I Don't Like Sundays

Chapters

Chapter 2 - Recycling
Chapter 3 - Burnout
Chapter 4 - Astral Plane
Chapter 5 - Reach Out
Chapter 6 - Kindness Lost
Chapter 7 - Tea for the Tillerman
Chapter 8 - The Great Horseshoe
Chapter 9 - Dockland Conspiracies
Chapter 10 - Renegades of Fun
Chapter 11 - Considered Even
Chapter 13 - Deep Waters
Chapter 14 - Doughnut City
Chapter 15 - Bottle of Rum
Chapter 16 - Strange Days
Chapter 1 - Elimination Game
Chapter 12 - High Tide

Chapter 2 - Recycling

The trip we embarked on about an hour later would turn out the toughest I've ever experienced in my live. And boy, have I had a few.

There wasn't much for me to pack. What I decided to take along largely consisted of some cupcake batter, balloons, chunks of confetti, and eye patches. In case of sudden emergencies concerning any of those things, you see. As far as preparations went, that was about all I had to handle. Since Sugarcube Corner would keep on working for a while without my support, and most ponies probably wouldn't mind me going on a trip (they usually don't), getting ready didn't take me longer than a few minutes.

Before getting back together with my friends, I took another moment saying goodbye to Pound and Pumpkin. Whenever me and the girls got out of town, these two fluffy hairballs seemed to be what I'd miss the most. I was always relieved seeing them unharmed after coming back, and I'm pretty sure they thought so, too.

That morning however, our parting didn't take very long, since both of the twins were still fast asleep. I soon figured I'd better be off, since missing an appointment made by Twilight isn't the most clever of ideas. She can get really picky about these things.

We met back at the library on time, just as Twilight had planned. Well, almost all of us, to be exact. Rarity was a good ten minutes late from needing to make sure her sister would handle the boutique in her absence. Not that I did mind in particular. I was way too preoccupied with trying to cheer everypony up. Especially Twilight herself needed a laugh now more than ever. I've never seen her more miserable since we first met, and our friend's delay, while not exactly very long, totally put her on edge.

She took a much harder blow from whatever had happened over at Canterlot than any of us. Which wasn't a big surprise, I guess.

Even Fluttershy wasn't as startled as our princess friend. And she's usually the most timid and fragile one of us. Then again, I suppose she can be pretty courageous when under pressure. Like that one time, she totally showed a massive dragon in it's place, even though it was about ten times as big as her? I wouldn't want to forget about that for the world.

But I'm trailing off again, right?

Well, like I said, Rarity came along about ten minutes after the rest of us. Alongside her waists hung two massively stuffed saddlebags, probably crammed to the top with all sorts of fashion accessories and whatnot. Though I didn't see it at the time, I could pretty much tell Rainbow Dash doing a facehoof behind me. Which was a reaction that I guess made sense.

Of course, along with all my party favors (you get the idea), I also carried a two-hundred pound, lethal, pink artillery weapon around, myself. So not judging the fashion choices of others seemed pretty fair to me.

Usually, I don't exactly judge ponies, either way. In my opinion, every essential aspect of life in Equestria can easily be sorted in either of two categories: Fun, and not fun. Whatever doesn't apply to these two isn't for me to think about. For example, the details about Rarity's fashion designs.

Twilight didn't mind either. Not because she wouldn't have, anyway. I don't think she even noticed anything about Rarity, except for her finally being with us. She seemed as mentally absent as before, and I can't deny growing gradually worried about her.

Without much of a discussion, the six of us started trotting off, towards the outskirts of town. It wouldn't take us long to get to the station, where the train to the capital would soon be waiting for us.

Nah, not exactly waiting. I mean...it wouldn't be waiting for us, nor for anypony else. That train was the first carrying supplies from Appleloosa. It would take a five minute break at Ponyville Station, and be on its way right after. By then, we either were on there, or not. Take it or leave it. Or so, Twilight told me.

Again, that pony's organization skills impressed me. Sixth sense or not, I had totally no idea how she could have known about the train coming through at this time. Who knew, maybe she had even put the schedule together herself? Leave it to Twi for coming up with a perfect plan, like Rainbow Dash had said. Which she had, hadn't she? This crazy day was messing more than enough with my head, already.

Anyhow, we arrived at the station a few minutes before the train did, so there was still some time left for me to buy some snacks at the counter. Initially, I hadn't brought any of those because there didn't seem to be any more room in my saddlebags. Only on the way over did I remember I might as well stuff my party cannon with them. There was lots of room in there...I just needed to remove them before the next time I'd fire the thing.

Rarity shot me a disapproving look, as I gulped down half of my fresh food anyway. Even with my party cannon filled to the top, it still didn't all fit in. I admit, I may have bought a little too much on purpose. But weren't we all just terribly dazed and confused this morning? Mistakes do happen, mind you. And my growling stomach might have had a small say in it just as well. Can't ever control these things.

Our other friends either ignored my mishap, or they were too consumed by their own fears and worries to notice. Especially Twilight seemed visibly shaken. Of course, she needed to get to Canterlot any minute now. Not only had the princesses been in the city, but also her parents. All that occurred to me only now, and it made the half-ton of candy weigh extremely heavily in my stomach.

Well, at the moment I didn't pay too much attention to her, either way. Instead, I glanced up at the sky, which was halfway lit up by the sun, while the other half was wrapped inside a darkness the midnight hour itself couldn't have performed more convincing. It constantly reminded me of what had happened, and how this was not a day for fun. Needless to say, I hated the sight. My only relief was that none of it had gotten obscured by clouds. The moon, as well as the sun shone down on us in their full power.

Practically, it still was half a sunny day. I took comfort in that. Nothing could have made me more glum at the time, than a dark-grayish firmament, only one half of it lightened up. Nope, one half of this day was a Sunday. I like Sundays.

We could spot the train coming from far away, already. There weren't many hills or mountains in our part of Equestria, so the poofy, gray cloud from the engine became visible several minutes before it even reached us. I had started jumping up and down, as soon as it came into view. However, another one of Rarity's glares was more than enough for me to stop mid-motion. After that, I fell back on my haunches, and started motionlessly watching the ground.

Not fun.

Inside my head the happy, cheerful side of me soon became battled by a different set of emotions. The kind I don't talk about, to be precise. Dark and grumpy me hadn't played any larger roles in my life ever since the little breakdown at my last birthday. And there sure wasn't any reason for it to come bursting back up, now. As soon as I noticed my mane going only a little limp, I immediately stuck to the thought: Stay positive, no matter what. This wasn't the Pinkie Pie my friends needed, right now. They needed the element of laughter to keep their own hopes up, not somepony who'd only get them all even more depressed.

I Pinkie promised myself not to let my own worries get the better of me. I couldn't keep bringing myself down if I wanted to be of any consolation to my friends. For now, the best thing I could manage was to stay positive. With a faint smile I looked back up, just in time to see our train roll into the station.

It was a rare sight, if any. The four cars attached hadn't lost any of their typical, bright shadings, but that was about the only aspect normal about this train. Windows were either stained, shattered, or replaced by wooden planks nailed to the wagon sides. The insides, and even some of their roofs, were packed full with crates of supplies and medical ponies, among other helping hoofs. I couldn't make out a single casual passenger in the entire vehicle, as it stopped in front of us. We could be happy to catch a free spot for the six of us anywhere inside.

Even the engine itself was crammed; there were four muscular earth pony stallions stationed in its cabin. At least three of them were more than busy shoveling a maximum amount of coal from the tender in a minimum amount of time. That's what keeps the train going super-fast, even more than usual. Twilight told me so someday, though she might have sounded a bit more professional while doing so. The three of them hardly slowed down, even after the effect of their fun little fire had been drastically stopped by the train brakes. There was no need to have it decrease in size, heat, or anything. I understood that.

A fourth pony, the one in charge of steering the train I presumed, had hastily hopped off his vehicle the moment they came to a stop. Our station's overseer, a mare named Carrot Top, came to greet him. They immediately burst into a heated discussion, where Twilight would join them after a little bit. She needed to let him know we would join in on the ride, of course.

Carrot Top is another friend of mine, by the way. As is everypony in town, but I'm pretty sure I already said so. She can be fun, but also a little strict sometimes. I guess it's simply a virtue you need when put in charge of an institution like that. Which got me thinking, would the same rule also apply to Twilight, then? I have no idea.

Speaking of Twilight, our alicorn friend quickly joined us, after no more than half a minute. The train driver had quickly nodded off her requests, so it couldn't have been to hard persuading him. Things tend to be easier in life when you're a princess. It's the part getting there that's hard. There's not much fun in all the studying either, so I never cared much for that.

Anyhoof, Twilight got back to us, meeting our expecting gazes. Well, most of us, anyways. I was kinda...occupied with realizing I hadn't packed any cake. But I'm pretty sure my other friends looked at her expectantly. Enough to make up for the expectancy they were missing because I didn't join in, or something. It's what ponies do, really.

She didn't say a word, still not up for any joy. Giving a single notion to the last train car, she trotted past us, leading the way. I admit, it took me a moment to realize what was going on. Only somewhat delayed did I start hopping towards the back entrance, following them.

Twilight stepped into the train car first. Or onto it, to be more precise. Other than its peers, the last car on the train had a small steel platform attached to it, on the back and front, respectively. Only through these could anypony enter the inside of the cabin. The opposite sides of each platform were guarded by a railing, about four feet tall. Its only interruptions were located at the sides, where ponies would climb on and off, using a small metal staircase, consisting of two small steps. And that was the one Twilight was using. Whew.

She was a mare of few words that morning. Setting a hoof onto the first step, she briefly turned around, stating: "There should be some more room for us inside." Having said so, she directed her eyes back forward, climbed up onto the wagon, and disappeared in the carriage's inside moments later.

I felt my heart sink to the height of my knees the moment Twilight looked back at us. She didn't glance behind herself for very long, two or three seconds at best. But nevertheless, these were more than sufficient to make me freeze in place. I don't think Twilight had addressed anypony in particular, not even all of us as a group. Her eyes seemed elsewhere, absent in a way. They didn't look at any of our faces, just somewhere off in the distance.

I had never seen her face like this. If anything about this day hadn't been unnerving so far, this definitely crossed the line. I had no idea what to make of it, yet. But it was the first time on that day that I realized it would probably turn out one of the longest ones in my life. The very idea sent a cold shiver down my spine. And this one surely wasn't connected to my Pinkie Sense, in any way.

Rainbow Dash was the fist to follow Twilight's lead, hovering past the door frame just inches behind her. Applejack followed suit, and Fluttershy trotted past her, eyes lowered to the floor. A feeling crept up to me in that moment, that she had looked into Twilight's eyes moments ago as well, and seen what I saw. And other than simply disturbed as I was, Fluttershy looked terrified.

When she reached the top of the stairs leading up to the wagon, she had Rarity go past herself, inside. The pegasus mare mumbled something about needing a little fresh air for the moment. Rarity nodded, and went in without any further question.

Other than me. The look on Fluttershy's face was more than enough reason for me to stay out here, alongside her for a little while. I could tell immediately how this was going to be a terribly serious moment, with no place for smiles or laughter. Only our own worries and empathies. I already hated it.

Fluttershy didn't object to me standing there, but neither did she say anything else. I'm pretty sure she didn't. Audible or not, her lips didn't move. That very probably rules out the possibility of mistaking her speech for silence. And there was nothing wrong with that. Somepony like her simply needed a little silence, a moment of patience for herself to speak up. And I wasn't going to stop her. As usual in a situation like this, I stared ahead and frowned. I tell you folks, it's harder than it looks. At least for an extrovert like me, it is.

For at least two minutes, approximately (me and time...you're probably getting tired of hearing it) we just sat there, next to each other, neither one uttering a word. The two of us stared at the train tracks beneath and behind ourselves, motionlessly. Something about these must have been extremely fascinating to my timid pegasus friend. Otherwise, why would she keep looking at them? I'm not sure what exactly she was looking for. Even though I tried, honestly.

Here's where a short lesson Twilight taught me some time ago comes into action: Trying to see things from somepony elses point of view. "Try to step into their horseshoes for a minute or two," she had told me. "Then you'll see how they view the world, from their very own perspective and personality. And how they experiencing interactions with others, even you. Try to comprehend that for a second."

At first, I had only laughed, and called her silly. One couldn't just step into somepony's horseshoes like that. Especially since most residents of Ponyville don't even wear horseshoes. Most of our town consists of dirt roads, anyway. These don't resist the clops from your hooves as much as cobbled or metaled streets would. And thus present themselves a lot more comfortable to walk on.

A second later, I realized how rude it was saying that to my friend, so I apologized. For making fun of her, mind you. Not for my ignorance of her lesson. It took a lot longer for me to comprehend those words. The first time I ever succeeded in seeing the world from someone elses eyes didn't exactly include the kind of pony I had expected for that role, if any. Not the kind I had hoped for, either.

That mare's name was Trixie. The Great and Powerful Trixie she would call herself. Mind the capitals. Some boastful unicorn mare, too full of herself, and a real meanie at times. She came to Ponyville twice, each time showing of before being shown off by Twilight's expertise. Who easily got by with a little help from her friends. Trixie had only been angry with each of us the first time, before she disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and left us for good. More or less.

Myself, and probably most others, hoped we'd never see Trixie again after that failure of hers. Only for her to show up once more, several moons later. And to our bad luck, she hadn't changed a bit.

When we defeated her this time, she reacted very differently. Trixie would show up later that evening, where she enhanced one of Twilight's magic shows with some of her own potential. The show was meant for Celestia herself, showing around some important ambassadors. So it was kind of a big deal, I guess.

Twilight's magic performance was good and all, but I think it was Trixie's fireworks to finally send them over the edge with astonishment. I hadn't expected her back so soon, and sure as hay thought she wouldn't be up to any good. But when Trixie opened her mouth to speak to Twilight, she didn't sound any more like her old self, at all. Her voice was dominated rather by a tone of sad remorse.

"It's the least I could do." Those were her exact words. "I treated you and your friends so horribly..."

I didn't exactly catch the rest of the conversation. There was too much cheering and partying going on around myself (Yay!) for me to listen to every word they said. But what I heard was enough for a sudden revelation on my part: I finally understood what Twilight had tried to tell me months before that.

Suddenly, the image of standing in a crowd that was laughing at Trixie many months earlier got replaced by the same crowd laughing at a pony that was me. In a weird kind of way, since I saw it from Trixie's point of view, including myself standing in the midst of that crowd. After that, the azure unicorn wasn't just a boastful moron to me. She was a highly misunderstood pony, who had gone underappreciated, if at all, her entire life. She then tried making up for it, while having no idea how. Constantly failing and being laughed at must have been a constant aspect of every single day she had to endure. In that moment, I felt very, very sorry for the mare. Even though she'd cast a super-mean spell on me earlier that day, and I still hadn't gotten my muzzle back.

I know, I know. Just another Tuesday in Ponyville. Maybe I'll tell you all about it later.

When the two unicorn mares shared a short, but genuine smile after their short monologue, I felt they made their peace with each other. I couldn't help myself but feel happy for Trixie. Concerning her future, I hoped for the best, and I still do so today.

That day ended for me with a sense of accomplishment. I had finally seen the world from the eyes of somepony else, and absolutely, completely understood their position. It made me happy, and I was hoping to be able looking at ponies that way again, some time. Whenever they could use it.

In a similar way, I now tried to understand Fluttershy's point of view. Only she didn't make it as easy for me. Her quiet nature made sure of that, and forcing her to talk to me wouldn't have crossed my mind in a thousand years. And thus, we remained silent for a while longer. Only when a swift, pulling force disrupted the wagon's peace, and the tracks started moving beneath us, did our provisional vigil break.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a movement from my fellow mare. Fluttershy cast a worried glance back towards the cabin door, before she looked at me. I returned it, trying my best to force a smile, and failing horribly. She didn't get startled or anything, luckily. I can look pretty creepy at times, even though I never wanted that.

"You...you saw it, too. Right?" she asked. It was hard to fully understand her gentle voice against the rattling and pumping of heavy machinery around us, but I gave it my best shot.

Initially, I only nodded as a response. If I opened my mouth to speak now, I would probably screw up the situation completely. So I didn't. Silent Pinkie was still a lot more serious than worked-up party Pinkie, who didn't think about what she said.

"Her parents were up there," Fluttershy continued. "That - and the princesses. Everypony, who ever meant anything to her, except for the five of us...and her brother, I guess."

Again, I nodded. I felt like an idiot while doing so, but couldn't manage any better, either.

"That look in her eyes just now...that was...something." She gulped. "Twilight seemed so hollow...like something broke inside her. It wouldn't be a surprise, now. If only we could find a way to help her. I can't think of anything."

"Heh. Same here." Honestly, it was the best I could manage, right now.

"A lot of things will be different from now on, won't they? I just hope we won't lose Twilight - our Twilight - to all of this. All those worries, and all the things we'll have to face today, and tomorrow, and maybe the day after..." She trailed off for a minute, looking me dead in the eye.

"Pinkie...I'm scared."

Her last words hit me hard like a brick wall. Scared...well, it was nothing new, really. Times, at which Fluttershy is afraid of something are more frequent than those at which she isn't. But this fear was more than easy to comprehend for me. And worse than that, I did share it with her completely. I just didn't want to admit it. But there wasn't any point in denying that now, was there?

"Yes, well...I'm scared, too."

Another long silence pursued, during which we kept looking ahead. Again. For a short while, I tried counting the ties racing past beneath our hooves, but even that was pointless. Mostly, they just transformed into some brown-grayish blur from the speed we gathered. Which didn't make me feel any better.

Fluttershy's head bobbed forward a bit, then sank down, as she let it rest on her forehoofs. Which, in turn, were places firmly on the train's railing, themselves. "It's all going to be different from now on then, isn't it?" Her voice was calm, and emotionless. The kind of tone that always gives you this icky feeling of discomfort whenever she's the one using it.

"Different? What do you mean?" I asked. She kept facing away from me, slightly looking off towards the dark side of the sky, embraced by the pale light from Luna's moon. Or at least it had been Luna's. Who knew what was to happen to the celestial bodies, now? I sure didn't.

"I'm talking about us, especially Twilight. Our friendship won't be the same, if she has to lead the country from here on out. And I guess she will have to do that, if Luna and Celestia really are dead."

...and there came by another brick wall. In a way, Fluttershy started to creep me out. She wasn't always as direct. Or harsh with words, for that matter. The last time she was, that big meanie Iron Will made her do so. For a short while, he also made Rarity and myself believe we had lost that timid friend of ours. And oh dear, did I cry. That sure didn't need to happen again.

"...I-I mean, we have to assume they are, right?" she asked, turning back towards me, her eyes wet. "What's the point if everypony's just hoping for the best, trying to avoid that fear? Someone has to say it."

Something felt totally wrong about all this. None of the ponies I've met this morning acted like themselves. First there was Twilight with her incredulous depression, leading us here without any actual plans of herself, it seemed. And now Fluttershy told me she was going to say what no-one else had the courage for? What's next, Rainbow taking care of the animals for her, because they decided to switch places?

Nothing seemed to match up, somehow. And that made a terrible thought come up in my mind, one of the most horrifying I could think of. Literally.

"Fluttershy," I asked her, my voice much lower than usual. "We're still all going to be friends, right?"

The timid pegasus didn't answer my question directly; instead, she looked over at me with a glance that was questioning by itself. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, as if she hadn't understood me. Which I believe she did very well. But there was no point in arguing about that, now.

"Sorry. What I meant to say..." I took a deep breath. "We won't, like...drift apart because of this, will we? I wouldn't want that. We'll always be there for each other. You, me, and all of our friends. Please, please tell me you think so, too."

I didn't want to see her cry. Not now. I can't stand the sight of Fluttershy crying. And right then, I already felt like bursting into tears, myself. I was probably closer to breaking down than her, all things considered. The second of silence, the short glimpse that she hesitated to say something to me felt like an eternity trying to hold back tears. Which is kind of ironic, if you think about it. Wasn't I the one who came here for bringing smiles to ponies? Now, I was the one in need of being cheered up.

Fluttershy eventually broke her eye contact with me, and looked down to the floor. "I don't know," she muttered. "I don't even know where we are going with all this. I'll have to think about it, and...and we'll see in time." She looked back up at me. "Sorry, I'm...just babbling nonsense, I guess. I think I'll go inside now."

We looked at each other for a moment longer, before she turned for the door. Neither of us said another word, before she pushed it open with a hoof, and slipped inside, probably joining the others. I'm not sure how that would make anything any better for her.

As for myself, I was left on the outside platform by myself, but with a whole lot on my mind. It seemed as if I only now began to fully grasp the dimensions of what had happened. Twilight being scarred like she was this morning kept dragging all of us down. I couldn't blame it on her though. I wouldn't be off any better if the same thing happened to my family. Even if we're not very close, and barely saw each other, anymore. My sister Maud is the only one I truly care for, out of all of them. But they're still my family, and I couldn't bare losing them to a disaster like this one.

After a while by myself, I turned to go inside, as well. There wasn't anything else for me to do out here, really. Heading for the door, I shot a last glance to the warmth of the sun shining down from my right. The faintest hint of a smile formed on my muzzle at the sight, but it didn't last very long. With a dissatisfied grunt, I pushed the door open in front of me.

The silence inside felt unbearable from the moment I entered the cabin. Most of it was stuffed with crates of tools, supplies, and whatnot. About a dozen earth ponies had squeezed themselves in between, volunteer helpers from Appleloosa, probably. My five friends were well among them as well, and -

"Hey, where did Spike go?"

Twilight's ears perked up at my question. She had barely noticed my entrance before, I think.

"Huh? Oh, I left him with the library. Someone has to take care of it, after all."

She immediately lowered her head, again. I had hoped we could start a conversation, trying to get distracted a little. But I guess that was just me being naive, again. I turned my head, and looked away, while answering with a simple, "Yeah...that makes sense, I guess."

It was an awfully awkward situation. I lowered myself to my haunches at the first free spot available, then continued to stare out the window, looking forward to a long, exhausting train ride. There wouldn't be much opportunity for me to do anything else before we reached Canterlot...or whatever was left of it.

Why did I come in here, again?

Chapter 3 - Burnout

We pretty much stayed on track from there on out. We literally did; the train ride went on for hours at a time, without even the teensiest of breaks. About halfway to our destination I'd already accepted that our journey would probably take forever. Forever, I say. And I'm in no way overstating things by that. I wouldn't have believed I could get bored so easily with issues that heavy constantly lasting on my mind. Turns out, I was wrong. All the while, sitting still felt like it would be the end of my earthly existence, the dying of laughter at the end of a play. The sole reason for me to pull through was the thought of not letting my friends down. Or at least not aggravate them any more than I already had.

I did go over the edge with that once, and ended up getting forced to watch paint dry. It was awful. Anything of the like didn't need to happen ever again.

By the time we arrived at our destination, the day's time already proceeded to three in the afternoon. Or so I got told. Examining the shadows of rocks doesn't make a whole lot of sense whenever the sun and moon remain in the exact same position all day...and night. If the different times could even be considered day and night at that point. Does time actually work like that, or would everypony just remain in some sort of limbo, which is like...half of both, but not completely any of them? But wouldn't we also have to stop moving forward or backward, then? I made a mental note to check up with that later.

Another problem did already start to rise up in my conscience: I was honestly getting worried about how I'd possibly get myself to sleep tonight (or whatever you'd call it). I mean...we've had a similar problem before, with those gigantic weirdo seeds Discord planted in the Everfree Forest some time back. They managed to grow all over the place, kidnapping both princesses in the process. Only back then, we managed to solve the problem within what would have otherwise been no more than a day. So sleeping had not been an issue.

I had a feeling it would all be different this time. With all due respect, Twilight would hardly be able to get everything in order that quickly. Super-best friends or not, even the united elements of harmony couldn't bring ponies back from the dead.

Always assuming the blast actually did kill Luna and Celestia. I still didn't want to believe it myself, even now. The very thought made me cringe, and every feature of my Pinkie sense stand on edge. Then again, Fluttershy's words from earlier lasted on my mind just as heavy. While I didn't want to believe her, deep down inside I knew she was right. At some point, somepony would have to speak up and tell the inconvenient truth.

I didn't get anything further from her; the two of us hadn't shared another word for the rest of the ride. In general, everypony on the train had been incredibly silent, safe for some general instructions passed back and forth. By the time we stopped at the foot of the mountain, the constant tension had done a great job wearing me out. My last hope before stepping out of the train car included some lone, shady place for me to lie down and rest my hoofsies a little. Or just go to sleep, right away. At this point, a pony didn't have to be any subtle, I guess.

Unfortunately, I figured that wish of mine might not become fulfilled for a really long time. With all of us following Twilight out the back of the train, and moving on around it, we could see immediately why it didn't proceed any further. To be plain, it simply couldn't. The train tracks leading up the mountain or on to Manehattan and Fillydelphia from here on out were all gone. Buried beneath a pile of rubble.

The debris was huge. I don't think I've ever seen so many boulders and rocks broken down, ever before. The gigantic mass of ruins, walls and pieces of former buildings within its domain, stood reaching hundreds of feet high, wide, and probably across. From where I stood, I assumed it being almost as huge as the mountain itself. And that was really something. Like half the peak had been blown off alongside the city. Around this artificial hill, dozens of smaller pieces lay scattered across as far the eye could see. If Maud was to witness all this destruction brought to such a vast variety of sediments...I'm sure she would have cried. Probably just on the inside, but she'd be devastated, nevertheless.

Speaking of devastation, seeing all of its traces surrounding myself, I wouldn't dare to look up at first. I didn't even want to see the formerly majestic mountain, this once-in-a-lifetime symbol of Equestrian greatness, that might be no more. Even if that just accounted for some parts of it. This had been more than enough for me to take in, as it was. And yet, after a few minutes, I couldn't help myself. Driven by curiosity and fear, I yanked my head back and gazed upwards.

As my eyes turned towards the peak, I didn't stop myself from producing a loud, shocked gasp. I'm pretty sure some of the ponies who didn't know me as well turned their heads in curiosity at that moment. Which hardly mattered to me because they were hardly worth mentioning compared to the sight provided.

There was a large, gaping hole torn into the upper portion of the mountain, directly above us. A massive, black cloud of smoke came boiling out from underneath. I cast a shadow onto the cliff sides below, making them look even more threatening and intimidating than everything about this whole business already was.

One thing I was completely and absolutely sure about, Twilight wouldn't take in the sight lightly. At that moment, I assumed we could consider ourselves happy if one single mental breakdown was all she'd get out of this. And as it turned out, I was wrong again. Instead of all I had predicted, she simply lowered her head, and proceeded to what was left of her youth and childhood memories.

If an element of harmony ever felt entirely helpless in its existence, it must have been right then. Seeing her trot forward mechanically like that...I had no idea, whether I'd ever be able to smile again. I mean...I probably would, but I didn't feel like it in that particular situation. Once you're so super-sad, happiness in any shape seems to be hundreds of miles away, further up than even the non-existant chocolate rain clouds brought to us by Discord's former reign of chaos.

I still miss those little perks that go along with eternal chaos. But everypony has to have their dark side somewhere, am I right?

To provide a short distraction from my disturbed friend, I let my eyes wander around the scene for a while. If there was one thing that did surprise me about our overall situation after all, it was that the place looked absolutely deserted. Like, at all. Except from the six of us, and the Appleloosa ponies from the train, nopony was to be seen anywhere. Instead, a dreadful silence filled the cliffside and its surroundings. I would have considered it fun and spooky on any other day. But right now, it all just made me sad.

Could it really be that nopony else was there? No survivors, no nothing? Of course, most ponies in Canterlot were a bunch of stuck-up unicorns, who probably didn't stand a chance against whatever happened. Heck, these ponies didn't even know how to par-tay properly. I couldn't possibly expect them to outrun an explosion.

On the other hoof, there had been more than enough pegasus ponies around here, if I recall correctly. Even if most of them were only members of the royal guard. And of course, there would always be Luna and Celestia. Both of which could fly, right? They had the wings and all. Wings always gave you this ability...probably. I couldn't say, I never had wings. Except in these weird flashbacks I sometimes get in my dreams. Or whatever they are. I basically see myself as a light cream-coated pegasus named Surprise. Not sure what that means, but it's probably to deep for me in the first place, so I never really bothered to find out.

Anyhow, I did suppose the princesses would find a way to escape Canterlot before it was too late. Or would Celestia just stick to the city, unable to abandon anyone still stuck inside? That certainly did fit the super-loving, motherly image I've always had of her. Even more so after first meeting her in person, way back. If she did that, if she really stayed in Canterlot instead of running away, Princess Luna would very probably remain there with her. And that meant...well, bad news for either of them. And everyone else in Equestria.

I frowned. Practically, I should have known. And now, I did. We all did, most likely. The sun and moon wouldn't be up at the same time if the princesses were all safe and sound. But having to face the facts with our own twelve eyes made it all the worse. For all of us, that was, but especially Twilight. In which case it would only be her own two eyes. Y'know, since she doesn't have twelve eyes all by herself and all.

Canterlot was where she originally came from. She lived in Ponyville for over a year now, but her real home had always been here. This city was like her own version of my family's rock farm. Only bigger, prettier, and generally a lot more fun. You get the point. She grew up here, had all the good experiences with her family and friends during her fillyhood, her days of being mentored by Princess Celestia...

This was the place where everypony she ever cared about lived, safe for her Ponyville friends. Well...more like had lived. Since they probably didn't live here anymore. Or anywhere else for that matter. Did I say so already? Sorry about that.

I admit, I didn't want to be around when Twilight would finally find an answer to her questions. Discover whether her family and mentor made it or not, that is. Or if they - like presumably everypony feared - died, being buried beneath tons of crushing, unforgiving rubble.

There, I said it. The truth we didn't want to face. Fluttershy would be proud of me...maybe.

Despite all odds, hopes, and wishes, I could easily imagine the answer to that question, and how she would react to it. Of course, these would be the times when one friend needs another the most, but personally I didn't think I could take it. My whole life, ever since getting my cutie mark, I never wasted a second thinking about grim scenarios like this one. And when it all came crushing back onto myself, there was no way I could just figure out on the spot how I had to react. I felt incredibly dumb for not considering it earlier.

Come to think of it, I realized once again how that other day really did place a vast change in my life. Ever since I experienced a sonic rainboom for the very first time, and decided to leave my parents' home to spread cheers across the nation, my world had consisted of nothing but sunshine and rainbows. Another side of me got buried beneath what I'd soon realize to be a mere facade of happiness. One, which consisted of no talking, and no smiling...only rocks.

I never wanted to go back to that old self of mine, and at times I have and had to vigorously force myself in keeping it that way. Which worked out pretty well for a couple of years. I suppose the simple, suburban lifestyle I lead during that time simply didn't require a whole lot of self-reflection. Meeting the five mares I now consider my bestest of friends might have, a little. But in a positive way. And I can't say that my happy party persona lacks any sort of positivity. It practically bursts with it, to an extend that's almost unnatural.

And in a way, all things considered, all of this was really weird. I was really weird, and I somehow never managed to notice that before. Somehow, I'd always just been myself...hadn't I? And my friends approved of it, even though they probably did view my shenanigans somewhat critically. Gaining this new perspective only now, I can't say I'd blame it on them.

"You okay, sugarcube?"

As opposed to most days, Applejack's voice violently cut into my string of thoughts, making me jump. Turning to see the concerned expression of my fellow earth pony friend trotting along beside me, I immediately felt like I had a lump stuck in my throat. My distracted walking did apparently slow me down a great deal, and now the two of us were walking at the very back of the pack. Twilight and the others had well surpassed us by a good few yards some time back.

"Of course," I squeaked, accompanied by a high-pitched giggle. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Also, did I really always sound like this? It seemed extremely ridiculous, all of a sudden.

"Why? Well, ah could hardly tell where ta start," Applejack replied, her brows furrowing in concern. "For starters, yer mane's hangin' down limb, ya gotta pretty pale look on yer face..." she trailed off for a moment, the honesty behind her green eyes briefly seeming to struggle with itself. "And, of course, yer shakin' all over as it is."

She let out a deep breath, her eyes locking with mine, again. "Dang, gal. Can't tell me you didn't notice any of that. You sure you ain't gonna fall sick on us, or somethin'?"

For just a moment or so, I fell silent. A short while, not much longer than the blink of an eye. It never lasted longer than a few seconds, I think. But they were enough to put me off balance, once more. Because I felt uncertain. For a teensy little time frame, insignificant at best, I didn't know how to respond. I had no idea what I could possibly tell my friend, even though she was walking right beside me, looking me dead in the eye. And that just didn't happen. That never happened before. Except maybe with my parents, back before all that...y'know.

I shifted my view to the left, unable to look Applejack in the eye for the moment. It can be really hard having a serious talk with her while not being really honest at the same time. That's the two sides of the element of honesty: On one hoof, AJ's a pretty bad liar, probably one of the worst I've ever seen. On the other, she couldn't ever be fooled with a lie, herself. Whenever Applejack was completely serious with anypony, that pony couldn't possibly convince her with anything but the complete and absolute truth. Lie to her, and she'd just see right through them. And right now, I could tell her about myself being fine all I wanted, it wouldn't ever persuade her.

Getting myself to look the other way, another sight confronted me. Another one that I didn't expect, especially not now. Because I didn't see anything. Or at least, I couldn't spot whatever I would have seen laying in that direction, since all of it got obscured. The panoramic view I enjoyed just minutes ago was suddenly covered up, hidden behind a thick, seemingly impenetrable curtain of pink.

It wasn't literally a curtain, you see. That pink mess was my mane, part of yours truly's good old self. And only a minute ago it rested firmly on top off my head, having the same poofy, bubblegum texture as always. Now, said mess had turned into a neatly combed, straight manecut, the tips of each strain kept hovering only inches above the ground.

How did it even get there? I certainly hadn't noticed any of the change when it happened. I mean, I usually do know whenever that kind of thing happens. The first time my mane completely changed happened during that sonic rainboom, all these years ago, no less. And how couldn't I remember everything about that moment more vividly that any other occasion in my life? It did also lead to my first party, and the appearance of my cutie mark. If that doesn't define a life-changing event, I don't know what does.

Yes, yes, I know. Trailing off and all that...again...sorry.

Realizing my mane hanging down all limp like that made me jump once again. Touching back down with all four hooves, I realized what Applejack meant when talking about myself shivering. My legs did somehow manage to carry me, but they did so being really shaky all the time. Matter of fact, I felt like I could hardly lift myself off the ground. And that certainly wasn't my Pinkie sense going for some newly invented combos. Overall, I felt incredibly weak all of a sudden. Some kind of bed would have been greatly appreciated at the time. Even a bunk would have done, to be honest.

I felt uncertain. Like, I had felt uncertain before, but my apparent physical weaknesses made it all the more extreme. Maybe I really was getting sick. Though I had no idea why that would be. My stomach never had a problem with too much candy before. According to my immune system, the term too much by itself didn't even exist. And I certainly hadn't eaten any of those worm-filled muffins lately.

A down-to-earth mare like Applejack usually is the right pony to call for any suggestions on sickness. Not counting the incident with the...well, worm-filled muffins. But that happened ages back, and I didn't blame her for it. Whenever Applejack was up and running on her own four hooves, she could usually tell whether somepony else wasn't. And she'd told me I didn't look too well, and was obviously worthy of being concerned about. That couldn't be good.

"Nah," I eventually told her, my voice coming across a lot more quiet and less enthusiastic than usually. "Just caught a little cold this morning, is all."

A frown worked its way onto Applejack's muzzle, as she directed her eyes back forward, watching her step. After all, we were still wandering through a whole mess of rubble, and a pony could step over just about anything in a mess like this. Neither of us knew where exactly we were headed at the time. But Twilight seemed to know her way around the city even now, and I guess we all just obediently followed her lead.

Considering the situation between just the two of us, I don't think AJ ever bought anything of what I said. Of course she didn't. I could tell from the look on her face, which pretty much gave it away...like I said, she's always been a bad liar. Then again, how could anypony possibly believe my stuttering? One, that didn't fit to my otherwise quirky personality, no less. I hardly believed the words coming out of my mouth myself, much less their sound actually resembling that of my own voice. It did seem somewhat foreign, for whatever reason.

"Whatever you say, sugarcube," she concluded, a mix of frustration naturally swinging in her voice.

We didn't say anything else for quite a while. I don't know what my friend kept thinking about me at the time, and I wasn't very eager to find out. As for myself, I was too busy questioning my own values to keep up with any kind of conversation. And I did feel increasingly sick, the more I thought about it. On an unrelated note, part of me still did grow frustrated with how this day just proceeded to become less fun with every passing minute.

Maybe that was just the problem. Maybe ponies just kept thinking about everything more than they should, thus making their lives feel much worse than they were in the first place. The world could be a happier place if we all stopped worrying for a while, and just tried to admire the good things we had. Just like I did while admiring the rainbow spanning across my parents' acres ages ago.

Sunshine and rainbows.

I thought I'd live in this perfect little world for a long time. But the world's conditions don't work like that. And right now, I couldn't just ignore the grim facts for once. Or the unsettling noises of rumble constantly coming from my stomach, which crept up to me alongside the weariness in my limbs. I first thought about it as some kind of appetite from not eating enough this morning. But that couldn't be possible either, considering all that candy I gulped down just before boarding the train in Ponyville...remember?

The sugar contained in that amount of sweets could keep anypony running for at least a week. Or in my case, the better part of an afternoon. As with some other substances, some ponies simply adapt to excessive amounts of sugar after a while, and build up a kind of natural resistance against its effects. Either way, it was much too early for me to get hungry again. And I didn't feel hungry, either. Not at all. While I usually enjoyed any sort of treat at any given time, the mere thought of even more candy made me feel even more sick this time. I even felt like I was going to puke, while mentally going through my inventory of edibles.

I eventually decided it was better to focus on my immediate surroundings to get myself distracted a bit. All those thoughts about my own well-being started to give me a headache. Which is funny in a way, since that's the exact opposite of what they're meant to do. Or accomplish, in the long run. Anyhow, I considered myself better off concentrating on the debris around me for now. And who knew? I might even find some useful information to report back to Twilight. So far, we didn't see anything that could help us. On the contrary, whatever was left of Canterlot made our situation all the more enigmatic.

Even after searching for them, we couldn't discover anypony else around. No survivors to greet us, guide us through the rubble, or at least to tell us what happened. But not only that; in the same way Canterlot had a lack of surviving ponies, we couldn't make out any trace of dead ones either. Not that I did mind them, I felt more than relieved about not having to dig through a pile of dead bodies anytime soon.

But it was also really strange, wasn't it? As much as I hated to say it, dead ponies should be more than expected after a disaster this size. Instead, there were only piles of rubble, made up solely from marble and concrete, clinging to the mountain's cliff side. And they sure didn't help figuring out our situation. Or maybe they did, and I simply wasn't smart enough. Twilight probably knew a way though. Having a brain the size of White Tail Woods does help you with that sort of thing.

On second thought, missing any evidence of dead ponies did light up another spark of hope. For me it did, anyways. I'm not so sure about my friends. But the thought was there. Maybe, just maybe it all wasn't so bad, and the princesses had in fact found a way to evacuate the city before it was too late. And maybe their energy was just too drained for controlling the skies at the moment...wherever they were.

I did feel a faint smile coming back to my face, which felt incredibly good at a grim time like this. However, it didn't grow any wider than that, still held back by that disturbing revelation I had earlier on. No matter what I tried, pushing the critical thoughts about myself aside completely to return to my usual cheerful self just didn't seem to happen this quickly.

Also, there was a problem with my mane, it seemed. Why it hung down like that, I couldn't tell. Sure, it tends to do that whenever I felt extremely down or depressed. Probably just another aspect of my Pinkie sense, you could say. At least I don't have a better explanation. Still, mane deflation only came to me in extreme cases, and I wasn't sure if this counted as one. It hadn't happened in years, except for that one time at Gummy's birthday party, when I did kinda lose it, admittedly...I think I already did talk about that more than enough.

