. Slow progress, but progress none the less. She'd stumble and trip over her own hooves periodically, but it only slowed her progress, not halt it. Soon enough, her trek down the street brought City Hall into view, and Twilight felt a weak grin twist at her lips. She'd made it. She'd MADE it!! She stumbled forward, hurrying towards the building only to find her hooves unresponsive. She tripped, crashing hard into the cobble stone road below her with a jarring thud and a flash of pain. She could taste a surge of blood racing to greet her tongue and suddenly, Twilight wanted nothing more than to simply remain where she was. To let the dizzy drowsiness wash over her and guide her into sleep. She was sure she'd broken something in her stumble. There was a numbed sense of pain screaming through her bones, but whatever drugs Pinkie had forced into her system masked it for now. It would hurt when she sobered up, she was sure of it. Her eyes were heavy. Her body was tired. All she had to do was stay where she was. She didn't have to move. Nopony would blame her. It wouldn't be her fault. She didn't have to justify anything to anypony at all, even if the door to City Hall was swinging open. Wait. The door?

Twilight forced her head up, ignoring a fresh surge of pain. Yes. The door. It was ajar leading into a shadowy blackness inside of the building. Pinkie was inside. Twilight could feel it. She groaned and rolled herself onto her side with a whimper. It was there. Her goal was right there! All she had to do was get up. To force herself back to her hooves and march forward. Just a little bit further. Just a little more. That was all she needed to do. It was the last stretch of her test of friendship. It was what Princess Celestia had sent her to Ponyville to learn. Would she fail her princess, just because she was hurt? Would she fail Pinkie again? Would she fail herself? Twilight narrowed her eyes and painfully dragged herself back onto her hooves.

* * *

The building was shrouded in darkness and while bleak and opaque the overbearing gloom was not what sent a terrible shudder racing down Twilight's spine. No, it was the menacing scent of gasoline that took care of that job. The air was saturated with the suffocating fumes, and every step Twilight took deeper into the bowels of the office only served to set off warning bells in her head. Gasoline? What was Pinkie's plan? Something to do with fuel? What sense did that make? None, but it didn't matter. No. Whatever Pinkie was planning, Twilight would stop her. Twilight would save her. She squinted through the darkness, forcing herself forward deeper into the building. From the front doors, there was a lengthy carpet that lined the floors to the multiple offices found inside city hall and it was soaked in a foul smelling liquid that set off even more alarms in Twilight's head, but alarms aside, it also served as a trail.

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a stagnant breath of air. She gagged, but it was necessary to draw in latent mana in the air. Despite feeling an oncoming headache, Twilight forced herself to cast a spell. A simple ball of witch light to illuminate her path. An easy spell, but one that had drained the last of her energy and left her sucking foul air into her lungs. She coughed and sputtered, but the carpet glistened wetly. A perverse trail of danger that lead towards an open door at the back of the building and one that descended into darkness. Twilight slowed her wobbling gait, approaching the door cautiously with her ears perked and senses open to the world. In the darkness, she could hear a single sound. A strange snapping sound, like sandpaper rubbing against itself, over and over again. SNNNNNHK. SNNNNNNNHK. SNNNNNNHK. SNNNNNHK. Bad. That was a bad sound. Something in her head was screaming that was a very bad sound, but Twilight couldn't quite figure out what it was, even if she'd heard it before, and it sounded familiar. No, her brain was too muddled with drugs and addled by inhaling fumes to process anything properly, which is probably why she decided to head downstairs.

20

The basement was dark, utterly and completely, save for the single ball of witch-light hovering around Twilight's skull. A sheer give away to her position, but she couldn't descend the shadow ridden staircase without it. It creaked and swayed with her steps, whining under her weight and threatening her if she stayed in one spot for to long. But she had to take it slow, or else she risked tumbling down the stairs and cracking her skull open on whatever was below her. Concrete, she assumed.

SHNNNNNK

Twilight froze, perking her ears and listening to the sounds in the darkness. Nothing moved. Nothing else made a noise. The horrifying sound faded into the darkness where it had come from: the corner. Nervously, Twilight continued down the stairs until she found the ground below, concrete, like she'd anticipated, only it was concrete soaked in gasoline. She reached up and rubbed at her eyes, feeling the burn from the fumes and whimpered.

"Pin-key?" she called out sheepishly and held her breath. She froze completely, listening to each and every sound the silence had to offer her.