I reached up with one hoof in an effort to push my hair back up to its trademark, curled poofiness. But even that didn't help. The long strains of darkened pink kept dropping back down alongside my neck, straight and parallel as they'd been before. As I said, it may well have been some kind of curtain.

Also, they really were long. I usually didn't even notice that, given their everyday shape. But right now, another question rising up in my mind kept asking myself about the last time I'd ever seen a barber's shop from the inside. It must have been years.

My friends - minus Applejack, of course - didn't seem to care a whole lot about my physical condition. I noticed Fluttershy casting a concerned glance my way every now and then, but she remained silent, nevertheless. Everypony else either didn't see me, or tried to ignore my current state. Given our overall situation, I couldn't blame them.

While I kept watching the four ponies walking in front of us, mostly unable to read their expressions due to their back turned to me, now came Twilight's turn to cut into my line of thought. After silently trotting between piles of rubble, leading the way across several hundred yards at least, the purple unicorn mare suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Needless to say, the rest of us soon followed suit, and five anticipating pairs of eyes lowered themselves onto our mutual friend.

Twilight wildly tossed her head around a few times, casting glances all around herself. Her motions went extremely fast; even I didn't think those were healthy. And judging from the pace at which she kept it up, I didn't expect her to see a whole lot of her environment that way, safe maybe for a few colorful blurs. Well, more or less colorful. Mostly, everything around us had some gray-brownish tint. With an occasional trace of green tossed in from the nearby woods. Anyway.

Looking right and left, our unicorn friend's expression didn't grow any more positive, let alone cheerful. And neither did she become any more sad because that wasn't even possible from this point...I think. Stopping herself from taking any further looks, she raised a hoof up to her face, massaging her right temple for a moment. "No," she subsequently mumbled, eyes closed, "No, no, no, no, NO!" and had her hoof crashing back down onto the ground. "That can't be right. None of this could! We were supposed to turn left, but...UGH!"

She fell back on her haunches with a groan. While our other friends quickly came trotting over in concern, I simply mirrored her last motion, and sat myself down as well. In all honesty, I could well need a little rest myself. I did feel exhausted after completing our little train ride, but all that weariness came back to me ten times as powerful now. Walking the short distance we just put behind ourselves hadn't made my legs or stomach feel any better, and for some reason I began to feel increasingly sleepy.

While Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity all rallied around the purple unicorn who was obviously about to lose it (...again?), I kept to my spot. A long, even more exhausting yawn came across my muzzle. For some reason, getting that out of my system seemed like the most important thing in the world, right now. Rubbing my eyes with both forehoofs afterwards, I wished for nothing but the comfortable bed from my room at Sugarcube Corner by my side. And Gummy, maybe. He would understand me at times like this. Even if I didn't understand myself.

As for my other friends...well, they seemingly couldn't care less. The four of them were still gathered around Twilight in the distance, chatting away in a dull, mumbling tone that prevented me from catching any actual words they used. Also, my own hearing seemed to fade with every second, a certain sense of dizziness overcoming me. The sounds from my environment soon blurred into one dull, constant rushing of white noise.

I slowly turned my eyes upwards, looking at the pale moon that kinda shone down upon us from one side. It was still half a night, I suppose. So there wouldn't be anything wrong with resting for a bit. I mean, maybe it actually was night, assuming the daily rhythm hadn't completely gone nuts in the sky. Maybe Canterlot didn't blow up at night, and maybe it hadn't actually dawned...shouldn't have actually dawned...yet...ugh.

So there's that. And it was half a sunny day. I like those, by the way. Whatever...

As my vision started fading to black at the edges, I lowered my eyes back to the ground. There was a flat, but vast, gray boulder lying on the ground right next to me. Maud would have loved it, I'm sure. Maybe I could bring her a souvenir like that, or something. It sure looked pretty decent.

It also did look extremely comfortable at that precise moment. First raising an eyebrow in doubt, I soon didn't see any reason on why not to take a little break, and lowered my head down onto its surface.

Once the cold marble touched my cheek, I gently placed all my head's weight onto its solid, unyielding surface, and closed my eyes. I think I even felt a smile running across my muzzle while stretching out my limbs for getting a little more comfortable. I imagined seeing Applejack rush over to me just before everything went pitch-black, but I couldn't be too sure about that. For now, that friendly and pleasant darkness surrounding me felt like the best thing that could happen at the moment. If anything, it got me away from this dreadful place.

And what's not to like about that?

Chapter 4 - Astral Plane

When I woke up, I was somewhere else. I think. At least I probably hadn't been here before, since my new surroundings looked nothing like anything I could remember. And where had I been before, anyway? While I couldn't exactly tell, I was pretty sure it couldn't be as much fun as this place. Any location in Equestria could easily be put to shame by this strange new sensation, whatever it was or meant. Of course, that didn't include the Power Ponies-thing from a few weeks back. Because that sure was a blast I hadn't had in forever.

Taking a look around, I still couldn't make out just what exactly my new surroundings could possibly suggest. They looked like the starlit sky at night, only it was everywhere. Not just above my head, but also surrounding me to all sides. As if I was floating in some kind of outer space dimension. Then again, I could still feel some kind of ground resisting beneath my hooves' stomping motions. Only I didn't actually see it. Like I said, this certainly was a strange sensation. I did say so before, didn't I? My memory tends to play games with me sometimes. Which I'm okay with, as long as it's some fun party games with some action in them. Not something dull and stretching like chess or something like that. Twilight enjoys those, but I never really figured out what the whole fuzz was all about.

Moving on.

While not feeling all too reassured about my surroundings, one thing I did get a better grip on now was the state of my own self. Which was a start, and I felt determined to make the most off it. As it turned out, my mane had obviously gone back to poofy, no longer obscuring my view to one side. Also, my legs felt no longer shaky and the overall weariness had worn off. All in all, I felt extremely good for once, even though I still didn't know what happened. Or where I was, for that matter. All of this was probably nothing but some kind of strange dream. I had fallen asleep, after all. Or had I? My short-term memory still remained a little blurry, like I've been hit over the head or something. Only without the pain that usually followed suit. Which was just as well, I suppose.

Wherever all this was, it sure didn't look like anything I felt familiar with. Of course, outer space isn't exactly the kind of place that ponies would go visit all the time. If I recall correctly, there was that one pegasus who did, a while back. But he didn't return to Equestria highly successful. I think his eardrums exploded or something. That's probably why most ponies don't really like extreme heights. Especially earth-bound ponies like yours truly. Maybe that's the reason why they call us earth ponies? I wonder.

In an effort to focus my thoughts for once, I tried to face the facts, and figure out an answer to each of the three most important questions coming to mind: First of all, where was I? Second, how did I get here? And lastly, how the hay would I manage to get back?

Setting myself in motion, I kept passing over the invisible plateau beneath my hooves for a minute or two. I didn't try to rush anywhere in a hurry, in fact, I never did get beyond a light trot most of the time. And yet, I soon realized how this flat terrain seemed to stretch out unchangingly in every direction, forever. Or at least I assumed it did, since there didn't seem to be any visual change anywhere nearby.

Properly examining the soil texture was also kinda hard, considering I couldn't even see it. Which brought me to another thought: What if the ground wouldn't continue in the same, flat way wherever I went? I said it would, earlier on, but how could I be sure? It might as well end abruptly, and any of my steps might be my last, tossing me into some kind of invisible canyon...or worse. The very thought sent a jolt through my spine, and made me perfectly freeze in place.

I needed to try something else if I wanted this to go anywhere, anytime soon. So I jumped. Only straight up, of course. Pushing myself from the undetectable ground, I managed to toss my entire being upward for about three feet, before I came back down, just as quickly. To my relief, the ground under my hooves still remained in place.

It didn't have to, did it? Sure, the ground in Equestria always remained in place. But back home, the dirt beneath my hooves was also opaque. And none of the surroundings would look like I'd just been blasted off the planet for some reason. That was all different. Anything could happen in a place like this. And considering that fact, jumping probably hadn't been the bestest of ideas, either. Nothing seemed a good idea when you're not sure about any of the consequences. And when did I start considering the consequences for my actions, anyway? Was I becoming self-aware? Yikes.

But since I couldn't think of anything else, I repeated the same jumping four, maybe five times. It turned out pretty safe the first time, so I just hoped I wouldn't be ripped apart or something like that anytime soon. And just like I expected, nothing bad happened at any of the other times. To be precise, nothing happened at all. I couldn't even hear any kind of clopping sound from my hooves touching back down after each leap. Soon enough, repeating the same motion without any notable results became boring. So I stopped.

I looked around. Nothing to be seen except stars, strange milky nebulas, and the blue-blackish darkness that surrounded each of them. And then there was the ground of course, which I couldn't see. Trying to dig a hoof into it didn't work, either. Whatever this soil was made of resisted my push one-hundred percent. It felt just like scratching over a pane of glass. Only this time, I couldn't even hear any squeaky sound. The one that glass usually makes when rubbing something on it, y'know? Right here, there was nothing safe for the silence that prevailed all around.

With a frown, I turned back around, taking a few steps in what I presumed to be the direction I came from. There was no way telling for sure of course, with everything looking exactly the same, but I took a lucky guess. It was probably my best option, anyways. Plus, if I was right, going there should at least be safe until I returned to where I started. Pondering another few, possible scenarios in my head, I came up with another idea. There had to be some way I could get a sound out of this place. And breaking the silence would be the first step in returning to anything similar to normal.

Head held up high, I opened my mouth for a single "HELLO?" yelled at the top of my lungs. If anything, I could at least get the attention of whoever else might be around. If there even was anypony here, safe for me. I should've been able to see them, though...right?

I didn't expect the kind of reply I got. Instead of simply fading into nothingness, the cry I uttered produced one of the most powerful echoes I've ever heard. Reflecting from a number of invisible walls in the distance, the word I shouted kept roaring through the ether for at least half a dozen times, before it disappeared from my hearing range. The revelation wasn't just surprising, but also a whole lot of fun. I answered it with one of my signature giggles, which subsequently got tossed all around myself in a similar way.

And what can I say? That's what I call laughter.

A sudden smirk on my face, I realized that an echo strong like this one might turn out an opportunity I'd never get ever again in my life. I had to use it wisely. And by wisely I mean that it deserved nothing but the very best of puns...and jokes in general. If only I could think of one right now...

After some consideration, I decided on an all-time classic: "Cross my hoof and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

After the word fly already echoed throughout this nonexistent room of mine, eye soon followed suit. With both rhyming words repeating themselves, the effect was too comedic. I quickly realized that just before doubling over, and spending the better part of the next minute laughing and giggling away at my own joke. And don't forget about rolling around on the floor. That was fun. Even if I didn't fully understand it.

I went through a number of jokes, calls, and whatever else came to mind. And the effects became more hilarious with every single one. Halfway through my repertoire, I honestly started expecting my stomach to collapse from all the laughter or something. That wouldn't be very pleasant. I could tell from all the potential pain brought along, and from having had a few unpleasant experiences in my time. So I decided to get a little more serious, again. After all, I still hadn't figured out where I was, or how I'd get back home.

Calming myself, and managing to stand back up, I dried the last of my tears. As my vision cleared, I made a discovery that didn't come along entirely appreciated: Withing an instant, I realized that I was, in fact, not alone. Or not anymore, to say the least. I'm pretty sure those four white-coated, ornamented hooves hadn't been there before. Looking further up, I suddenly stared into a majestic, white face that reached a lot higher than my humble earth pony body could even manage.

I jumped at the sudden realization. All of this turned from hilarious to extremely awkward within the blink of an eye, and I never saw it coming. And how could I have expected something like this? Where did that even come from?

One eyebrow raised, Celestia eyed me critically. Those last words of mine, directed to nopony in particular, probably still ringing in her head. "Don't get any ideas," she told me. She also looked like she knew the meaning of that gibberish I'd just pronounced, judging from her disturbed, and somewhat scared features.

Gibberish...right. I forgot to mention that. The last thing I called out before getting back up on my hooves had been in some kind of strange language I didn't understand. I have no idea what it means, my brain just comes up with that way of pronunciation at times. Like that one time, when I danced on that giant rainbow pinata at Dashie's birthday party? That kind of thing.

I felt my jaw drop, as I got a complete overview of the situation. Celestia, the Princess Celestia was standing here, right in front of me. Looking horrified because of words I didn't even know the proper meaning to. Or just mildly disturbed, I'm not sure. She certainly didn't approve of them. Standing by her side was her sister, Princess Luna, who looked at me with a similar expression.

In short: The two most powerful ponies in all of Equestria had just materialized out of thin air, right in front of me. And I made a complete fool out of myself for reasons that were beyond my comprehension. Great, just great. Could this day even get any better? Probably not, because I didn't even know whether it even was a day. At least right now, I didn't see the sun anywhere

I continued with the only acceptable response I could think of. A respectful bow that was, one that would hopefully appease them just a little bit. This really didn't need to get any worse. Besides, don't we always do that? Just a natural thing or something, I guess.

"You may rise, Pinkamena Pie," the voice of the night goddess told me in a stern tone. "In either way, there is no time for such formalities."

And that I did. Honestly, why wouldn't I? There's really no point in disagreeing with Princess Luna on a simple request like that. If there's ever a point in disagreeing with her at all. As long as I won't have anything like the elements with me to control her nightmarish side, it's probably a bad idea, anyway. Also, my bending position did get just a little bit uncomfortable after a few moments, so I was more than happy to get back into an upright stance. Not that I'd care all that much, though; I'm usually rather flexible when it comes down to uncommon body positions.

What made me stand on edge a lot more was the question on how to handle this situation. I mean, being friends with Twilight I already do feel like I'm meeting the princesses all the time. But they don't just appear out of thin air, most of the time. And on most days, I also have my friends around me. Being all alone with those two majestic alicorns can get kinda...creepy, actually.

So, how does a pony properly react to Celestia and Luna just randomly materializing right in front of them? Considering the thought for a minute, I remembered something else Twilight had taught me a while back: When in doubt, the best thing is normally to just be yourself. And that's what I planned on doing. No need to get all nervous, is all. Just be myself.

"Hi, there! Whatcha doing?"

Okay, probably not.

"I-I mean...what's going on, and...where are we? Or something...sorry."

Had anypony around been waiting to do a proper facepalm, this would have been the proper moment. Dashie was always pretty good at those. I mean, it's not like they're hard or anything, but she really does have a talent for the proper timing. And all of this would be a lot easier with her by my side. Or any of my friends, for that matter.

But as of now, the three of us were alone, and both princesses obviously above all the simple gestures of frustration I considered to perform. They didn't show any reaction to my nervous stuttering, except maybe the corners of Luna's mouth slightly tucking upward for just a second. Other than that, the two of them remained super-serious, looking me dead in the eye. I gotta say, I was a little intimidated at that point. I tried not to show it, but there probably wasn't any point in that. These two could easily see right through me, anyhow.

"So, uh..." I trailed off for a moment, wincing. "...where are we?"

In response to my question, Celestia tilted her head over to her younger sister, raising one questioning eyebrow. Apparently, descriptions of this sort fell more into Luna's duties. As she realized being called upon, the goddess of the night cleared her throat.

"Very well, you shall have your answers. But as I said, we do not have much time, so I will have to give you the brief version," she explained. "This is a special place; one, that exists between everything which is real, and everything that is not. It separates our world from the black nothingness that everypony derives from, and that we all must inevitably return to."

Black nothingness, huh? Wow.

Waving a hoof, she added, "take a look around you. I do suppose you wonder about certain properties of this place. Why it is possible to stand on some sort of ground without even seeing it, you ask. The truth is simple, although we can't explain it to you in its entirety. All I can tell you is that this place we find ourselves in now abides by different rules than our home does, Miss Pinkamena. Neither my sister, nor me were ever able to properly explain all of them. Frankly, we do not even know for sure what purpose all of it serves..."

"We do think it was never meant to be walked upon by anypony," Celestia added. "The two of us discovered this dimension many generations ago, mostly by accident. We've been using it for different purposes ever since."

"But all these explanations can wait," Luna again interrupted her sister, the tone of her voice growing impatient. "Right now, the two of us are running out of time for any long explanations. We need somepony to bring a message back to Equestria. Instructions on how things will continue from here."

Celestia sighed in the silence that followed, eyes cast downwards. "I didn't mean to drag you into the mess we find ourselves in. I usually contact Twilight, whenever an emergency like this one arises. But for several reasons, I needed to go for a backup plan this time around. One that majorly involves you. In short, we need you to deliver a message to the ponies of Equestria as soon as you return."

"Time is of the essence, many ponies' lives depend on it. I hope that is absolutely clear to you?" Luna asked, her tone growing somewhat more strict during her last few words. I suppose I might have trailed off a little, so it was probably for the best. And who could blame me? The spaciness of this place really started to fascinate me, now that I had to sit down and watch for just a while. Dozens of ideas for parties thrown in here already entered and exited my mind during every second that passed.

But upon hearing Luna's stern voice, I snapped back into reality. Giving a brief salute with one of my forelegs, I added a giggling "of course" as an answer. The goddess nodded back towards me, only partly satisfied with my answer, I think. I have to hand it to Luna: She might be a little weird sometimes, but she definitely knows how to make a good authority figure. I couldn't read her face for the world, even though she kept staring at me all along.

From seemingly out of nowhere, another question suddenly arose in my head.

"But...why do you need me to tug along with your message? You could bring it along yourselves, you know."

Or maybe, I thought, they couldn't. Which would mean...

"Wait...are you..." I paled at the very thought. Of course, I had discussed all of this earlier with Fluttershy. But now, with the moment of truth apparently falling back on me for bringing along, I really wished I hadn't. "...are you...dead?"

Luna frowned at my question; the first time she deliberately used anything but her deadpanned expression during our talk. She exchanged a worried glance with her sister before turning back to me. It didn't last for long, and hardly required any motion from them, but I didn't miss it.

"I appreciate your concern," she then told me. "But it isn't the lives of the two of us that are at stake, right now."

"As we speak, our bodies are resting somewhere inside the rubble that once was Canterlot," Celestia added. "The detonation last night caught us both by surprise, and we still can't say what exactly caused it. When we realized what was about to happen, there were only seconds left before the city crumbled to dust. We did the only reasonable thing we still could: Combining the strength of our arcane power to evacuate the city as fast as somehow possible. Our alicorn magic then transported everypony in and around Canterlot to another place, far enough from the city to survive whatever might happen to it. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to help ourselves escape, so our bodies were both buried beneath the tons of rubble that came down the mountain.

"The two of us suffered several heavy injuries on the outside, as well as some internal bleeding due to the fall that followed. For time being, we had to move the spiritual parts of ourselves to this interdimensional state. They are what you see before yourself, now."

"Like I said before," Luna continued. "You need not worry about us. However, using an escape spell on thousands of ponies at once has left our physical selves extremely fragile. We need time to rest, and to rebuilt our strength. How long that will take, I can not yet tell. But until our bodies are perfectly healed, they need to be kept safe. There aren't any ponies or their bodies still resting within the ruins of Canterlot, but ours. As soon as both are excavated from the rubble, they need to be taken to a secure place until our cycle of regeneration is complete.

"Meanwhile, we can only do so much as to contact ponies in this other realm. And even that consumes a lot of the powers we have left, so we may not be able to do so very regularly. The reason we called you here is because someone needs to find the ponies of Canterlot, and securely bring them back home. Having received our message, you should be among those who do. You may choose whom to bring along on this quest, though we would of course highly encourage you to travel among the remaining element bearers."

And with that, they fell silent, all eyes resting on me. Even though all eyes were like...four. Yes, even I can be dramatic sometimes. and this seemed like a really good time, since they were obviously expecting some kind of answer from me. Oh, and the whole situation was pretty dramatic to begin with. Thought I might mention that.

"Uh...okay?" I replied. "So you want us to go somewhere on an epic friendship quest to save some ponies from somewhere and bring them back? I can do that. We've done so, like, a thousand times before...we can easily pull that one off."

Celestia gave me a generous smile in response. Nevertheless, the resolve behind it didn't seem to become any more relaxed while doing so. "I'm sure you will, my little pony. Just remember, this is a serious mission. The well-being of these ponies all depends on your success. And we're both counting on you."

"Got it," I answered with a grin, suddenly feeling a lot more assured about my situation. Which was probably because of her smile. I needed something like that. There is nothing in the world like an honest, genuine smile. Makes you feel right at home. And it certainly made me feel a lot better about my situation, even though I still didn't exactly know what was going on. Oh well. I would probably find out about that soon enough. There was only one more question on my mind. Everything else seemed to have fallen in place already, somehow.

"So, uh...where exactly are those ponies, anyway?"

"Well, they..." Celestia trailed off for a moment, hearing my request. Which was rather odd in my mind. Didn't she see that coming? Silly. It was a pretty obvious question, wasn't it? At least, I couldn't think of anything better to say than that.

"The truth is, Pinkamena, we do not know for sure," Luna said, fitting in for her sister with slight embarrassment. "The power of our magic combined was strong enough to send all the city's residents away, and all of them together at that. But I am afraid we weren't able to pick an exact location, just then. As of now, they could be anywhere. And that is where you come in."

"Me?" I burst out, cutting short the princess's monologue. Realizing what I just did, I immediately felt the blood rush up into my face. I had not planned on that. Maybe I really did need to be a bit less impulsive at times. And gain a little respect towards whoever deserved it. That sure couldn't hurt.

"Yes, you," Luna continued, some slight annoyance mixed in her voice. "There is a reason we chose to speak to you in particular on this occasion." With that, she looked towards Celestia, who blinked once before taking over the explaining part once more.

"You may or may not realize this, Pinkie, but you are an incredibly special filly," the sun goddess explained to me. "Even outside of your element of harmony, and the bonds that you share with the ponies close to yourself, there is something about you that nopony else can say about them. Not even my sister and me. You have a gift that makes you see things. Not physically with your eyes, that is. But on a spiritual level. You experience things nopony else does, foresee things before they happen. From what I hear, not even my most faithful of students had any way to explain this impressive talent of yours."

"Ooooh, you mean my Pinkie sense?" I asked. "That's funny. I've had that since I was a little filly on my folks' rock farm. No idea where it came from, though. Probably just another part of my good old self, is all."

"That is what you call it, alright. Twilight told me so in one of her letters. Still, hearing you describe it that way yourself is somewhat...unique. And it is that special ability of yours that will play an essential role in the task laying before you."

My eyes widened with interest. If the two princesses hadn't got me hooked before, they certainly did now. With my Pinkie Sense becoming a part of the entire story, this could only be interesting. It was a pretty underrated aspect of myself, to say the least. Before I could ask about any details, however, Princess Luna already started to take back over.

"When you leave this place, we will transfer a small bit of our magical essence to you," she explained. "It will contain information of the most recent spell we cast, and connect with your Pinkie Sense in a number of ways. First and foremost, the combination of both will point you in the right direction, and lead you towards the ponies we transferred."

"Uh-huh..." I began, rubbing my chin. "You mean, like a compass?"

"Yes, very much so. It will point to the immediate direction, although you might have to find out about the quickest way yourself, at times. Remember, how you execute this task, and whatever ponies you choose to bring along, remains entirely up to you. But you should also keep in mind that, once we return you to your earthly body, there won't be a second for you to lose. For all we know, the ponies of Canterlot may be in an extremely dangerous location right now. If that is the case, you need to find them as fast as possible. Their lives are in your hooves, Pinkamena."

"Do you understand what we're asking of you?" Celestia asked in a tone that sounded extremely final. I didn't think she'd take no for an answer. If she ever did. She had this kind of You will not fail - attitude, that sounds really reassuring on first sight. But in the end, it's just a much more powerful way of saying I don't want you to fail or Fail me now, and I'll banish your flank to the moon super-quick, you won't even know what hit you.

Most of the time, I see Celestia as this powerful, protecting mother figure, who's always generous and there for us to rely on. But if Luna's biography is any indication, our sun goddess can be a real meanie if she wants to. Like there's some angry dragon sleeping inside her, ready to just burst out and ravage everything around, if need be.

I sure didn't want to wake the dragon.

"I...think so," I thus told her. It was the best I could do. If I'd told Celestia that everything was alright, and I'd be super seriously up for the task, she wouldn't have believed me, anyway. So I tried sounding a little insecure. Even if that wouldn't strike her to be entirely like me, it was probably a bit more reassuring.

"Then our business here is concluded," Luna said. "Keep in mind everything we have told you. This mission of yours will require your utmost attention at all times." Stomping one hoof on the ground, she added: "Farewell, Pinkamena Pie. And good luck, until we meet again."

Before I could say anything in response, the world around me started spinning, and my vision went black again. I have no idea what happened next. Except that I probably just talked to the princesses while they were in some kind of strange limbo, not alive and not dead, either. Or had I? This entire business confused me more than ever. And now, with the earlier wave of weariness washing over me once again, I couldn't even think straight.

All things considered, I really should have stayed home today.

Chapter 5 - Reach Out

A strong sense of dizziness was the first thing I felt upon returning to my senses. And some sore aching in just about every part of my body. Well, maybe not all of them. But if I had to list every muscle that didn't hurt, it would take a lot less time than counting those that did. Know what I mean?

Next thing, I could tell immediately that my body was way short on sugar. Which explained the dizzy feeling I got before even trying to sit upright. That couldn't be good. I usually fill myself up with all kinds of sweet stuff than at every opportunity I get. That way I always keep my saccharine levels right where they need to be: Ridiculously high. But right now, and for the first occasion in a really, really long time, I felt like I hadn't eaten anything in days.

And what can I say? Maybe I truly hadn't. I still didn't feel perfectly up to the task. Whatever task that was, I couldn't remember very precisely. I only recalled there being something important I had to do. Like, real super important...because of reasons. That kind of thing. And it was something involving princesses...and stars. Lots and lots of them. Stars, I mean. Not princesses. These were strictly limited, I think. We didn't have that many in Equestria, to be honest.

Carefully, I opened my eyes, only to squeeze them shut again within an instant. A flash of bright light came shooting right into my pupils from who-knows-where, causing a jolt of pain crushing straight through my head, and out the back side. It felt like a cold, deadly icicle first working its way through to my vision, then right up to my brain. Needless to say, I hated it. Also, what in the world was wrong with me? I didn't usually feel pain as strong as this. And neither did I feel this sore, and...unmotivated to get up.

Again, it probably was the lack of sugar. I did feel seriously de-energized all along. Sure, I was only now waking up. But even now in this case meant about twenty seconds ago. On every other day, I would've already jumped out of bed at this time, drawn back the curtains, fed Gummy, completed my morning workout routine, made some notes on half a dozen future parties, rushed out into the street, and meet at least two or three ponies. Like, just a perfectly reasonable pace, I guess. Though it might have been stacked a bit too high. On some days, I'd take a bit longer for the last few points.

Today however, nothing of that happened at all. Instead, all those valuable seconds passed, yet I still remained laying on my back. Eyes closed, snuggled in the blankets, one hindleg slightly kicking from time to time. And mentioning it just now, the bed did feel amazingly cozy that morning. Extremely inviting, and making the process of getting up even harder. Much more than it usually did.

Morning...right, could I even call it that? Considering the subject, my memory started going all funny on me again. I only remembered there being some kind of trouble with the different times of day, last time I checked. Again, all of it somehow connected to something about princesses.

In a somewhat larger effort than last time, I tried to open my eyes once more. And a lot slower at that, trying to keep the unexpected reaction from last time under control. Trying to get them completely wide-opened still hurt like Tartarus, though. I might even have spilled a tear or two in the process, but ultimately, I made it. A smile coming to my face, I looked up at the natural, wooden ceiling hanging a few feet above my head, giving off a pleasant and natural atmosphere. Just before the realization struck me.

This wasn't even my home. Or my bedroom, for that matter.

I snapped wide awake all of a sudden, like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on my head with somepony commenting on my wet and clueless face. In my confusion, I started tossing my head from left to right, trying to make out any features that would hint to details of my current location. It looked somewhat familiar, and I was more or less certain I'd been here before for...some reason. Still, I couldn't quite put my hoof on it.

The room by itself was left in a state probably supposed to get it in harmony with nature. Or at least that's what it looked like. I'm not exactly an expert on those things. But there wasn't any paint on something else hinting to any artificial modification ever done to the aesthetics of this place. All the timber planks, which made up most of the walls and furniture, remained in their original, beige-brownish shade. One large window interrupted the wall to my left, opening up into an azure sky with the uppermost branches of an outside tree waving in front of it. Inside the treetop, a number of colorful birdies were happily chirping away.

To my right, there stood a small bookshelf, reaching up about two-thirds to the ceiling. A single gas lantern was placed upon it, though nopony had ignited it at the moment. Well, of course they hadn't. The room was lit up more than enough as it was. Did I really just question that logic for a bit? Silly. I could hardly even see straight, yet.

Still tired for some reason I didn't feel too sure about, I tried pushing myself to my hooves. I felt like moving around a bit, make the weariness go away. It sounded like a decent approach, to say the least. And getting your hooves beneath yourself is usually a good start for that. Of course, in order to achieve that first step I needed to roll over, so all four my hoofsies could actually reach the ground below myself. I did still rest on my back, remember?

In an effort to slowly roll my forelegs towards the wooden bookshelf at the side of my bed, I started moving. It felt like the first time in forever though, and it wasn't only that. Well, I suppose it was, after all. But there's more to it than that. A lot more. Like, not really, but...a little. Get it?

Reaching only a few inches to my left, I felt another flash of pain shoot through my body. Only this time, it came from my spine instead of just some light in my face. The former one by the way, feeling incredibly torn and twisted, even for my standards. I couldn't go any further than that, it felt like I'd break apart otherwise. Wincing loudly, I returned to my original position. Doing so didn't eliminate the pain completely, but at least it weakened a bit.

Did I fall sick? I probably hit my head or something. That would explain my memories trying to mess with my skull all this time. As well as my weird reactions to getting up, the sunlight, and all that. Depending on what exactly happened, it also could explain whatever was wrong with my back. Maybe. Nevertheless, none of this seemed to make any sense of why in Equestria I was here of all places. Wherever that was, I still couldn't tell for sure.

And no, I did not feel very well prepared for this situation, thank you very much.

A groan passed my muzzle, as I made an effort to lift up my hindlegs, hoping I could get at least some of the pressure off my back. Mind you, most of my torso rested on it, so that probably would make a difference. Or not. I wasn't sure whether any of the approaches I tried would actually help, but neither did I come up with any other constructive ideas at the moment. At least, none of this would do any more damage...right?

As soon as I'd stretched myself fairly enough, I suddenly felt another weird sensation run up my torso. Without a warning, the entire lower part of my body suddenly twisted itself around. And extremely quick at that. In less than a second, one half of myself performed a clean, 360-degree turn. Counter-clockwise, to be exact. Like, from where I was standing. Lying. Ugh...why do I even talk about this?

Anyhow, that portion of my body did an entire loop quite elegantly, making my spine shoot around like a whip. And after it did, I collapsed back on the bed, smashing back onto the mattress, and into the (almost) exact same position as before. Even though I got all tangled up with the sheets, the pain from earlier was gone. I still felt sore, but that much I could handle. I also felt a good chunk closer to normality as it was. Spinning around like that was never a big deal for myself. Actually, I did that kind of motion all the time. My record currently lies at four complete spins. Or was it five? Anyway, like I said, I'm rather flexible. But remaining in that twisted position for however long I was out...that was a completely different story.

Sick? Unnatural? You must be new here.

I eventually decided not to have myself distracted by those minor details, as long as I still couldn't be too sure about my overall situation. I then spent a good five minutes counting the lighter and darker lines ornamenting the timber planks above my head. Of course, all of this felt much too long, and remaining perfectly still in one position is probably somewhere among the things I'm just the worst at. That said, I decided to try and get up once again.

It felt a lot easier this time, obviously. I didn't notice any more pain while moving, just the same old soreness from quietly resting for so long. Oh, and I still did feel a little down from the sugar rush I was missing out on this morning. If it even was a morning. Right now, it could be any time of the day. There wasn't even any sort of clock on this room's walls. Not that it would help, but their absence still confused me. Didn't ponies normally need some sort of alarm clock by their bedside? Weird.

All I could recognize right now was the sunny day outside. A Sun-day, to be precise. I like those. And I might have said so before...might as well not. Can't ever be too sure.

Pushing myself off the bed, I accomplished what I'd tried for so long: Landing on all four hooves simultaneously. They supported the rest of me steadier than ever, though I might have felt just a teensy bit dizzy when first standing upright. Which really didn't needed to distract me right now. Keeping that in mind, I made for the door.

It seemed like the simplest way of getting outside. Not the only one, of course. After all, there was a window next to me. But using that appeared pretty painful, thinking about it. And a lot harder to take than the door. Especially since the latter was unlocked, and easily swinging open, anyways.

Okay, I might not have noticed that last thing until I actually tried opening the door. But in the end, it just counts as another valid point in my argument, doesn't it?

Looking out of the room, I immediately faced a staircase leading down for a few meters or so. All of it was also framed by more wooden walls. They looked exactly alike to those inside the bedroom, making me wonder whether the architect ran out of ideas five minutes into his work or something. I made a mental note to wonder about that later. If I could even find the time for that. There was some urgent matter pushing itself back to the front of my thoughts, but I couldn't recognize what it was, just yet.

Trying to ignore that, I rushed forward and stepped on down the stairs. With each step, my surroundings' potential identity became increasingly clear to me. Though I hadn't seen the building in its entirety, it did look very much like some kind of natural-based cottage. And I only knew one other pony who lived in one of those. If I was correct in my assumptions, that would mean more than just one reason for me to take a deep breath in relief. Of all ponies, this mare would be among the least to do me any harm. Which, y'know, wouldbe a possibility to consider when waking up in some strange place after passing out for reasons unknown.

There was another, much larger room downstairs. Spanning over the main entrance, a living room area with seats and sofas, and even a small kitchen, it easily made up most of the first floor. There also stood a dining table with several stools around it right in the room's center. Sunlight kept flowing in through one half of the windows, the ones on the opposite side merely giving way to a glum, purple darkness. From the lighter side, the lively twittering of dozens of birds filled the room. The other one remained plunged in silence.

The entire duality of this place did seem a little freaky. Even frightening to some extend, though I did consider that feeling more or less negligible for now. Instead, I turned to the light, where I spotted a very familiar, yellowish pegasus pony.

Fluttershy was sitting by one of her home's large windows. She was facing about two-thirds away from me, so I suppose she didn't directly recognize me coming down the staircase into her main living room. Also, there was something else that seemed to occupy most of her attention at this time. Some of her face might have been visible to me, but her eyes were directed outside, where she held a lively conversation with a friend of hers. Unfortunately, I could only understand one half of it, since said friend just so happened to be, y'know...a duck.

Well, to be completely honest, I couldn't make out any of the words spoken at all. As always, Fluttershy's voice remained at an extremely soft volume, so there was no way her words could possibly make it all across the room. From what I could gather, they were probably discussing food. Which was kind of an assumption, to be honest. Then again, if I wasn't mistaken, that's pretty much everything those woodland critters ever thought or cared about.

Speaking of food, I was starving. Depending on how long I'd been out and why, I couldn't tell for sure just when I had my last meal. It must have been a while back, though. I felt like I could easily swallow an entire candy shop in one go, outside construction and foundation well included. I needed something to gulp down, right now. And something with lots of sugar at that. Something sweet. How could I ever keep up the speed of my daily routine (that of a usual pony, multiplied by something like four or five, I think), if I didn't get my belly stuffed anytime soon? I sure as hay wasn't going to let myself die just so; that didn't seem anywhere near productive. Or fun.

And my stomach itself didn't make much of a secret about its hunger. Instead, it reminded me of the facts by letting out a loud, clearly audible grumble, just then. While it caused nothing but a confused blink from my part, Fluttershy sure didn't take it as lightly. At the very sound, she jumped for a good three or four feet. Straight up that is, not out the window. Which was probably a good thing. Turning around to meet my gaze, she kept gasping for air a number of times, trying not to hyperventilate.

Had I really spooked her that much? Well, uh...I didn't mean to, to say the least.

"Y-you're awake," she stuttered, her eyes fixating themselves on me after a moment or so. "We were all so afraid of you, after what happened in Canterlot, and, and your whole belly getting messed up like that on our ride back...I-I seriously thought we had done you some serious damage. I even asked Nurse Redheart, but she told me we'd have to wait till you're back up on your hooves. We...we thought you could best handle it yourself..."

She quickly trailed off, her breathing going back to normal after briefly rambling about like that. The room fell silent, and I didn't know just what to say, either. I mean, I sure had a whole ton of questions, but I also kinda wanted to apologize for scaring her like that. Scaring or pranking ponies usually just means a good laugh on both parties' sides at the end of the day. It's not a big deal to me most of the time, but...with Fluttershy that's a different matter. You don't scare Fluttershy like that, you just don't. Or hurt her in any other way she might not approve of. I already felt bad for doing this to her, even though there was nothing I could've done to prevent it.

For time being I didn't say anything. Fluttershy looked at me for a moment longer, halfway nervous, the other half somewhat expectant. When I hesitated, however, she quickly broke our eye contact. Afterwards, her view kept shifting throughout the room, eyes directed at anything but me. Eventually, she narrowed them to the ground below, one forehoof slowly grinding over the wooden planks. I could tell she kept looking for words, so it was probably for the best if I tried breaking the silence myself.

"So, uh..." I began, but immediately went silent again as soon as her eyes hurriedly darted back up to meet my looks. Pausing mid-sentence, and failing to properly shut my mouth (I only realized that mistake later), I must have looked like an idiot. And whether she thought so too, I couldn't tell. The element of kindness didn't usually comment on that sort of thing. Or at least she'd never poke fun at others that way.

Fluttershy blinked. I blinked. The duck didn't, but flew off instead. And I sincerely didn't like the awkwardness we found ourselves in. It felt worse than all my previous not-so-elegant situations combined. Even though there weren't a whole lot of them. Of course not, since I usually start doing stuff even before thinking about it. After that, one thing leads to another...well, you get the picture.

I restrained from doing anything rushed right now, though. At this moment, I had to remind myself, I was alone in a room with Fluttershy. Who was the sole mare in all of Equestria, whom I would always reserve a special treatment for. And that meant cutting down on my energy a bit, and trying to be a bit more consoling. I forget to do so most of the time, but today I totally got it. Eh...more or less.

"Well...hi," I stuttered, unsure what else to add. Considering that, I probably didn't got this. Had I tried sounding too confident? Fluttershy didn't seem to mind. Or maybe she did, and I just missed it again. Might as well be.

"Good morning to you, too," she replied with a deadpanned expression. I honestly couldn't read any of her features right now, and if that didn't upset me, I wouldn't know what would. Other than any other day, Fluttershy seemed so clearly resolved and certain of her words, despite their volume that still was pretty low. She was so...unlike herself, much more confident in her position than I was in mine. Again, I didn't like that.

"Sorry about sneaking up on you, I didn't mean to do that. Also, what happened?" I blinked two times at rapid speed, cutting off my own sentence. Well, own two sentences. All those little details...sheesh. At least I had proven both my points in a short amount of time, so that was something. I didn't have a second to lose, after all. And why was that again? Uh...

Fluttershy blinked at me in confusion. "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

"Not really, silly. That's why I'm asking you," I replied, causing a minor frown on her muzzle. Which, in turn, started to cause a sense of guilt nagging somewhere around my gut. I didn't mean to get that reaction out of her, but...oh well. "I'm kinda having a hard time recalling what happened. Something about princesses, though. They told me something...something super-spectacularly important, and...and that there's no time to lose for us, and..."

"The princesses are dead, Pinkie."

I stopped mid-sentence, my heart skipping a good two or three beats. That was not good. Not good at all. If Fluttershy of all ponies kept such a tone saying something like that...well, something must have gone terribly wrong. On normal days, she would never even dare pronouncing the words. Heck, she'd probably even try to push the very thought out of her mind as soon as it came up. Did she ever act like this before? I wasn't sure. Again, all those memories just kept messing with me.

I turned my head, looking out one of the windows facing out west, when I saw it again. The sky wasn't entirely lit up by the sun after all. Instead, a great divide ran through it, leaving one side in the bright of daylight, while the other was tinted as deep purple as only the blackest of nights could have managed.

I mean, I had realized the room being about halfway lit before, but only now did I see both Celestial bodies floating up there at the same time. And within an instant, all the memories of the recent past came tumbling back down onto me. The impact almost knocked me off my hooves. Don't ask how that's even possible. I'm not so sure, myself.

"N-no, they're not," I squeaked. At the same time, I tried supporting myself with a giggle, but it came out really weak. I admit, after all those years, this particular side of Fluttershy still put me on edge. "I saw them...both of them. When I fell unconscious in Canterlot...I think I did that, didn't I? They brought me to some kind of totally crazy outer space-thingy, and told me what happened. They're both still in the ruins, but not dead, only...well, weak. That's why they can't control the sun and moon right now. Oh, oh, also, they sent all the other ponies away, but they don't know where, so its up to me to find them..."

I gasped, grasping the sudden realization. "Ohmygosh! We don't have a second to lose! They could be in the worstest of dangers right now..." Trailing off, I looked into Fluttershy's skeptical expression. She had both eyebrows raised, almost as high as her hairline, watching me with definite concern in her eyes. But she didn't say anything. It seemed like, despite her doubts about my words, she was waiting for something more.

"How...long have I been out?" I concluded. Of course, I was talking complete gibberish to her. That was another realization coming to me just then. Luna, Celestia, and me had been completely on our own at that...other place. Neither Flutterhsy, nor anypony else had actually seen any of it with their own two eyes. How could she possibly believe me, just like that? Easy. She wouldn't.

"You've been asleep for about a week," she answered. "Or unconscious, there really wasn't any way to tell. Twilight sent me back with you to Ponyville, so somepony could watch over you until you felt better. I-I was afraid you'd never wake up, so...thank goodness for that. But...and I don't mean to restrict you or anything, but you do sound like you still need some rest."

Another short silence fell between the two of us. She tried smiling at me, but it didn't require a whole lot of deduction that this smile was merely forced. I didn't blame it on her. The poor mare must have had the most stressful time of her life those past few days, all thanks to me. I had to think of a way I could make it up to her, later on. A super-gigantic birthday bash or something like that might work.

"If I were you, I'd better get myself back to bed for some time. Um...a few hours at least, I'd say. Can I bring you something? A cup of tea? Something to eat, maybe? You should probably start off with something simple to get your stomach going again. I bought some crackers the other day..."

My brain pounded inside my skull. I had to come up with a way to convince her, I just had to. Those ponies needed our help, and they needed it now. Twilight and the others weren't here? Well, too bad. With every minute we hesitated any further, some poor pony on the other side of Equestria might get shredded to pieces by whatever meanie things there might be. And I wouldn't wish for anypony to end up like that, even though the inhabitants of Canterlot were among the dullest ones I've ever met. Nope, this was serious. Their fate rested in my hooves, and I knew that.

"Listen, Fluttershy," I told her. "Do you know these times in life, where there's something you can't really prove, but it's still there? And...and ponies simply believe you, and trust you, nevertheless? That's because they're your friends. And friends should trust each other, even if they don't understand the point of it all. Or themselves, for that matter. Sometimes, good friends just have to stick together."

"Well, I suppose you do have a point, but..."

"Like, you talk to animals, right? You understand what it is they tell you, and vice versa, when no-one else does? Well, guess what. Neither me, nor any of the girls have ever seen prove of that, ever. And yet, we still believe you because we're your friends. I'm not asking a lot of you, but just this one time, would you please, please, please believe what I'm telling you?"

Fluttershy looked at me for another moment in silent confusion. Running a hoof through her mane, she then replied, "So, what you're telling me is that the princesses survived somehow. And they told you to look for a bunch of ponies, who...who could be just about anywhere right now. All of which was some kind of subconscious experience you've had after being hit over the head."

"Yes!"

"I really don't think this is a good idea. Um...not that I'm calling you a liar, but...where would you have us start the search, anyway? You told me you didn't know where these ponies were."

"I, uh..." How would I, indeed? Hadn't Celestia mentioned something about that? Using my Pinkie Sense because that made me special somehow? It could be the key, but I didn't get any kind of information from my body parts. So maybe this was one of those occasions that required some stronger concentration? I remembered Zecora talking about those, every once in a while. No matter what, on some situations one simply needed to focus more than at other times, otherwise they'd just remain hidden forever. And that wouldn't help me in the least.

I closed my eyes, trying to fully concentrate on that sixth sense of mine. Vision, smells, noises...I ignored them all, even just for a little while. Every kind of outside experience or influence became completely cut out of the picture, until I could only see the things my Pinkie sense would tell me. And right now, all of them piled up on top of one another, amounted to...well, nothing to be precise. I'm not sure what exactly I hoped to find, but it sure would have been a tad more than this.

"Uh, I don't know...South-east, maybe?" I asked. "I'm not really sure about this, to be honest. Do you have a map or something? Maybe that way I can recognize where we need to go."

"Are you sure you don't need some more rest?" Fluttershy asked, one eyebrow questioningly raised. I could still see the looks of concern in her eyes. But as much as I appreciated her fearing for my well-being, there was nothing to worry about. And if there was something we should both try to work on, it was the survival of those Canterlot ponies, not mine. There really wasn't anything wrong with me, just to put it clearly. Not more than usually, anyways.

There also wasn't any time to lose. Did I say that already? That would be a waste of time...heh, ironic. Anyway, there was no time to...aw, come on.

I decided I couldn't wait for another moment. Not even long enough for Fluttershy to get up and hand me that map, wherever that may be. And if she even planned on doing so in the first place. Which, honestly, I didn't feel too sure about. Instead, I jumped up from my sitting position, and started darting in between numerous places inside her living room. Shelves, window sills, hidden compartments, the sink...you know, all those non-suspicious looking places a pony would likely hide a map in. Or at least, I would do it like that. Just in case of sudden map shortages. Those would be awful, how would anypony ever get their directions?

As far as I was concerned, I couldn't get any hints towards my goal other than those from my Pinkie Sense at that point. And even that didn't prove very efficient so far. Still, there wasn't anything else to rely on. Because I didn't see any maps in the places I kept looking into. And none of my own senses could help me with that task. That's just not how things worked. I had to rely on my natural abilities at finding stuff, and even those failed me inside this cottage. Somehow, Fluttershy must have had a different approach on storing her belongings than I did. I reminded myself to add that to her party-planning file later on.

Seeing no other possible way, though it would certainly waste another few seconds of precious time, I darted back to my friend, until I occupied the exact same sitting position as before. The entire search took me about three or four seconds or so. I might have been kinda sore and low on sugar at the time, but I could still pull off some everyday movements like that one. If only I'd manage to precisely measure the time. Life and death may depend on it...or not.

I narrowed my eyes, staring into those of my friend with the most serious expression I could gather at the moment. Which sure wasn't perfect, but at least a start. Given our somewhat tensed situation, I might have actually gotten across to her this time.

"Okay then, I couldn't find the map. Where is it?"

"I don't think I even have a map here..." Fluttershy mumbled. "I know my way around town, and that's usually all I need to..."

"To! Exactly!" I interrupted her, leaping back up on all fours. "To, as in to the library! I'm sure we'll get anything we need at Twilight's place! Who else would have a detailed description of Equestria? And a neatly organized one, at that."

Fluttershy grimaced. She looked upset, but I didn't really detect any real anger in her voice. Then again, can you blame the element of kindness for that? After all, the element didn't define her. She defined her element, and mostly without even thinking about it. Being kind to others came just as natural to her as making others laugh got to me.

"Pinkie, you're not yourself," she concluded. "I don't know what it is you've been dreaming about. But remember, no matter how real any of this might have felt, it was just a dream."

With her last words, she lay a hoof onto my shoulder, looking me deep in the eyes. I don't think she initiated her signature stare just then, but it sure was intimidating one way or another. I felt myself lost in thought for a moment, felt like I couldn't even look away. Hypnotized, you might wanna call it. But just a moment later, I could also feel my breath slowing tremendously, along with my heartbeat. All in all, by the time my pegasus friend released me from her strange psychic grip, I did feel a lot calmer than before. I wasn't sure how to feel about that, but I probably had to be somewhat thankful at least.

"Now, what you need is some good rest, and try not to worry too much about what happened. All of us will have to deal with Canterlot sooner or later, but for now, I do not see you being in the right state of mind for anything like that." The returning sternness in her voice made me pause completely, even holding my breath for a moment or so. Hadn't I been sitting on my haunches, I would've instinctively taken a step back. But seeing things as they were, I didn't.

Then again, how could I possibly stay calm now? For all it's worth, I knew that none of this had been a dream, it couldn't be. The entire scenery; me, the princesses, the space-y surroundings...hadn't it all felt much too real? Well, duh. Because it was real. Within an instant, I felt a strong sense of confidence rise back up in my chest. It was real, it was all real. I was right about Luna and Celestia. And it was Fluttershy who was in the wrong here. I couldn't prove my version of the story, but neither could she prove hers. Why wouldn't this pony listen to me?

"I'm having Discord over for tea this afternoon," she suddenly spoke up, interrupting my line of thought. "And you will be very welcome to join us, if only you try to cure yourself from this exhaustion a little more. Maybe that will help in distracting yourself a bit."

Discord.

I felt my stomach being twisted upside down as soon as the tender words softly pounded onto my eardrums. Probably only figuratively, but there was no way I could be sure. I don't know that much about pony anatomy. But recalling all those awful, non-fun things the spirit of chaos could do (minus the chocolate rain, of course), I suddenly discovered a whole other reason for why all this might have happened to us. And I mean all of it. For just a few weeks, I'd actually fully trusted that meanie. As of now, it seemed I could only regret that decision.

"...if you're okay with that."

Once again, snapped out of my thoughts. I perked up my ears and nodded off my friend's request. "Yes, of course," I told her. "I've got a few questions to ask him as well."

"Good."

NO!

I suddenly realized how she already distracted me from what was truly important. It came back to me only now: Those ponies were still in danger, no matter what caused the explosion in Canterlot. I couldn't possibly just sit back here, waiting to get an explanation out of somepony. How could I be so short sighted? Had I really just forgotten about that?

"Fluttershy, I'm really super-duper serious about all this," I replied, grinding my teeth to get at least some of the tension out of my system. "We have to do something. We can't just sit around, drink tea, and pretend nothing happened."

"Yes, we can," Fluttershy answered me with even more determination. She even stomped one of her hooves on the ground. And this time, I did take a step back. "We can, and we will. The only place to worry about right now is Canterlot itself. And I am positively sure Twilight can handle it for time being, even without the two of us showing our support for another day or two."

My turn to grimace. But well, if Fluttershy deliberately tried being a tough nut to crack, there wasn't anything I could do to change that. Or at least I suppose so. I still had to convince her...somehow. My standard Pinkie Pie style for winning arguments like this mainly contains telling your opponent about all the fun they'd miss out on if they didn't accept my proposition. Of course, I didn't exactly see a whole lot of balloons and confetti down my path, so there's that. If Fluttershy even considered those fun.

And that was just the point: What did she consider to be fun? Her weak spot had to be somewhere around that part. Probably her love for animals. Technically, if I wanted to win her over, all I had to do was milk that particular cow. More or less literally, I suppose.

"There's a long journey ahead of us," I started. "I'm sure we'll met a whole lot of cutesy woodland critters along the way."

Fluttershy rolled her eyes at me. "Please don't do this to yourself, Pinkie. It's not going to convince me, and you're just...and I'm sorry to say this...but you're just making a fool out of yourself, nothing more."

Oh, okay then.

Lucky me, I always have another backup plan up my sleeve, in case the primary one doesn't work. Which is pretty hard sometimes, considering I don't even wear shirts. And I only had a few seconds for putting all of it together. Especially in sugar-deprived situations like that, a strict time limit would cut down on my imagination quite a bit. Still, I came up with something, and I also felt more than convinced this plan would work. If I couldn't win Fluttershy over with this most spectacularly professional approach, nothing ever could.

Grabbing one of her forelegs with both hooves, I had myself drop to the floor, where I broke out in a tremendous rampage of uncontrollable sobbing. Well, only seemingly uncontrollable, since I still regulated the exact amount of tears I thought of as appropriate.

"Ple-e-e-ease!" I lamented at her. "You've got to believe me, you just have to! Who knows what other horrible things might happen, if..."

I was interrupted by a yellow forehoof that rose up sternly blurring out most of my vision, obviously telling me to stop. So I did. And maybe, just maybe that crazed show I put on might have just made the difference. I didn't actually believe in that possibility, to be honest. But still, a mare can dream, can't she? Not that all of this was just a dream, of course. It was real. As was the whole thing with the princesses. I might have already pointed that out as well.

Fluttershy sighed with a slight frown, as I decided to release her leg from my grip. She lifted her hoof up further to her face, rubbing her forehead with a pang of frustration plastered upon her face. "You're not going to stop with this, are you?" she asked. I could only shake my head in response, trying to keep up with my somewhat pitiful look.

"Well...alright then."

Alright? That was fantastic! I felt myself beaming with happiness considering my friend had finally come around. And what can I say? Drastic times require drastic measures. It looked like I just executed that concept as perfect as somehow possible. Granny Pie would be so proud of me. Of course, before bathing in the sweet satisfaction of my ancestors' envy, I first had to tell Fluttershy how I felt about her sudden change in mind.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I blurted out. "I knew you were gonna believe me, I just knew it. Now, how will we..."

"I didn't say I believe you."

Damn.

"What? B-but why wouldn't you..." I tried to erase my grin, instantly changing back to my sad face, as I realized what she just said. I don't think it went very well, though. Fluttershy's reaction was a bit hard to read, too. Her own expression didn't change a whole lot, just then.

"Just promise me this one thing, and we'll be good to go," she demanded.

"Anything for a good friend," I replied with another toothy grin. Probably not one of my best approaches, either. Oh well.

"We'll go to the library, and you'll find your map, okay? After that, I'd like you to at least try calming down for a bit. Look at it as some kind of compromised solution."

"Okie-dokie-lokie," I squeaked, leaping back up into the air. "Let's go then, there's no time to lose"...I needed to stop that.

Bouncing out of the door, I turned my head a few times to make sure Fluttershy actually followed suit. All the while, I could still see the skeptical look on her face, meaning it would probably take even more to ultimately convince her. But that could wait until later. For now, I managed to get ahead a first step towards persuasion. Which meant I was now one step closer to saving the world, and that was all that really mattered.

All things considered, it really hadn't been that hard, right?

Chapter 6 - Kindness Lost

So there we were, facing an adventure whose accomplishment nopony in Ponyville or beyond would have ever deemed possible for two standard mares as utterly conventional as us. After all, there was at least one of us (not me, but one of the two) seemingly always just fading into the background. Someone of whom nopony else would have ever expected any act of greatness. Apart from the ones she already accomplished, but you know...details. So now it was her who would make up about half the most important rescue party in this country's history. A duo to embark on the greatest quest to set full sail for an unknown destiny, plunder lots of precious booty (optional), meet a ton of cutesy friends along the way, and eventually save the world.

Our eyes were gleaming faced with the task lying ahead of us, seeking danger, fun, and all that goes along with it. Only the one thing that truly mattered constantly spurred us on with every beat of our hearts: Reach out beyond anything we could imagine for this greater cause. Up, up, and away! Till we shall meet the one, mythical spot, where heaven and earth touch to become one. The spot at which we could fulfill our destiny and seal this world's fate before any more calamity should strike it.

Shortly put, I had no idea what I was doing.

As we left Fluttershy's cottage behind us for good, the two of us started trotting down the small path leading from it, and headed towards central Ponyville. Our goal was clearly defined. We needed to reach the one place of knowledge and wisdom in our hometown, which also just so happened to be Twilight's home. And here, we expected to find some answers. Or I did, to say the least. I suppose that should be sufficient for starters.

That being said, I quickly started leading the way, while bouncing up and down on the roadside. I couldn't think of any happy tune that I'd usually hum to myself along the way, so that bit needed to be cut from the routine for once. Apart from that little inconvenience though, I kept being my cheerful self as always. And all the while, for some reason, Fluttershy didn't seem to approve. There was no way for me to tell what was off about her, but apparently something still heavily rested on her mind.

She continued to quietly walk the streets in my wake, looking down at the ground most of the time, with a constant frown plastered upon her face. Hadn't it been for the sheer grimness of her expression, I'd have expected her to break into tears at any moment. But as far as I could tell, this wasn't the sad and desperate kind of frown. It made her look more like someone who felt genuinely frustrated with their situation, a sense of annoyance constantly dangling over her head like a small, dark-grayish storm cloud.

I have to admit, even my own enthusiasm wasn't fully genuine the entire time. I had to fake the better part of my current mood, trying to provide an image of myself more positive than I currently was. It didn't exactly comply with any sense of honesty I felt, but then again, I wasn't AJ. And I had my reasons to do so. They were pure and simple. I needed to keep my own positivity radiating around myself, wouldn't I want to see the already established parts of my plan crumble to dust once again. Fluttershy wouldn't buy any of my stories, if Pinkie Pie of all ponies suddenly became just as glum as she herself kept acting. Not that she did believe me in the first place - she'd made that point pretty clear - but I wouldn't want to lessen my chances of ever getting through to her either.

Words can't even describe how much of a relief it had been when I first managed to convince my pegasus friend of coming along to the library. For a few minutes, everything seemed to unfold just wonderfully. I was so shortsighted, as well as drunk on my own joy of success, for a while I didn't even realize how completely ridiculous that entire plan actually sounded. And that probably none of this would work out at all. Basically, we'd go over to Twilight's place...then what? Even if we found a map, I'd never be able to locate some kind of location if I couldn't even get at least an idea without its help. My Pinkie Sense just doesn't work that way.

Then again, hadn't Celestia also described how my senses would just let me know what's up? I usually don't even have to ask my Pinkie Sense about what's going to happen, let alone approach it in any way...if that's a good way to say it. Assuming, for example, a flowerpot falling to the ground somewhere near me, or some sort of similar event that's bound to happen. If anything of the sort ever happened, I wouldn't even have to ask for any concerning information, I'd just know. Immediately. So why didn't it work this time around? I mean, it hadn't before, but something was supposed to be different, now. And yet, I somehow still felt like my old self...pretty much like I always had.

All things considered, there really weren't that many possibilities on why things didn't work out the way I needed them to. My research techniques might not be as effective as the ones Twilight used, mostly because I never really cared for catching up with her on that subject. But if I wasn't mistaken, there were exactly two facts about this entire business that I knew for sure. First: Celestia told me my Pinkie Sense would inevitably lead me to some kind of secret location. Second: It didn't actually do so. That was kind of a problem, if you think about it.

So where was the issue, and why didn't those two facts cooperate properly? All the evidence pointed to some kind of mistake on Celestia's part. But that couldn't be, how would that possibly make any sense? A single flaw staining Celestia's white wings could have a devastating impact on her image and credibility. One, which I simply didn't think possible. Because it would mean the princesses were wrong. And that just didn't sound right.

The princesses don't make mistakes, no matter what state they're currently in. And both of them sounded confident enough with every detail of the task they gave me. Could it be that it was me who took a wrong turn somewhere? But where would that be? I hadn't returned to the land of the living for more than a few hours, and all I did so far was talk to a friend, then take a quick walk across town. Even in case I wasn't supposed to do that, it couldn't possibly get me this far off topic now, could it?

Then again, if the princesses didn't make any mistakes, and I didn't either...there really weren't that many solutions I could still squeeze anything out of. And the most probable one that still remained did in fact scare me more intensely than anything else that happened during these past few days. The option according to which Celestia had actually been lying to me.

That couldn't be it, either. Why would she do that? And for who's own good? The very thought by itself didn't compute. I couldn't possibly believe the princesses would purposefully lead me into a wrong direction, and neither did I want to. I mean, come on. The government wouldn't lie to the ones it's supposed to protect...right?

Lastly, there still remained whatever scenario Fluttershy had tried to convince me of. In her version, Luna and Celestia had died in the explosion, and I never even saw them in their true forms. It was all just some kind of crazy dream to her. Something I came up with while hallucinating due to the boulder dropped on my head. Or did my head drop on the boulder? Some kind of physical impact messing with my thoughts, that much I was sure of.

But I already eliminated that possibility long ago. There are two things in this world which I can definitely tell apart from whether they're real or not. The first ones are smiles, the second ones dreams. Plus probably a ton of other stuff I couldn't think of at that moment, but we're getting off topic.

What matters is that I know a dream when I see one. And hear. And whatever else a pony can do to connect to any given surroundings via their senses. I'd say I, uh...experience them. And when I do, I can always tell whether it's just a dream or something more than that. Reality for instance would be more than a dream, wouldn't it?

With my abilities, you don't need any outside help or tools to determine that. I wouldn't require any reminders of the differences between reality and dreams, whatever object would do the trick. Like some kind of spin-top or something...dunno. Anyhow, the one thing I knew for sure was that my short time with the princesses had not been a dream. I still couldn't tell what exactly it was, but definitely not a dream. Those are different. Dreams tend to have a lot more change in scenery, happening at an amazingly rapid pace. Especially with more cotton candy. Not just stars and invisible grounds and emptiness. I know that from experience. Though I guess everyone has their own experiences and memories surrounding dreams. Since we all fall asleep now and again. Duh.

Long story short, I was still right about everything. Fluttershy made a mistake in her assumptions, which - given her position - wasn't all that surprising. And neither would I blame it on her. Not that I'd ever openly accuse Fluttershy of anything. That's just another one of the points on my not-to-do list. Most of those specify not being a meanie. And I didn't plan on doing that, not towards her nor anyone else. I just had to convince her, is all. And how I'd do that...well, like I said, I had no clue.

Bouncing down one of the town's main roads, I had no intention as not to appear as perfectly cheerful as I normally was. Or how I assumed I'd normally be. Whichever works best. Meaning neither of us ever really changed their approach to our way of walking. To be plain, Fluttershy didn't exactly bounce in the first place. But I already talked about that. And what I didn't talk about appeared like nothing but a few, minor details at the time. It still does now, but it also did back then. And all that. Good thing I've got my priorities in order.

At what exactly remained which still was that uncommon? Well, for example the two of us not even meeting another soul for the first few blocks we walked past. The part of town bordering Fluttershy's cottage, and thus the Everfree Forest was strangely quiet and deserted at this time. Had I seen a bunch of tumbleweed wave past one of the local crossings, it very probably wouldn't even have surprised me.

Was it always that quiet over here? Maybe. If it wasn't for visiting my friend or the woods themselves, I hardly even came through this part of town. And even then did I pay it as little attention as possible. Thinking about it however, a quiet neighborhood around here would make sense, at least considering Fluttershy's choice about where to settle down. She was the right type for quiet neighborhoods, I could tell.

We continued our march on the sunlit, western side of the road, walking down the sunny side of life quite literally. Sunlight shone in from our left, only sometimes interrupted by the shadows cast by the larger buildings. None of which stretched along the ground for a very long distance because the sun still rested extremely high up on the firmament, despite its disputed position. And I suppose I just wanted to be nearer to its warmth and the hope it radiated towards us.

Also, I like Sundays. Sorry.

The first time we actually met anypony else on that day occurred when entering the plaza containing Rarity's boutique. If that square itself even had a name, I'd forgotten about that long ago. With one of us being inanimate, we could neither be friends nor give each other birthday presents, so I couldn't care less about its name. What caught my attention much more quickly was the number of ponies assembled across it. Sure, most of them were likely just passing through, but they still made up a much larger number than usual. I think.

There might have been something I didn't know about at the time, causing all the ruckus. A special market stand offering whatever sounded appealing to them while I couldn't think of it...like that. But I didn't even mind it all that much. I had my own issues to be concerned about, after all. For once, I soon realized that my own paying attention quickly got returned by any bystanders, and a lot of the ponies currently present widened their eyes at my sight. Which, I suppose, was only natural. Most of them were just as familiar with me as I felt around them, but they still hadn't seen their friendly party planner in over a week. From whatever it was they heard about so far, the majority of those ponies probably expected my to have quite a story to tell.

Well then, first of all: Surprise! The super party pony had returned, and she didn't have any idea what to do or why everyone started acting like this all of a sudden. Which was just wonderful. Still, if bathing in the crowd's attention presented itself necessary, I felt more than confident about doing so. Wasn't so different from what I did on every other day, after all. Also, I did suppose these ponies might help me win some more time before reaching the library, thus postponing the point at which I'd have to make some kind of clever explanation. So that was some relief to me. As opposed to Fluttershy, who instantly took a few steps back upon noticing what happened. I'm afraid to say I didn't pay her all that much attention in that particular moment. Though I suppose I should have.

Needless to say, she didn't at all share my enthusiasm for the overall situation. As soon as I happily started leaping towards the first group of ponies that just so happened to catch my attention, she became extraordinarily quick to react. It all went past so quick, I couldn't even recall which of the town's inhabitants those were. And that's gotta mean something. Contrary to anything I had expected from my otherwise timid pegasus friend, Fluttershy suddenly moved out of her comfortable corner. Galloping somewhat faster than I currently moved, she shoved herself past me, trying to approach the concerning group of ponies instead.

I paused my energetic motions for a bit, before quickly coming to a complete halt. All the while, my eyes remained fixated on her with bewilderment. Sure, at the time when we arrived near Carousel Boutique I hadn't given Fluttershy a second's thought, to be fair. And that might have been a tad rude. But I definitely hadn't expected her to just...well, cut me off like that in response

The bearer of the element of kindness didn't spare me another look before addressing the ponies I had originally meant to interact with. Naturally, her voice sounded much too low to be audible for more than a few feet distance, and I was still standing a bit further away, so I didn't exactly catch all her words on first try. Meaning I didn't catch them at all, since I never got a second try. Obviously. The others didn't care to give very detailed replies, either. Which wasn't even surprising, given my friend's somewhat harsh and demanding tone. Because that much I could recognize. If my own surprised confusion was anything to go by, none of them probably had any idea what to say to her.

The only phrases making their way through to myself were something along the lines of 'difficult situation', 'possible explanation', and 'probably later'. I could pretty much pierce the rest together from there on out. It didn't help me feel any more comfortable around her or anyone else around, but apparently it did get Fluttershy what she wanted. Only after a few moments of their somewhat one-sided interaction, everyone eventually stepped aside or continue to move on, minding their own business. And even though a lot of nervous glances kept being cast over to my friend and myself, nopony else seemed much interested in bothering us any further. Our way to the library was cleared out before our hooves, and any excuse I still had for delays pushed out of the way.

Roughly pushed aside by kindness itself. If that doesn't resemble irony in its purest form, I don't even know anymore.

Fluttershy saw to it that we'd be able to keep to ourselves, alright. Only moments later, she looked back at me with another glance. I felt a sternness coming from her eyes, which I certainly didn't expect. The harshness it contained felt almost hostile. And honestly a lot less kind than I felt comfortable with considering whom it came from. She motioned towards the opposite end of the town square just before falling into a light trot, leading the way in a strong sense of determination. And with each passing second, this tender, gentle pegasus mare kept freaking me out more and more. There was no way for me to tell whether Iron Will Fluttershy had returned and made her act this way, but I sure hoped she hadn't. I'd never be able to find a convincing argument for winning over that side of her.

Knowing this was a battle I probably lost all along, I followed in her tracks, head hung low. The plaza soon disappeared behind us, rows of standard, two-story buildings once more flanking our path. I hardly even noticed the change in scenery this time around; my eyes kept themselves plastered to the ground below, and the two pink hoofsies dragging along the rest of myself. Even the curious and somewhat distrustful murmuring originating from all sides hardly mattered to me at this point.

Only one thought occurred to me, and I kept pondering it in my head times and again. How in the wide world of Equestria would I find a convincing argument to have Fluttershy help me? Heck, I'd even need to convince the rest of my friends afterwards. And if she didn't believe me, how would the others react? They'd probably take me even less seriously, agreeing that I probably hit my head or something. Especially Twilight tended to be extremely critical towards any theories I kept cooking up. After all, it even took an entire Hydra attack to make her believe in my Pinkie Sense. One that almost got her killed, mind you. And back then, sufficient prove for everything she tried to disprove had been right in front of her muzzle all along.

How much would I need to offer for something she couldn't see?

Think, Pinkie, think. There had to be some way out of this mess. Some convincing response to all the skepticism I'd receive. A...certain combination of words that would make everypony's doubts become no more than dust in the wind. If only I could find one. Unicorns probably have some kind of magic spell for that. And what can I say? I'm happy for them, but none of their fancy horn-lighting would help me with my own issues at this time.

It all came down to gathering my friends in an effort to save the world. Which wasn't so hard a deal. After all, we had done so before. Times and again, actually. And considering that fact made everything about this mess seem much easier. Maybe, I told myself, just maybe this entire persuasion business would turn out a lot simpler than I thought it would. Maybe Fluttershy was just being particularly grumpy for once, and somehow didn't feel like doing what she was...well, doing at the moment. Why she would act that way, I had no idea. But if I was right, she would also get better, and we could finally face this adventure as a team. Always assuming I was right in my assumptions.

And if I wasn't...well, did I really need to go there? If I couldn't convince my friends? I also couldn't just run off on my own, trying to save all those ponies from oblivion. Even if that was the only possible option...

Or actually, that couldn't be. I scratched the thought as soon as it came up. I wasn't the element of loyalty, alright. But I still wouldn't just leave behind everypony who mattered to me so much after all we'd been through. Taking this task entirely on my own was definitely not an option.

Or was it?

Lost in thought, I kept stumbling through the streets of Ponyville. I might have almost run into two or three ponies along the way, all of them evading me just so, and by a few inches, but I hardly took notice. I only made sure to keep my pace, trying my best not to lose track of Fluttershy who kept leading the way in front of me. As for the route itself, that didn't have to be much of a problem. Considering all the times I ever walked, trotted, bounced, or jumped through this town, I didn't even need to pay full attention to the way I was heading. After a while, my brain just kinda goes on autopilot, and I eventually end up where I need to be, anyways. That way, there's simply more time to pay attention to friends and potential friends-to-be around myself. And thus, more opportunities for social interaction. Or a chance to be along with my deep thoughts, as on more difficult days as this one. Simple as that.

In short, I perfectly knew where I was headed, though still not being completely certain about what I was going to do next. And I was also very well aware of the moment at which I knew my time had run out. Said moment being the point in time and space when we did in fact reach the part of town we were headed towards; the Golden Oak library. I didn't even have to raise my view to know about the magnificent tree standing only a few feet away, right in front of myself. I knew the route we took perfectly well. And even every single cobble resting beneath my hooves right now looked perfectly familiar, from all the times I'd stood and stared at them before. I recognized a few from the spot where Dashie had stood before we went off chasing that dragon. Or had it been Rarity, and her place was several more inches to the left? Yikes...memory issues again.

I finally did look up, and what I saw never surprised me in any way. There it was; well, the library. Alongside an increasingly impatient Fluttershy standing at my side, who looked like she wanted an answer at any given moment, just so she could go home and enjoy her tea with Discord. Which apparently was so much more important than saving the world.

She didn't see my point, she just didn't. Stupid Fluttershy.

Oh...oh no, did I just say that? Gosh, I'm so sorry for...I just...

"Sorry for what?"

Also, did I just say that out loud? Fluttershy had that freaky expression again, where she'd raise one eyebrow and look at you all confused. I mean, that's not commonly freaking me out or anything, but she usually never does that. And that's weird. And now I'd probably just become even less credible in her eyes. Great, just great.

"Uh, nevermind," I answered with a giggle. "Just...y'know. Thoughts drifting elsewhere and stuff..."

"Uh-huh."

Her forehead in wrinkles, Fluttershy gave me a weak nod that could mean just about anything. Or also nothing at all. Both of which worked fine given our situation, I suppose. But at the moment, it was more nothing than everything. Whichever one of the two it was she actually meant. Know what I mean?

"So, let's go inside and get this over with, shall we?" As the words passed her lips, I could see Fluttershy trying to tug the corners of her mouth slightly upwards for a moment. Still, that could hardly convince the element of laughter. Like I said, I can tell a fake smile from a real one. And there wasn't much kidding me at that point. Arguing about it would only make the situation worse though, so I decided not to say anything at all. A simple nod, that was all I gave her in response for now.

And without further ado, I made for the door. I didn't wait for Fluttershy to follow suit, she would probably do so anyway. After all, that pony still did seem concerned about me, judging from the way she wouldn't let me go out on my own, probably even fearing for my well-being. Also, she had her orders to keep an eye on me, I guess. From a princess. Ignoring that won't make the situation any better most of the time...well, whatever.

Fluttershy wouldn't need another request to keep going, judging from the way she initially hurried towards this place. Still, as far as this last bit went, I managed to beat her to it. Rushing forward a little quicker for once, I was the first to reach the heavy oaken door leading straight to everything I needed at this time. That also meant it was me who had to turn the knob and be the first to enter, thereby having to explain our inquiry. Could be worse, I suppose.

We didn't have to search the library for very long in order to find what we needed. Well, what I needed, practically. But Fluttershy decided to make this her business when first coming along, so now we had an extra pair of hooves to help with the search. And that way, looking up the details was nothing but smooth sailing. After all, this place did belong to Twilight. And if there was anypony more organized than her, that pony probably didn't exist. I'm not making sense, I know. I never am.

Once inside the tree, we were met by the two curious eyes darting out towards the two unusually paired appearances by the door. I do suppose Spike was happy to see me though, and I felt more than glad to return the favor. I also managed to quickly, though somewhat rapid and incomprehensibly, explain our situation. Including an approximate description of what we needed. Though I don't think requesting a general map of the country requires going into details all that much. I still did.

Let it be said that Spike has everything to himself one would look for in a perfect library assistant. He was naturally a bit confused about my request at first, but hurried to help us in any way. I did understand his initial perplexity though, considering my sudden inquiries coming pretty much out of nowhere. Or for him that was, at least.

Long story short, it took a good five minutes or so before Fluttershy and me had a detailed map of all of Equestria rolled out on a small table situated in the room's center. The map itself wasn't exactly vast in size, but it still provided us with all the information we'd probably need. Spike himself had some more dishes to tend to, so the two of us were left pretty much on our own account. He didn't seem exactly thrilled about that task of his, but the idea of leaving it unfinished before Twilight came home apparently looked even less appealing to him. In any case, our friend's dragon assistant eventually saw to it that everything which needed to be done, was. He's a good boy, alright.

Of course, Fluttershy was an entirely different matter. Not that I'd call her a bad pony or anything, but she certainly didn't mean to show her support just as unconditionally as Spike did. She never stopped eyeing me as critically as somehow possible, either. Even now, that expression of hers remained pretty solid. Not that any of it surprised me, but it didn't exactly help with calming down or return to a kind of apathetic atmosphere, which I would have appreciated for thinking about what to do next.

"Alright then," she said, glancing over the drawing in front of us. "I'm listening."

So she was getting impatient again. That couldn't be good. I needed something convincing, and I needed it now. And I was sure I could easily manage that, if only I'd manage to focus my own thoughts for a minute. And that was the problem. Even on good days, my concentration gets easily broken by fragments of imagination running off for the next cake. And today was only worse, considering all the issues lasting on my mind that needed just an equal amount of attention.

I needed to push all of this aside for just a moment. It was all but easy, but also not impossible. Trying to get my mind together for once, my eyes soon started wandering over the scheme laid out on the table; it was nothing but a low, wooden coffee table, so I could comfortably see everything I needed from a natural, standing position.

For starters, this was Equestria. Go figure. A very detailed look at the country we were all living in, including a lot more scienc-y stuff and general descriptions of all the different regions depicted on it. There was a lot more to gather from this map than one could recognize just by looking at the land itself. I already had a vague idea about most of the places portrayed here. Quite a few of which I'd already been to myself. Still, the labeling definitely helped wherever my mind decided to reach its own boundaries of knowledge.

Of course, I still had a general idea about most of the things I was looking at. I perfectly recognized these mountain ranges and woodlands, as well as the lawns and acres surrounding them. The streams, lakes, and rivers flowing through this great land, cutting deep into its soil like the impressive ravine that was Ghastly Gorge. I could see towns and cities, major metropolitan centers that hundreds and thousands of ponies could call their home, surrounded by plains, forests, or - in case of Cloudsdale - lots and lots of thin and thick air. It all centered itself towards the (not so much anymore) majestic peak, on whose side the capital of our nation used to reside. Even now, in this simple drawing, a guiding light seemed to emit from the magnificent castle that still stood in this depiction, not having been erased from history, just yet. I could only hope it wouldn't ever be.

Towards its southern edge, and in a freely floating transition, the nation of Equestria gradually turned into the massive, dry region lying to the south. Most of those badlands were either impassible or, which was worse, inhabited by dozens of meanie dragons. I really didn't want to consider that place for longer than a few seconds.

To the north, Equestria stretched as far as the outermost boundaries of the autonomous Crystal Empire would reach, before giving way to another, massive mountain range. Beyond lay the foreign nation of Yakyakistan, and eventually, the mysterious Frozen North. I don't really know much about the latter, probably because nopony's ever actually attempted to go there. There really isn't that much to find up there, safe for...y'know. Snow and stuff.

On the two remaining sides, Equestria became abruptly cut off by wide shorelines, leading the way to two vastly unexplored oceans. In the west, I spotted a coast that had barely been exploited yet, with not many cities or settlements established around its reach. The naturally shaped border to the wide and open sea hosted a few places like Las Pegasus, Seaddle, or Vanhoover. There really wasn't that much to tell about whatever one could find beyond those.

To the east, several urban centers had been established at the seaside for ages. Some ponies say the nation of Equestria even originated from here, but I for once had never seen any actual proof for that theory. Along this coast, civilization gradually started off at the northernmost parts, which contained the averagely dens populated regions of Mane and New Hayshire. From here, the vast, radiant beaches continued their way south, briefly making room for the densely populated peninsula that was Manehattan. Further south, the coast took a few elegant swings, hosting the city of Fillydelphia, before bloating up into the distinctive shape of a horseshoe. The bay that it represented hosted another urban center; the one they call Baltimare. And just as my eyes fell on it, my entire situation suddenly became a lot clearer to myself.

Because hey, south-east. That's were Horseshoe Bay was, seen from our position. Plus, south-east was what I had instinctively said our direction would be when Fluttershy first asked me about it, some time back. Which brought me to another question: Had I really just said that coming from myself? Sure, at that very moment, when asked about where we needed to go, south-east was the first thing that came into my mind, so I just randomly burst it out. But what if that hadn't just been mere intuition? What if my Pinkie Sense had started guiding me back then, after all?

Considering the option a little longer, all the pieces of the puzzle started to come together. Luna and Celestia had sent the ponies away, alright. They didn't know where that was. They could be in Equestria, but the princesses may well have send them beyond its borders. However, all of Equestria was more or less densely populated by...well, ponies. That or some other species intelligent enough to tell whether something strange was happening around them. And a large crowd appearing out of nowhere, just like that? Somepony would have noticed, wouldn't they?

Judging from that logic (which made sense, didn't it?), these Canterlot ponies couldn't be in Equestria anymore. Alright then. So I needed to take this beyond our borders. And there was only one naval city on our country's shores that offered at least a modest range of potential journeys into other parts of the world. Take three wild guesses, and the first two don't count.

Yep, Baltimare. That's where I needed to go. And that entire line of thought cost me, believe it or not, twelve entire seconds. That was two more than ten, my usual maximum. I really needed to get some sugar back into my system. Did Twilight usually keep cookies or cupcakes in her kitchen? I might have needed to check for that. But first and foremost, there was also an impatient pegasus mare to my side, still waiting for an explanation.

Now, if only I could manage to put all this into the proper words...

Chapter 7 - Tea for the Tillerman

"...and after that she saluted and flew away to some kind of gigantic, winged muffin. I haven't gotten any mail ever since."

Fluttershy briefly giggled at the joke, which a certain draconequus sitting opposite to her just managed to crack. It wasn't exactly funny in my eyes, but they seemed to think otherwise. Both of them generally shared a very light, pleasant mood, while sipping their tea and exchanging the latest about either cutesy woodland critters or plunging the world into chaos. Two topics that don't necessarily need to go well with one another, which did cause some confusion on my part. Though having a number of greater troubles on my mind, I mostly ignored that notion.