"What?" whispered the gloom. Twilight snapped her head towards the sound of the voice .

SHNNNNNNK

Slowly, timidly, Twilight glided the hovering witch-light towards the source of the sound and bit back a scream. It Pinkie Pie, lounging quietly upon what looked to be several crates of fireworks and empty cans of gasoline. Her fur was ragged and in shambles and her mane glistened wetly. She had soaked herself in the foul smelling liquid, which neatly masked the other horrific scents she'd been awash in. She stared blearily ahead with on eye open, and at nothing in particular, but it was the object in her mouth that caught Twilight's attention. Something that forced tears to her eyes and to stop her in her tracks. A small box of matches. She opened it casually, and pulled out a little red stick which she held in her teeth. She planned to immolate herself. Was that what she meant be 'waking up'? Oh, Celestia, no. NO! She gripped the box firmly in her hooves, and drew the match across the strip.

SHNNNNNK

Twilight winced and squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering quietly. When nothing happened, and a fiery demise didn't engulf her, she cracked an eye open and trembled. The match stick had broken. Pinkie gave an annoyed little huff and tossed the snapped stick to the ground atop a small pile of others. Instantly Twilight's eyes flickered across the discarded matches and the box Pinkie was holding. If she had to guess, there were about ten sticks on the ground. How many were in the box? It was a small box. Maybe a full box of twenty or so? Which meant there would be ten left...

"Pin-key" Twilight whimpered.

SHNNNNNNK. Nine.

"What?" she snarled again, peering into the darkness. Twilight had the feeling she was not staring at her specifically, but perhaps just into the darkness itself. The mage cleared her throat and tried to dry her eyes, but her tears wouldn't stop. She was about to die. She could feel it.

"Heeeeey. Hey Pin-key...I found you. I found you... ish me. Twilight...Pin-key pleash put the matches down...Pin-key..." Twilight sobbed, reaching a hoof towards the pink pony. Pinkie glared at Twilight quietly before she shook her head with a groan.

"Nuh-uh. You're not Twilight. Twilight's...she's...she's inna house. She's fine. She's safe. You're jus' another hallucination. G'way. 'snot safe here," Pinkie grumbled, tugging another match from the box. Twilight flinched, watching in absolute terror as she brought the match to the strip.

SHHHHHHHHHHNK Eight.

"No, no, no, no, Pin-key, I'm ish me! I'm real! I'm real! Lishen, L-lishen to me! Pin-key, pleash! You gotta lishen! I'm shorry! I am sho shorry! I shouldn't have tried to put you to shleep! I shouldn't have done a lot of things, but what I should have done was lishen! I should have lishened to you, and I am sho shorry I didn't! You desherve a better friend than me, and I'm sho shorry!" Twilight cried, reaching up to wipe tears from her eyes again. Pinkie glared quietly, reaching down to tug out another match. Oh! Nonononononononono!!!

SHHHHHHHK Seven.

"I know, I know about the dreams! I mean the nightmares! T-the future! You're sheeing the future, right?!" Twilight squawked, her voice riddled with panic. Pinkie slowly plucked another match from the box, grumbling to herself.

"And you've been trying to save everypony, right?! You've been running around town, t-trying to help, and that's all you want to do, and it mush be killing you!! Lemme help, Pinkie, Lemme help, Oh, NONONO, CELESITA!!!" Twilight shrieked, watching as Pinkie struck another match along the strip.

SHHHHHHHHHK Six.

Twilight drew in a deep breath. Still alive. She was still alive. She reached up, rubbing her hooves over her face, trying to clear her tears again, before tossing Pinkie a pleading look. The pink pony wobbled where she sat, reached up, slapped a hoof across her face and groaned.

"You never believe in me. You never believed anything I had to say,"

"I schrewed up. I really did. I'm shorry! I wanna help you, I wanna fix thish! Pleash, Pin-key, it doeshn't have to be thish way! We can do shomething else! J-Just tell me why! WHY?! Why the fire?! W-what ish all thish?!" Twilight screamed. Pinkie plucked another match from the box. Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohno!

"Building comes down," she groaned. Twilight's ears perked immediately and she glanced around the darkness.

"Building comes down?" she squeaked. Pinkie gave a weary nod and gestured towards the room.

"Always the same. Ponies show up for the Summer Sun Celebration. Building collapses. Everypony gets buried. Everypony dies," Pinkie mumbled. Twilight meekly nodded her head. OK. That made a broken kind of sense. Pinkie was trying to destroy the building before everypony else could be buried under rubble. That was a Pinkie thing to do. Sacrifice herself.