I admit, I didn't share any of their enthusiasm, however contagious it might have looked at first. All the while, I felt almost too sure that not all of this cheerful atmosphere was completely genuine. But neither could I do anything to prove my doubts. Nothing except keeping two gradually narrowed eyes on Discord, all my nightly suspicions and expressions of mistrust placed into them.

Now, all I needed was to wait for him to make a mistake. Somehow, I hoped that at some moment Discord would stumble out of character for a moment, thereby revealing his actual nature and intentions. Some kind of insecurity, some minor stutter or confusion of words would be more than enough for me to start digging into that facade of his. And as I did, we might get an answer about what truly happened at Canterlot.

I mean, come on. How could he not at least be connected to the attack? The entire incident had Discord written all over itself. I hadn't initially recognized that fact, but given the time it soon became a lot more obvious. After his so-called reformation, all of us actually started to believe this bad guy had turned over to the light for once. And he made us believe that, alright. Of course he'd take his sweet time before striking against Equestria again, in order to establish his reign of chaos once more. He needed to take his time, so nopony would possibly suspect him of doing anything that could harm the nation. Falsely gaining our trust, so the ponies that stopped him once didn't even bother to try that again.

When the time seemed right, he made a swift strike to take out the princesses, one of the few powers still able to stop him. And even I myself couldn't tell for sure who could stand up against him after that. The elements of harmony didn't do any good, after all. Not anymore. Ever since Fluttershy had promised not to use hers against the newly found friend of hers, the rest of them were pretty much rendered useless. And I didn't expect her to revoke that decision anytime soon. There wasn't much standing in Discord's way, now. That was one clever plan he developed, I'll give him that. But unfortunately, he obviously hadn't included the most decisive factor into his equation: The one, pink little pony who could see right through party poopers like himself. One look at the balloons on my flank should have told him as much. Well, sucks to be him.

I wouldn't let myself be fooled. He might have persuaded the princesses into believing in his reformed nature, and might have done so with Fluttershy long ago. But that still didn't convince me. The spirit of chaos might be clever and insane, but I was even cleverer and insanerestest...thingy. And no-one would sneak being fake past me. Not for long, anyways. I might even have trusted him for a few weeks, back before everything that happened, happened. But now that I first brought his name into connection with what happened earlier, all that sense of loyalty and expectations was gone within an instant. Right now, Discord had simply become his old, meanie self again. He was just being a lot more sneaky about it. The more I thought about it this way, the more I knew that my assumptions were correct. If only he wouldn't make it so hard to prove.

But, like I said, even a spiritual being like this one couldn't perfectly keep up the facade forever. I watched his every movement with all possible determination.

Fluttershy never shared any of my worries, of course. She kept happily laughing away at Discord's jokes, listening to his stories with her utmost attention. No sign of doubt ever crossed her oh so faithful expression, no break in her trust towards the draconequus ever went past detected by myself, since there were none. To her, none of this was anything but a light-heartened, weekly teatime. Something that - despite recent events - seemed to make the timid pegasus ignore and forget everything important around her, while acting as if nothing ever happened.

Her cheerful sense was almost contagious, like I said. Hadn't it been for my own determination, I would have easily given into it myself, I think. My own, all too apparent grumpiness being the only thing occasionally interrupting her high spirit, whenever she took her eyes of the coffee table or Discord, and shot me a meaningful glance. I suppose she just wanted me to lighten up a little. But that wasn't gonna happen. Not now, at least. Should there be any reason for a party-like mood, I'd still be the pony to determine that.

As for Discord himself...well, he was hard to read, as always. All the while I kept watching him, and all the while he kept telling us about everything exciting that happened to him during the previous week. Well, everything he wanted us to think was his doing. None of which included attempted terrorism or blowing up cities, of course. Most of his narrative happened to be about mailmares getting lost in black holes while delivering letters to his place. The mail started reaching him with a certain delay since then, which was somewhat disturbing, but also surprising to him. After all, getting sucked back out of a black hole was something he, much like most others, deemed physically impossible.

Don't worry, there is a way. I got to show Derpy how to do that some time back. Call it intuition, but I had a feeling she might be able to use my strategy at some point. That being said, it shouldn't come to much of a surprise when I say that Discord's confusion caused me to a brief, internal chuckle. I'd explain the scientific principle, but that would take way too much time. It's super-duper complicated, and I don't even fully understand it myself. But it worked out pretty well so far, so nothing could go wrong, right?

I turned back to super serious after less than the fragment of a second. Not sure how much that was though. I trust neither clocks nor chaotic spirits, and both of them located in the same room would probably make your head spin if you thought too much about them. That...or something about...something. But it doesn't sound fun, that's the main point. And I would thus refrain from ever referring to either one. Nope, approximations had to do for now. They were more precise, anyway. Weren't they?

I returned my attention to these two best friends in front of me, just as both of them suddenly started some weird chuckling for a few seconds. I'd probably just missed something about their conversation, but it still sounded freaky as hay. Or was that just me? I had no clue.

"Well, anyway," our companion of mismatched body parts concluded, leaning back in his seat. "The simple truth is; even though I've been traveling far and wide, and even though I've seen and, well...improved dozens of different places in my day, the chaotic nature of that postal system you ponies put together never ceases to amaze me." With a narrow flickering of his tail, he paused his rambling and turned his yellowy eyes to face me. No doubt they expressed some confusion already. But whether any of that was genuine or not, I couldn't tell. "What's the matter, Pinkie Pie? The way I usually know you, you're a lot more...talkative. Especially around your friends...oh, but do tell me. Is there something bugging you? Nothing a good friend couldn't fix, I hope?"

While putting an emphasis on whatever he presumed the two of us to be, the draconequus also leaned in a good deal closer. And feeling relieved about not having detached parts of his body floating around in the air instead, I still had to put some effort into hiding the frown that automatically sprung up in my consciousness, following his approach.

Instead, I tried answering his question at the best means possible. A Pinkie Pie style interrogation, just like that one with Spike. Minus the gemstones, of course. "Something wrong, huh?" I asked him. "That depends. On these journeys of yours...you didn't happen to pass by Canterlot recently, now, did you? I still haven't got my weekly deliveries of party favors, even though today is Thursday already. I really do start suspecting something bad might have happened, somewhere. You don't happen to know any about that, do you?"

An awkward silence fell onto the room, just as I finished speaking. While Discord reacted to my request with an unexpected ease, even a sense of bemusement, the same sure couldn't be said for Fluttershy. The glare that she shot me for just a teensy moment, just as I closed my mouth, would have made anypony stop their inquiries. Anyone who didn't already know her tricks, that was. I wasn't one of them. Also, I considered my own quest way to important for any sense of etiquette, right now.

"Huh. What an interesting question, indeed," Discord replied, both hands gently folded in his lap. His expressions didn't seemed forced at all, neither innocent nor guilty. Whatever I had to make of that. "Yes, Canterlot. Certainly a tragedy, though I must say the city did not exit the stage without some impressive fireworks...or so I've heard. From all the reports, I could tell the scenery still missed a certain sense of chaos, didn't it? Some chocolate rain, maybe? I'm sure you would agree."

When getting poked in the shoulder on his last remark, I didn't make any efforts to hide my grimacing any longer. Especially this time, there was a loose limb floating towards me to do so. If Discord wanted to play a game, I'd let him have it. Still, I knew I already had him exactly where he needed to be. My confidence about proving that spirit's guilt grew with every suspicious word that escaped his lips. As did Fluttershy's obvious worry about losing control over the situation.

As for the latter one, I could definitely tell. The stern look in my friend's face grew more and more grumpy, the more I started to take matters in my own hooves. And who was she to complain? It's not like I initially asked her to stay over for tea. Fluttershy probably regretted making that offer already, but there would be time to contemplate on that later. Right now, there still was a villain and his plan to uncover.

"You know what I wonder about?" he continued. "Now that our precious, celestial light bringer decided to go out with a bang, there really remains the question about who will step up to lead the country out of all this...well, turmoil. Though I myself find it heavily amusing, I'm not so sure how many of you would agree with me on that subject...there probably won't be that many. Also, I've been told our mutual friend Twilight Sparkle makes a pretty decent impression over at the site of these, well, unfortunate turns of events." With a sigh, he reached up with his eagle's talon, thoughtfully scratching his bearded chin. "They say she does her best sorting out the missing bits about what happened, and she even organizes teams for recovering any missing bodies. With her sense of effinciency, they might even be able to rescue a few survivors...given there are any in the first place."

"Of course there are," I blurted out, cutting off his rambling. Just as I did, Fluttershy raised a warning eyebrow in my direction. "These ponies didn't die, no-one did. Don't you know that? The princesses sent them away just before the blast happened. The two of them still are in the rubble, somewhere. But even they are alive, and they will be better. And...and the whole city will be rebuilt. Everything will be just as before, you'll see. All complete with sunshine and rainbows!"

Fluttershy looked like she tried her best to suppress a facehoofing. Which was a pity, since it really would have rounded off the image of Discord's completely bewildered face. Eyes wide, his toothy grin had disappeared within an instant, leaving behind nothing but an expression best described as a definite kind of clueless staring.

"You...you'll have to excuse her," Fluttershy quietly remarked, shaking her head. "She received some kind of trauma, I think. It's been a hard week for all of us..."

"I'm not suffering from anything!" I retorted, a lot more aggressive than I originally intended. Oh well, more apologies to come for later. Turning around to Discord, I added, "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, mister. But if that was supposed to be some clever kind of coup against us, I thought you might want to know about its failure."

"Pinkie!" My pegasus friend's hissed remark hovered in the air for less than a second, only to be cut off by roaring laughter omitted by the master of chaos himself. The way he did it, it sounded almost maniacally. He could have easily passed as a cliche-villain, hadn't it been for the tears of laughter forming in his eyes. That way, he really did appear somewhat devoid of grasping the overall situation. Just like he had no idea what I was talking about, up until now.

"Oh, please. Really?" Discord needed another moment to calm himself down entirely, his lion paw wiping the last bits of liquid off his face. "Are you honestly accusing me of blowing up Celestia's butt? I wish she could have heard that...oh, the look on her face!" With a swift motion of his hands, the master of chaos then proceeded to clear his throat, becoming a lot more serious once again. "But honestly, why would I of all ponies do such a thing? And why wouldn't I do anything more to accomplish my master plan? There would obviously be some further steps behind all this. And, I mean, do you see any cotton-candy clouds or ballet-dancing buffalo around here, maybe?"

"Well, I..."

"Don't you think I'd have established a bit of that by now, if all this had been my plan?" Discord asked with another giggle. "Oh, this is priceless! But honestly, my little pony: If that had been me, we wouldn't be sitting here. Celestia might have put a spell on the elements of harmony to keep them from being stolen, but I may assume that spell broken now, may I not?

"You see, I do think I could easily have grabbed and hidden your precious elements ages ago. Had I done so, they would be a million miles away by now, far beyond your reach. Come to think of it, I could probably already be Equestria's new overlord. But believe it or not, that didn't happen. Instead, I'm sitting here, sipping tea while the day goes by peacefully...well, more or less." As he spoke, a shining halo started to form above his head, undoubtedly as another sort of sarcasm. He also started hovering a black handkerchief in front of his face, wiping away any potential fake tears. "Honestly, Pinkie. I am all but flattered. Here I was, thinking of us as friends, and now you start throwing wild accusations at me? That is a disappointment, no doubt!"

He leaned back once again, a smug grin spreading across his face. Cracking the knuckles of his one paw, he then proceeded to take another sip of his tea, trying not to mind me any longer. Unfortunately for myself, however, not everyone in this room seemed to have taken in my theory in as lightly. Fluttershy for once was plastered to the small table's opposite side, glaring at me as if she'd prefer to leap over and strangle me on the spot. In other terms, she did not approve.

"Um, Discord? If you don't mind, could you give the two of us some space for a minute?"

A short and unexpected remark, that nevertheless broke with all the confidence I had gathered. Randomly thrown at me at this time, Fluttershy's tone succeeded to make the blood freeze in my veins. Because I hadn't heard anypony talk like that in years. And even my parents wouldn't sound that harsh, except maybe in the worstest of scenarios. The last pony I ever expected words this dreadfully pronounced from was also the kindest mare in town. And to my own shock, she just proved me wrong.

Discord didn't seem to mind. With a simple shrug, he let his gaze wander through the window one more time. "Well, suit yourselves. I think I'd rather meet up with your cute, little bunny for some time, Fluttershy. He does seem a lot more cheerful than the two of you at the time."

And with a snap of his paw, the master of chaos vanished. He didn't just disappear completely in a poofy cloud of white smoke like he usually would. Instead, his body parts slowly disintegrated in front of us, apparently turned into thin air one by one. Until eventually, only his yellowish grin remained. His teeth kept hovering in the room for another second or so before they too faded into nothingness.

Besides looking innocently, he sure had his ways of coming across in a creepy way or two. I'll give him that...as well.

And just as he left, I felt an awfully inconvenient pair of eyes fall on me. I presumed they would have deliberately shot all sorts of cold, heartless things at me, something like icicles or lightning...nothing that's good for fun and laughter, anyway. Which they couldn't of course, not at this time. Lucky me. Fluttershy didn't mind that in the least. She took a deep breath before unleashing whatever she had in store for yours truly.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Her eyes became increasingly narrowed, as the angered and hissed words exited her mouth, using just the same strategy that I just tried with Discord. Only that I felt put under a lot more pressure in the same situation, none of which helped building up any confidence.

"Fluttershy, listen to me. Don't you see how all this..." But no, it was no use. That much I could clearly see from the way she kept staring at me. Now really wasn't the time for me to speak, Fluttershy didn't seem interested in the least in whatever I might have to say. Realizing that, I trailed off; my classic approach wasn't going to get me anywhere, this time around.

Hearing my attempted reply, her lips moved silently for a few seconds, one hoof pointlessly gesturing in front of her. No aspect of her expression ever softened for just a bit all the while, but I had a feeling she was awfully lost all along. Only after fixing her view back on me, Fluttershy put down her hoof somewhat confidently, while looking me dead in the eye. The latter being something she never did with anyone for longer than a few seconds. I could only assume from there how much there was actually wrong with her.

"I don't have to listen to this anymore," she then spat. Again, going from zero to one-hundred within seconds seemed to be this season's latest fashion. No wait, that would be Rarity.

"For once now, you shut your muzzle and pay attention to what somepony else might try to tell you. And the truth is, I am sick of this." She took a deep breath, eyes closed for just a bit. "Yes, I am. I am sick, sick, sick of you and your way of handling those around you!"

Her third and final use of the word came across more as some kind of hysteric screech than any reasonable form of articulation. And I could tell she was hardly even done, yet. Breathing heavily, she paused for a minute, trying to catch up with herself.

"Okay, so...so you know what makes me feel comfortable more than anything? The feeling that those around me are taking myself and my opinions into serious consideration whenever hearing about them. I have a very passive nature, and I know that. But there are a few ponies who see past all this, and carefully listen to what I have to say. And that counts for all of my friends. All except you.

"Whenever I'm around you, I seldomly feel taken seriously at all. Because you don't take anyone or anything seriously, do you? Life is nothing but a simple game to you. With - what's that phrase you keep using? Sunshine and Rainbows? I...I keep having the feeling that's everything you see in the world. You don't even recognize all the problems it has, or those living on it. All the dark and terrible places some of us travel to...I just don't see that with you, sometimes. Sometimes, I think that despite your age, you're still living the life of some immature filly."

By now, my mouth had easily been hanging open for a good minute or so. I tried to reply to her in some kind of appeasing way, tried to form words with my mouth that would help her to ease up. Instead, my jaw kept moving up and down pointlessly, hanging down from the rest of my face without apparent use, struggling to search for syllables I couldn't find.

Fluttershy didn't do much better. As she kept going, tears started to form in her already wet eyes, her voice becoming increasingly hoarse with each passing moment. "And through all that, y-you can be a good friend, Pinkie. I know that. I've seen it a few times, like the short moment we shared on that train ride. If you even remember that one. But it's happened so often...so frequently! You just start opening your mouth before giving even a second thought about what's going to come out of it.

"I've tried to live with the way you are, times and again. And I endured a lot of your carelessness. Because I've always thought that, given some time, we'd finally connect at some point. I've had the same experience with Rainbow Dash, years ago. We seemed so...so different and after a while, we still got along. I always hoped we would get around in the same way, somehow. And...I still do to some point. That's also why I volunteered to keep an eye on you these past few days. Because no matter how I feel about you, we're still friends. And at the time, we were all worried sick about you.

"First that explosion, all those dead bodies. The dead expression in Twilight's eyes...then that thing that happened to you. You have no idea how much pressure I felt during all this time. I...I, ugh..." She trailed off for a moment, swallowing a heavy lump in her throat. "I've never seen that much pain and suffering in my life. Oh, and don't tell me that no-one's actually dead. Please, not again. That I also wanted to say. I mean...I mean, you wake up after all this time, almost a week that brought me to hell and back with fears. You came back without any damage, and I felt so relieved. But then you suddenly start going on about how everything's just fine, and we have to embark on some adventure, and...cutesy woodland critters? I mean, honestly?

"That was no longer any relief, the pressure you tried putting on me felt like even more to bear. But I still put up with it, I don't even know why. I guess I was just hoping for you to come around, all the time. But that just now? That just...I'm sorry, but that crosses the line. I know Discord doesn't show much concern about what ponies tell him, he told me so, himself. But trust me, your accusations hurt, nevertheless. Not just him, but me as well."

She lifted both forehooves, massaging her temples for some time, myself helplessly looking on.

"Did you have any idea what you were accusing him of? The destruction of an entire city, a complete social class? Mares, stallions, whole families wiped out in a murder of thousands of innocents? And...and striking at the capital of the nation we're all part of? Him, as well as his friends? Of course you didn't because...well, because you don't think!

"This can't go on, not like this. And that's where I want to tell you something, and I'm only going to tell it once: Pinkie Pie, you..."

Silence fell once again, as did the trails of tears running down her cheeks. Had I just made Fluttershy cry? My stomach didn't even convulse on that realization. Instead, I simply felt like it had just abandoned me altogether, leaving behind nothing but a black void of nothingness at the same spot. I felt overwhelmed with pure miserableness, quickly eliminating everything else I'd been able to experience. If this day could even get any worse, I had no idea how. It probably couldn't.

"I...you are...you are...no longer welcome...in here." By now, Fluttershy's voice sunk lower and lower into her throat, making it seemingly impossible to comprehend what she was telling me. And while I did, I honestly wished for the opposite. "I...I want you to leave my house. Get out of my sight, and don't come back until you've genuinely changed your approach and apologize for what you've done. Please."

Between sobs, her chest kept heaving up and down with each breath. The weariness expressed in every single one of her features only confirmed that I pushed way out of her comfort zone, here. And something else I realized only after a moment's thought: I was shivering all over myself. Yes, first recognizing that, I also realized how unnerved I'd become during her monologue, let alone actually scared.

"That's - that's all I wanted to say," she told me, her shoulders sagging. "Just, please, just leave me alone." A wincing sound escaped her lips before adding the final word, "Please."

Okay, I'll take that back. The day could get worse. Even now, my eyes were widened in fear. I could hardly believe my own instinct, let alone what I heard coming from this gentle friend of mine. How could I possibly feel that guilty, let alone scared - scared of Fluttershy? Of all ponies, she was the kindest, most comforting mare I've ever known. But there's always two sides to any medal. Which didn't need to be proven, but did get its proof, anyway.

"Uh, F-fluttershy?" I stuttered. "Maybe..."

"NO!"

Her voice changed within an instant. Instead of her insecure stuttering, she suddenly unleashed a furious shriek at me. Saying it made me jump would have been a massive understatement. In all honesty, I do think I felt my heartbeat stop for just a few seconds. Had I leaped up a few inches higher, my head would have easily hit the ceiling with a massive thud, but I didn't even mind. How could I possibly in a situation like this?

"There. Is. No. Maybe!" she went on. "Not now, not ever. Just...get out."

I raised a hoof, hoping I could comfort her. A pat on the shoulder might do the trick.

"Get! Out!"

Jaws clenched, my eyes started darting back and forth from left to right. I like to tell ponies I usually do so to show I'm not nervous, but that's a lie. My actual feelings at that point say quite the contrary.

"Get out!" Fluttershy screeched, her breaths becoming all the more rapid. I still tried to object for a moment, but eventually gave up. With every passing second, she became more furious, as well as panicking. The mixture of fear and anger that now controlled her eyes lead to a final, desperate scream, "Get out, get out, get out!"

And just like that, I felt there was no more time to lose. In the blink of an eye, I turned on the spot and made for the door. It wasn't because I didn't like Fluttershy anymore, I would never think that from a single experience like this one. From all I could tell, it was me who had done something to hurt her in this way. And from the way she kept acting, I really didn't want to be around her at this time. Though still not blaming my friend for anything, I honestly started expecting her to physically hurt me if I didn't comply, so there really wasn't any point in staying. Darting out of her living room and into the open, I only hoped she wouldn't do the same thing to herself.

The instant I had the door slam shut behind me, I could hear a low, thudding noise coming from the inside of the cottage. One that sounded much like somepony falling down on their haunches. And a few seconds later was followed by sounds of quiet, continued sobbing. That was quite the opposite of laughter, and all I wanted to do was my best to stop it. But I couldn't do that, and my own incapacity made the situation all the more agonizing. As I fruitlessly waited for another five minutes or so for my friend to stop crying, I eventually turned my eyes away from the oaken door.

Looking back to where I'd come from, the world looked back at me with a lot more gray inside of its contents than it had done before. Even the path winding itself down, back into Ponyville had lost the bright, beige tint making it seem so inviting on any other day. Right now, the road to Fluttershy's cottage appeared to me as nothing but a long, and mud-brownish puddle. And eve from the corner of my eye, I thought the Everfree Forest looked a lot more dark and intimidating than it usually did.

I sighed; everything Fluttershy said to me just proved how much there was she kept thinking and worrying about, without ever articulating herself towards others. And all these problems she felt about me...just how long had those been building up, nagging at her internally? Weeks, maybe? Months? I don't think I could ever keep anything that important to myself for longer than a few days. My head would probably explode or something.

And what she said was hard to comprehend. The worst of it being that she was probably right about some things. Looking back now, I realized I really hadn't thought about her all that much. Now I had to learn about what was going on in her head the hard way. Even if I would have preferred not to.

She also didn't believe my version of what had happened at Canterlot, and the more I though about that, the less I could blame it on her. But all the while, the blame seemed to constantly fall back onto myself for not making my point any clearer. And I suppose she was right, blaming it all on Discord didn't bring us any solutions, either. After all, I didn't even have any proof for that theory. It just...popped up in my head, and I decided to roll with it for no reason. Had I taken Discord's emotions into consideration? Well, no. But honestly, had anypony ever done that? It just didn't seem like the thing to do, most of the time. I never really thought about him that way...being emotionally fragile or anything.

Still quietly sitting on my friends porch, contemplating on her words and my actions, I noticed my mane deflate again. Not before long, it would start hanging down limply to one side of my face, again. Loose strains of hair loosely dangling in the cold afternoon wind rushing past our town. I didn't mind them, while still feeling a faint shiver crawl up my spine every now and then, as the freezing air coming from the sky's darkened side pressed against my coat.

My view slowly shifted between the two large spheres hanging above my head, still splitting the firmament between light and darkness. I knew now there was no way I could ever convince Fluttershy to come along with me, and that she had all her reasons for being mad at me. But none of that stopped me from believing in the truth of everything I saw. The princesses might have just been an illusion, but I refused to think so. This quest still fell upon my rump, and if nopony was there to assist me, I could do nothing to change that.

The decision I had to make eventually came down to choosing between my friends and the rescuing of hundreds of lives. I winced at that realization, but again, there was nothing I could do about it. And neither did it take me very long to decide which way I wanted to turn, even if doing so hurt me more than I had feared. I immediately knew that doing what I was about to do would tear open a wound that might not heal until I successfully completed my task, whenever that might be. But deciding against it would form a weight of guilt that I'd carry with me for the rest of my earthly existence. Only one of these paths was one I could walk down without feeling scarred for life, and - to be completely honest - I'd already chosen to do so several hours ago.

A frown on my face, I put one hoof down onto the ground in front of me, taking one first step out of many to come.

Chapter 8 - The Great Horseshoe

The first thing I noticed was that the road didn't continue on ahead. And even though I kept going in the very same direction for almost a week now, and with almost no obstacles whatsoever, my designated path cut into a sharp, right turn. Continuing from there, the path began its slow descent down the steep, white chalk cliffs, on top of which I currently stood. Going through a number of turns and switchbacks, the road would then continue to reach downwards, eventually reaching sea level and the semi-circular coastline resembling Horseshoe Bay. Slithering down for hundreds of feet like a serpent in its natural habitat, this route would increase the distance I'd have to cover to reach the coast by a multitude.

Or so I expected it to go. Truth was, still standing a few feet away from the edge, I couldn't see a whole lot from up here. Still, my expectations remained with the road providing a longer distance for me to cover than necessary, and I didn't like that. Though in hindsight, the suggested method probably still included a lot more comfort than simply tumbling down the cliff all at once. Which would mean hitting my head as hard as if I fell down from the peak of Cadence's crystal palace. And that would hurt. A lot.

The second thing was I realized the road didn't go on the same way because it simply couldn't. With steep cliffs, there was no more ground up ahead, and that made for some very unfortunate conditions regarding construction work. Duh. It's not like they could just build a bridge for me to continue. Where would that even lead to?

Stepping closer to the edge, I risked a risky look downwards. Risky, since that move could easily lead to my early downfall in a broad variety of ways. Literally. Either way, in the end getting thrown off a cliff would just get me where I needed to be in the first place. And a lot quicker at that. With great speed may come great responsibility and pain, but if all else failed, I could still live with that.

The sun was shining down from behind me, casting a long shadow all across the grounds hidden from its light by the bay's cliffs. One that reached way, way over the wide beach that lay beneath it, and well into the water. Which also lay beneath it. Go figure. Most of the gulf's surface shimmered in a strange shade that became a fusion of its usual turquoise mixed into the reflections of the sky that was still divided into light and darkness. The specter displayed faded from a bright azure to a dark, purplish navy blue. The further east and further away from the coast anything lay, the darker it would be in appearance. Even though the sun still kept on shining its light onto those parts.

I didn't understand that either. And should I ever try to change that, I'd first need to understand myself before moving on to more complex subjects. Seems legit, doesn't it?

Overshadowed by the cliff side itself, and as part of the nearby landscape I described earlier, the road was also plunged into shadows from here on. Oh well. I could use a few minutes of way's time during which I wouldn't get directly exposed to the bright solar radiation from above. I already spent what felt like an entire week in the luminous light of a never ending afternoon. The same part of one day lasting for several weeks, so to speak. And all the while, the powerful summer sun bore down on myself and the land around me. Left on its own accord, it didn't make any effort to decrease its power or move up or down even for a single inch.

One thing I hadn't considered when leaving home was the climate in southern Equestria, which was said to be especially unforgiving during this time of the year. Though I should have known, really. I've had my very own taste of that bitter medicine one or two times before. Taking part in one or another trip to the city of Dodge Junction, I'd have to try pretty hard not to notice that aspect. Heck, me and Rarity even got stranded in the desert once, with nothing but an old manual trolley to get us back on track...or something. On the upside, I had plenty of time to ponder on the advantages and disadvantages of the words chimicherry and cherrychanga. That was fun. Or so I thought. Unfortunately, Rarity refused to speak to me after that for almost a week.

Well, I suppose she had her reasons.

That didn't matter now. The actual difference to back then wasn't Rarity being mad at me. No, there was something much more basic I never even thought about, prior to my trip. Because every time I've gone to some of the more hotter regions in our country, each day was normally followed by an equally long and powerful night to cool the land's temperature back down from what the day had borne down upon it. Only right now, such a thing as night didn't even seem to exist, even though we were still engulfed in half a night all the time. As I could tell from experience, the moon didn't do any good in blocking out the sun's heat, unless otherwise intended. This way, Celestia's fireball continued to heat up everything without any break, and with no means to stop. Hopefully, the princesses would come back to their senses soon. This couldn't go on for much longer.

Really. The heat had well gotten to me as well, believe it or not. Drops of sweat continued to trickle down my flanks ever since I left the Everfree Forest and the gloomy dusk that still reigned inside it at every time of the day. After that however, it hadn't taken much longer than an hour or two for my coat to become all sticky and uncomfortable, glued to my skin without much apparent use. And there wasn't any way I could wash that off in those desolate plains. I'd spent days just darting from one minor source of water to another, occasionally resting my bones beneath the branches of lone olive trees or cypresses.

At times, the constant chirping of the cicadas living inside them nearly got me lulled to sleep, even in these heavy conditions. But in the end, they never actually got to me. I had my very own sleep schedule, and that consisted of keeping my rest to a bare minimum in order to advance as quickly as possible. Outside of my casual breaks, I tried never to get off course even once. Despite my own survival being kind of vital to the whole mission, I didn't have a second's time to lose.

Needless to say, the entire trip here was a bit exhausting. Especially trotting along those dirt roads for days without end became nothing but dull and tiresome after a while, and I had to stretch my song repertoire to a very delicate limit in order to keep myself entertained. All the while, the ground was pretty inviting to walking upon, but everyone's hooves get sore after a while or two.

I would've taken the train, but that didn't work either. I mean, the engine itself probably would have, but the rails it needed to travel on didn't go straight to Baltimare. In fact, the only route heading there took a detour through Canterlot along the way...well, it used to. Right now, and as far as I knew, the entire service was completely interrupted. And any alternative tracks had never been build. Not until now, they hadn't.

All things considered, I could consider myself more than lucky, just standing in this place right now. As I did, I believed to have managed through the hardest part of the journey. From now on, I'd be traveling on water, and that meant some sort of vessel to carry me. If I didn't want to swim all across the ocean, that was. Even I wouldn't be capable of covering that distance. What? I don't run on rechargeable batteries or anything.

That being said, I allowed myself to a short rest, and appreciate the view for a few moments. Because if anything, it was definitely worth the appreciation.

This oddly colored gulf spanned a good fifteen miles across at its widest expanse. Given the elliptical shape, the bay's shores proceeded to close in on one another to both sides from there. Only while they joined to become one on the western end, facing the continent, the opposite ones abruptly ended about halfway through their approach, then made way for the vast ocean that lay beyond. Merely two narrow, sandy capes stretched out further east for another half-mile or so, connected to the main landmass at the same, odd angle. Beyond those, the deeply violet waters overtook the entire scenery, palely illuminated by the full moon and the stars from above.

The cliffs also continued for a good while to both my left and right. Only about halfway to the oceanic shore did they suddenly and rapidly descent, lowering themselves to sea level within a few hundred meters or so. For a good while, I did wonder why I couldn't just walk down to Baltimare on top of them; an approach that seemed to work out just as well, after all. Then again, somepony must have had a reason to construct this road the way they did. And I decided just to roll with their decision. Nothing could go wrong that way, could it?

As I started turning towards the descending street still ahead of me, my view briefly wandered over to my left, and the city that was planted onto Horseshoe Bay's opposite end. Or maybe that's not the correct term. The city wasn't just located on the northern shore, the coastline itself pretty much consisted of nothing else. Stretching out for miles, a huge urbanized area started off as soon as the cliffs dropped down towards the beach, then went on until it couldn't grow any longer, cut short by the ocean's coast. Beyond what I saw, Baltimare probably pushed a good distance into the land beyond, as well. As any city, I was sure this one would be divided into smaller districts, some of which were more or less wealthy, or designated to whatever significant cause there may be. But at this distance, there wasn't any way to tell. The entire place simply appeared as a large, homogenous area to me, loosely transcending from one smaller part to another.

The only thing standing out were a small number of skyscrapers placed right in the middle of the entire construct, about half a mile off the bay's coast and a bit further from the ocean. To its south, I recognized what obviously must have been the harbor area, with dozens of piers and docks reaching out into the bay. For some reason, these ponies had apparently decided to construct their port inside the bay, instead of placing it directly by the ocean. That didn't make sense to me on first try, but then again, I could manage with whatever would float their boat. Pun intended.

The harbor district itself seemed a bit dull on first sight, looking at it from this distance. I managed to spot a number of ships and smaller vessels sailing towards or away from the docks, but apart from that, everything looked like nothing but a gray, pulpy mess. Some of these boats didn't seem to go on any larger journey; they kept drifting on through the bay on what I presumed to be a relaxed afternoon trip, while only the larger ones left for the deeper ocean waters, venturing on into parts unknown. Indeedy. I should consider writing poetry one day.

A knowing grin formed on my muzzle the more I kept looking upon the scenery. One thing was for sure, I had definitely come to the right place for where I was about to go. Like, I was going here, of course. But I also had to move on further. And this seemed like the right place to do that. Also, besides amazing, the view provided from up here was also highly informative and provided a great boost in confidence. Enjoying this definitely made me feel better than the long, boring walk I just went through. The only thing missing was somepony to share all this with. If only...

I swiftly turned away from the sight, started to walk down the road, rapidly blinking a few times just in case. There was no use in going back to my last discussion with Fluttershy, even though her last words kept reverberating in my head ever since. Combined with the look on her face when I last saw her before that darn door closed between us...and don't forget the uncontrollable sobbing. The memory didn't leave me now, and I didn't expect it to do so for a really long time. But then again, that was just one of many unfortunate things I expected from this journey. And I accepted them nevertheless because I still did feel convinced about doing the right thing.

I kept going; I did that because I knew I was right. And if only I'd believe in myself, nothing could go any more wrong and I could successfully complete the task given to me by the princesses. Fluttershy would forgive me, then. For everything. Once she saw that my intentions had been sincere all along, she really couldn't criticize me any longer. We would get back together with our other friends, Canterlot would be rebuilt, and everything ending up just like old times. Everypony could be happy again, right after this nightmare ended. And I was the one who could make it happen. Or so I hoped.

Trotting forward in a way as light as I could possibly manage, I tried to get her words out of my head somehow. Get out - every single one of these words still felt like an icy sting in the chest, and I'd have done my best to forget about them. Turning my view to the two pink hooves still covering the distance and dirt beneath me, I wanted nothing more than to think of something else. And what would that be? Cake? That was a nice subject alright. But it didn't do any good trying to forget that I made Fluttershy cry only a few days back - my reckless behavior causing all this, no less. Knowing about that gives you an entirely new way of miserableness, and that's hard to describe to someone who never actually looked in those two, watery turquoise eyes, only one thought crossing the brain at that moment: I made that happen.

I wouldn't want anyone to ever get into that kind of situation. Including myself, that normally is. Then again, I pretty much deserved what I got. I guess. Even though none of this was my fault...or was it? The entire situation felt so difficult, I hardly even knew which way to turn, myself.

How many times I needed to switch directions in order to further follow the way down, I couldn't tell. I wasn't even so sure how many of these curves there were left behind me, after a while. At about three or so, I simply stopped counting. With nothing to draw any distraction from but rocks and gravel, it didn't come much to a surprise that I couldn't concentrate on what was happening right here and now.

Also, rocks. Why must it always be rocks? I felt plagued with more than enough bad memories as it was, and these sure didn't help. Maud would have liked them, that much I could tell. But she wasn't here, and all I felt when looking at these grayish stones was some age-old depression trying to tuck down the corners of my mouth for all it was worth. Sure, I didn't mind most of the times I ever saw a rock or anything related, and they're almost everywhere in Equestria. But usually, I'm also a lot more cheerful to begin with, not having that many difficult issues resting on my mind.

After what could have either been ten minutes or two hours, I arrived at the bottom of the cliffs, my hooves now touching down on the ground at the same height as the sea water's surface. Simultaneously, the path itself started to cut back on the quarry stuff and changed back to a simple dirt road running along the cliffs. Which was a lot more comfortable to walk on, to say the least.

There was a wide beach stretching out to my right, providing some more cooled down space, well-protected from the sun as it was. For some reason however, the entire area lay completely deserted as of now. Much like everyone from around here felt much too lazy to walk this far out of town. The only moving objects visible were a small number of privately owned boats and yachts all around the bay, but even the closest of those were about a mile or so off-shore. Apart from all that, I was alone.

Well, that's not true actually. While there wasn't anypony on the beach itself, doing...well, beach things, I did in fact notice someone approach me, who was walking down the road the opposite way. They were still a good distance away, but I was sure that this shape I just spotted ahead kept moving towards me. Even as I started to move forward in order to meet them halfway, I took a couple of minutes to recognize any details about this other traveler. But that didn't matter. I felt my mood being lifted already by the sheer presence of someone else being around. If there was anything that would distract me from grim thoughts on this journey, that would be the opportunity of making a new friend along the way. Also, the whole thing was fun in general because that's what making friends is. Yay.

Drawing closer, I could make out a detail or two about this unexpected visitor, and froze in my tracks from sudden realization. It wasn't exactly shocking, just weird. Because there wasn't a pony approaching me. Whoever this was looked more like a donkey...drawing a carriage behind himself. Crossing my path...with me preparing to make friends with him...

Deja vu? Tell me about it. But I had my experiences with Cranky, and those wouldn't discourage me. Besides, why should they? I had a hard time getting through to him back when we first met, but he did come around eventually. Just like everyone else I ever tried to befriend did at some point. Considering all that, there really wasn't any reason for me to feel any more down or nervous than I already did. Not that I felt nervous in the first place, but I also didn't need to change that now. Instead, I started happily bouncing towards him, whistling a cheerful tune, until we were less than a few feet apart. That took another few minutes, but the tune itself was from some super-special extended Kraftpferd song, and those always take a bit longer, anyways.

And just then, just as planned, I stopped. Looking him right in the eyes, a welcoming smile on my face, I did my best for a decent first impression. If that message came across very well, or at all, I couldn't tell immediately. All I saw was that my new companion stopped dead in his tracks about as soon as I did, giving me a number of very confused looks. He didn't say anything yet, as if the whole situation suddenly brought him to a loss of words. Old charmer.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie!" I joyously chirped, just being myself as always. "How are you? Did you come here from that city over there? Oh, oh, and: Do you actually come from there, or are you just passing through? And where to and from? What's your name, anyways?"

The donkey blinked in confusion, a few times, maybe more. I'm not sure where to draw the line in that aspect. As he did, I also noticed a number of wrinkles that had already formed on his face and forehead. He seemed a great deal older than myself, maybe even about Cranky's age. Like I said, deja vu. This was almost getting unreal. Was there a glitch in the Matrix? Also, what the hay did that just mean?

"Can I help you?" the donkey asked in a hoarse, raspy voice. He didn't seem all that friendly. "I don't wanna bother you, but if you're looking for some decent advice, let me give this one to you. Because you smell like you haven't seen a bathtub in weeks, kid. No offense, but I don't think a lot of ponies are gonna be very fond of your companionship that way."

Kid? Seriously? What was with every donkey I met calling me that all the time? It's not like I'm a filly or something. Not anymore, at least. Probably.

His other remark still made me giggle though. It was funny because he was right. I really hadn't cleaned myself in ages. And of course I didn't enjoy that either. But making a new friend soon lets you forget about the hardships of life, so was it really necessary to remind me? Then again, if it was that noticeable, maybe I should be a tad more concerned my hygiene. Or maybe, I should just push the conversation towards some other subject. There wasn't any damage here that couldn't easily be undone, after all.

"Tee-hee. It's funny you should say that," I told him. "There really haven't been that many opportunities to get cleaned up...but anyway, that's not why we're here, is it? Besides, I don't need to do that now. I'll be getting on a ship pretty soon, you know. And there should be loads of water all around, once I'm there. Pretty sure there'll be plenty of time for bathing."

"Yeah, more like nopony's gonna notice your smell, no matter what," he snorted. "From the vessel's I've known, you'll probably be the least stinking thing on there."