"W-well, maybe we could tell the mayor, or, or, or, we could keep the poniesh from gathering near the building! WE COULD PIN-KEY NO!!" Twilight shrieked, covering her head with both hooves as Pinkie struck another match against the strip.

SHHHHHHK Five.

"Naw. This is the only way. It's gotta be this way. Gotta be. I've seen it all," Pinkie whimpered. She let her gaze drift from the darkness towards Twilight and reached up to rub at her own eyes, sniffling quietly. "But I don't wanna do this...I'm scared, Twilight...I scared, and I jus wanna wake up. I don't wanna do this anymore," she sobbed, reaching for another match. Twilight nodded her head, watching helplessly as Pinkie drew the match down across the strip again.

SHHHHHHHK Four.

She was too tired to strike it properly, Twilight realized. It was the reason for the delay. The reason they were both still alive. Twilight swallowed and sat down, keeping her gaze leveled at Pinkie.

"I can help. I want to help. I'm here to help! LET ME HELP!! PLEASH! Pin-key, plesh! I'm begging you! I can save you, jush, jush let me! CELESTIA JUSH LET ME!!" Twilight shrieked in panic. She nearly jumped to her hooves and went racing for the stairs, but she swallowed the flight portion of the fight or flight response and remained where she was. Trembling, but stationary. "I'm sho sorry, I'm a terrible friend. I'm horrible, jush, let me make it up. Pleash, pleash, oh, pleash, let me make it up, I'm sho sorry," Twilight sobbed. Pinkie sniffled and rubbed her nose with a hoof, peering at the crying filly before her. She plucked another match from the box.

"How? How can you? You're not real and everypony's gonna die anyway," Pinkie grumbled. Twilight shook her head so hard she managed to topple herself over. The fumes and the dizziness combined was doing a number on her.

"NO! N-NO! Thatsh not true! I talked to Luna! S-she said she can help! W-with the dreamsh! She'll help! She'll help! I'll help!! Let ush help! I know what you're going though! I understand and I trush you, but I shwear it doeshn't need to be thish way! WE CAN CHANGE THINGSH! PIN-KEY PLEASH!!" Twilight shrieked, watching helplessly as Pinkie pulled the match to her teeth, and struck it along the strip.

SHHHHHHHK Three.

"Can't change anything. It's always the same, Twilight. It's always the same," Pinkie sobbed. Twilight shook her head again, reaching up from the floor towards her tortured friend. She had to save this pony. She had to.

"No! Pin-Key, lishen to me! Jus-jush put the maches down and lishen!! I...W-wait. It can't be. Thish can't be the same. Did you know I'd be here? You couldn't. If you knew I'd come down here you wouldn't have bothered trying to drug me! Y-You'd have known it wash pointlessh! Right?! It wouldn't have changed anything, since thatsh not the future you'd have wanted! Thish can't be what you shaw in your dream! You shaw ONE future where I tried to shtop you! And you changed it caush I'm not here to shtop you!! I'M NOT HERE TO SHTOP YOU PIN-KEY, I'M HERE TO HELP!" Twilight screamed as Pinkie brought the match down to the strip, but stopped before she could strike it. She tilted her curiously staring at the pony in front of her. The hallucination wasn't like the others. It was different. It was still screaming at her, yes, but not insisting that she do it.

"...Twilight? W-wait, no! Nonononono Twilight is that you?!" she squeaked, eyes widening in horror. That wasn't right! That wasn't right at all!

"Yesh!!" Twilight squealed. Pinkie immediately dropped the matches, and climbed to her hooves, dragging herself over towards the downed mare to try and help her up. She was real, not a hallucination!

"You can't BE here!! W-What are you doing here?!" Pinkie shrieked in alarm. Twilight shook her head weakly.

"I said I came to help you...W-We can't be here, you're right...We gotta...We gotta get out of here. I know I schrewed up, Pinkie. But, trush me, okay? I'm gonna sholve thish. We're gonna fish thish! Noponysh gonna get hurt. But we gotta leave firsh. Ish gonna be okay. I...I crosh my heart, hope to fly, sthick a cupcake in my eye," Twilight whimpered. Pinkie nervously glanced over towards the boxes and crates of leftover fireworks, the empty canisters of gasoline, and then back to Twilight. If she was wrong, everypony in town could die by the morning...but if she was right, it was possible that no one would have to die at all. If anything, at least Pinkie could still get Twilight somewhere safe before she 'woke' herself up. With a grunt, Pinkie used what little energy she had to heft Twilight to her hooves and slowly, the two of them made their way up the stairs.

"Ish gonna be okay, Pinkie...ish gonna be okay, I promise..." Twilight sputtered as Pinkie guided her through the darkness towards the door. Pinkie nodded her head quietly, grunting with each step of the way. Together, they trekked through the gasoline soaked corridors until the two of them had managed to make it out of the front doors of City Hall. Gently, Pinkie set Twilight down on the street and turned back towards the building, staring at it longingly.

"...I'm sorry, Twilight. Now they're you're safe, I have to finish my work. I've seen what happens. It's the only way," Pinkie whimpered. Twilight shook her head and to Pinkies complete and utter horror, held up the box of matches she had pilfered while Pinkie was carrying her.

"No, Pinkie, theresh another way," Twilight said. Pinkie could only watch, dumbfounded as Twilight opened the box and pulled a match free, and struck it against the strip with a tiny burst of flame. She held it aloft, making sure Pinkie could see it before she nodded her head and started backing away from the building, motioning for Pinkie to do the same. Pinkie stared in shock, but found her legs moving on their own, following Twilight's lead. She stopped when Twilight stopped and watched in silence as Twilight casually tossed the lit match into the building.

"But...Y-you...Twilight?" Pinkie sputtered in confusion. Twilight smiled weakly.

"I said I trush you. I said I was here to help, I said I'd save you," Twilight said, as the last of her energy faded away from her and she was drowned her in darkness. The fiery blaze of the Town Hall her last flickering memory of the night.

21 Author's Note

An idea thats been kicking around my head for years now that I finally put down on paper. I did what I could to make it match my vision, but perhaps not quite as close as I'd originally hoped it would be. Still, it's here, and it's real, and I'm not entirely unhappy with this. :raritywink:

1

She just had to make it through her shift. No problem. She'd done it before, she could do it again. She would do it again. She had to do it again. Pinkie stared miserably into the mirror, past the pretty blue eyes that stared back at her. There were bags under those eyes, even more than last time. Heavy industrial sized bags, containing the weight of endless regret. Her cotton candy mane was frazzled with split ends and errant strands waving this way and that. Her fur was shaggy and unkempt. She smelled like coffee. Her room was a mess. She was a mess. But that was fine. She just needed to make it through her shift. She could do that, couldn't she? It would be fun. All she had to do was have fun. That was second nature. That was easy. She could make it. She just needed more sugar. That was all. That was the answer. More.

On the dresser was a simple white plate with a double frosted chocolate fudge cupcake with extra chocolate sprinkles. The sort of teeth rotting sugary confection that could keep a pony on a sugar rush for hours. She had to have it. She hiccuped and caught herself gazing into the mirror again, staring at a pony she didn't recognize. She started to sniffle. Nope. No. Not going to cry. No. Eat the cupcake. She ate the cupcake and immediately felt sick. Today was going to be hard. She could feel it. She tossed her sights towards the clock. Nine fifty. Time to open the shop. She'd wolf down another cupcake during her break, just to be safe. She could make it. She had to.

2

Mrs. Cake smiled nervously, watching Pinkie bounce around the shop, tending to costumers and reciting rehearsed menus and specials. But something seemed off. Something seemed off for the last few days. Pinkie wasn't just energetic, she was down right jittery. She couldn't stop moving, even when standing still. Her head would quiver and her legs trembled. She only stopped when she ducked into the back room and eyed a pot of coffee she'd brewed earlier. She couldn't hold the pot still long enough for her to pour it into a mug, so she simply opted to drink it from straight the pot. She drank all of it, and then was right back to work.

Needless to say, Mrs. Cake was beginning to feel a tad unnerved. Normally Pinkie's spastic, hyperactivity was a boon, strangely enough. She could be everywhere at once, helping multiple customers and handling multiple orders with energy Mrs. Cake could only dream of. But this...This wasn't normal. This wasn't healthy.

"Pinkie, Dear, can we talk, just for a moment in the back, please?" Mrs. Cake asked sweetly. Pinkie glanced at the clock and winced. 11:46. She smiled in return and made her way past the counter, stealing a glance at the clock again. Still 11:46. She still had time. She could squeeze in one more cupcake.