He chuckled at his own comment. While that only lasted briefly, no longer than a split-second, I noticed it nevertheless. Recognizing that as the first step towards a genuine smile, I kept pushing forward, trying to get through to him. "Yeah, maybe. Oh, that reminds me. Have you been on a lot of cruises? That just sounded like you're super experienced with those..."

"No, I didn't," he cut me short. "I'm not a sailor or anything. But I know a thing or two. Which just so happens when you grow up on the coast." A remorseful sigh on his parting lips, he rubbed his forehead in some frustration. "Listen kid, I need to get going. All this cargo isn't gonna deliver itself, and..."

"Whaaat?" I whined, as he took a step forward. "Are you not even gonna ask me where I'm going?"

Grunting, the donkey, whose name I still didn't know, rolled his eyes. "Where are you going, then?"

"Oh, oh, good thing you ask." I grinned at him, hoping my joke would somehow make it across. "I'm going on a super special mission to some other land that's, like, really, really important. I don't know where exactly I need to go, yet. But it's probably somewhere south-east from here. I have a special sense that told me so, is all...can we be friends?"

"Oh...okay, you're probably nuts," he replied, after blinking in confusion for some more moments. "One advice, kid: Drop the attitude. Baltimare's port can be a bit of a rough place, not to mention any of the ships leaving it. You're not gonna get anywhere acting naive as a filly, except maybe cornered somewhere. I don't think you'd want that. Oh, and..." he trailed off for a moment, sniffing the air around him. "Do make sure to get a bath. Honestly? It couldn't do anything but improve your approach at this point. Have a nice day."

And with a motion of his forehoof that looked much like he was tipping an invisible hat, the donkey set himself back in motion, towards the path leading up the cliff. He didn't seem particularly interested in paying me any more attention. Why, though? Did I come across that dull? Maybe I should have packed on some more sugar. And then there was that other thing...

"Wait!" I yelled, bouncing up and down behind him. Because there really did remain one super important thing both of us almost managed to forget about, somehow. "You didn't say we could be friends, yet. Can we? Can we? Please?"

Sighing once more, but without any effort to stop himself, he mumbled: "Yes, of course, what the hay. We can be friends, just..."

"Yay! Thank you so much, you don't know what this me..."

"...just stop following me, alright?"

Follow him? Why would I even do that? Weren't we headed in opposite directions, just now?

"Follow you?" I asked, earnestly speaking out my thoughts. "Why would I even do that? Weren't we just headed in opposite directions, and so on?"

"Huh? Yes, of course we were. You need to get to Baltimare, get on your precious ship, and stay exactly 20,000 leagues away from me, thank you very much."

So now he wanted to get rid of me? That wasn't very friendly, either. "But...but, we're still friends, right?"

"Yes, of course. Now, do me a favor, and do have a nice day."

"Okie-dokie-lokie," I squeaked, bouncing off in the opposite direction. While still facing away from me, I think I saw my new friend shake his head in disbelief, just then. But that could mean just about anything. After all, we were friends now. And he couldn't possibly be any more glum after that. Being friends with somepony new makes everyone more cheerful, no matter what species they are. And even if there were any problems, friends could always talk about those to each other, right? I initially planned to do that, but ultimately decided to leave him some space for time being. He didn't seem in the mood, just now.

That being said, I eventually turned around and started leaping down the road with newly found enthusiasm. All the while, I never even bothered about still not having learned his name. Or not having seen him smile. There's a time and place for everything. Besides, the whole subject just...didn't come to mind right away. I suppose all these heavy thoughts lasting on my mind from earlier simply weren't forgotten about completely, and I had some good reasons not to let them slip away. But at least I managed to get Fluttershy and my own guilt out of my face for a while, so that's that. A bit of joy never hurt anyone, as once again proven.

Looking towards the still impressive sight that was Baltimare, now in plain sight and right before me, I let my eyes wander freely over the aspects of this great city, some of which became a lot clearer with every new step I took towards it. There were supposedly two or three more miles to cover until I'd reach the outskirts of town, which was just as well. Maybe this way, I'd actually have some time to think about what to do next for once. All thing considered, planning ahead could in fact help me in one way or another. Of course, just getting on the right ship shouldn't be this hard now, should it? I'd just make a few new friends, and with their help, get out into open waters super spectacularly quick. And just now, I confirmed to myself that my friend-making skills still rested at the very top of my abilities. Easy-peasy.

Drawing in another lungful of the fresh, salty air surrounding me, I pursed my lips, and started whistling some other song. The mood didn't really matter right now, it just so happened to be the first one I could think of. I think this one was actually written by somepony I definitely knew, even a friend of mine. Lyra Heartstrings had composed that melody a while back, then dedicated it to her flatmate. Which is where its title When Bonnie Comes Marching Home derives from.

Like I said, she's a bit weird.

Chapter 9 - Dockland Conspiracies

With each step I took in order to advance into Baltimare's port district, I managed to realize what that donkey from earlier meant by telling me about smells that were...well, more or less pleasant, or so I'd call them. Even my own odor quickly became drowned in a sea of different stenches, a lot of which contained a trace or two of rotten fish. It must have taken a pair of extra delicate nostrils to still smell my own sloppiness through all of this. Mine sure didn't do the trick.

In general, the city didn't seem as magnificent from up close as it did earlier. I presumed the dull shades of most its area to be nothing but a difficult lighting thing, back when I was standing on that cliff. But walking these same streets now, I happened to change my mind very quickly.

While the downtown area looked a lot fancier with its tall, multi-story buildings and all, nothing about the harbor shared their expensive appearance. Then again, I hadn't actually taken a closer look at these taller buildings, so I couldn't exactly tell about them either. As for my current surroundings, well, they appeared to me more and more like a complete and total dump. And I was being generous in my assumptions.

Most of the buildings here were constructed entirely from timber or clay, only the more wealthier inhabitants being able to afford a home made out of solid stone. One thing they all had in common were the disproportionate roofs, most of which either leaking at several places or - in case of those made from hay - even started to rot and change color. A number of inwardly shaped dents had appeared on many of the latter, all of them different sizes, naturally. Small puddles of brownish rainwater then gathered in a few, speeding up the decay process even more.

While there certainly were windows in most houses, only few of the frames actually did contain any intact glass panes. The majority was left with nothing but a number of dark, gaping holes inside their walls. If a house did in fact provide an entrance door at the intended spot, that one was usually worn out and used, bent to one side or another, with the paint falling off all over. A single look towards any of these would easily make them look hundreds of years old. Some doors had the last remnants of what looked like a red X mixed into the standard coloring, nevertheless painted onto the surface ages ago. Whatever that sort of symbol meant, it didn't make the sight any more inviting.

The streets were no better. Narrow cobblestone roads (who needs fireproof cities anyways?) ran in between the crammed housings, most of them continuing up ahead the entire time, meeting others solely at right angles. The grid created by that structure cut the entire district into neat, smaller rectangles, each of which contained about ten to fifteen buildings on one side.

The sky seemed to be the only thing in this place still clinging to its bright colorfulness, though it was largely obscured by thick columns of smoke rising up from a multitude of chimneys all over the place. I had no idea why they needed so many active fireplaces at the same time. As if the sun by itself didn't cause enough heat already, every single hour of the day and night. After all, these couldn't all just be for cooking, could they?

A number of containers and materials, none of which to be described as pleasing to any of the senses, lay scattered throughout this environment. The mix of aromas they provided would likely burn my muzzle straight off, had I dared inspecting them more closely. And let's face it, I was looking forward to anything of the like about as much as Twilight would to a meal of quesadillas. In short, I didn't. At all. Though other than her, I'd prefer any at least half-decent food to most of what I saw around here.

Torn and tattered crates and linen bags stood, sat, and lay across the entire scenery. Some of them were piled up as high as three ponies standing on top of each other. While most were obviously empty, with just some leftover spices from their former containment, I also noticed some particularly rotten scents flowing out of some. They mixed well with the mud and liquids running along the ground, giving a solid first impression. Which might not be so good, but you know. I had myself distracted by the piles of green-yellowish hay that were placed openly in front of some buildings for whatever reason. A lot of which were mixed with numerous, stinky substances whose origin I didn't even want to know about, though I did get a few ideas from their looks. Eeew.

The ponies walking in between didn't seem to be in a much better state, either. Grim and depressed faces met my gaze along the way, added to pale, emaciated bodies, and disheveled coats and manes. If the area's residents did wear any clothing (Most of them didn't, but neither did I, so who was I to judge?), these gray-brownish heaps of textile were so worn out and flea-ridden, even I had the common sense to stay a good distance away. Which meant not reaching the potential maximum number of new friends today, but I viewed that as the lesser of two evils. And that wasn't the only thing limiting me. If a pony didn't look as miserable as these did, they weren't very inviting, and inspected me with looks that were, simply put, purely hostile. I wasn't sure how to deal with that. And believe it or not, sometimes even I decide to stay passive and low-profile for a bit.

Of all the things I hadn't expected when first arriving here, this kind of scenery was well among them. Especially with the boats out on the bay, I had expected this to be a really, really wealthy place. Which I still assumed Baltimare to be in some places, if the skyscrapers to the north were any indication. Which made me wonder, how did one city manage to get so divided? I couldn't tell. And who knew? If I found out, maybe something could be done about all this. The power of friendship sure did have the potential to pull that off.

Always assuming none of this would interfere with my main quest. Because if so, I might have to put reforming the city off until later. Saving the world came first, since it was generally a bit more important. Also, as soon as the hardest work is done, finishing off the rest gets to be a lot more relaxing. Or so Granny Pie always motivated me to do my homework back in the day.

After a while, one block of buildings began to look just like the other, my surroundings quickly fading into a dull blur. Not a literal blurred out blurriness, mind you. I felt more like I didn't even notice most of them pass by, each one looking just like the other...there really wasn't anything interesting to find here, let alone fun. As for any details, well, I couldn't have cared less. Even the smell seemed to fade after a while, and I could only hope my muzzle wouldn't constantly adapt to this horrific stench. If it did, I was afraid I'd never be able to smell anything nice ever again.

You know you're in a bad neighborhood when I don't feel like making friends in that place. And right now, that was exactly what happened. There weren't even any smiles to be found here, neither real nor fake. No wonder this place went down like it did. Even my own radiant positivity faded at the second or third block of buildings I passed, gradually being replaced by an expression that was extremely skeptic, at best. But no matter what, I knew that if anypony was to bring at least a sense of laughter back into this place, I'd have to be the one. How could I still call myself bearing the element of laughter, if I failed this most basic task? Bring some of the fun back to this place seemed like the least I could do. The least I had to do.

Well, I suppose it's a position that can be a burden just as much as a blessing.

I didn't know what kind of exact details I was looking for, or if there even was anything specific I needed to be after. What was for sure was that I had to find a bunch of ponies to get me into open waters, and away from here, friends or no friends. Despite the mess around me, I felt confident something of the sort could easily be arranged. And once we'd get on our way, becoming friends would probably just come to us naturally, sooner or later.

But where would I start looking for the right ponies, then? Nopony ever taught me how the coast works; I realized that only now and maybe a few years late. A rock farm in central Equestria is pretty much the exact opposite from cities like Baltimare, and Ponyville doesn't get a lot closer, either. It literally doesn't. If you didn't get that joke, just look at a map. Apart from my long-term homes, I've only been to Manehattan a few times, but almost all my trips there were about stuff to do in the city, not at the docks. Minus a short trip to the small island where the Statue of Friendship stood...if I could even count that one.

So, how would I make this work?

This situation called for a bit of a challenge. Which wasn't so bad, just exciting, if any. I like exciting. Life would be boring without a few difficulties and obstacles thrown in one's hooves' way every now and then, after all. And somehow, the thought cheered me back up, if only for a little while. I kept trotting down the road, letting my eyes wander around, as I tried to spot someplace to start. The first steps towards handling a problem are always the hardest, and a decent approach needs to be found first. Once I managed to find something I could get a grasp on, something I dealt with before maybe, there shouldn't be any more problems. Or at least, whatever I still missed would fall into place, eventually.

Amen to granny's words, may she rest in peace.

I kept looking for a hint, just as I found it in the most unexpected of places. To my surprise, there was a wooden carriage parked on one of the roads adjacent to the one I was currently walking on. Though being slightly obscured and darkened by the shadow of the neighboring building, the bright colors of its exterior were still clearly visible. Tremendously falling out of place, mostly due to said coloring, the small, uncommon vehicle caught my attention almost immediately.

Though, on second thought, it wasn't even so much that. What really made me look twice was the sign hung from one end of the cabin, dangling from a wooden pole a few inches below the crimson saddle roof. The image embroidered on it looked vaguely familiar: A piece of turquoise silk fabric wrapping itself around a midnight blue magic wand, surrounded by a total of eight silver stars on a purplish background. A crescent moon bearing a similar shade as said backdrop was printed on the cabin door below.

I stopped dead in my tracks, one hoof automatically wandering to my muzzle, and pondered about the sight for a moment. Several rather grumpy ponies managed to push past me in the meantime, but none of them actually said anything beyond a muffled grumbling. And neither did I pay them a lot of attention right now, fully absorbed in what I saw standing before me. I had seen a carriage just like this one before...but where? Stupid catastrophic disasters messing with my skull. This was an easy one. On any other day, I'd have remembered it for sure.

Long story short, I decided to find out. This wagon, along with its potentially familiar owner could be a good place to start if I wanted to get anywhere from here. There was an empty door frame in the wall next to the cab, leading into a moss-grown, two-story building made entirely from larger rocks. Of course. As opposed to most others, its timber roof looked comparatively solid. Though that might just have been a matter of perspective, and I didn't see a whole lot of it from down here.

A gloomy atmosphere radiated from whatever lay inside, illuminated solely by a few, weak sources of light. Most of which I assumed to be candles. I also did suppose these wouldn't do very great in lighting up the scene, but they'd still be better than nothing. And the remaining darkness itself was nothing a little giggling at the ghosties couldn't take care off. In short, I didn't see any issues with stepping inside and taking a look around. Nothing to be concerned about, either. To be plain, I felt like there was a place I could start from, even if I needed to stay here for a bit longer. Which might be for the better or worse, only time would tell. But if I emerged successful, I could continue working from there. With an easy step on my hooves, I went ahead and marched through the door.

Just as I expected, the room was plunged in utter darkness. A number of small, circular tables had been planted all over the place, set in regular intervals, surrounded by a hoofful or chairs. Most of which seemed already occupied, though that wasn't always easy to tell in this morose twilight. Two or three candles were placed on each table, indeed lightening up the scene a bit, though all they let me see were a few grumpy faces engaged in quiet conversations, if at all. Some of these talks were briefly interrupted upon my entrance, their participants curiously looking up at the newcomer for a short second, before going back to discussing whatever business there was for discussion. Some others who had their back turned towards me I couldn't see at all, apart from their apparent outline.

So this was some kind of cafe? Well, it seemed like things just got better and better. Because despite the glum mood in here, if this place was anything like Sugarcube Corner back home, I most certainly did come to the right place. The one kind of business I knew how to handle was the one dealing with all sorts of sugary surprises, and these ponies probably had a vague idea what I meant. Be it pies, cakes, doughnuts, muffins, piecakes, piecakemuffins, or other...things, I probably had a perfect idea of how things worked out around here already. Brilliant. Now I only needed to find the one familiar around here, like I had expected.

Ducking my head from the narrow ceiling, as well as some occasional wooden support beams right below it, I proceeded to make my way across the room. There was some kind of counter in front of the opposite wall, and I felt determined to look for some answers over there. All in all, it seemed like the most reasonable thing to do; whoever ran this place was most likely able to provide me with them, and they would probably walk around at some place back there. The counter also usually had the best overview across the rest of the room, so if I needed to spot anyone as I did now, this would be the place to start.

Back in Ponyville it's just the same. After all, whoever is in charge of Sugarcube's during their shift needs to keep their customers in viewing distance. Just to make sure everyone's alright at all times. Or gets escorted to the little fillies' room when feeling sick...or worse. I've had a few unpleasant misfortunes to clean up after during my career. While I don't need to get into details here, one statement still stands: When dealing with this kind of enterprise, nopony ever outsmarts yours truly.

A row of somewhat improvised stools stood right in front of the messy, wooden construction which I now approached. To be honest, it all made an impression like somepony tried nailing a few boards on top of each other some generations ago, kinda to see what sticks. And the result just so happened to be a counter with stools, so they made a cafe out of it. Could be.

For some reason, ponies over here seemed to enjoy eating their snacks right by the bar itself. Or not, as I realized only now, since none of those around were actually eating anything. Apart from what I assumed to be tobacco and playing cards, there were only wooden mugs placed on the tables around me. They were held together by two flattened rings of rusty metal wrapped around the outside, kind of like the ones we used to drink from during Sweet Apple Acres' cider season.

There didn't appear to be any food inside the room, nor on the counter. I saw that once placing myself onto an empty stool, squeezing in between two ponies whose features I could barely make out, so to speak. But even from here, I couldn't spot any sort of waiter anywhere. Maybe they only offered food at special times of the day? But why was it so packed right now, then? You couldn't just spend the entire day on drinking, well...whatever it was these ponies were having. Somewhat clueless, I decided to turn to one of my neighbors. The one on the left, that was.

Oh well. Might as well make a good first impression.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie. Whatcha doing?" I greeted the somewhat bulky, unshaven stallion, my tone just the casual. The smile I used to address him was barely returned, but I kept pushing on, nevertheless. "I'm new in town, and might need some advice. Could you help me with that?"

Apparently somewhat confused by my obvious and simple request, the stallion raised his head to face me, blinking a few times along the way. "Ya gotta be kidding me," he told me, lowering his gaze back to his mug without anything further to add.

"Of course not, silly." I giggled at his words. Was that a Trottingham accent? Probably. Why would I even make fun of him though, this being the first time we saw each other? We never even met up until now, as far as I could tell. "But I'm sure it'll be a pleasure to make your acquaintance, mister..."

"Don't know who yer talkin' to, huh? I hates to remind ya the hard way missy, I do."

Why, wasn't he a remarkable fellow...fella. Wha'ever. His response made me snort just as much as my own thoughts did, but I reckoned he deserved a decent answer, nonetheless. "You're not always one for laughter, that much I can tell," I told him. "But I might be able to change that, once you help me out for a bit."

An angry flaring made his nostrils widen for a moment, he started to get up, his eyes menacingly fixated on me. Considering that, it didn't take a genius or a bookworm like Twilight to figure out he'd gotten mad at me for some reason. Was it something I said? Pinkamena Diane, why can't you ever keep your blabbering, little mouth shut?

Well, whom did I just quote? Take a wild guess.

Just as he brought himself to his full height, which was impressive to say the least, a pony whose name I still didn't know tried opening his mouth to add something. I was kinda hoping for an explanation on why he acted like this. It would have helped a bit in clarifying his point, I suppose. Whatever words I was waiting for never arrived with me, however. Instead, he was cut short by a light-blue hoof dashing in from behind me, accompanied by a voice I had heard a few times before.

"Now, now. That will be enough. I suggest you get yourself another ale or anything of the sort."

And with that, I saw two coins fly past me, surrounded by a magical aura of pale magenta. They only stayed airborne for a split-second, and didn't get any further than about half a meter, before clattering on the counter right in front of him. Looking at his unexpected payment in confusion, the stallion eventually arched an eyebrow, but then only shrugged. He sat himself back down, just like nothing ever happened.

Well, okay, my approach didn't work this time. I got that. And after this reaction of his, I didn't feel all that eager to make friends with a mean, big bully like that one. I still remembered trying to pull that off with Gilda when she first visited. That was a pain in the...well, at least I didn't feel the need to go through all of it again, anytime soon. Fortunately, I actually didn't need to do so, since there still remained somepony sitting to my other side. And whoever that was seemed to be ready to help me out, so that was something. Returning to my cheerful senses within an instant, I turned myself around on the spot.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie P..." I trailed off, recognizing the face I was looking at. Now, that did of course explain the wagon parked on the street.

"Yes, I know that," Trixie replied, looking at me in a mixture of uncertainty and aggravation. Her tone was somewhat grim, which might originate from either our environment or circumstances. It did fit in pretty well, to say the least. "Long time no see. You've quite obviously gotten your muzzle back, well...sorry for the mess."

I felt at a loss of words, this sudden confrontation freaking me out a lot more than it should have. It was a small world, obviously. Here she was, the same old Trixie Lulamoon, all complete with her weird hat, cape, and forelock. Kinda like Starswirl, only a few decades younger and without half a hedge dangling from her chin...sorry, did I just say that? Anyhow, I never expected to find our favorite boasting magician in a run down place like this one. To be honest, I didn't expect to meet her again at all. Not for a really long time, at least. Even her two visits to Ponyville had been more than a year apart.

When I finally grasped what was going on, I quickly narrowed my eyes, trying to look as mistrustful as possible. Even through everything that recently happened between us, I couldn't tell for sure whether she already made the skip from the list of actual meanie-pants to the one of those we had decided to forgive. And I wasn't going to take any chances. The last time I did ended a little unfortunate.

"Well..." I began, hesitantly. Also, I might have stretched the word a bit unnecessarily long, in order to consider what I was going to say next. A few seconds, maybe more. Like, ten. Okay, twelve. Too much at least, if Trixie's raised eyebrow was any indication. "You never even cared about giving that back to me, you meanie! I had to ask Twilight to do your dirty work. Twilight! The princess of friendship!" I snorted, a lot angrier this time. "I think you should give that some thought, before I decide to forgive you for what you've done...Also, what are you even doing here, I might need some advice, that okay?"

A brief silence fell between us, while Trixie waited for a minute, letting my words sink in. Or so I supposed. I can be a bit deep sometimes, and it might take some time to fully grasp what I'm trying to say. Also, that last sentence had a completely different tone than its predecessors. Which could have been problematic to understand, but didn't have to.

"Well, first of all, I'm a traveling magician," she eventually replied, special emphasis resting on her second last word. "I'm used to show up at different places, that's my job. It's what I'm getting paid for...well, more or less. As for your mouth, I already told you that I'm sorry." With another short pause, the unicorn mare suddenly sighed, dropping some of the harsh facade surrounding her up until then. "I really am, you hear? If there's a way I can make it up to you, I'll be more than happy to do so...so, uh...what is it you need?"

Again, I was baffled. When did Trixie become that great and apologetic? She seemed like the most humble pony I've ever met, much like the exact opposite of the one I'd known before. She also seemed extremely insecure about the whole friendship thing. Well, all of that minus her reserved nature from earlier. Maybe I really should have been paying some more attention to whatever Twilight and her were talking about at the time. Of course, back then, I had my own troubles to worry about. Like not being able to breathe for a few days straight. Even I've got my limits, mind you.

Still, I needed to play this cool. If Trixie could help me, and if she really did turn herself around, which I still doubted, getting worked up about her past mistakes should be the last thing I needed to confront her with. Instead, I took a deep breath, then made up a way to explain my current issues to her. With a loud thud, I slammed both my forehooves onto the counter, looking her dead in the eye.

"I need a ship to get out into the sea. One that's like super fast because I don't have much time to lose. I'm on a special mission and I need to get somewhere really quick. The place lies across the sea, so I can't go there myself. It's located somewhere south-east from here...I guess."

"You guess?"

"I guess."

Trixie looked at me with some puzzled glances, seemingly once again unsure on how to reply. Why that was, I had no idea. It's not like I expressed myself in some overcomplicated, incomprehensible, unintelligible, or redundant sort of way. On the contrary, all I told her was that I needed to find a decent ship going in the right direction. And she'd either be able to help me with that or not. Practically, it was a simple yes or no question. And the response would have been just as easy to give.

Instead, the sky-blue unicorn trailed off, her eyes wandering on across the counter for a moment. When another grim, dark-maned stallion approached from our right a few seconds later, she motioned him over with a hoof. I had no idea where he came from, all of a sudden. Must have hidden away in the darkness or something. Trixie didn't seem all too concerned about that, somehow. "I'll have another mug of cider, alright," she told him, before adding in my direction, "you?"

"What? Oh, uh, cider sounds good, could you..."

"Make that two mugs," Trixie harshly commanded the bartender, cutting me off. She shoved a total of four bits over to him, just as he took them without much of a notion and disappeared again, leaving the reach of the weak light thrown by the candles around us. For some reason, none of the ponies in this place seemed especially talkative. Then again, with this kind of scenery surrounding them all day, I really didn't know what else to expect.

A worried frown across her muzzle, Trixie turned back to face me, her voice dropping a good few decibels in the process. "Generosity...am i doing this right? Anyway..." she paused for a moment, scratching her chin. "Are you sure about this? That...journey, I mean? As much as I want to help you, I really don't think a pony like you belongs in this place, let alone the ships leaving the harbor. You honestly should try to reconsider that idea at least. I mean...you have been to Baltimare before, haven't you?"

I shook my head in response. "Nope, can't say so. Love what they've done to the place though."

Expressing some sympathy could never be wrong, right? If any, it would buy me these ponies' sympathies right back.

As I could once again tell from her arched eyebrow, however, Trixie didn't seem to think so. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and take that as a sarcastic notion," she explained. "But still, that's pretty much what I thought. You didn't know about Baltimare before or anything that lies beyond it...safe maybe for an approximate direction, right? I know it's not what most ponies expect, and this city has been horribly divided between rich and poor for a while now...to be honest, I don't even remember it ever being any different. No offense, but you don't seem to know what you're getting yourself into."

"Sure I do, silly. Why wouldn't I?" Well, she couldn't remember that, alright. Which didn't have to mean anything. Based on Trixie's features, I always took her to be a few years younger than myself, but I decided not to go there just now. Asking that other, more direct question instead, I did my best to ignore the handful of somewhat amused faces turning in our direction. Maybe though, Trixie did have a point in lowering her voice. I decided to follow that for now.

"Well, for starters, this..." she began, only to be cut short by the bartender pony, who put our mugs of cider down to our muzzles right at that instant. She replied to him with a soft, simple nod that could hardly be seen from more than a few feet away. But that was all she needed to do, I made sure of that. A grateful smile, followed by a number of words from myself thanking him for his kindness surely were sufficient to make up for the expression she lacked. Some low chuckling from the room behind us did proof that I once again perfected my role as the bearer of laughter. See? Making others cheer up isn't that hard. However, I still wasn't so sure about what kind of game Trixie was playing.

"That wasn't very nice of you," I remarked, both eyes darting back to the stallion for a second to clarify my point.

"We're not in a nice place." Without looking up to face me, Trixie continued to inspect her cider for a little while before casually taking a sip. "In these parts, you'll have to be careful about what you say. And to be honest, you do appear a bit naive, even now...I'd rather try to conceal that a little if I were you." Her voice barely above a whisper she added, "a steady resolve is one of the few things protecting you from the dangers around here. And trust me, there are a number of those in Baltimare to be concerned about, especially for a mare.

"I'm still not so sure how you got here, but I'd also hate to leave you alone in this place. If it helps you any, I'll be leaving for Fillydelphia first thing tomorrow. You can come along, if you want. They have a port up there as well. Not as busy as this one, but still they do. I don't know how much you'd be about to risk for that mission of yours, if you stay here for more than a few days."

I looked at her in bewilderment. I couldn't just stroll along the coast for all eternity, hoping I'd get to my destination eventually. Did she honestly just propose that? "I can't just leave, now. This mission is way, way too important for me to simply step away from it. I have to get on with my journey, the lives of many important ponies depend on that!"

It probably was the part about ponies' lives being at risk that helped bring her around. At the very mention, Trixie's eyes widened a good deal, and the gears behind them seemed to finally be put into some hard work. "Well, I shouldn't..." she stuttered. "I don't think I should be the one making this decision, but whatever. Uh...listen, I'll go around and see whether I can find someone who might be willing to tuck you along." Standing up, she strictly motioned towards me with a hoof. "Just...just keep sitting here, and try not to cause a ruckus, okay? Don't move, don't go anywhere, and try to avoid the others. I'll be right back."

And just like that, she brushed past me and disappeared somewhere in the gloomy depth of whatever I should call this house. Because I felt increasingly unsure on whether this could actually be defined as a cafe. We didn't normally serve cider at Sugarcube Corner, after all. Which was mostly because the Apples were our friends and we didn't want to cause them any competition. Still, it didn't even taste like something that would belong in a cafe. Wherever I was, I couldn't recall any place in Ponyville to specifically compare it to. Safe, maybe, for Berry Punch's basement, though I haven't ever been there. Even now, I looked around one more time, but out of the few faces I spotted none were in any way inviting. And after the obscenities thrown at me earlier, or whatever those were supposed to be, I knew better than not to keep to myself.

Time started creeping along slowly from there on out. With nothing but a mug of cider to keep me company, my surroundings became even more dull with each passing minute. Much like when I was trotting along the street outside, I didn't feel like paying them a whole lot of attention after a while. Especially since there were only a few details I could make out in the bad lighting. And even those started to fade into one another, until dragging along felt like swimming through an endless stream of honey.

And while honey can be sweet and tasty and all, it's definitely super annoying to swim through. I've tried that once while Discord was in power. At some point, he actually did turn one of the smaller rivers near Ponyville into honey, and upon realizing what he did, I just couldn't help myself. In the end though, the whole thing turned out to provide only a fraction of the fun it initially promised. After only a few minutes of trying to push myself forward, I simply went back to emptying some more chocolate rain clouds, not paying it any more attention.

Now, that annoying, miserable feeling was back, and I didn't feel like I could live up to the challenge. Sit still and wait for Trixie to return, that was. A pony like me feels the constant urge to just jump up, leap around loudly as much as I can, and make as many friends as I can in the process. It's called fun. Look it up.

Using some of the coins I stored away inside my mane before leaving home, I was able to get myself a couple more rounds of cider. That way, at least waiting for Trixie was a bit more endurable. The cool taste of apples rushing down my throat couldn't make my worries go down with it, but at least I could kill some time along the way. But even so, I still got bored. Did I have to go to sleep in order to make time pass a bit faster? Did I even have to sleep at all tonight? And where? All of which were questions that didn't help me calm down in the slightest. Or sit back and relax. Which is probably the same thing, but whatever.

Looking for distractions, I started drumming my forehooves on the counter in quick intervals, until the grunting of a nearby pony made me stop. What, wasn't I supposed to enjoy myself in here, or something? What did these ponies even do for fun, if none of this would be allowed? I had positively no idea, and the depressed atmosphere in this place started getting to me even more.

Another idea came to mind. Maybe this was some kind of saloon? That would explain a few differences to back home. I'd been to one of those while in Appleloosa. And there sure as hay would be another one somewhere around Dodge Junction, even though I hadn't seen it when last visiting the place. Maybe this whole drinking hall business was nothing but a southern thing, which I hadn't noticed so far? I'd probably have to interview my favorite country-ish cousin about that.

Of course, looking at it now, the saloon in Appleloosa sure did make a similar impression to the room I was in right now. Especially with being more beverage-focused and all that, even though the mood would be a bit different. As for the cider, well, I saw several reasons for that in one of the two, at least. It probably wasn't that hard getting a whole lot of apple cider with dozens of apple trees all around the town.

But this wasn't Appleloosa, and neither did I come here as some kind of family trip. I needed answers, amongst an opportunity to get out of here, leave for the open sea, and find what I was supposed to find, where I was supposed to find it. And I needed those answers right now. Where did Trixie even go to? After this amount of time, she'd probably just packed up her carriage and left for Fillydelphia. Which I could only recommend. Without my special mission, I'd have done the same. Still, she seemed so nice just now, so...reformed. I couldn't believe she just ditched me like this, and now she was gone...oh, wait. There she was.

Pushing back through the rows of chairs and tables, the unicorn mare once again approached me, her hat hanging even lower into her face this time. I guess she really was trying to stay anonymous around here. Why though? Had she become popular without me noticing? Sorry for having some more important things on my mind. Besides, I'm not always super well informed on who's famous in this country and who isn't. Ask Rarity about that. She's the expert.

"Alright, I've..." Trixie began, but I didn't even want to hear that kind of apology after hours of agonized waiting.

"Oh my gosh, where have you been?" I burst out. "I've been mentally starving over here, I thought you made it halfway to Filly by now! Do you have any idea how not-fun that was? And to think I trusted you..."

Trixie blinked in confusion. "Huh? I've been gone for, like, two minutes...don't you ever look at the time?"

Oh. Well, I really didn't. But explaining that would have taken even more time right now, so I decided against that. No need for further delay, after all.

"Anyway, I think I've found some ponies who might take you aboard. And they're headed in the right direction, as well."

"Really?" I felt my eyes widen as she told me so. "That's fantastic! Do they have a super fast ship, like I asked? I need to get where I need to get as quickly as possible, wherever that is, and..."

"Yes, of course. Follow me, alright?"

And with that, she motioned towards the opposite end of the room and started moving back into said direction. Just like there wasn't a second to lose. So she was catching up with me, at last. Emptying out the last sip from my cider mug, I jumped off my chair and followed suit. If Trixie was telling the truth just now, she really did manage to turn herself around. And the thought alone started to provide a little more light in the darkness around me. If not, well...I'd just have to keep looking for help elsewhere.

A smile on my face, I started to march past the first rows of tables, not minding the looks I got from those around me. All I had to do now was make a few new friends, whom I'd meet just now, go on a small cruise with them, save the world, and go back home so everything would be as it was back before the attack happened. Through all my excitement, I could tell this was going to be a breeze. I'd get this done, alright. Nothing a super party pony couldn't handle.

Also, it was going to be fun. Everything's better with a little bit of fun.

Chapter 10 - Renegades of Fun

I should probably mention that traveling to Baltimare on my own, especially since it meant leaving all my friends behind, was a lot harder on me than I might have made it appear. There's a lot about these five ponies super important to me, more than anything in the world. During the time we happened to get to know each other, I've grown closer to each of them than I ever felt towards anyone before. And yes, when I say anyone, I really mean it that way. There never was anypony else so special in my life than the five mares whom I just so happened to befriend by chance back when. I couldn't tell whether our friendship would carry on forever, never leaving any of us alone ever again. But I sure did hope it would. After all, what else did I have to hope for?

There was a reason for me considering my friends as important to myself as I did, and it was nothing but pure and simple logic. I would mean that a pony can't fully cherish the light if they haven't also spent some time in the darkness before. And even though I could consider myself lucky to have lots and lots of friends to this date, in different cities all over the country no less, I also knew what it was like without them. Yes, believe it or not, there was a time in my life where I didn't have all these ponies around me. A time, when I felt truly alone. And I didn't want to go back there, ever.

Though I suppose I have to, now that I already mentioned it. Silly. Well, where do I start?

It all goes back to my very early days, back on that rock farm I grew up on. That was ages ago, mind you. So far away in fact, I hadn't even gotten my cutie mark back then. But those difficult times remained with me ever since, maybe as some kind of warning how not-fun my life could become if only I wouldn't take good care of it.

Like I said, there were no friends, back in the day. There weren't even any laughs or smiling, let alone much of a reason for either of them. During most days, I hardly even talked to anyone. And who was there to talk to, anyway? From the day my ever so cheerful granny passed away, the only other ponies around me were my parents and sisters. None of which are very talkative. I couldn't hold it against them of course, that was just how they rolled.

Still, it didn't make my situation any more pleasant. And if we ever engaged into any wider discussion, the subjects were mostly very monotonous, since the only thing my family ever cared about was rocks. That really was our only topic of conversation every breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bedtime. Apart from those, we didn't have a lot of occasions to talk. Mostly because we spent our time spread around the fields outside, taking care of the rocks.

Life was very different from what it is today. And along with that, there also were a lot of things different about me. I wasn't the cheerful, happy mare I am today. Although I felt drawn towards becoming the way I became. I suppose you could say that in a way, I always wanted to be a party planner. But that's a desire pretty hard to fulfill if you don't even know what a party is.

Back before that rainboom happened, I could never quite put my hoof on why I didn't fit in at the farm. I only felt that my life couldn't just start and end here, and at a given time, there needed to be something else. For starters, I didn't even like rocks. Or probably not as much as I was supposed to. Like, they're sort of funny and all, but I wouldn't go crazy and devote my life to them. I was, however, the only one in my family who didn't seem to enjoy them as much as the rest of us did. And never meeting anypony else most of the time, I quickly came to the conclusion that my fantasies were probably all just a silly thought, which I shouldn't pay that much attention to.

Except it didn't work like that. Some things just aren't that easily forgotten about. On occasion, I'd spent entire nights lying awake in my bed, trying to figure out what could be missing from my life. Being homeschooled, I never even learned about singing or laughing...or what any of those even meant. All I kept getting taught were rocks. That, and some reading and mathematics. The basic stuff everyone needs to survive, but nowhere beyond that. Everything else remained a mystery I could only wonder about.

I guess it's easy to imagine what came next. Long story short, all those emotions kept flooding through my head and whatnot, while simultaneously I had no idea what any of them could mean. In theory, I could have just asked my dad about all this, clarifying the whole matter very early on. But I didn't because, to be honest, I think I was afraid of what he was going to say. I really cherished these emotions of mine, and having them crushed would be the last thing I ever wanted.

Still, I knew there had to be something which needed to solve that problem. I needed someone to talk to, somepony who would understand me, without turning the subject to me better concentrating on my rock studies every ten seconds or so. A friend. For reasons I already mentioned, that was a lot harder than it sounded. Our farm lay so distant from the next town, no-one ever came to visit. And neither did I ever go to visit anyone else. So where was that so-called friend supposed to come from?

It took me a while, but I came up with a solution eventually. If there weren't any friends for me to be made the old-fashioned way, I would just have to come up with them myself. It sounded silly at first, but turning the thought around in my head a number of times, I eventually decided it was worth a try. So sometimes, when nopony else was around, I started having short conversations with the objects in our house. Now of course, and just like I expected, they wouldn't answer. Chances were they didn't even understand what I had to say. But just getting all my troubles off my chest, putting them into words and throwing them out there...it felt a lot better than I originally thought it would.

By time, I grew accustomed to that new hobby of mine. Whenever my folks didn't pay attention, I'd go ahead and share my troubles with those newly discovered "friends" of mine. Which was great, since I could talk to them about almost anything without ever getting criticized, scolded, or yelled at. Be it my search for a greater cause, emotions I didn't fully understand, or even the thought of leaving the farm behind some day in search for a better life, they were always there to listen. After a while, I even came up with names for my friends. Something like Rocky, Mr Turnip, or Madame Le Flour, to name only a few.

I know, I know. Looking back now, all of that probably sounds plain ridiculous. But it made perfect sense to me back then. I was just a filly, after all. And even though I still did realize how these friends of mine weren't real, I started to treat them more and more as if they were, trying to push that annoying bit of reason to the very back of my mind. Somehow, I thought, my friends could in fact become real, if only I believed they could. Which wasn't much of a rational thought, I know that. But you should picture the look of surprise on my face when some of them actually did reply to what I told them, one day.

Initially, I was taken aback of course. Inanimate objects weren't supposed to respond when spoken to, right? Especially not with their voices being mostly distorted versions of my own, though that might as well have been a coincidence. Or did it all just come down to me not being objective enough? It was hard to tell, really. What mattered was that I eventually decided there was nothing to be so perplexed about. I always wished for some real friends, and now here they were. I figured I should be happy about my wish coming true, not wondering why it did in the first place. All I needed to do was cherish the moment, since there was nothing more to ask for.

And so I did. From a certain point onward, I started talking to my friends at any time I possibly could, hours at a time on some days. Even if doing so meant slacking off on my other tasks and not getting as much farm work done as usual. I also decided to let down my guard about nopony ever listening to me...well, us, really. A filly talking to some random objects...I didn't think my parents would have liked that idea very much. But a filly talking to her friends? That was a different story entirely.

Or so I thought. Unfortunately, my dad never actually shared that opinion of mine. After some time, it was him who walked in on me having a casual discussion with Mr Turnip on some minor issues. Actually, I think we just talked about my day, and that was about it. When I noticed my father standing in the room's entrance mouth agape, I didn't immediately feel embarrassed or anything. Instead, I tried to make the best off the situation, and started introducing the two. In my mind, they'd probably get along just fine, given a few minutes.