"Pinkie..." Mrs. Cake began, once she'd managed to steal a moment of time for herself and Pinkie. Pinkie didn't seem to be listening, though. She was helping herself to a box of chocolate covered donuts sitting on the table. She was scarfing them down, one at a time. She wasn't even chewing. She was forcefully jamming them down her throat, only taking a couple precious gulps of air in between.

"MMmhmhmh?" Pinkie asked, her muzzle filled with confectionery. Mrs. Cake winced.

"Pinkie, sweetie, is there something bothering you?" she asked. Her maternal instincts peppering her words with a soothing tone. Really, truly, Mrs. Cake could only see Pinkie as a daughter. A child. Her first child, before the twins, and she had a tendency to treat her as such on occasion. For a brief moment, Pinkie froze completely. She stared at Mrs. Cake for a long few moments, before the hyperactivity kicked back in, and she bounced on her hooves.

"Nope-roonie! Everything is okie dokey A-OK super sweety sweet and fine and dandy-doo with sprinkles on top!! But Mrs. Cake, I gotta go real quick, okay? Real quick!" Pinkie barked, and immediately turned towards the door, and dashed back into the shop. She looked at the clock. 11:50. She had time. She pulled off her apron and laid it on the counter and made her way to the bakery door and then outside, where she sprinted down the street.

Sadly, Mrs. Cake could only watch.

3

"Come in. We don't usually see you around the library," Twilight said cordially. She was friendly and warm as always. Mrs. Cake appreciated that. Really she did. She stepped inside, past the hollowed out threshold of the tree and was immediately bombarded with the scent of parchment and books.

"Oh. Well. You know, life in a bakery in a town full of ponies like Pinkie Pie is a full time profession," she chuckled dryly. Twilight smiled just the same and nodded her head.

"Yes, I imagine so. Is there a book you're looking for? I'd be happy to help you find anything you might need?" she asked, gesturing towards the books that lined the walls of her home.

Mrs. Cake bit at her lower lip and drew in a deep breath. Where was she supposed to start? How to broach the subject? She flashed Twilight another smile, a smaller one, and sighed softly.

"Twilight I need... It's about Pinkie," she said softly. Twilight's smile faded.

"Pinkie? What is it? Whats wrong?"

"Do you know anything about addiction, dear? I...I'm beginning to think she might need somepony to talk to. I can hear her, Twilight. I can hear her up all night and I know she hasn't been sleeping at all. I hear her talking to her pet alligator, I can hear her baking cookies at two in the morning, I can hear her crying, Twilight. I don't...I don't know what to do. She's always been a good employee, but she's been missing shifts lately, she's been disappearing during work hours and she's been gobbling down more chocolate than I can keep track of. I don't know whats happening and I'm worried about her, dear. I was hoping you might be able to find out whats going on and...and give her the help that I can't?" Mrs. Cake pleaded.

Twilight frowned, but slowly nodded her head. That didn't sound like Pinkie at all. Bouncy and hyperactive, sure. A sugar junkie, okay. But Pinkie never let things get out of control the way Mrs. Cake was describing her. Pinkie was responsible in her indulgence. This was something new.

"Of course. I'll see what I can do. Is it alright if I swing by to talk to her? Err, after hours, that is?" Twilight asked to a energetic nod from Mrs. Cake.

"Oh, yes, yes! Anything you need, dear. I just want the old Pinkie back. I miss her," Mrs. Cake said sadly.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Cake. I'll get to the bottom of this. Pinkie is a good friend of mine, if we talk things out, I'm sure we can figure out a solution," Twilight said with a cheerful, reassuring smile. Mrs. Cake nodded her head quietly, and left to return to Sugarcube corner, leaving Twilight to her own devices. Pinkie sounded like she had a problem. But problems had solutions, and if anything, Twilight was good at finding solutions.

6

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Pinkie whimpered quietly, reaching for another chocolate bar, and even though tears were streaming down her cheeks, she bit into it. She was happy. Her task was complete.

"I...I did it Gummy...Mommy did it..." Pinkie sputter, wobbling over towards the bed. She collapsed onto the floor with a whimper, heap of dust bursting out from under her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd swept. Or cleaned her room. Or made her bed. Or even slept in it. She sniffled back tears.

"Gummy...Please come to mommy...please...Gummy?" she cooed meekly. Was that her voice? Why did it sound so broken and weak? No longer the bright and vibrant party goer, but the sad mew of a girl holding onto the last remnants of her sanity.