Only the same thing didn't happen outside of my head. Instead of rejoicing with us, dad suddenly got angry. Like, really angry. I don't think I ever saw him being this furious ever before. He spat and cursed for hours, scolding me for everything off about myself (in his opinion), and how ungrateful a daughter I was to just ignore the hardships of our lives for something dumb and inconsiderate like this. I'm not so sure about his exact words, and there were a lot of them, really. All I do recall from that day is crying almost the entire time, sobbing, hopelessly cornered, as I tried to tell him I was sorry and I didn't mean it like that.

Any apologies of mine were met with deaf ears, however. Only after he quit his rambling, my father seemed to become mildly aware of what was happening around him. The rage brought upon his face ceased to be rather quickly, and became replaced by the cold sternness which I usually saw him express. He then made me promise to not ever do anything of the like to him ever again. Scared as I was, nodding off his requests didn't take me very long and neither did it force a whole lot of consideration out of me. And as I did, he seemed genuinely appeased for once. I was still sent to bed without further notice, agreeing that we wouldn't ever talk about this again.

In the time that followed, I generally tried to keep away from turnips, bags of flour, or anything else that might remind me of the friendships I wasn't allowed to have. Truth be told, I was too afraid of what would happen if any of them tried talking to me again. I knew I would get the blame if they ever did, even if I wouldn't do any of the actual talking.

Three days after the confrontation with my father, the sonic rainboom happened. And with that sight, everything changed. My life took on a new purpose in less than twenty-four hours. I earned my cutie mark the next morning, and even managed to make my parents smile in the process. After a number of long talks, we agreed that I really wouldn't fit in at the farm for much longer. I also finally got around to explain to them how I wanted to travel the world in order to fulfill my destiny, whatever it might turn out to be. I'm not sure whether dad ever fully understood me, but I suppose we still parted with no bad blood running in between.

In short, I decided to leave the farm behind for good. Wandering the Equestrian steppes for a few days, I eventually decided to head for the nearest larger town, which just so happened to be Ponyville. Here, I found new friends, real friends, and even a secure source of employment at Sugarcube Corner. Through parties and laughter, most of my past hardships were forgotten within days.

Was there truly a reason to rush things like that? I mean, sure, who was I to blame anyone? I'm not much of a calm pony myself. Most of the time, anyway. But right now, Trixie's level of determination would freak out even me. She rushed all the way back across the cafe (or whatever this place was), eyes kept straight, not venturing off-path even once. Marching through between all these stools, tables, and other obstacles, she didn't wast a single second coming to a stand, looking around, or even keeping an eye out for me following her. She didn't seem to bother whether I managed to keep up or not, not once turning around the whole time.

I did keep up, of course. But her attitude still confused me. Maybe she still hadn't come of the meanie-track as much as I hoped she did?

Our destination lay somewhere to the room's opposite end, where a row of tables were situated right next to the building's eastern wall. The windows looking out towards the street illuminated the space a few feet into the room, thus making the scenery over here appear a lot more welcoming than it did back where I came from, just now. Something I shouldn't let myself be fooled from, though. And I didn't.

Also, I had to go all the way back through the cafe, and that by itself felt frustrating already. Why did I even need to go all the way to the counter if the ponies I needed to talk to were right here, at the entrance? Or was this about Trixie and meeting her here? Probably.

Shortly before reaching the exit door, the blue unicorn turned left, heading for the row of tables situated directly next to the wall which separated us from the outside road. What was different about these tables was only their shape; as opposed to most others, the ones in this row were cut into a rectangular shape, one of the shorter edges bordering the thick stone itself. Which made for one less side to potentially sit at. They didn't seem to have thought that through very well.

Trixie was obviously leading me towards a specific one of them (I have an eye for these sorts of things). There was a window right beside it, throwing some light onto the scenery. As opposed to most others, this one actually still contained an intact glass frame. It depicted a checkered pattern of red and green rhombuses, thus throwing an interesting light on the whole matter. Quite literally, to be honest.

There were three other ponies already seated where we were headed. Only two of them were sitting upright, much like I had expected. The dark-grayish unicorn stallion about my age joined by a considerably older, white-coated earth pony mare were emerged in an immense discussion over some topic I couldn't quite make out thanks to their low voices. For time being, they didn't seem to pay us a lot of attention.

The third one, a middle-aged, dark blue pegasus stallion sat to their right, if one could call it that. Turned sideways towards the table, he had his back rest against the adjacent wall, both eyes calmly fixated on a large mug that was enclosed in one of his fetlocks. His left foreleg lay flat on the wooden board to his side, more or less supporting some of the stallion's weight. A worn-out, dark brown Stetson rested on top of his head, obscuring most of a purplish mane and the upper portion of his face, respectively. It somewhat reminded me of the hat AJ kept wearing everywhere, though hers had been in a way better state than the pack of lump this pegasus called attire. At least, I did suppose that's what he called it. Why else would he even wear it? Anyway.

Trixie didn't wait around for any kind of introduction to be made, but settled down opposite of them immediately. Chances were they already took care of that earlier. As soon as she started to move around the table for a decent spot to sit, the two ponies formerly engaged in their discussion looked up in a mixture of surprise and skepticism. The latter accounted mostly for the unicorn stallion, whose eyes kept flashing from one of us to the other. I wasn't sure what to make of his expression; whether it was nervousness radiating from it or something else, but he did seem a bit uncertain about the entirety of what was going on.

The mare seated in the middle didn't lose a single trace of her somewhat grim resolution. She turned to face Trixie and me as soon as she noticed us arriving. Brushing a few strains of her thin, blonde mane out of her eyes, she subsequently placed both hooves onto the table in front of her. A look of clear patience on her face, I could tell nonetheless, this pony was already waiting for the newly arrived to get down to business. Which probably accounted more for myself than my unicorn companion, but still.

There was a simply constructed bench placed on this side of their table, which spanned all across its length. As it consisted of nothing but a long board supported by what looked like little more than a number of four or five foot-long sticks, I had to admit our seating fit the rest of the room's charm surprisingly well. When Trixie placed herself down somewhat close to the wall, she left more than enough free space left of her for me to sit on. So that's what I did.

Swinging the old hips around to be placed onto the raw, and roughly crafted wood, I might've kinda-sorta forgotten to keep an eye out for any splinters sticking out of it. The price to pay for that second of neglect shouldn't come as much of a revelation to anyone who'd actually given some thought to these, but it still caught me my surprise. Knowing I needed to make a decent first impression around here, I tried hard to keep my external response to a low wincing and a twitching eyelid. Some details that were. With any luck however, the three ponies opposite of me hadn't even noticed.

At least their strange pegasus friend sure hadn't. Engulfed in his deeply philosophic cider studies, he didn't even seem to recognize the two newcomers opposite from him, let alone any possible mishaps they might have experienced. And the halfway honest smile which I put on after another second's thought ought to have convinced the two others as well. Or not, who knew.

The white earth pony gave a faint nod first to me, then another one over to Trixie. That cold, emotionless expression of hers never leaving her features even once, I quickly came to the conclusion that she must be some professional businesspony. Whatever someone like that would do in...well, in a place like this.

"You have returned, I see," she observed, regarding Trixie. The cool and confident voice carrying her words matched the presumed personality pretty well. She turned to face me next. "Then you are Pinkie Pie, I suppose?"

And what a question that was! Well, probably not that much of one, and nothing different from what I should have expected in the first case. But she was right; this was in fact the one and only Pinkie Pie standing...sitting before her, and I would make that introduction of mine with all the necessary drama that had to flow into it.

"Yes, indeedy," I answered her with a simple nod. On second thought, there hadn't been that much need for being dramatic after all. From the corner of my eye, I could see the unicorn stallions eyes narrow ever so slightly.

Again, she nodded. "It's good you're here, then. Also, I'd say a short round of introductions would be in order, so..."

The mare's eyes wandered over to her unicorn companion, some amount of expectation flowing in her gaze. Only he just arched an eyebrow in response. "What? Polly, you're not seriously considering this to be an actual option?"

"And why wouldn't I?" the mare retorted with a shrug. "Come on, I've seen this before. You think she won't fit in, don't you?"

"That's not what I said!" he yelled, causing a few curious glances to be cast over to our little group. Noticing, her lowered his voice back down again. "I mean...I'm just saying, we've got more than sufficient crew members available, already."

"You didn't sound like this five minutes ago. Now, could we just try to get along, and see where it goes...?"

He clenched his eyes shut in frustration, averting his gaze from those around him altogether. When he remained silent for another moment or so, the mare looked down onto the wood before her with a low groan. "Yes, yes. Let the lowest in command do all the dirty work for you gentlecolts, honestly!"

She turned back around to face me. "Very well then, let me just make this short. To my right, you'll see a pony called Strange Days, runaway noble from Canterlot, and - for some reason - current first mate on the VCR Cornucopia. To my left..." her eyes wandered over to the half-conscious pegasus pony. "...to my left the captain of said ship, who - despite having an incredible talent for his job - doesn't appear very capable of a whole lot during his spare time. Same goes for the awareness of his surroundings. But call him by his name - Saratoga, that is - and he might even notice you're there."

Like on queue, the middle-aged stallion lifted his hairy chin a few inches out of his mug. "Someone say me name?"

I couldn't immediately identify his accent, but that didn't seem the most important thing right now. The mare, who's name I obviously suspected to be Polly shot me a glance that said told you so in fourteen different languages. Seven of which I didn't understand, and three which I couldn't even read. But I suppose they all meant the same.

Also, runaway noble? Maybe that explained the weird, cream-colored streak in a mane which otherwise was gray as his coat, albeit a few shades darker. The streak itself ended just above his left eye, a feature that appeared distinctly familiar. Ever since first meeting Twilight, I always wondered whether these were some kind of Canterlot-thing, and I simply missed out on them so far. I should ask her that some time.

"...as for myself, my name is Polly..."

Called it.

"...or at least, that's what most ponies prefer to call me."

Oh?

"Well, truth remains, her actual name is almost impossible to pronounce, so we had to come up with something," the unicorn interrupted her with noticeably less enthusiasm. Also did his remark earn him a more than just annoyed glance from his companion.

"It's not impossible, it's just that you mainlanders keep failing at trying to pronounce it," she furiously replied. "Then again, I've never seen any of you actually trying."

Polly's eyes fell back onto me, just before she lowered them in frustration. "Sorry...sorry," she mumbled, trying to regain her former composure. "Anyhow. Your friend told me you were looking for a ship to quickly bring you somewhere south-east from here. Also..." the mare narrowed her eyes, becoming somewhat hesitant. "Also, she failed to mention any specific location. Pardon my doubts, though I would like to clarify whether there could be any misunderstanding here. There's not that many places for a pony to travel to in that direction, but it's still a few of them, and they're all situated a good deal apart."

"Well, uh..." I trailed off, trying to clear my throat for a moment. What came along was some nervous giggling which I hadn't planned for. Not that it helped in any way. "Well, truth is, I don't really know myself, yet. But it is in that direction, that much I'm super sure of. And I'm kind of in a hurry, so if your ship is going at quick speed, it'd be pretty good if you could drag me along." My eyes flashing from one of them to the next I added an insecure "Okay?" hoping that would somehow make myself more trustworthy or whatever.

"I'm not sure on how you define speed, but I think we could provide as much." She ran a hoof through her mane, examining me more closely. "The Cornucopia isn't much more than your average merchant vessel. Regular shape in rump, three fully equipped masts...you get the idea. But the speed she's showing whenever catching a proper wind is remarkable, nonetheless. I can give you the figures, if that's what you need."

I nodded. There was a fifty-fifty chance of these numbers either being any helpful or not, so why not give them a shot?

"As you wish. We'll be headed for the northern port of Chuda-Druzyovsk, both of which form the largest city of the Pegasilian islands. You might have heard of those...no? Well, that's just as fine, you'll see when we get there. The port itself is located an approximate thirty degrees east-south-east from Baltimare, at a distance of a good 3,200 nautical miles as the pegasus flies. We're planning on covering these in about three weeks, give or take a few days. Everything clear so far?"

I had no idea what that pony was talking about, but she sure sounded like someone who knows what they're doing. So I nodded again. And Polly nodded. And her unicorn companion (what was his name again?) nodded. Trixie didn't nod, so we just ignored that. It was a good time.

To be honest, Trixie didn't say a whole lot in general, contributing to our little talk. I never paid her much attention while trying to come to terms with the others, either. Only when she cleared her throat to end the short silence that followed did I notice her sudden passive attitude. I also remembered that she was still sitting there...in conclusion, I might have gotten a little carried away.

"Well, you seem to be going along just fine," she explained, while pushing herself off the bench in an effort to get up. Polly however was also quick, raising a hoof to interrupt her.

"Oh, you're welcome to stay. If any, I'd have to thank you for bringing Miss Pinkie any us together."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that..." the unicorn to her side began, only to be cut of by a stern, sideways glance from the mare. Which, again, confused me. Wasn't he supposed to be in charge here or something? That's how I understood their ranks, anyways. Especially since their captain didn't appear to be much of an authority figure.

"It's fine, really," Trixie replied, fully pushing herself to all fours now. "I haven't had a bite to eat all day...if one can even call it that, anymore. And...no offense to this location we've got here, but they don't exactly serve a whole lot of food. I'll...There's a small bakery down the street, one that I usually buy crackers from. At times they even serve some with peanut butter, so..." she trailed off, looking into several pairs of questioning eyes. "Trixie doesn't...I don't know, should I get you anything? Do you want some crackers, as well, maybe?"

Polly glared at her, a certain amount of anger clearly flowing into these hazelnut eyes of hers. I think it took me a moment, as well.

"So, does that mean...oh, OH! Sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Between Trixie's nervous stuttering, I could clearly tell her cheeks reddening by the second...among other parts of her face. "I...I think I'll just go now, then. Wouldn't want to disturb you. Uh...I'll be back in a bit."

And just like that, she stepped over the bench in a hurry, then made sure to rush out the door without another second's notice. A reaction so uncalled for, I had troubles to keep both jaws clenched together without one of them dropping to the ground. Or the ceiling, depending which jaw that would be. Still, even the pegasus who hadn't been paying attention most of the time (I presumed) curiously lifted his head when he realized what was going on. But only little later, and with the short notion that "Baltimare's a weird place," he went back to the vacant state from before.

Needless to say, I still didn't feel so sure about what to make of him.

"You'll obviously going to have to pull your own weight, once on board," the, uh...he said. Seriously, what was his name again? Luckily, Polly cut him short within a moment's notice, so I wouldn't have to describe him any more for now. Or, you know, she might just not want him to talk right now.

"Yes, yes, of course. I was just about to get to that part." Turning back to me, she added, "You see, our ship is nothing but a regular merchant vessel, carrying goods from Equestria's shore to other parts and islands. Sometimes, we just travel along the coast, though these trips are usually cheaper and easier when made across the land route, so sailors usually don't do them. But that's not the point. What makes our ship special is that it operates independently. We're not part of any larger trading company or government branch to take orders from. Instead, we ship anything that needs to be delivered anywhere, as long as the price tag suits our needs.

"Of course, along with that independence come a few downsides as well. For starters, we're not as wealthy as most of the richer companies are. There's always enough bits to pay our crew members, mind you. But it's still tight every now and again, so we obviously can't afford to take you along just like that. You may travel with us as an employee, and we'll make sure to provide you with sufficient meals, as well as a decent bunk inside a cabin of your own. And once we reach our destination, you'll be free to annul your contract and go wherever you please. However, there needs to be some kind of work for you to do until then. Is there anything you're particularly good at?" With a somewhat sarcastic note, she added, "Something about balloons, I presume?"

"Balloons?" I arched an eyebrow. "How did you...oh."

It really was pretty obvious, wasn't it? Silly me. "Well, yes and no, I suppose. That mark pretty much means I'm good at planning parties and cheering others up. I even got it the first time I tried to do that...a while back." I scratched my chin, trying to come up with something to add. Throwing parties by itself probably wasn't that helpful on a ship. Even if bringing cheers to others was always kinda helpful. "I...also love to bake!" I then continued. "I'm pretty good at that as well, can't plan a party without plenty of cake, y'know? I've even been working in a cafe for the past few years. Uh...and cooking, I...should be able to do that. I guess."

"Well, that just too bad," the unicorn stallion retorted, folding his forelegs. "But I'm afraid the spot in our kitchen is already taken."

"It might be," Polly added, not even sparing him a glance. "But the kitchen is still my department to work on, and I really could use a pair of helping hooves every now and again. I'm...certainly not getting any younger, as much as I hate to say it." She massaged her temple, hesitating for another moment. "I'm not sure about these qualifications of yours, but it seems like you know what you're talking about. Which will have to do. If it were up to me, I do think we could easily hire you, even if it's only for one trip."

The unicorn cleared his throat. "If I may have a word to add..."

"You may," Polly replied. "But I suggest we ask about your superior's opinion first."

Without further notion she turned around, poking the hibernating pegasus in his belly a few times. "Captain," she added to her motion. "May I get an amen for that suggestion of mine?"

"Huh? Yee, sure, wha'ever." His words came across lulled in some halfway delirious state, the mug of cider...or whatever else formerly filled it slowly slipping from his hoof's grasp before landing on the floor with a loud thud. A victorious half-grin across her muzzle, Polly turned back to address her other companion.

"The captain thinks it's a splendid idea," she noted, interpreting his words with a somewhat widened reach. It didn't cause much more than an annoyed groan from the unicorn, and as far as I could tell, I represented the least of their problems right now. That is, if the sudden snoring from below a certain pony's Stetson was any indication.

Noticing him, Polly shook her head in disbelief. "Well, I guess we'll get back home the old-fashioned way, again. Oh, and Pinkie? We'll be leaving tomorrow at noon, so I suggest you get yourself ready for a longer trip, and finish off with whatever preparations you'll still have to make. The ship is currently tied at docking bay 94; I take it, you do know how to get there?"

"Uh..." Okay, I admit, I didn't have an answer for that one. At least none that was correct.

"Might as well, might as well," Polly replied, though I could tell she didn't exactly enjoy hearing that from me. "Just...come back here then, alright? I'll pick you up at about...make that nine in the morning. That way, we'll have a few hours to get everything in order, and I'll show you around the ship before we'll leave port. Would that be alright with you?"

"Like an offer I can't refuse," I told her with a smile, putting one hoof down on the table. It really was though. Three weeks might be a long time to go, and certainly delay the fulfillment of my task, but I probably couldn't do any better. Which didn't come as a surprise, either. I couldn't just teleport over there in the blink of an eye, mind you. Though Twilight might have...no, wait, that was ridiculous. Even she couldn't teleport across a distance like that one. I should have considered that earlier, maybe...but really, there was no way she'd ever be able to pull that off.

Or was there?

"Then this much should be settled. I'm happy to welcome you aboard." Polly gave a satisfied nod, before turning to her captain, who was already happily napping away in the corner. The scowl she produced as a consequence did very much match the one her unicorn friend had been wearing for the past two minutes or so. "Lift him up," she said, looking back at him. "Would you?"

The unicorn lit up his horn without further protest, wrapping a pale, white aura around his captain, who subsequently rose a good few inches from his resting place. He didn't wake up during his short flight, even though his head got jolted back a good deal in the process, and his hat slipped off and fell to the ground. Never breaking his concentration, his first mate had him float over to the earth pony mare in between them, then put him down until he rested firmly upon her back, head and limbs dangling down loosely to both sides. Grimacing for a moment, Polly didn't need longer than a few seconds to balance out the additional weight. I could only imagine how many times they already needed to practice this routine in the past.

"Ugh," she groaned. "I don't even want to think about his mood when he wakes up tomorrow and realizes that vacation time's over."

With a short "I'll see you tomorrow, Pinkie," she took a few steps around the table, then started wobbling towards the exit with her unicorn friend following close behind, keeping an eye out for his captain, while also trying to place his cowboy hat back where it belonged. The entire scene kept making a bit of a surreal appearance, and it certainly did gain them a few slightly amused glances from all around. Not that I would mind. I've seen way crazier things than that in my day.

As they exited, I couldn't think of anything better than to triumphantly lean back in my seat with a satisfied grin on my face. Lucky me, I didn't actually do that. Just in time I remembered that I wasn't sitting on any sort of luxurious armchair or anything of the sort. There was only a bench beneath my haunches, and leaning back would've easily sent me doubling over without any further notice. So I restrained from that and only grinned, nevertheless. That, and I took a victory sip out of my mug of cider. Only there was no mug of cider. Which was something I didn't realize in time, and it must have looked pretty stupid, altogether.

Whatever, no time for that now. What mattered was that I finally achieved what I'd come here for: I managed to get myself a spot on a vessel - a presumably fast one at that - which would take me away from this awful place, and right in the direction where I belonged. The rough direction, mind you, which was an improvement in any case. The friend making process with the ponies in question still didn't come across as expected...I suppose. Then again, there would probably be plenty of time for that once we got on the ship. Three weeks would be more than sufficient for some fun to squeeze in, after all. Call it what you want, but I had an overwhelming feeling of success and accomplishment just now, and nopony would take that away from me.

Wasn't so hard in the end, was it?

Chapter 11 - Considered Even

After I came to Ponyville and first managed to make a living on my own , life changed for the better so many ways. I found a ton of new friends in that town, some of whom reacted more openly to me at first, some of them less. I quickly became known as the town's most brilliant party planner, filling in a very important task for our community. Bringing and receiving smiles that was, something which made our town one of the most cheerful places in all of Equestria, or so I've heard. If anyone new moved into Ponyville or away, it was always me who organized the super spectacular welcoming or farewell party they deserved. And should someone's birthday come up, I would always be the first to deliver my gifts and good riddance.

One day, after years and years of the routine I loved doing the most, my life changed again. And again, it changed for the better. It wasn't anything but casual; just another pony I welcomed to our town. A lavender unicorn from Canterlot, that was. Her arrival just so happened to mark the day of that year's summer sun celebration, with the princess herself announced to attend. Both parties that day, the one welcoming Twilight as well as the main celebration, were planned mostly by myself. That being said, it's probably rather obvious that I had one hay of a workload to carry around. But a super party pony like me does that like its nothing, so you could say I managed.

The overall result was a bit unexpected, with Celestia disappearing and some kind of divine coup d'etat taking place in the middle of my carefully planned celebration. Even though by now, something like this could easily be considered just another Tuesday in Ponyville, back then it still was kind of a big deal. It took a small group of us to beat the problem and those behind it, and in the days to come we grew more closer than anyone else I'd ever been with. What remains is history.

The friends I now had were real, as in real-real. On the farm, with those other friends of mine, the feeling of some missing authenticity had always remained, up until the end. Through everything I tried, I never managed to make our friendship feel just right. That was different, now. And neither did any of my rock farm-friends ever talk to me again in the years to come. Which was probably for the best, since I didn't think I'd even need them around anymore.

There had only been one occasion since I left my parents' home where my old friends had actually returned to me. That was the day of Gummy's after-birthday party, when none of my pony friends wanted to attend. Desperate as I suddenly felt, I tried to prevent falling back into loneliness by any means possible. Eventually, I called on my rock farm friends to help me out, and they answered.

We had a party just like any other, and it worked out...more or less. They weren't really angry with me for neglecting them, but nearly all of them tried making me take a stand against my pony friends. In hindsight, that was probably just jealousy playing through. But rude, nonetheless. Also, through all the cheers and laughter, I could never get rid of the sensation that all of what I shared with everyone from the farm still was a fake. So when I found out about Rainbow and the others throwing me a surprise party at the other end of town, I was more than happy to ditch these former friends of mine, once again.

Looking back now, I feel kind of bad about being so inconsiderate that day. My rock farm friends haven't spoken to me ever since. Well, if my behavior upset them, I probably couldn't even blame it on them. But we finally parted, and there's nothing I could change about that now.

Time had progressed for quite a bit during my short stay at whatever this kind of establishment was called, I think. Though there really wasn't any way for me to tell. The sun's position was never any indication, especially not inside a building. And neither were there any clocks or watches around this place, so I wouldn't have been able to check the time even if I wanted to. When the lighting and weather outside remained unchanged from what they were before, my first steps back onto the street made me feel like I hadn't been in that building for longer than five minutes or so.

And who knew if I had? If Trixie's words were any indication, I completely miscalculated some of the time frames in there, already.

This constant divide in the sky made me lose track of time more and more. In a way, it probably was a good thing I didn't stay at home. My sleeping schedule would become completely messed up quicker than I myself would notice. Can you imagine the chaos that would follow? Breakfast for Gummy in the afternoon would quickly become one of the consequences. And birthday celebrations at three in the morning. Applejack's sister and her friends would probably still be up for that, but otherwise? The whole town would likely become furious through my antics in ten seconds flat.

Yes, ten seconds flat. File me for plagiarism if you will, I don't think Dashie would mind me all that much. And no offense to a certain wall-eyed pegasus, but chances are the complaint will never arrive with me in time, anyhow. Especially since I'm not even home to check the mail. Which may be a bad thing. Uh...anyway.

Like I said, I wasn't home. I was out traveling the nation. This way, my daily rhythm still got screwed over, of course. But I always mess up whenever going on a road trip, so the same thing would likely have happened in any case, or so I figured.

Am I making sense?

Taking a look around now, I managed to spot Trixie again. She was sitting a few meters off to the left, next to her wagon, which remained parked at the same place as before. I could imagine why that was. The blue unicorn had lowered herself down to her haunches out here, right next to her wagon. The spot she'd taken appeared well considered; it was one of the few places on this alleyway that wasn't covered in mud entirely. She was chewing on a few, flattened cookies, which her magic kept levitating from a small package currently hovering a few inches beside her. A slightly embarrassed frown across her face, both eyes were narrowed down to the ground, mostly avoiding their surroundings. Though she probably just acted evasive of the ponies around her.

There was one thing I didn't get, though. Change in character or not, Trixie still was a stage magician. I expected her to put on a show someplace around, or at least try to impress ponies with whatever she did that...sort of. In any case, most of that being the exact opposite of what she did now. Being or becoming some sort of a local celebrity for a while at least should be pretty much necessary for her success. And wasn't that what we're all striving towards?

Yet, none of the ponies passing through seemed to pay the blue unicorn any attention, let alone recognize her. Watching that was a bit sad actually, though Trixie herself wasn't completely blameless of the situation either, was she? If a pony wanted to make some money, why would they even go looking for it in a place like this? Unless they're some kind of sailor pony, which Trixie clearly wasn't. Maybe she was just here for the crackers? Wouldn't surprise me, either.

Most of the street was deserted at this time; not that it appeared to ever be a busy location in the first place, but right now, Baltimare harbor looked much more like a ghost town than I would have liked to admit. Safe for the occasional passing stranger, some abandoned crates, and - of course - Trixie's wagon, the two of us were alone out here. Nopony else from inside the cafe seemed very eager to follow me here either, and neither did I expect them to.

Trixie looked up from her snack as soon as she noticed me. Though not quite in the way I expected, especially after that scene she just made. And knowing Trixie the way she'd always been, you may guess I'd see a thing or two coming from her. What I did not expect at this time was a smile. Let alone a pure, genuine smile from her muzzle that I couldn't detect any kind of fraud or intrigue from. Which may be a bit specific for a general assumption like this one, but turned out to land a spot-on hit, nevertheless. Though I first instinctively wanted to open my mouth to gasp, I eventually managed to smile back in all the honesty I could gather this spontaneously.

"Well?" she asked, her tone being a lot more welcoming than before. "How did it go?"

In order to provide her with the best answer I could manage, I mentally went over the scene once more, replaying it in my head. All the while, I made sure not to miss out on any details, be they positive or negative. Everything from the first moment of our conversation to the last needed to be thoughtfully weighed in order to get a precise judgment of what had happened. Accessing my own memories like that, I played through the entire process as quickly as somehow possible, eventually ending up with the super-spectacularly best I could manage. The entire process took about two seconds or so.

"Meh," I then replied with a shrug. "It was alright."

"They did take you in, didn't they?" Trixie asked with widened eyes, a good deal of concern now mixing into her voice.

"Oh, they did that, alright." I rubbed a hoof against my chin, hoping to underline my deep consideration of what to say next. "It's just...I don't know. They were nice and all, but also not exactly, uh...not the kind of crew you read about in adventure books or any of that. I mean...we're not in a book like that of course, but I still thought the inspiration for those had to come somewhere, right? One of them even started dozing off halfway through our talk. And from the remaining ones, I've got the feeling one of them doesn't like me. I might have to work on that."

"Huh...figures," she hesitantly replied, eyes wandering over the building's facade next to us. "I suppose that does explain why they carried him out, just now. I was probably going to ask you that, anyway. Oh, well...if it's only that and nothing else. I was afraid something far worse might have happened in there..."

"Did you see where they went?" I asked. Sure, Polly said she'd pick me up here, tomorrow. But I might as well get an overall idea of where I needed to be. Docking Bay 94 could be anywhere, and to be honest, I never even expected the port to be this large. Or maybe they just started counting from some higher number to make it appear larger on paper. Strange things happen out here.

"Well, they went down the street, then took another corner somewhere. I didn't pay them a lot of attention beyond that," Trixie casually explained. "Why, is there something you still needed to ask them?"

"Oh, no, no, don't worry." I giggled alongside my reply. Not sure how she interpreted that one. "They are gonna pick me up here tomorrow. But I might as well get an overall idea of where I need to...be...didn't I already tell you this?"

"I...don't think so," she said, gulping down another cracker. Hesitating for a moment, she held out the brownish paper package in my direction. "Care for some, by the way?"

"Of course," I squeaked, all the more joyfully. "Thank you so much!"

My thoughts stopped drifting off in an instant, returning to the small paper bag in front of me. Honestly, this was all I could ever ask for. Sugar! And for free! Who cares if it was Trixie handing them out, and her potentially malicious thoughts behind it...if any. After days of wandering through the lonely steppes of Southern Equestria, these crackers felt more welcoming than anything I had ever since leaving Ponyville. When the gears in my head first connected, realizing what this was about, I didn't only grab the package from her hoof. Instead, I embraced the package. I worshiped the package. I became the package.

And I gulped it all down in one go. Including the wrapping, that was. No need to let some good aroma go to waste.

Trixie gave me another weak smile as I did, her forehead falling to wrinkles ever so slightly. But I think she didn't mind me. Not that much, anyway. And it wouldn't be until much later that I realized what I just did may have been a little inconsiderate. It didn't trouble me now though, and that was okay. Because Trixie didn't seem to be so angry, either. She tilted her head to the right, motioning down the street.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we? I wouldn't want to spend the entire afternoon in front of this, well...not-so-inviting establishment."

I nodded, telling her what a great idea that was. Though I also felt a little suspicious about it. Well, I never really felt so sure about what Trixie was up to, these days. When asked where she was headed, she told me that there wasn't anything in particular she had in mind. Just a walk around town. Maybe she wanted to say hello to her friends? Then again, did Trixie even have friends, especially here? Did anyone in this town have any friends in here? Or elsewhere? Maybe they did. But then again, maybe they didn't. But what other point was there in wandering aimlessly around town, if not for saying hi to any of your friends?

I didn't get her logic. And still, I agreed to come along. Only moments later, we were off, yours truly happily bouncing up and down on the street's surface next to the formerly boastful unicorn mare. A little bit of sweet stuff always gets me going, you see. Can't help it.

"Sooo, what have you been doing, lately?" I asked to break the silence after a while. It seemed like the best way to start off a conversation, but Trixie's expression hardly changed upon my request.

"Oh, you know." She shrugged. "Just the usual. Traveling around a lot, mostly, doing a few shows here and there." She hesitated for a moment. "I...also decided to include those fireworks into my routine. You know, the ones I used for Twilight's magic show? It's not that hard, really. A simple optic illusion, but it definitely broadens my audiences a good deal. So...business is going pretty good you may say. So far."

"That's great!" Was it? I suppose so. I happily retorted that phrase, while continuing to leap down the road just like I always did. But apart from that, there didn't seem to be so much cheerfulness in the atmosphere around us. What followed was another bit of silence.

I still wasn't so sure how to react to Trixie's behavior. She seemed nice right now. But I shouldn't let myself be fooled. I mean, how often did we already decided to put our trust in Discord, while always ending up with some kind of disaster in the end? And just to be clear, I also wasn't completely sure about his innocence concerning our current crisis, either. So why trust Trixie but not him? Why trust her, anyway? She tried to help me, after all. But why?

There really didn't seem to be anything wrong with what she did, and I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt...on the outside, at least. If Trixie tried to be supportive of me like she made it appear, there wouldn't be any reason for me to do otherwise. And should she still be after stabbing all of us in the back, well...the safer she felt around me, the more likely it was she'd let something slip. Then I would know for sure.

Instead however, she didn't say anything for a long time. She didn't even look over to me, even though I tried to establish eye contact in between several of my regular leaps. But whenever I actually did stare into that face of hers, I saw nothing but a horribly troubled expression, hardly even aware of the looks I gave her.

Trixie seemed a bit deep in thought. A little too deep, maybe. I searched for some kind of struggle going on inside her, though I didn't figure out what exactly it might have been about. Although, hadn't it been her who originally suggested we take this walk, wherever it would lead? Was she already considering to deceive me? I narrowed my eyes a bit, expressing my mistrust.

"Are you okay?" I then asked her. "You're not very talkative as of late, you know that, right?"

Trixie's eyes flashed up to me for a moment, then immediately back to the ground, as she let loose a low sigh. "W-well, I guess what I actually wanted to say..." she trailed off, her gaze constantly shifting from one part of the street to another, as she slowly started to resume her steps. I followed suit almost immediately, and yet I realized that wherever Trixie would turn her eyes, she wouldn't dare look in my face for longer than a split-second. Which I didn't understand. I mean, Fluttershy would do this sort of thing all the time, but somepony confident as Trixie? Sorry, but that was just weird.

"Ugh, this is a lot harder than I thought..." she started, somewhat stumbling across her words. "I guess...I guess what I really wanted to say is thank you, Pinkie. To you and your friends. Thank you. For everything. I know...this probably sounds a bit weird coming from me and all that." She chuckled, nervously. "It probably also doesn't sound very convincing either, does it? I guess I'm just really bad at this."

Now she did look back up to me, but turned away once again immediately, when all she saw was the questioning face I put on. Which I didn't have any hard feelings about, since I honestly didn't know what she was talking about. Don't villains usually apologize before doing bad stuff to you, instead of, well...being grateful for something? That probably wasn't it, then.

"You probably don't even know what I mean by that...no, of course not. I never even told you..." she mumbled, her voice monotonous and almost incomprehensible. "You do remember the first time I came to Ponyville though, don't you? And actually the second time as well...anyhow, I was so full of myself back then, boasting with all those incredible talents I didn't have. All because I thought that was the way I could get ponies to like me...well, not just that, but even adore me. Sort of like the way they do with Princess Celestia. Well, did, really."

Okay, first the thanking, followed by some sort of confession, and now she started implying that the princesses were in fact dead...?

What in the world was even going on anymore?

"When I left Ponyville for the second time...you might recall the night I helped Twilight out with her magic show?"

"I do, actually," I told her. "That was...that was something." Or what? I didn't even know what she wanted to hear.

"Yes, well. I talked to her for a short while after that, even before I left. Considering the short time, that was probably the only thing I did before leaving, heh..." She chuckled, nervously, still not daring to look at me. "Well, I decided to try my luck and ask Twilight whether she could forgive me, you know? I didn't expect a whole lot at the time, and thought she'd probably just ignore me. Instead, she told me that she actually could just do that. And...without any price to pay or whatever. After everything I've put her through, she said she would just forget about it, and...and I think she really did mean it. That genuine look in her eyes, that...I don't even know when I've last seen that in forever.

"It dawned on me, then. I didn't understand her at first, much like I hardly understood how any of you managed through life so happily, but the realization struck me at that moment. That this must be what friendship actually feels like. I've never really given it any thought, but in that moment I realized that it actually feels good, like that. My whole life, I've always tried to compete with ponies, and prove myself better than them. And even if I did succeed, there always seemed to be something missing, and I suppose that something was someone else's approval of what I did.

"I first ever received that kind of approval during that talk with Twilight, I think. Now, I don't want to appear speaking badly of her, after all you've known that pony much longer than I have, probably. But...I don't think she looked at me any longer, thinking of a competitor. If she ever even did in the first place. Either way, I had become a better pony in her eyes. Someone who might not be so bad to spend time with after all. And I thought, if I could accomplish just that...if I could actually get ponies to think of me as someone who improved themselves, well maybe I could just get that sort of recognition I've always wanted. In a very different way, of course, a much more humble approach. But it would still be better than any of those fantasies I've had, all my life. Because in the end, what did all the power and popularity in the world mean to me, if I could never actually possess them, not in this way? This...these frendships, however, they were something real, something I could actually accomplish."

Trixie concluded her long monologue by drawing in a deep breath, and I had a feeling she wasn't entirely done, just yet. By now, we had stopped our walk, and took a short break in the cool shade of a nearby street corner. Just like before, the ponies passing us by hardly even took any notice of our presence, let alone whatever it was we were talking about. Trixie still couldn't get herself to look at me directly for more than a second, but it didn't slip my attention that her voice became a good deal shakier in the past few minutes, growing along with her insecurity. Which probably was just another reason for her to not look me in the eye directly.

"I, uh...I tried that different approach in the weeks to come," she explained, as we resumed walking. "And guess what? It actually worked. Instead of trying to show off all the time, all I did was putting together some simple, modest show including most of the magic I could do. Not the kind I wasn't capable of but pretended to be, anyway. I put some honest shows on display, then presented them to whatever audience might come around to watch. And after each show, I'd always be open for talks or discussions about pretty much everything. Some ponies wanted to learn some more about my tricks, and some asked whether I could even teach them some of the simpler ones. Or their kids, for that matter. Others just wanted to stay and chat. And I was always happy to deliver.

"In a lot of the towns I've visited, there were ponies happy to have me and my shows. I even got provided some free food in exchange. Heck, a few of them even let me stay with them for a night or two. And as far as I could tell they would do so again, if need ever be. All of which I've accomplished through some genuine entertainment, and...well, and acting friendly towards others. I never even thought it would be that easy. But long story short, I've...managed to turn myself around, and now, there's actually some ponies out there whom I can consider my friends.

"It's...been a little more complicated as of late, I suppose. This everlasting sunshine makes a lot of ponies stand on edge, all over the place. Makes them appear a lot more grumpy, too. I came here to Baltimare a few days back, and for the first time since we last met, and still most ponies don't even talk to me. That endless day drags the whole community down...hardly anyone even wanted to see my show." She paused for a moment, biting her lip. "I do hope this current affair won't come back biting us in the flank, one day. And I hope it's going to get under control, soon...

"Anyway, back to the friendship...thing. I mean...it's all so easy, you know. And it was in front of my muzzle all along, I think...I think I just needed a good push in the right direction..." she paused, eyes darting over to me. "Oh, okay, maybe a bit of a harder one. But still, I owe these changed in my life to you and your friends. Wouldn't I have had that feeling of nagging guilt thanks to what I've done to all of you, and wouldn't Twilight have chosen to forgive me, I don't think I'd be as happy as I am today. I'd probably still be the arrogant, little idiot from back when." Her chest gradually started heaving up and down more heavily, for whatever reason.

"What I...what I really wanted to ask is, and I've heard part of this affirmation from Twilight already, but...do you think you could forgive me for what I've done? That, and maybe, actually be my..." she swallowed. "...friend?"

And now, suddenly, she did look me in the eye. Dead in the eye, one might say. And seeing the way Trixie tried to look on for some response on my part, among a look on her face that was begging me, even desperate for an answer, the needle in my head finally clicked. I realized what this was about. There wouldn't be any meanie plans, slinging ropes, or death traps for me to fall into. She really was being honest with me. I know a smile when I see one...among other expressions. Telling real emotions from fake ones is what I do best, and that skill didn't leave me even now. And I realized that at this point, too.

There was only one possible answer for me to give.

"D'awww..." I burst out with a wide grin. "Come here, you old, uh..." Turns out I couldn't even think of a fitting word that wouldn't insult her. Whatever. Didn't matter now. Taking a short leap forward, I wrapped my forelegs around the clueless unicorn mare and gave her a squeeze as tightly and wholeheartedly as I could. I only retracted some of my force, when I heard her let out a surprised yelp from behind my left shoulder. In other words, I might have gone a little too hard on her with that one. Oh well. As long as I still got the message across.

I released the perplexed mare after another few seconds. Her pupils rotating in full circles a good three or four times, Trixie stumbled backwards, stumbling right and left. It took her a moment until she gained a fixed stance again. "I guess..." she managed to bring out between a few coughs. "I suppose this means yes, then?"

I rolled my eyes, giggling. Really, how much more obvious could I make it? "Duh, silly!" I thus cheered her on. "You're really new at this whole thing, aren't you?"

"Heh, yeah, I guess so." She said it like it was a gesture of remorse, but I could clearly see the happy grin on her muzzle. Which honestly spoke more than a thousand words ever could. Or actually, make that two-thousand. Anything beyond that might be a bit of a far reach, but two-thousand? Yeah, she should be able to pull that off.

"Pinkie?" she asked, looking up again, resuming only after a while longer. "Do you think the others in Ponyville would think so as well? Accept me as their friend and all? I mean...I have kind of a long history with your town, and not a very pleasant one at that. But still, looking back at your community now, and remembering it being so happy, and...cheerful...I even miss not being there sometimes, honestly. And troubled times or not, I would really be looking forward to returning there to start over. And make some friends...maybe even...settle down there? I don't know."

I blinked at her, eyes wide. "You would do that?"

"Yes. No. Maybe...I don't know." She closed her eyes deep in thought, while massaging her temples. "It's just...I think it would be nice to have a home. A permanent one, that doesn't move around wherever I go. Ponyville looks like a more than decent choice for that. I could still travel from there, but someplace to call home would truly mean something to me. I've...I've never really had one since," she paused, wincing. "Since the day my parents died."

"Come again?" I wasn't sure if I understood her correctly, though I really wished I hadn't. That last sentence came out a bit mumbled, as well as rushed.

"My parents," she said. "They died when I was still a foal, about five years old or so, I think. Truth is, I don't know just exactly how old I was, then. I can't even tell my age for sure, right now. I was still very young, in any case. We lived in a small shack really, really far to the south, almost at the badlands. Don't ask me why, I was much too young for my folks to reasonably explain it when they had the time.

"Well, the inevitable happened one day. We were attacked by a number of dragons; they basically burned down everything we had. And...I was the only one to make it to the next larger city - Dodge Junction that was - alive and well. Been living on the road ever since."

I stopped walking again, a few seconds ago. And Trixie hadn't bothered to march on from there, either. Now, all I could do was stare at her in disbelief. Especially at the way how she just said that so casually. I haven't been close with my family for a while, either. But just losing them like that? I don't think I'd take it so easily. This entire situation went from cheerful with cake and balloons to the saddest thing I've heard in days really quick, and if anypony needed a laugh more than ever, now would be that time.

"I think...I think Twilight would be happy to welcome you back," I finally told her. As I did, I made sure to draw the mare into another half-embrace, this time a lot more careful than the last, nuzzling her ever so slightly.

As I let go, she turned to the road ahead of us, a somewhat weary smile on her face. But still, it was a smile. Which was better than nothing. "I guess I should be glad to hear that," she pronounced with a chuckle. "Still some way to go ahead of us, also."

"Yeah, well," I replied, waving a hoof. "I don't have to be anywhere else before tomorrow at nine. So I'm game. Oh, speaking of which," I added. "Could you tell me when it's nine? Like, tomorrow? I don't exactly trust most clocks, they're a bit..." I narrowed my eyes, suspiciously checking our surroundings. "...untrustworthy."

"Sure, whatever you say," Trixie said with a grin. "And, Pinkie? One last request on my part as well."

"Huh?"

"Don't ever change, would you?"

We looked at each other for a moment longer, just before breaking out in the single, most roaring of laughters this city had seen or heard in weeks. It was also the best I've ever felt in approximately the same amount of time. How much of a relief it must have been for Trixie, I couldn't even imagine.

The rest of the day, and dayish-night or whatever, was well spent with a few more drinks, jokes, and general goofing around. Coming back to our hooves afterwards, we eventually helped ourselves, before going on for what was only supposed to be a short walk, down towards the glowing sunset.

Or not exactly a sunset. More like that one thing I already called it, half a sunny day, or a sun-day. Which is good because I like Sundays.

Chapter 13 - Deep Waters

I couldn't tell just how fast exactly our ship was sailing at any time. When the coast disappeared from sight, there was nothing but water all around, and not a single permanent mark in sight to deduct our position from. Which probably wouldn't even help in the first place, considering I hadn't ever been here before. Or had I? That was a tough one. After all, if I didn't know where I was, I also couldn't know whether it should be any familiar or not. I could guess, however. That wouldn't get me anywhere either, but I could.

What I'm trying to say is that there wasn't any way of telling how far we made it out into open waters thus far. Aside from that, I couldn't even tell what time it was, or how long we've been at it. With the sun's position locked in place since before we left port, days and nights just seemed to have faded into one another, creating a weird blur of different times of day following up on one another.

Am I being poetic? Sheesh. Looks like my brain's doing the thing again.

There was nothing for me to keep track off, one way or another. Hadn't it been for the constant amount of commands and orders given behind my back and the actions carried out in response, time might as well have stood still all along. And even their constant yelling couldn't distract me forever. Along with the repetitive motions of the waves beneath on each side, every word spoken eventually just turned into some dull background noise. Instead of paying it any more attention after a while, I continued to dwell in melancholy while looking out the ship's rear, right into never ending nothingness. And I could have gone on like that until our arrival in three weeks without end, hadn't Polly stepped onto the main deck at some point, impatiently calling me to work.

Only then did I snap out of my thoughts. I also remembered that there would be something more for me to do here than just useless glancing at the waves. We...kinda talked about that the first time we met, didn't we? I agreed to work for my pay, and that's what I was going to do. It's not like just sitting here and feeling sorry for myself was ever going to do any good.

For a short while, I even felt mad about myself for getting carried away like that, looking back to what I myself had run away from. There was a certain expectation I had towards myself, and disobeying it didn't sit well with me...somehow. I think it was this kind of anger I experienced from my father years ago that still made me feel like this whenever I didn't play along my usual rules. As if I'd directly inherited something just from his behavior. Odd.

Okay, okay. Never mind. There were some much more important things to worry about right in front of me now. Just causing the whole day to become a drama around my own emotions really wouldn't do these ponies any good. And neither would anypony get any fun out of those laments, least of all myself. No good. So I brushed them off. Chances were, these feelings only resulted from the sudden changes of situations I'd gone through lately. A few days to get used to living on a ship and everything would turn out just fine, or so I told myself. Besides, there was some work to do, now. And nothing like some good, old-fashioned kitchen labor could easier get me distracted from whatever it was I needed to be distracted from at the time.

And right now, there was something I needed to distract myself from big time. Which was the image of a crying, helpless soul embodied by a yellow coat and a long, pink-ish mane. Crying because of me. Ugh, silly thoughts! Don't you ever stop that?

I marched past Captain Saratoga, who stood halfway stable at his command post, overlooking the scene before him with limited enthusiasm. Every now and again, he would raise both forehooves and vigorously massage his temples, a groan escaping his throat every time he did.

Stepping down from the raised deck, I headed for what lay below it. The enclosed areas were probably a bit more comfortable right now, shielded from the sun's heat and all that. It was still pretty hot out here, even though we had quite a strong wind blowing in from up north. Trotting down the short flight of stairs leading to the lower deck in the ship's center (Fourteen steps! I counted each of them, repeatedly), I made for a left turn, facing the door to the corridor that lay adjacent to our kitchen.

I kept an eye out for the remaining ponies in our crew, hoping they would regard me a bit friendlier now than they did earlier. It's not that I don't appreciate a good smile, even if it's just a grin. But the looks I've been receiving so far were more creepy than inviting...whatever they meant to say.

Right now, nopony actually spared me a single glance. Not intentionally, anyway. These ponies were too caught up with whatever they were doing. And since the captain seemed to keep his vessel at a pretty sharp course with the wind, said tasks required more than enough attention. Oh well.

It was probably for the best. Despite having a...well, a bit of a tendency of wanting to stand in the spotlight on any other day, I did in fact long for some solitude at the moment. And spending time in the kitchen with Polly would probably be the closest I could get to having some alone time. There really wasn't any need for all these ponies to see me down and out like that, especially since I'd been the one who wanted to bring some cheers to this place, not make it any more gloomy. Some of these ponies sure looked like they could need a good laugh.

Turning for the door, I even noticed a thick, pink curtain obscuring part of my vision. Which most likely meant my mane was hanging down all limply again. I guess that made sense. All things considered, I really hadn't been the most cheerful of ponies lately.

Nevertheless, a mane dangling downwards like that was something that needed to be taken care of, especially while cooking or whatever. The last thing a hard working sailor pony needed was a loose strain of pink hair swimming around in their dinner. And the last thing I needed was having to walk the plank if something like that ever happened.

A sore chuckle escaped my throat at that last thought. Well, at least the whole laughter thing still worked out...more or less.

I pushed open the door, thereby following Polly inside. While she wasn't actually out here waiting for me, she had walked back the same path just a minute ago. Technically, I was still following in her steps. Wasn't I? Probably...not.

Finding the kitchen wasn't that hard. Even though I had to skip through an enigmatic maze that could easily send a pony's mind into the oblivious darkness that was insanity. Because I remembered this most complicated walk all too well from last time: Second door to the right, and there I was. If any, the challenge was finding the door's position on the wall, given the hallway's scarce lighting. But even that was something I managed to accomplish after a few failed tries. The resulting headache only lasted for a few moments or so, nothing to be worried about.

Our little workplace itself was well lit up with a number of candles, so orientation wasn't much of a problem from here on. Much like completing our actual task wouldn't be. As I came in, Polly already started stacking up some of the ingredients for whatever it was we were to prepare for the crew. Like I said, not that hard.

I might not have an idea where my journey would one day lead me to. But this? I was definitely ready for this.

Trotting around the central counter, I shot Polly an anticipating glance, up and running to get the job done.

I was not ready for this.

After hours and hours of hard work and menial labor, followed by the stress of distributing the dishes and making sure everyone on board got their stomach filled, Polly and I finally found a chance to get some rest. With everyone finished, the two of us strolled back into the kitchen, exhausted and defeated.

When I say exhausted, I don't mean the kind of exhausted that causes a pony to go all sweaty and heavily panting like they'd just run a marathon, mind you. What I felt now was more the kind of tired weariness, which makes it hard to keep any one of your eyelids from just dropping down and carry you to sleep, let alone both of them. The kind of exhausted that automatically draws a pony towards the nearest soft object that looks fit for a head to rest on. Comfort really was kind of a secondary thing in these cases.

The candles were long gone and burned out. We didn't replace them after finishing and cleaning up all of our day's work. The ship was only able to carry so many of them, and the reserves needed to last until we reached our destination. Most importantly, they had to be used to keep track of our work. So whenever there wasn't a meal to be prepared, and we didn't necessarily require them, the ship's kitchen rested in utter darkness.

Well, more or less. There still was some sunlight flooding in through the ceiling cutout above the fireplace, which lead to a narrow shaft and ended somewhere on the stern deck. Up there, it was sealed with a steel grid, of course. Wouldn't want anypony on board to become an ingredient of tomorrow's lunch, after all.

Still, a few beams of light actually made their way down here, and while they didn't provide as much light as one would hope for, it at least was better than nothing. And better than on normal days, I suspected. Who knew how dark the nights in here would get, once Celestia actually recovered. Whenever that would happen. As soon as my eyes had adjusted to the darkness in here, I could easily make out the outlines of shapes around me, but it didn't go far beyond that. Which had to do, I suppose.

Both of us had fallen back onto our haunches, resting in front of the central counter once again. I suppose she was sitting approximately across from me, though even that was hard to make out in this dim light. All I could make out was the four feet high surface in front of me, on top of which rested a decently sized bowl of lukewarm mushroom soup that I occasionally took a sip from. As did Polly from hers. We slowly and tiredly got our meals done, before heading off to bed. Both of us were worn out and tired, generally not doing a whole lot of talking.

In the dim twilight, the only time I could actually see Polly still being with me were those at which she leaned in towards me to take another sip off her soup. My two forehooves resting on the counter, right and left of my own bowl respectively, I occasionally shot a glance in her direction. Make sure she was still alive, or something like that. I really couldn't tell whether she noticed my eyes resting on her at any time, if they ever even did in the first place. Anything was hard to tell when only going by the outlines of things.

"You know, I never did get your actual name," I said, trying to direct my words in her approximate direction. Had to break the ice...somehow. "Didn't you say there's something about ponies unable to pronounce it?"

A sigh came to met me from the other side of the room, followed by a few moments of silence, before my companion had the nerve to speak up. "It's a long story."

"But you do come from these islands we're headed to, don't you? The what's it called...Pegasilians?"

"Yes."

Another slurping sound indicated Polly was more intensely interested in finishing dinner than holding a conversation. She really wasn't what I call uplifting in any case. Which reminded me how I hadn't actually seen her very cheerful at any time, so far. No matter how tough or easy the current situation was going on us, and no matter the mood, I could always see some kind of deep concern in these oddly brown eyes of hers. Like an age-old worry, something that wouldn't leave her alone.

In other terms, lots of ponies around here needed to be cheered up. But she made it farther up the list with every passing minute.

"Aw, come on," I told her in a somewhat demanding tone. Not that negative, forcefully demanding, mind you. More of a friendly way of inquiry, with some comic mixed into it. Like I could ever go without that. "What's gotten your tail? Aren't you going to tell me about anything?"

A similar response like the one from earlier came rushing over to meet my request. First a sigh. Then silence. I wondered if that was some kind of signature routine of hers. Because if so, it might still need some work. Over time. For now, I'd give it a six out of ten.

"I grew up in Druzyovsk if it helps you any," she eventually got around to explain. "That would be the southern part of the city, then. I can't say whether I was born there or not, but I grew up there. Maybe I didn't even originally come from the islands, but I lived in Druzyovsk for as long as I can remember." I heard her sigh again. Someone was being melancholic, alright. Not like that ever happened to me, uh...never mind. "I never knew my parents, to get to the point. Maybe they're dead, maybe just...gone elsewhere. I don't know, and I don't really care, actually.

"For what I remember, I've always been out, living on the streets where I'd make a living and earn myself a warm meal every now and again. It's the best an abandoned orphan can do in an outpost of civilization such as our island...if you'd want to call it that. I came around both Chuda and my hometown, making a few bits here and there...well, with whatever it is a filly that age is capable of. Eventually, I got myself into cooking, then landed a job preparing the meals at a the Kameny. The place where all those zebra refugees lived, twenty-five years ago...ages ago, really.

"After that, I tried getting myself off the island, and somehow ended up on the Cornucopia. I started doing the same errands here that I've already done back home. Since I'm still here today, I guess that's all there is to it. So, if you won't mind, I'd just finish my soup right now, and we can talk about all this some other time."

Could we, really? There was a problem with that 'other time' part, however. When starting this conversation just now, I had only one question to ask her. Now, since the answer had come across cryptic as it did, I had several. That was a major issue to me, fatigue or not. And I wanted it to be cleared up quickly and easily, so...

"Can I ask you something else?"

She chuckled, bitterly. "You're not going to give up on this, are you?"

"Nope." I tried a smile, only to quickly remember how pointless the latter part was.

"I know what you're going to ask," Polly continued, almost regretfully. "And I don't know if you're familiar with the zebras and their history. No offense, but you're probably too young to have read about it in the papers, and...and if you're not familiar with the islands themselves, well..." She trailed off for a moment. "I'll explain that to you someday, alright? Just, just not now. I'm really not in the mood for that subject in particular."

"Uh, okay," I replied, tapping a hoof against my chin. "That wasn't what I wanted to know, but okay."

"Then what was?" She sounded confused. I guess I couldn't blame her. Or could I? That would be pretty mean. I didn't wanna be mean. But she asked me something, so I needed to react in any case. Not by blaming something on someone, but by doing that thing ponies usually do when asked a question. What was that again? Oh, right. Answer the question.

"So you do want to hear me out, huh?"

"Depends on what you want to know."

"Yes or no?"

"Just ask the question."

"Well," I began. "This one's about these towns you come from...I mean, practically you're only from one of them, but there's two of them...on that island...of yours...right? Like, you keep referring to them as two places, but when we first met, the name sounded like it was one single city. But now it's not, and that's really, really confusing." I took in a breath. "So, what's the deal, there?"

"Oh," she muttered. That didn't seem to have been what she would've guessed. Why she wouldn't, I had no idea. Zebras or not, the idea of that name had been bugging me ever since they first brought it up. Asking for that now, the first good chance I got, seemed like the most reasonable thing to do.

"I...I don't know about that one for sure," Polly stammered. "As far as I'm concerned, they used to be two different cities. The island they're on has a large bay at its west coast, which is also the spot where it would first be settled. Founded by the ponies who originally emigrated here after the banishment of Nightmare Moon, or so I've heard. They feared Celestia would become too much of a tyrannical ruler when running the country all by herself. Call them crazy because they probably really were.

"Whatever. They sailed over to the islands, first arriving at that bay. For reasons I couldn't ever figure out, these ponies somehow thought of it as a clever idea to found two different cities. Chuda on the northern shore, and Druzyovsk on the southern. I don't even know if those were their original names. But the current ones work well with the modern day language we've developed, so I guess that's alright.

"Both cities naturally continued to grow over the ages and all...you get the idea. Eventually, they started spreading out along the coast, until the suburbs merged somewhere halfway. So it's practically just one big metropolitan area, thus giving it that double name. As far as administration goes, however, there's still two different cities with two different mayors. They never got to set a fixed border between them, either. Somewhere in the center, there's still a zone about half a mile wide that no-one's quite sure which city it belongs to. The inhabitants don't even know whom to pay their taxes to."

She sighed, again. "The Pegasilian government has always been a mess. As goes for many things around there."

For a whole while then, I said nothing. Technically, I could have asked her what that zebra business had been all about, but she already told me that wasn't going to happen. So why waste any more time on that? Or strength, for that matter. Being the mare I am, I never really imagined I'd ever get into a situation where I'd actually think about preserving my energy.

"I'm finished, by the way," Polly added after a good while of silence. "How about you? I'd really like to call it a day."

"Yeah, same here," I said, looking down at my emptied out bowl. "Just finished up, actually."

Now that statement was only partly true. But since no-one ever actually saw what truly happened, including myself, did that really matter? So, I just might have slurped down my entire meal after about five seconds, and failed to mention it then. Might. But again, nopony was there to witness it, so did any of that actually happen? Does anything happen, ever? If a tree falls down in the woods, and all that. Well? I guess we'll never know...

A minute later, I was up on all fours again, following Polly out into the hallway. It wasn't any lighter in here than inside our workplace, but the door outside had been left creaked open ever so slightly, letting some amount of sunlight fall in from the west. There weren't any more impressions to be gathered at this time, however. Apart from the sounds of waves splashing against the ship's hull, everything was dead silent. I suppose the crew made their way to bed a good while ago, and only two or three of them were still stationed outside for the watch, 'cause you never know.

We wouldn't have to go outside ourselves, mind you. As opposed to most of the crew members, Polly and I were as lucky as to have our cabins placed up here, right across the kitchen. Everypony else had to sleep downstairs below the decks. Somewhere along with the cargo, I guessed. I hadn't actually been down there, just yet. Our little tour didn't cover that part of the ship, but I probably would get to take a glimpse at everything, anyway.

As we stepped out into the corridor, Polly turned to face me one last time for that day. "One more thing Pinkie," she said, averting her gaze, both eyes locked onto the wooden floor. "I...well, I know this might come out of nowhere, but remember: We're in a rough place here. Some of the ponies traveling with us might get a bit aggressive or loud from time to time, so...if you ever feel like you're being bullied or harassed by anyone, just remember, I got your back. As does the captain. This is your first cruise, don't hesitate to tell us if there's anything wrong."

I arched an eyebrow. Where did that come from all of a sudden?

"Uh...okay? Thank you, I guess?" I muttered, unable to spontaneously think of anything more fitting. And why would I be bullied, in the first place? Unless all of these ponies really were just big meanies, which I couldn't know, but didn't think so. Besides, I was a big girl, right? I could take care of myself just fine. Polly didn't seem to make a point at all, I though. Then again, this wasn't the time for arguments, so I only thanked her instead of going in that direction.

And with a low and emotionless nod and a "Goodnight," Polly went to her cabin and had the door slide close behind her. she never even gave me the time to greet her back. Weird.

I put the notion off with a shrug, and headed for bed, myself. The doors up here weren't locked or anything, so stepping in and out wasn't that big a deal. I was in within seconds. And once I was, the only thing I could think about was finally, finally getting some rest after this long and hard day. For the first time in years, the thought of sleeping through the rest of the night pushed themselves to my mind's forefront, pushing everything else out of their way. Including friendship and laughter, actually. On any other day, I'd have been alarmed by that, but now it seemed only reasonable. Because if a good night's sleep wasn't something well deserved now, I didn't know what was.

I flopped onto my bunk, a soft slumber embracing me just as soon as possible. Which took a minute or so even now, since this wasn't the most comfortable of beds. It didn't even feel that much softer than the wooden planks on the floor, but none of that really mattered to me right now. I covered myself with the thin sheet provided to me, then started drifting off into a dream with - hopefully - lots of cake and candy.

The last thing I noticed before dozing off was a stack of bags, crates, and barrels occupying part of the room's opposite corner. Surely, there was some explanation for this, but none that I wanted to go after anymore tonight. Talk about sleeping beside the cargo, though. And I considered that to be a joke just five minutes ago.

Again...weird.

Chapter 14 - Doughnut City

On our third day at sea, we came into a storm. A really bad one, or so I've been told. The entire ship rocked back and forth for hours, and we constantly had our kitchen equipment slip off the counters or shelves. Sometimes a loose board or frying pan would be flung right across the room. Needless to say, I always saw them coming. Still, preparing food was particularly difficult at that time, and each meal would take Polly and me almost twice as long to get ready.

I didn't have any time off on that day. Not a single second, if you will. Which is also why I didn't actually see the storm.

I never even went outside the entire time. But everything I learned from overhearing conversations that night spoke for itself. Waves high as more-story buildings dominated the landscape throughout the day, or so ponies told me. Could I actually call our surroundings that, anyway? There wasn't any land out there after all, so this couldn't really be described as landscape. More like the same thing but with lots of sea...a seascape, I guess.

These waves were only supported by the rain. Tons and tons of it. From what I heard, it was a near miracle we didn't get drowned back in the kitchen. Thousands of liters smashing down from an impenetrable cloud curtain of dark gray almost threatened to sink our ship in whole. Except they didn't, otherwise we wouldn't still be here. Duh.

Three ponies were swept overboard, I got told. It wasn't exactly happy news, though apparently not the worst of quotas, either. When asking whether they'd be okay or if they had a fun trip, I didn't get a straight answer from anypony. Most of them just kinda stared at me like I just murdered their granny or something. Which I didn't, of course. That would be a real meanie thing to do.

As for the storm itself, well, it pretty much flew past my head, like I mentioned. I didn't actually experience anything first-hoof, whatsoever. Polly and I had already gone inside the kitchen preparing lunch when it broke loose. Just as the first larger waves hit us, she casually mentioned how it might be a good idea to stay indoors for time being. Going on deck may be a tad dangerous...and nopony on this ship could afford to lose either one of us, least of all ourselves. We were still needed to feed the rest of the crew, after all.

So much for that. Everything I knew about what happened that day, I knew from reports or overheard conversations in the hours following it. By the time the storm finally calmed down it was almost midnight, but that didn't matter. We just decided to serve dinner then, pushing lights-out to almost six hours later than usual. As a result, the captain decided we wouldn't have to get up until six hours later. Our day and night cycle was getting messed up big time due to his orders, but with the sun in place all the time, it really didn't matter that much.

So basically, when we continued our journey the next day, time had already processed to two in the afternoon or so. Realizing the somewhat difficult patterns which emerged here, high command decided that night and day would no longer exist on the Cornucopia for the rest of our trip. There would be a time to get up, and a time to go to sleep. One awake-cycle lasted fourteen hours, with ten hours of sleep in between. Two meals would be served during that time; the first one four hours after getting up, and the second right before hitting the hay. Should day and night be pushed forwards or backwards in our schedule for whatever reason, then so be it.

With breaks only being taken for sleeping and eating, a huge chunk of the day could still be sacrificed to getting actual work done. About eleven or twelve hours of straight sailing were left for the crew every day, and with the wind provided, we easily made it across two-hundred miles each day. All things considered, our time of arrival could easily be kept. Three weeks from start to finish, and I would finally get to my destination...probably.

It all seemed to good to be true. I'd just have to finish off this trip, rescue the ponies I needed to rescue, get them back on another ship, then sail right back to Baltimare. I'm not a genius at calculations like Twilight, but I soon figured I could probably make it home with in the next two months or so. If that wasn't something to look forward to, I don't know what is.

Now, the weather calmed down a good deal overnight. Or whatever we considered nighttime, by then. When our next awake cycle started, what had been one hay of a storm became little more than a strong breeze. That being said, our trip quickly went back to its everyday routine, with only the wind in our sails to keep the crew busy. The current wind strength was hardly enough to put anyone in any true danger. On the contrary, everyone considered this exactly what we needed at the time. Catching the wind from behind, our ship rushed forward at maximum speed in no time. Even Strange Days seemed to generally lighten up at the prospect, though he still regarded me with a worried frown whenever we met.

I didn't mind him, and made sure to enjoy a bit of free time. Compared to what happened earlier, today seemed to go easy on me. Polly promised we would prepare something simple for dinner, which made for a few hours in between that none of us were actually busy with anything. A few hours for me to spread some fun, maybe? She remarked that if I wanted to cheer ponies up, all I had to do for now was go around and asked if anyone could need my help. It would be the most useful thing to do right now, and so I did. With limited success.

Despite my best efforts, most of these sailor ponies either told me to shove off, or gave me these weird looks again. The latter made me put some distance between us without even being asked. I could have been wrong, but that was probably what they intended in the first place.

Looks like it was just going to be one of these days. The only thing that could possibly cheer these ponies up would be a super humongous party, planned and executed right here, right now. And the whole executing part would be a bit harder to get off the ground than I had hoped for. There didn't seem to be any party supplies anywhere on the ship, and believe it or not, my muscles still yelped in protest at the very thought. Most felt incredibly sore after only three days of hard work...well, three and a half days, really. And they weren't even days anymore, so you might want to put that last days in marks.

Marks! Not cursive, silly. Ugh. Somehow, I'm always the one who has to do the thinking, aren't I?

So yeah. Half a week of menial labor, tougher than anything I've experienced so far, which made me feel more worn out than ever before. Exhaustion to a point I didn't even know existed, and aching muscles all over my body I didn't even know were there. No cake, no fun, no party supplies. I would have just produced them out of nowhere, like I usually do. But that would require some basic compensation of how such a thing actually works. And truth be told, I don't even understand myself, sometimes.

This called for some cheering up the old fashioned way: Tough and intense face-to-face conversation that ideally resulted in laughter, to be plain. Basically my usual checklist. Meet somepony new. Introduce self. Burst into uplifting musical number. Become instant best friends. Only I already tried all of those, and none of them worked out. Great. Turns out, the only pony who seemed at least halfway open for some silly talk was also the one I least expected it from.

Captain Saratoga stood behind his steering wheel like a rock. While everyone else kept rushing on and about, he looked like nothing in this world or beyond could ever get him off his post, come Tartarus or high water. And he didn't even look any passionate about what he did. Instead, both his forelegs were folded, and placed on top of the wheel, chin resting on his fetlocks. Apart from reaching up every now and prevent his hat from sailing off, the only thing he seemed to be doing was stare onto the general scene with very limited enthusiasm. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed he was sleeping.

I hate to say it, but this was nothing new regarding our captain. More like same as always, or something. As I stepped up to meet him on the raised deck, a particularly strong wind caught me from the side, brushing through my coat with a force that sent cold shivers down my spine. The air had cooled down considerably after yesterday's weather, and even now the clouds kept hanging in the sky, preventing any additional heat from the sun to fall through.

The captain didn't seem to even notice the cold. The scattered hairs on his unshaven chin fluttered blown to the side considerably, along with his mane and tail. Still, he never paid them any attention. His eyes were kept straight forward, directed nowhere in particular. Or so I thought at first. On second sight, I noticed there actually was little movement in them. Not much of it, and nowhere near rapid, but it was present, nevertheless. His eyes darted around every few seconds, and only a little bit at a time.

So he was looking after each of his crew members in turn, or what? That was hard to tell, really. I couldn't make out much going on in any direction, but the lower decks were still the most eventful of places around us. Apart from them, there were only loads of water. And should he consider them boring, I couldn't even blame it on him. Even I myself thought so after a few days at sea. In any case, Saratoga was distracted with something seemingly important, that much I could tell. He didn't seem to notice me walk up to him, even as we were only a few feet apart.

His concentration must have been impressive to say the least. I tilted my head a few times standing next to him, even waved a few times to get his attention. Neither of them worked, to my own surprise. Now, that only left room for the classic approach.

"Whatcha doing?" I asked. Not the most subtle way to start a conversation, I agree. But still, it tends to work out just fine...nine times out of ten or so.

He snorted in response. "Steering me ship, I am. What's it look like?"

What indeed? His response made me giggle, which I quickly tried to cover up with a hoof. He might consider that to be rude, I don't know. Glancing at him for another moment, I noticed how something made one of his eyebrows twitch. He still didn't turn around to face me. Those two eyes of his remained wandering between all the other members of his crew, examining whatever they were doing. Or so I supposed.

"What's so funny now, eh?"

"Oh come on, silly," I muttered between two more chuckles. No need to cover them up if he already noticed, anyway. "You can't tell me that's how you steer it. You'd have to hold the wheel completely different...how are you even going to move it with your head resting on top?"

"Don't need to move it, not now." And his tone went back to casual, of course. "We're jest going straight ahead, and that's where we need to be. Might not have the stars to guide us right now, but I didn't spend a bloody amount of thirty years on this nutshell fer nothin'. Especially going to the Pegasilians. I've only made that trip hundreds of times already. Gotta be fine with one more, I should."

Well, this wasn't going to get us anywhere. But at least he seemed like he wanted to talk, so that was something. Especially since it made him more fit a partner for a conversation than pretty much everyone else on board. Now he just needed a push in the right direction, is all. And I could do that. Making friends is never that hard with the proper attitude, so I might as well get to it. Before doing so though, I took another deep breath, just in case.

"Uh-huh. So...anything you like doing in particular. Like, I don't wanna hint towards anything, but if somepony was going to throw a party nearby...how would you like it themed? Just asking, out of curiosity, of course." I had my eyes shoot left and right twice, suspicious for someone who might blow my ever so subtle cover. "It's not like I had anything special in mind."

Saratoga didn't seem to notice. He gave a light shrug instead. "Heck, I dunno. Steering me ship's pretty dandy, though. And booze. One lot of it. I'm not much one fer parties, is all. Remind me to reconsider yer offer when we get to Chuda. I know a nice place or two around town."

Steering wheel. Booze. Duly noted. I also highlighted the assumption that he might be going at this the wrong way. In a very bright shade of imaginary olive, so I couldn't possibly overlook it next time I'd check. "That sounds like the wrong attitude, to be honest. If this ship needs anything, it's a party and some good cheers, no strings attached. You know you can have fun without alcohol, right?"

"Y'know ye can have alcohol without fun as well, that right?"

I...guess so? His entire line of reasoning brought me a little bit into a dead end, either way. Pretty sure we didn't have any, uh...special party mixtures on board. Looking at him, I could place a loose guess on why that might be. As for the steering...well, he was doing that all of the time anyway, so he wouldn't need a party to help him out with it. And if what I saw now was all the fun he ever got out of it, steering wheel themed parties likely wouldn't do his mood any good.

Maybe my approach hadn't been so subtle, after all. If I wanted to get to the core of the matter, I needed to find out about Saratoga's interests in some other way. Always assuming there would be anything in range that could stifle a smile from him in the first place. Then again, what kind of pony didn't enjoy a good laugh every once in a while? A dead one, maybe. He on the other hoof looked very much alive to me.

"So...I talked to Polly a few days ago."

"Figures."

"Huh?"

"Two of ya stayin' in the same room fer hours at a time, is all."

Point made. This wasn't what I was aiming for, though. Especially not the kind of response I was hoping to get. If I'm aiming for unnecessarily short answers, I usually talk to Gummy. He doesn't talk at all, mind you. It won't get any shorter than that.

"O...kay," I continued. "What I meant to say is, we talked a little bit about where she came from, and how she got to sailing. Well, more or less..."

"Like where, Chuda?"

"The other one, I think, actually."

"Ah, sure." He lifted his head ever so slightly, releasing one foreleg. One which he then used to scratch behind his ear. "Right, she's from Druzyovsk, we only picked her up in Chuda. Kinda prefer that part of the city. All the good taverns' over there. Among the Kameny..." He winced. "Yeh, whatever. Chuda can be a great deal more hospitable than the south. Jest so ye know."

He sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I wouldn't need to question that. And I didn't. Did I ever imply that? I never even said anything!

If there was anything to be put into a question, that would be a recurring name which I already noticed earlier. Or would it even be recurring, hadn't I heard it before? It's a big word, and I'm not quite sure what it means. Twilight would know. Or her library. Which was made of wood. And this ship was made of wood. So, if both the library and the ship were made of wood, then...

"Do we have a dictionary on board?"

"Nay."

Aw, bummer. Anyway, what was I going to ask? Something about...zebras.

"Kameny," I decided to tell him instead. "What's that mean? Polly used that word, earlier."

As on clue, the captain's eyes squeezed shut with frustration, just as the words exited my mouth. So I did manage to get a reaction out of him. Not the one I expected or hoped for, but still.

"Kameny's the name o' the place she used to work at, 'fore we picked her up to join." I couldn't help but notice the obvious frown that started stretching across his muzzle. "Folks had a...bit of a situation there, back when. Zebra refugees from when their tiny general was in power. And she's had some personal trouble of 'er own..." he hesitated. "Nah, scratch that last bit. Not my place to go sneakin' about."

Not what I asked for, anyway. But why zebras, and from where? I knew Zecora hadn't been living in the Everfree Forest for, like, her whole life. But I also didn't know where she originally came from. Somewhere south would've been my guess. But I've been told there's only badlands and dragons down there, so I never really bothered to check.

"Who's that tiny general?" I asked. "Not an expert on that field."

It's gotten nothing to do with sugar or laughing, right?

"General N'Boko," Saratoga replied with a snort. "Y'know, that one dictator from Zebrica, back in the bad ol' days. You've heard of Zebrica, right? Large savanna continent to the south?"

I gave him a blank stare.

"Guh! Don't they teach ya kids anything in schools these days?" Pretty sure he would've facehoofed, if possible. But right now, both forelegs rested beneath his chin, once more. "N'Boko was one of these, wha's it called...right-wingers in the armed forces. About twenty-five years ago, he staged a little coup ta take over the government. Had the whole country go to..." I'd rather not repeat that word.

"Well, not like it warn't always a nasty place to begin with. Not the wealthiest of the lot, or so I've heard. But that little ole bastard really went o'er the top with it. Back in his day, Zebrica got it all bad, I tell ya. Political prisoners, torture and whippings, public executions...yer gettin' the idea, I take it. Fortunately I guess, some little revolution came up two years after, and swapped him right of his high horse." He chuckled at his own pun. "Had him beaten to death on a public square. Not the nicest way to treat anypony, but...well I'd say he had it coming...ol' bastard.

"During these two years though, he messed up real bad. There was hundreds of zebras sailing across the ocean, crowded on the tiniest of vessels, headed anywhere but home. Some ended up in Chuda, and those were a bit more than them locals expected, I guess. Some o' the zebras needed to be put in special housings fer a while...like hotels or whatnot. Quite a lot of 'em ended up at the Kameny.

"Polly worked there at the time. After she didn't no more, we took her aboard. Been sailing side by side ever since."

The second he fell silent, Saratoga went back to his earlier mood of silently watching his employees. Which left yours truly to draw her own conclusions from all this.

So, not a topic about fun and laughter. Not at all. Though I didn't directly notice it at the time, I'm pretty sure anypony around could have seen my eyes grow wider and wider with every new word spilling out the captain's mouth. After everything he just told me about what was probably the biggest meanie I've ever heard of, my whole face was agape with horror.

He couldn't be serious right now, could he? Would anypony, or zebra for that matter, actually be capable of something like this?

The captain himself didn't seem to show a whole lot of emotion after his narrative. Which honestly did surprise me. Of course, it probably had been a while since all this occurred, and my guess was he didn't experience all this himself. Still, after what he said, I almost felt like crying for the sake of it. But he never even changed his features one bit. Wow.

"Uh...that's, um..." For the first time in forever, I was at a loss of words. I had no idea where Polly was at the moment, or what she was doing, but as far as I was concerned, the time for preparing dinner couldn't come soon enough, now. As for the captain...well, I wanted to get some kind of fun response out of him. Instead, the conversation had suddenly steered in the complete opposite direction, and I never saw it coming. Gee, Pinkie Sense, what am I even paying you for?

"Anything else interesting Polly told ya about?" Saratoga asked, noticing my confusion (which meant, he did in fact look over at me for a second or so. I didn't notice it at the time, but I also really had some bigger problems to worry about, right now). Now it seemed to be his time to steer the conversation to a more comfortable topic. Well, fair's fair, I suppose.

"Uh...nothing in particular." I tapped one hoof against my chin for a moment, thinking. "Well, she did tell me a few things about her hometown in general, afterwards. But only after I asked for that in particular, so..."

"Hold up," Saratoga interrupted confusedly, blinking in my direction. "She mentions all these zebra folk and their troubles, and that's the first question that springs to yer mind?"

I shrugged. "There's a few questions that were bugging me ever since we met. First things first, and all that. I...still couldn't really picture the city as a whole the other day, but I think I'm getting the idea now."

"Well, I've gotten a map of the island below deck," he retorted, looking around. He lightened up at the prospect for some reason. Whatever it was, it made the glum atmosphere vanish within an instant, shoved to the very back of our minds. "Been waiting for an excuse to get out of the wind fer a bit, anyhow. Can't blame an old pegasus fer wanting ta take a break every now and again." He motioned to his first mate, who was currently moving around on the central deck. "Days! Eh, Days! Come on over 'ere fer a second, would ya?"

Strange Days was currently on duty around the lower decks, which meant he kept walking from one position to another doing...first mate-y things. Whatever those could be. I saw him tense up and freeze in his tracks as the captain's words reached his ears. Also, I felt pretty sure I heard him mutter some kind of curse beneath his breath. Given the distance, I couldn't have possibly understood him, but he did say something. Much like he kept walking around with...again, something. A for effort on working out the details, I'd say.

The gray unicorn didn't stand around for much longer, however. A grim expression on his face, he turned to hurry up the stairs, facing the captain with all the respect he could currently muster. Needless to say, there wasn't very much of it.

"You called, sir?" he asked with an easy salute, causing Saratoga to briefly nod in response.

"Aye. Would ya be a good lad, and take the wheel fer a bit?" he asked. "I gotta head down below a couple minutes. Be right back though."

Strange Days seemed to know better than to protest a direct order, even if he didn't look like the face of approval. Not like this pony ever looked like he approved of anything. He took the steering wheel in his hooves, then watched the captain shuffle off with a frown. For some reason, said frown became even wider when he noticed me following his superior. I didn't consider this to be the proper place for jealousy, but I also decided to leave that decision to him. After all, everyone's entitled to their own onion, or something like that.

We headed down the stairs in no time, and neither did the captain make any halt to rush in through the door below decks. He seemed to be in a hurry, and I could even see him shivering a bit as we entered the narrow hallway inside. Which made me wonder, weren't pegasi supposed to be even more resistant to cold than me? Especially to wind? There's a lot stronger breezes up where they tend to hang out, or so I've been told. Of course, I've never actually seen Saratoga fly, so he might not be used to it. And if he was only half as much an enthusiast on subjects like flying than he was about everything else, that would pretty much explain the whole issue.