Underneath, she could see the luminescent eyes of the alligator, peering back at her through the darkness. She reached a hoof for him sadly. The gator did not move. Not with the way the room was. Not with the way Pinkie had been acting. If anything, he seemed to scurry further back into the darkness and relative safety of the bed. She sighed. Fine then. Gummy wasn't in the mood to play. She could make due.

Pinkie tried to pull herself to her hooves, but she found the energy just wasn't there. The best she could manage was to crawl. She crawled towards the corner before she managed to pull herself into a sitting position. She yawned. But it was fine. She was fine. She'd finished her mission. Her task was complete. At least for now. She had some time. She could rest for a few hours. At least, until Twilight showed up. But for now? For now she was done. She didn't have to worry anymore. She just had to keep reminding herself of that.

"I did it...I did it...I did it..."

11

Twilight drew in a trembling, shuddery breath, and peeked past the safety of her hooves. The newspaper was still there, sitting silently on the end of her bed, right where Spike had left it while she'd been asleep. Right where it had been the last time she checked. She swallowed and rubbed her eyes. She stole a glance at the window. Middle of the afternoon. She swallowed again, letting her gaze drift back towards the paper that sat daunting on her covers. Spike had left it there for her for a reason. She'd told him anything concerning Pinkie Pie was to be brought to her attention immediately. He'd let her sleep though. The lovely little drake.

She swallowed. Her mouth was dry. Nervously, cautiously she pulled the print into the air, letting it creep closer and closer until it hovered right in front of her eyes. Oh please, please, please, please, please let it be good news...

Twilight blinked back tears and read the article again. She read it again and again and again. The words didn't change. The brain in her head told her it was a coincidence. Just happenstance. Nothing more than that. The heart in her chest screamed otherwise.

Twilight pushed the news paper away and climbed out of bed. She had to find Pinkie Pie and she had to do it now.

15

The door to the library was wide open when Spike returned. That was the first clue something was wrong. Quietly, he clutched the bottle of milk he was holding to his chest, as if the chilled substance could provide comfort and stepped into the library. It seemed fairly normal. Everything was in its proper place. Still, it felt like something was amiss, and it was something he couldn't put a claw on until he noticed Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie!! Hey! Where have you been, Twilight's been worried sick!! Are you okay?!" Spike squealed. She had been sitting in the middle of the living room, in the dark. Spike didn't care. He'd been hearing stories and rumors of her being extremely sick, and he immediately raced over, arms out and wrapped them around Pinkie's right foreleg, squeezing tightly.

"Spike,"

"I'm so glad you're alright! Twilight's been worried sick! Everyponies been worried sick! Where have you been?! Everyponies been looking for you! Rainbow Dash has been doing circuits around the town, Rarity has been asking all her friends, Applejack's been searching the woods and everypony is gonna be SO relieved your okay!" Spike squeaked happily, eyes bright and wide. A small ghost of a smile tugged at Pinkie's lips. Gently she pulled Spike in close and crushed him with a hug. He gagged. She smelled horrible. Still, his happiness at seeing her outweighed the assault on his senses. He squeezed her tightly.

"Spike. I- I need you to do me a favor, okay?"

"Sure!"

"Tell Twilight...no. T-tell everypony I'm really sorry. I'm really really sorry for making them worried, and acting really silly. Tell them they don't have to worry anymore. Can you do that for me, Spike?" Pinkie asked quietly. Slowly, Spike nodded his head. Confused, but compliant.

"Well, sure I can. But why can't you tell them yourself?" Spike asked. Pinkie shook her head quietly.

"Because it's time to wake up. I have to wake up, Spike. This is all just a-a bad dream," Pinkie sputtered. She squeezed the confused little dragon one more time and sighed.

"W-what? No, Pinkie I don't un-"

"Twilight is in the kitchen. She's fine. I Pinkie promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. This is the only way it can end, Spike. With the sun. It can only end with the sun. I'm sorry. I have to wake up, " Pinkie said quietly. She stood up promptly, turned towards the door, and walked out of the library without another word. Spike stared after her. Oooooookaaaaaaaaaaaay....

Pinkie was acting stranger than normal, but she was back and that's all that mattered to Spike. Twilight had told him to let her know if he heard any news about her! She was going to be tickled pink hearing she'd been at the library! He made his way into the kitchen where he screamed.