Saratoga went straight ahead, even as we entered, making for the door at the corridor's far end. It was only then that I realized I hadn't ever been to the captain's quarters so far. And when they opened up in front of me moments later, I found myself no less impressed. A continuous facade of windows spanned the large room on three sides, offering a magnificent panorama which I only knew from...well, where? I couldn't even remember anything as amazing as this, even Canterlot didn't provide such a panoramic view from inside a room, if I remembered correctly. There was so much to see from up here! All the water, and water, and...water, and...well, I suppose you get the idea.

"Wowsies!" I leaped into the air with special emphasis on the second syllable, rushing from one bit of the scarce furniture to another. The captain had really thought of everything. There even was a carpet in here! Though it only covered the room's central portion, right in front of his desk, it sure was a lot more comfortable to walk on than all those wooden planks all the time.

"It's alright, mostly," he replied with a shrug, then glanced over to his desk. "Map's already rolled out, I suppose. Had to do a few calculations last night, so there's that. If you're interested in maps, I dunno. But take your time. I'm glad to get a few minutes of timeout."

There was a very fluffy-looking couch situated in one of the room's darker corners, completely enveloped in some curious patterns of navy blue camouflage. While it matched his coat almost perfectly, I doubted I could fit such a piece of equipment in my room and enjoy having it there. Not enough pink on there. 's all I'm saying.

The captain didn't seem to think agree with me on that last point. Grinning to himself like he'd just thought up the most brilliant of jokes, he went ahead and flopped himself right onto his sofa, until resting firmly on his back. A light shove from his fetlock then pushed the worn-out hat clear over his face. Apart from his occasionally twitching hindleg, he didn't move any further after that.

Giving him a rather skeptic look, I continued onward. And there was no remorse I felt for that. I mean, I usually don't even think about ponies intentions, but coming all the way down here just to have someone look at a map? Seriously? Well, since there wasn't anything else to do, I might as well take a look. And I did feel a bit curious about just how our destination would look like, even though I probably wouldn't get any actual pictures of the city. If those even existed.

I leaned over the rather large role of parchment rolled out on Saratoga's desk, studying its details one bit at a time. Twilight could surely explain what I saw more professionally, she always did. But right now, I just had to roll with my own skills.

Well, where to start? There was in fact an island depicted on here. It looked more or less circular, like a ring, only that it suddenly broke off on the eastern side. Here, it ended in two coasts that respectively continued north and south for a while, approaching each other. After about two-thirds of the way, they bend inwards, thus creating a large bay. And said bay contained a densely settled area located around its shore, stretching all around its half-circumference. A tight grid of streets and roads inside a crimson colored area highlighted that fact to become more or less obvious. Though it still took me a minute or two.

Overall, I thought it didn't look so much like a ring, on second though. More like a doughnut that somepony had already taken a bite or two out of. Or three? I would have checked, had there been any actual doughnuts on board for comparison. Which was a bad thing, but I'd whined about that before. It didn't help.

Studying the tiny maze of drawn streets for a few more minutes, I eventually grew bored. Turning back to face the captain, I noticed that he wouldn't notice me noticing him. His Stetson still covered up his face, while his chest had started heaving up and down calmly. He didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings at all, I thought. Clearing my throat took care of that.

"You got anything else that's fun around here?" I asked, as he jolted back awake with a groan. "Otherwise, I think I'm finished for now."

Again, he only shrugged. "Your loss. Anyway, tell Days I'll be extending me break a bit, would ya? Feels like I gotta take a nap. Be right back up on deck, nonetheless."

Eyes narrowed, I glanced at him for a second, only to make for the door afterwards. "Okie-dokie...lokie," I told him, trying to fake a grin. Honestly, after that fairy tale from earlier, I didn't think I could produce an honest smile for the rest of the day. That still lasted heavily on my mind. As did our first mate's conscience. "I don't think he'll like your decision very much."

"Don't matter what that pony likes or not." Saratoga snorted at my response. "He's not the captain, after all."

Though I may or may not still have had some trouble dealing with his attitude, I produced one last chuckling directed at the captain, then headed out into the hallway. Dinner preparation time didn't seem to have come around already, but I was pretty sure Polly would call me in sooner or later.

For now, there was nothing left to do. Which I didn't like one bit, but I probably would have to cope with it either way.

So much for spreading fun and laughter, then.

Chapter 15 - Bottle of Rum

My mind raced through a nearly infinite number of possibilities, trying to find just the right choice. I kept at it for hours at a time and counting, even though what I searched for had already revealed itself to me earlier. Unfortunately though, the thought also didn't stay with me for very long. Moments after being fully formed, it already bade me goodbye and left. The irony was almost uncanny, but there was nothing I could do to change that. I could only hope for my dazed and confused subconscious to deliver. And that might take a while, especially since it already had done so, thus far.

...I guess I should clarify some things here, shouldn't I?

I had this incredible dream last night. Something so tremendous, it slipped my mind almost immediately. I'm not even sure what the whole context was anymore, but it did have something super spectacularly amazing to it, I recall as much. The dream also revealed something to me that might not only have an impact on the life I've been living for all these years, no! This breathtaking, freshly unraveled mystery could easily have the power in it to change the very world we all live in, and the way said world remains seen through the eyes of ponykind. Fillies and gentlecolts, hold on to your seats, 'cause you're gonna need them, eventually.

The seats, I mean. Sort of like a seat in need. Heh. Anyway...

I had found the perfect icing flavor for the single, most perfect cupcake ever made. It's amazing, isn't it amazing? I know. I could hardly contain myself. Up until the point at which I forgot about what that perfect flavor combination was, of course. Which happened at some earlier point during the current awake cycle, probably right after getting up. Because when I rushed into the kitchen to share my stunning insight with Polly, the thought had already slipped my knowledge.

That sure was a bummer to behold. And I should know, I've seen a few.

The concept wouldn't leave me alone for the rest of the day, however. I could hardly concentrate on helping Polly with preparing lunch, and even my friend-making didn't make much progress, neither before nor after we ate. My job during the preparations mainly consisted of peeling potatoes, and doing so with a pretty sharp knife. Without paying that too much attention, a pony easily brings herself from one unfortunate mistake to another. Even at this point, my hoof still hurt from several minor cuts I'd received from my own clumsiness in the process. Who would have thought there might be a connection between cupcakes and pain? I sure didn't.

Not that any of that helped improving my concentration in any way. The clouds had mostly cleared off by now, so trotting around the upper deck between breaks had once again taken in most of my free time. Lost in thought as I was, I didn't take much notice of my surroundings. The only thing I embraced when stepping outside was the sunny day we were once again having. I like those, but I probably don't even need to mention that anymore.

But a lot of details, most of which I would have usually paid a ton of attention to, just kinda slipped my mind entirely. As did the ponies whom I was passing by, or the ones who were just standing around elsewhere or doing their job. Sometimes I was also passing by ponies who were doing their job by standing around, so they applied to all three categories at a time. And I didn't even mention the one talking to me, right now. Speaking of which...what was his name, again?

One week at sea and all of this already started getting to me, oh...dear.

I glanced to my right, taking a second look at the stallion, along with a first evaluation. Or so I'd say. I hadn't really examined his features before, and doing so now seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. Tan coat? Check. Lime greenish mane and tail? Check again. Blueberry flavored uh...eyeballs? No, wait. That doesn't compute. Uncheck. Blueberry flavor applied to the other thing.

In any case, it seemed I started getting two different topics messed up. That didn't make my situation any better, nor did I feel any less confused. On the contrary, that only made it worse, since I now got two different things messed up. In...my head. I might have mentioned that already. Duh.

I tried listening to what he said, trying to find a way to jump back into the conversation, hoping that my little moment of inconsistency may go unnoticed. Taking in a few sentences, I'd only need to put two and two and two together, and the answer would lay itself out before me. Or so I thought. Unfortunately, it was somewhat hard to determine what the subject was only going by his words. To be plain, I couldn't figure it out. With my luck, that pony kept talking in one go hardly even stopping to breathe, so he never noticed.

I listened again, this time more intensely. Some kind of sailor pony topic, that was for sure. No wonder I couldn't follow. I wasn't even so sure how we got to that. Or rather, how he got there. I never actually said a word the whole time, did I? But then...why was he talking to me, anyway? Shouldn't I be the one introducing myself? Did I even start to fail at that? I sure hoped I didn't.

He was blabbering something about waves, wavelengths, and...heights? I'm not so sure what that meant, it all sounded very technical. Very deliberate as well, I suppose. Big word. In the end, there could only be one way to jump back onto the bandwagon, so I figured I might as well roll with it straight away.

"What would you say is the better frosting flavor?" I thus asked. "Blueberries or mangoes? Either one sounds pretty good."

That seemed to have struck a nerve. I couldn't tell for sure, but at least he didn't keep on rambling about things I didn't understand. Instead, he turned his head to face me, a deadpanning look dominating his features. Did I ask the wrong thing again? Wouldn't be the first time, or so I assumed.

"Whu...wait, what?" he asked, stumbling along as he did. "I don't know about that. I'm not an expert on cupcake...frosting. Why would that even be relevant? I thought we were discussing the ocean tides just now, and you're starting something about flavors of...what?"

"Cupcakes! Blueberry or mango cupcakes! Well, one or the other, ultimately. I wanted to leave that choice up to you, that's why I asked the question in the first place. Because I think they both taste amazing, but what do you think? And if one tastes even more amazing than the other, how would that even taste? Amazinger? Amazinglier? Amazingest?"

I threw myself into a fit, and didn't even fully noticing doing so on first try. Then again, I was only being cheerful, so what's the deal? The way I saw it, that pony didn't have the slightest reason to look as bewildered as he did, right now. I leaned over to him, in order to lead over to our next topic of conversation. The one I wanted to start with originally, hadn't the cupcakes gotten in the way.

"What was your name, again?"

"Friendly Card, but I don't see how that matters right now." He blinked, cocking his head to the side a bit. "You...you're not even listening to what I'm saying, are you?"

"Of course I am, silly," I replied with a giggle. "How else would I know that your name is...is..." I paused for a second, causing him to start rolling his eyes. "I'm joking, come on! Isn't there anypony up for laughs in this place?"

He gave me another odd look, followed by a frown as he leaned onto the railing, looking out across the water. The ocean's surface was calm on that day, though not entirely flat. I couldn't recall any occasion on which it had been. There were always a few tiny waves left out there somewhere, which would disrupt the picture. And now this stallion seemed similarly disrupted in his speech, if not even disturbed, really. And I got the painful idea that it might have been me making him grumpy, just now.

That wasn't what I wanted. That was the exact opposite of what I wanted. I trotted over to his side in an effort to make up for a damage I wasn't even sure existed.

"Aw, come on, now. No reason to fret!" I patted him on the shoulder with a hoof saying so, but stopped as I noticed him shivering at the touch. I guess I didn't expect that, but it didn't really matter. As long as I still talked to him. Making friends was still my number two priority on this journey, so I might as well get to it. "You look like you could need some cheering up. You wanna be cheered up? Why don't we change the subject, then? I always change the subject whenever I need some cheering up because the current one is obviously not very cheerilicious."

I took in a deep breath, then concluded, "So, why don't you tell me something about yourself? How long have you been on this ship, anyway? I just got on, recently. You might have noticed that. Ah, silly me! Of course you did!" Again, I giggled. "I just told you, didn't I? Anyway, how did you get here? On here? There just has to be some kind of story behind that. And while you're at it, any favorite cake flavors on your behalf?"

He only groaned in response. One of his forelegs darted upwards to perform a facehoof, only to stop halfway through and settle back down onto the railing. He also did seem somewhat agitated. I couldn't say for sure regarding the latter. It was probably just a hunch.

"Did anyone ever call you bucking annoying?" He asked in a tone that sounded a lot less confident than one would have expected, considering his phrasing. His eyes flickered over in my direction several times, never to stay for very long. "It might just be about time."

I winced. Then sighed. Then winced again, ate a muffin (kiwi flavored!), sighed again, and finally turned to face him. "That's not a nice thing to say," I finally added. "Although I...might have been called annoying by some ponies before. Relatives, mostly. You know how parents can be. But you didn't answer my question." I managed a grin at that point, trying to break out of that pointless and sudden sad phase. "Just how long have you been here? I just wanna know!"

"You wanna, huh?" He snorted. "Well, I've been sailing on this ship for almost a decade, now. That answer your question?"

"Practically it does, I suppose," I told him. "I've got a friend who always does the logical stuff for me. I'm not very good at being reasonable, you know? Sounds like a long time though. It is pretty long, right? Or should I say has been? It's still going on now, after all..."

"I never really had a choice to leave." He scowled, but his answer seemed a lot more determined this time around. "I owe the captain too much for that. The ship I used to work on hit a shoal and sank. I drifted around the ocean for about a day after that, before Saratoga and his mates managed to spot and rescue me. And yes, I am the only survivor of that crash. The only one I know of, anyway."

I gasped. "That's terrible!"

"Isn't it, really?"

"B-but how did that happen? I mean, does that happen often? I don't want that to happen with us! There's ponies out there who still need me and my help!"

"Some kind of help that'll be," he responded, quietly nickering into the opposite direction. "No, but my old captain had it coming. He was a pretty reasonable pony to follow, back when I joined his crew. But lost his mind somewhere along the way, he did. Kept going on for weeks, obsessing about some kind of giant sea monster that he needed to hunt down, well. We chased that beast for ages, but eventually our best efforts weren't enough. Which might be because sea monsters don't exist, but nopony wanted to listen to me. So I snuck out on a lifeboat, and got taken in by the Cornucopia's crew. Never heard of the others again, but they're probably all drowned or starved to death, by now." He glanced my way, probably looking into a slightly disturbed expression. My mouth might have hung open or not, I don't exactly recall that. "You asked for it."

He had hardly finished when both of us heard a shrill, shattering sound from behind ourselves. Well, he did finish his sentence, but the sound reached us a moment earlier. And practically, I suppose I should only speak for myself when saying that we heard it, but since Friendly Card turned around alongside me, I suppose I may suppose the same for him...or something. As for the sound itself, it sounded like the one from a glass bottle splintering open after being smashed against something. Maybe it was more of a smashy sound, then.

Looking back, I was quick to spot the reason for the disturbance. There were two stallions standing in the middle of the deck, right next to the main mast. I decided each of them had to be a few years older than me, judging from their looks alone. Being a unicorn, one of the two held the bottle in question within his magical grasp...well, most of the bottle, anyway. Parts of it lay scattered all around the floor. And his earth pony opponent constantly kept an eye out for those, while at the same time making sure not to lose sight of the half-bottle dangling menacingly between the two.

All things considered, the unicorn one seemed a lot more hostile than the other. He had his eyes narrowed down, looking mistrustful, almost threatening. I noticed that to some extend, although my eyes were more concerned with wandering over his oddly colored coat at that moment. It was white with a lot of larger, brown spots. He reminded me of that colt in Apple Bloom's grade a bit...Pipsqueak that was. Eight years old, zodiac sign Leo. His favorite cake was strawberry with vanilla frosting...I think. How in Equestria I didn't notice this stallion earlier was beyond me, though.

I was getting myself distracted again, of course. And it took just about as much as the unicorn stallion's raspy voice to bring me back into reality.

"Ya don't call me that," he yelled in an accent similar to the captain's. "Didn't get yer warning last time around, did ya? But I wasn't joking, I warn't! Say that to me again, and I guarantee, I will make 'em become your last words!"

Focused on his each other, they both blew a good deal of air out of their nostrils. Odd. I never do that, unless I catch a cold or something. And these two seemed perfectly healthy. Not happy, but healthy. The earth pony didn't hesitate to throw back his response.

"Well then, hit me with all you got, old man."

It was then that I recognized the unicorn's face change colors to a much more powerful shade of red. Although intuition told me that this was less of an embarrassed blush, and more of a fit of furious rage. Which couldn't be so good. Either of them wouldn't be very good, but this option felt even less than not good. What's that again? Oh, right. Worse. He swung the bottleneck in an angry half-circle. Or at least, it looked like a pretty angry shape. Can shapes even be angry? I don't know.

"Two years!"

"Huh?"

"I'm packing only two years more than you lot do. So I'm asking ye for the last time, stop calling me that!"

"Well, what's your preference, then? Geezer? Old bugger, maybe?"

There wasn't much time for him to say these words, before the angry-shaping bottle came sailing his way at a pace that truly did give away some reasons to be concerned. Fortunately for him, said bottle didn't make it across more than half the distance, before a lively pink object tossed it out of its path and safely overboard. That pink object being my muzzle, by the way. Ouch.

But ouchies or not, I couldn't just let everything unfold the way it probably would have. There was obviously a friendship problem on the loose with these ponies. And now, seemingly out of nowhere, an element of harmony came to the rescue. They couldn't have hoped for a better coincidence to resolve their issues. Although they didn't look as cheerful as they should have when I stopped to land in their midst. On the contrary, they only deadpanned at my appearance, never even losing a single bit of their hostility all along.

On first impression, I suddenly didn't feel all that assured about what just happened. My eyes darted around nervously, waiting for any kind of uplifting response from their part. The moment of rejoice brought to you by laughter personified obviously didn't work out the way I'd planned for it to do.

Or did it?

The elderly, well, somewhat elderly unicorn let out another snicker as he realized what I just did. A good two or three second after several pairs of disbelieving eyes and ears witnessed the descent of half a glass bottle, that ultimately splashed onto the water's surface, never to be seen again. Then, all eyes turned on me. And the unicorn giggled, like I said.

"Well, well...well," he stated, repeating himself more than necessary. Like I didn't get the hint on first try. Tch. "Looks like there's somepony new in the ring. And she just volunteered to take the bait for either of us. Ain't that too sweet." Saying so, he leaned in more closely, his eyes briefly darting back up to his earth pony opponent. "And what a sweet slice of cutie pie she is! Whaddaya think, then? Rest our little conflict for a while to see what we get out of this?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, but it sounded like a compliment, so I just rolled with that. Also, judging from the eye contact, he obviously dropped that last mentioning to his opponent...colleague...something. At the moment, it was pretty hard to tell how they felt about each other. But the tone he'd used just now was a lot less hostile than from a good ten seconds ago, so that could only mean a good thing. I turned around to the earth pony stallion for answers, only to see him shying away from the scene a bit.

"I...I don't know, mate. What about the captain, then? I mean...you know how he can get when working himself up and all..."

"Sure do," the unicorn replied, licking his lips. "But could ye refuse such a delicate offer? Almost like it was meant to happen. Heaven-sent by Celestia herself, I say! Unless yer a chicken or something..."

"N-no, I didn't..."

"Then lets get on with this, I say!" The unicorn tossed his head around, looking for...well, something to come out of the crowd. But to his obvious disappointment, nopony around actually answered his request. And in that moment of tension, all I could think of was the question that lasted on my mind most heavily.

"What's your name, again? Sorry, I forgot."

What? I really couldn't remember. And it felt kind of rude, referring to him with that dull pronoun all the time.

He noticed my cluelessness, I suppose. No way to tell for sure though. I felt pretty clueless, in case I didn't mention that earlier. Narrowing his eyes even further, and with some pretty weird kind of grin, he slowly approached me, one step at a time. "Oh, you can call me whatever you want, sweetie," he chimed in a deepened voice. And those confidently placed steps of his only got interrupted when a pale hoof rushed forth and blocked one of them.

The emotion formerly on his face quickly got washed away by bewilderment. He shot a nervous glance to the right, only to stare into a pair of angered, purple eyes bearing into his own. They expressed that sort of stare a foal would always recognize from their mothers as being in trouble for something.

"That's close enough," Polly sternly hissed with a frown. She then raised her voice, looking around the assembled crew. "Get back to what you're paid for, all of you!"

"Now, now," the stallion replied in a voice that marked his stature being restored. "Not everyone here's a dry squeezed lemon like you are, Rzeczpospolita. The, well...more contemporary generations do enjoy a bit of fun every now and then, besides..."

The same hoof that earlier blocked his step now rushed up in a blur, interrupting him mid-sentence. It slapped clear across his face, causing the poor stallion to stagger a few steps back. His eyes were wide open, fixated on our cook, as he gently massaged his cheek with a hoof. Polly replied to his annoyed groan by an angry snort making the unicorn fall quiet almost immediately.

"I know we're all joking about each others' ages now and again, but enough is enough," she told him with a glare. "And just how many times of explaining will it take a scumbag like you to see that I do not want to be called that? As for Pinkie...well, I take it, you all remember what happened to Krasny Valet?"

Some repressed moaning, along with a generally disappointed statement of "Yes, Polly," wandered through the surrounding ranks, following her statement. Even as it did, Polly herself turned back and headed for the enclosed section below deck. Tilting her head, she motioned for me to follow. And I did. Obediently. More or less.

She had the door swing close behind us as soon as we both entered the narrow hallway that it lead to. Even here, neither Captain Saratoga nor his first mate were anywhere to be seen. I had gotten over the captain's casual absence after a while, but I almost never saw the deck with both of them missing. Or did I just overlook Strange Days somewhere? Gee, I just might have. He sort of had a talent for being sneaky at times. Even I needed a while to recognize him in a crowd, mostly.

"See? This is exactly what I meant by watching your back," Polly started to explain in a voice that sounded no less stern than the one from earlier. "These two could have easily ripped you in half by sheer strength...or worse." She shuddered. "You need, no, you have to promise me that you'll be more careful, you hear? Who knows what's going to happen if you don't!"

I shrugged her off. Maybe she was right about feeling a little concerned, but that overdid it. "Eh, I guess. It's not like I was in any danger at some point. I think I had it all under control, at least."

"Well, you...you..." she trailed off, confusion entering her features. "...you thought wrong, okay? That wasn't all fun and friendship out there, and you should well be able to see that, I'd say."

"O...kie-dokie," I replied with an attempted smile. "So, what happened to that other guy you mentioned? Didn't quite catch his name."

Polly blinked, staring at me like there was something plain wrong with my answer. Shaking her head, she added, "Okay, you know what? I'll tell you. Maybe that way I'll actually get you to think about what you're doing to yourself, here.

"His name was Krasny Valet. I'm not sure where exactly he came from; just another poor working class son from Druzyovsk, I guess. Considerably older than me at the time, to be fair. A bit disrespectful, and exceptionally horrible at thinking ahead. That being said, he once brought me into a similar situation like you just found yourself in. Unlike you, I didn't have anyone to step in and rescue my hindquarters, so I needed to defend myself. Until the captain found out about what happened, that is. And we both know Saratoga can take his time with noticing anything going on around him, so I'm telling you to be careful. I won't always get there in time, up and able to help you out."

"Okay," I replied with a nod, as we pushed through the door to the kitchen. "But what happened to him?"

"What, you mean after Saratoga found out?" She sighed. "Well...Pinkie, I'm sure you know what the word keelhauled means?"

And in contrast to my most recent reaction to her words, I shook my head in response, this time around. "No, I do not. But..." I cheered up at the prospect. "I'm sure you can tell me. Can you tell me? Of course you can! You wouldn't have mentioned it otherwise. So, tell me, then. Is it exciting? Something fun, even?"

"It's..." She held up a hoof, hesitating. "Actually, never mind. It's not that important."

"Awww! But I wanna know!"

"I said it's not important, alright? Now if you'll excuse me, I have a thing or two to discuss with our captain regarding your personal safety, whether you like it or not. I'm sorry, but I can't afford to lose you, Pinkie. I don't think any of us could afford that, right now. And I need to make sure stupidity won't get the better of our crew."

She stepped towards the door, a somewhat stressed out look still dominating her face. Lastly, she sighed, hanging her head. "One last thing, Pinkie?"

My eyes lit up in excitement. "So you are going to tell me, huh? Are you, are you?"

"What? No..." She facehoofed. "Would you hear me out for one single minute? I just...I just wanted to apologize. I...can be a bit rough at times, but that's not because of you. It's just...everything this ship already put me through. So, sorry about that. That's all I wanted to say." She gulped. "That...didn't sound very convincing now, did it? Anyway...I'll have a few things to discuss. Why don't you wait in your room, for now?"

And without waiting for my response, she left and stepped back out into the hallway. Leaving me behind with a ton of unanswered questions on my mind, still not exactly sure about just what was going on here. For a moment, I just sat there, leaning onto the counter, trying to make sense off Polly's words and what had happened earlier. As that moment passed however, I got up onto my hooves and exited the room just as she had done. And believe it or not, I could still see her approaching the end of the corridor, where she disappeared behind the door to the captain's office.

She didn't seem to notice me while entering. And even if she had, that probably wouldn't have meant trouble. After all, I might still go to my room from here. I could also follow without her wanting me to, but I did not have to!

Now, did I follow her? Of course. She didn't want to be followed, after all. And that by itself sounded very, very suspicious. I pressed one ear against the door as soon as I got there. Doing so, I immediately recognized Polly's voice speaking just the way she'd addressed me earlier.

"...why? Why, you ask? Well, somepony will have to do something about this, won't they? And if these ponies out there won't listen to what you have to say, I wouldn't know what else to tell them."

What followed was little more than some muffled mumbling originating from some male voice, a good deal deeper than hers. It sounded tired, almost frustrated, like someone who had just been woken up a bit too roughly. I couldn't understand a single word that answer contained, only that the speaker must have been extremely unmotivated to do so. Apparently, the captain was only being his good old self again.

"I'm saying you have to do this. For her sake just as mine. And just as well as yours and that of everypony else on this ship! That filly doesn't even belong in such an environment. We shouldn't...sorry?"

Just what did she mean by that? Another pause cut her short, interrupted by the same mumbling as before. And no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn't make out a word that presumable answer contained. Only when Polly continued her part did I manage to follow suit once again.

"I know, I know! But throwing accusations at one another won't get us anywhere, will it? Of course I'm responsible for all this, and I admit that. But I can't fix this mess on my own. I need your support for that."

Just then, I jerked my head away from the door. I wondered whom Polly could be talking about when referring to that filly during the first few seconds or so. Only then did the realization dawn on me. Of course, I immediately asked myself what I did to make her say such awful things about me. I was a big girl, right? I could look out for myself. In the end, was Polly secretly only seeing me the way mom and dad would always do?

I turned away with a frown, and began to trot back down along the corridor. That just wasn't fair. More than a week into sailing with the exact same ponies, and I still hadn't made a single friend. As a matter of fact, the only pony whom I considered to be my friend thought of me as nothing more but some useless crybaby. Didn't she, really? I let my head hang low in disappointment. Was it possible an adventure like this could actually not be fun? I could only tell I was looking forward to seeing Ponyville again more than ever.

For a moment, I paused when stepping into my own small chamber. Sure, Polly had told me to wait here for time being. But if I followed that order, I'd then do...what? There really wasn't anything exciting to be found in here. Not that anything around the ship seemed any fun at all to me, just then. But even by those standards, this little room was incredibly dull. There wasn't anything at all really, safe for my bunk and that pile of stuff in the corner.

A pile of stuff, among which I spotted a thick, linen bag.

Now, here was something I hadn't noticed before, but it definitely made my situation more interesting. I moved in closer, examining the strange object. As I did, I recognized that this was in fact a bag of flour. Looking at it for a tad longer, one eyebrow slightly arched, I considered my options regarding that. And there sure was one reasonable option that came to mind. After all, if I hadn't made any friends around here this far, could I possibly still rely on...?

I carefully raised my foreleg, one hoof tapping against the bags surface several times. All the way through however, it remained silent as an eggplant. Y'know, because...eggplants are pretty silent, right?

There was no reply at any time, and eventually I decided to quit fumbling around. Snapping out of my state, I shook my head in confusion. "Come on, Pinkie," I mumbled to myself. "That's not gonna work."

Almost hastily, I turned away from the strange apparition that was none, and decided to head back out. After all, what else was there to do for me in this place? I couldn't tell what time it was exactly (old habits die hard and all), but we would probably start preparing dinner soon. And no matter what Polly might think about me, I wasn't going to let her down. If any, I needed to prove myself worthy to her more than ever.

And the element of laughter should be able to do at least that, right?

Chapter 16 - Strange Days

From that point on, life on the Cornucopia changed. As the following awake-cycle carried on, I could immediately notice something being off about the crew and their approach towards me. Although almost everyone had more or less ignored me thus far, they now became increasingly evasive of me wherever I went. This carried on to a point of everypony seemingly just avoiding me altogether, much like I was carrying some kind of disease around with me. The looks I received from all around felt more grumpy than right-out angry, but still nopony appeared to think very friendly of me.

Polly didn't talk very much to anyone, either. All the while, as we worked together that morning, she never attempted to speak up for any longer than she necessarily had to. And that really wasn't like her. Usually, she acted lively enough to at least try starting a conversation sooner or later, but today that didn't seem to be the case. And whenever I tried to do the same (which I did several times), she either ignored my requests or shook them off with a generally brief and stoic answer.

I first thought there was something I'd done to provoke her anger. Only after a while did I accept that she was probably just going through an off-day of sorts. Everyone had those now and again, even myself. Hadn't it been for everypony else acting this strangely, I probably would have ignored her antics altogether. Even if her generally negative attitude continued to bother me. On the rare occasions when Polly actually went outside to leave her workplace, she acted even less friendly towards everyone else than she had towards me. And much like yours truly, she did get avoided a lot by them.

It felt like the whole place was going crazy. Which also meant I hadn't done a very good job, so far. Spreading friendship and harmony, and all that. If there was anything I could take comfort in, we still had a long way ahead of us. From what I've learned through overheard conversations, we had only made it across about one third of our journey. So if everything went well, I'd still have a good more two weeks to correct any mistakes made on my part. Or anything that I hadn't done at all, when I probably should have. Which I should. Somehow. All of this complicated logic stuff started effectively messing with my head, again.

Two weeks of time, during which I had to figure something out. For time being however, and given the current mood, that didn't seem to work out. I still couldn't find anypony else to talk to. And Polly didn't want anyone around herself at the moment, while most of the crew apparently only felt that way about me in particular. Despite my best efforts, I really didn't know where to start.

The captain was up at the steering wheel, where he'd taken in his usual posture once again. Leaning onto his wheel, hooves folded, he gazed out into the open before him, eyes darting around the scene for whatever there was for him to take notice of. There was no way for me to tell whether he would be up for a conversation or not, but I also decided it wouldn't be worth finding out about. Not that I would mind him taking me to his office so he could doze off on the couch again; everyone needs their breaks from time to time, after all. But given his level of motivation, I hardly believed talking to Saratoga would get my efforts in friend-making anywhere, anytime soon.

I eventually decided I'd see if I could find that one colt from the day before. Friendly Card, or so I remember to be his name. I didn't really know anything about him, but if yesterday was any indication, he might at least be up for some talking. Which wouldn't mean much, but it could be a start, at least. I'd have to see where to continue from there.

Searching far and wide around the ship for any indication of said pony's presence, I was surprised to find him on the stern deck. I might have been wrong, but not many ponies apart from Captain Saratoga would usually stay up here for longer than they had to. Trotting up the staircase on the ship's port side, I was surprised to see him and Strange Days huddled up in the far right corner of the upper deck, emerged in quiet discussion. I couldn't make out what exactly they were arguing about because they proceeded through their quiet discussion very quietly. Thought I'd mention that.

Now, I didn't really feel like being sneaky or anything, so instead I pretty much approached the two much like I'd done with everypony else ever. Much like I predicted, my chances of surprising them were significantly narrowed by my approach, but I never even planned for that to happen. Cheerfully bouncing up and down the deck, I didn't make much of a secret out of myself.

Also leaping up and down like that, while the ground itself keeps rocking back and forth beneath you may, given the fitting circumstances, provide a teensy bit of a challenge. It had taken me a few days to figure out how to deal with all those ship antics.

I only closed about half the distance towards them, as Strange Days' eyes darted in my direction with some concern. His features gave away the same passive hostility as always, although he appeared to be a lot more content with his situation than usual. For his personal standards, he seemed almost cheerful, really.

It was a strange sight at first, but never too far out of the ordinary. For the most part, I totally ignored his looks and kept leaping towards them without any change of pace. It wasn't until Friendly Card raised his head in my direction that I abruptly stopped, and almost crashed into the wooden floor at his sight. Or rather, the floor crashed into me, given the perspective. The angle I came to land on was far from perfect.

But what was wrong about him, you ask? Well, first of all, he didn't look so good. Okay, not good at all. His entire face was noticeably paler than yesterday, and even upon first spotting me, he looked like he was going to throw up at any moment. Or something. I could think of a ton of things that might be wrong with him right there, not feeling so sure whether I could resolve the issue in any possible way. My heart skipped a beat at the sight, before I could manage to shake off the nasty feeling, and raise myself to all fours again.

"Ah! Miss Pie, just the pony I was looking for!"

Strange Days greeted me with a subtle grin as he said so. Our first mate spoke with utter confidence and, in my opinion, he seemed a little bit too sure about himself. It could be that he simply decided to join in the whole crew's decision to act and behave all strangely today, but I felt like there was something else behind that facade of his. As I approached, eyes slightly narrowed, he gave a gentle push to Friendly Card's shoulder. The stallion quickly took the hint and started to trot off, his eyes worriedly fixated on me all the while. He never stopped his nervous shaking all the while, and disappeared from the deck without ever stopping for seconds.

Reconsidering the situation after Friendly Card disappeared, I thought that maybe I shouldn't mind him too much. From the mere sight of it, that pony might just have caught a cold or something. If so, a little bit of rest could only do him good. It was Strange Days I was more worried about. He tried putting on a smile as soon as we were left on our own accord. But it didn't take me any longer than approximately zero point two-seven seconds to recognize it as a fake. When my eyes questioningly darted towards the direction in which our third wheel had just left us, he shook it off with a wave of his hoof.

"Don't worry about it, he'll be fine. I needed to talk to you in private at some point anyway, so it's just as fine that this little disturbance of our peace is gone." He glanced at me suspiciously. "Now, what do you say, why don't we take a short walk together? There's something I'd like to discuss."

"Discuss?" I replied, trying to make out what he was planning. "But what's wrong with him?"

"Well, you know," Strange Days trailed off, once more gesturing with his hoof. "Must be the waves or so he told me. Getting thrown back and forth all day can leave everyone a little seasick, even after years of experience as in this case." He began trotting in the same direction that Friendly Card had just walked off to. "I suggest we head below deck, then. Some things are better to be kept without any curious ears glued onto us from all sides."

I never lost my suspicion towards him, and neither did I refrain from showing so. Eyes narrowed, I began following him back down the staircase, down to the main deck. From here, he took a sharp right turn and headed for the quarters below. Our quarters, to be exact. I couldn't tell whether that accounted for him, too. Somehow, I'd never bothered to find out where he slept.

I caught up with the somewhat hasty unicorn stallion about halfway to the door. Just then did I produce a hesitant "Okie-dokie-lokie," to answer his request, but he never paid it much attention. Nope, Strange Days had his next sentence already up and ready on the tip of his tongue.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" he proceeded to ask me instead, motioning nowhere in particular. "How the sea's beauty so easily eclipses the sight of any landscape that Equestria has to offer, especially those available to any stuck-up noble class life in Canterlot...oh, please, after you."

The door had been left halfway open as we approached it, leaving nothing but a small gesture for him to offer me said spot. It was the kind of gentlecolt-y behavior that I suppose just came along with originating from Canterlot. Even though not everypony from that city necessarily behaved that way. Rarity had it proven to her in a pretty obvious way, back when.

Was Strange Days a gentlecolt, then? How exactly would I even define that word? I'm all for parties and all, but I've never really clicked with the Canterlot ponies and all their fancy-shmancy galas and whatnot. Celebrating without any laughs or loud music may be appropriate for some ponies, but this party mare right here knew where her spot was. Or not, looking at some of the more recent developments.

"If I may ask," he continued, as the door closed behind us. "How are you enjoying your trip so far? Speaking from my position, I am naturally concerned for the well-being of those serving on our ship. And wouldn't you agree about the Cornucopia being much of a marvelous vessel?"

"I...guess so," I told him, scratching my head. Answering that question was a bit harder than I thought it might be. After all, there weren't that many others of it's kind I could compare our ship to. "I've never been very involved in any business concerning ships, mostly. So, I think it's alright. The ponies on here may be a bit weird sometimes, but..."

"And aren't they, really?" he cut me off. Contrary to what I expected, that last remark seemed exactly what he wanted to hear. We continued trotting ahead side-by-side, almost across half the corridor before he continued, leaving me somewhat confused there for a moment.

"Don't get me wrong. I had my reasons to leave Canterlot at a very early age, and neither am I planning to go back there. But I do also have my doubts about this life I'm leading, now. A lot of ponies on this ship are either a bunch of uneducated brutes, or some other lazy good-for-nothings, as you may have noticed."

"Uh...maybe?" I still didn't know where he was going with this. Literally. There weren't that many doors at the end of this hallway.

"Now, I wouldn't bother." He raised a hoof, gesturing mildly. "Not too much, anyway. Weren't it for one particular representative of the latter group also being in charge of our entire operation. And don't worry, I'll get straight to the point. You should know, just as I do, that Saratoga is nothing but a pair of shackles holding the rest of us back. Whether or not you see that as clearly as I do after only a few days on board, I couldn't say. But I tell you. I've served on this great vessel for so many years now, and I've taken notice of what it is capable off. This magnificent ship could bring us wealth and fame, we could easily arrive on top of the world. And yet, all we do is complete simple deliveries, days and years after another. Chuda to Baltimare, and back. That makes for about ninety percent of what we do. And of course it never pays off any more than we need to squeeze by, just so.

"After I worked myself up to first mate, I always tried to remember how much younger than the captain I am. Almost a decade, to be plain. And that I would somehow, in some way, probably inherit the Cornucopia from him, and lead it to the glory it truly deserves. With such a ship, and a young and confident leader, anything is possible. Come to think of it, we could easily be bathing in coins."

As we reached the corridor's opposite end, Strange Days proceeded to push open the door to the captain's cabin. My eyes went wide with alarm. This had been one strange conversation, so far. And I didn't mind, I've had those day-in and out. But right now, I definitely felt like he was crossing a line. The captain wasn't even in here!

"Are you sure we're allowed in there?" I asked. "I don't think the captain would like..."

"Well, he's not here!"

Saying so, Strange Days slammed a hoof down onto the floor, causing me to jump back. His eyes were dangerously narrowed, and I quickly took a few steps away, just in case. I had no idea what made him so mad all of a sudden, but whatever it was, it sure did give me a scare or two. Lucky me, he quickly recovered, and sighed.

"Sorry about that," he explained. "I am feeling...terribly tense at the moment. Let's go in either way, shall we? Even if the captain wouldn't approve of us doing so...well, consider it somewhat symbolic for what we are about to discuss."

He closed the door, then carefully walked over to the room's desk, yours truly following in his wake. I still couldn't tell what that stallion's intention really was, but at least he didn't try to be anymore threatening. For now. Nevertheless, I figured I might need to keep an eye on him. As I did. At the moment, he continued to show all the symptoms of meanie-pants, and I didn't know about a good doctor anywhere nearby.

As he rushed around the table to face me, our eyes met with a sense of mutual distrust. It was a bit hard to tell which one of the two of us felt more uncomfortable by that. But if Strange Days thought I would be the first one to give in here, he sure had another thing coming. He really did.

Eventually, it was him who looked away first. Much like I had predicted. He cleared his throat, eyes darting to the door, then back towards me. He didn't look me in the eye again, as I noticed. I assumed his gaze was fixated somewhere around my muzzle or so.

"Now," he began. "I suppose I can't really make it a secret anymore that I believe myself to be a much better fit for the ship's captain. And have done so for years. Unfortunately, several obstacles still stand between me and reaching this accomplishment, even today. One of them being that I can't get rid of Saratoga on my own. I would need a considerable support among the rest of the crew for that. Most importantly, I need the support of the one pony through whom the captain draws the most of respect from the crew...you probably see where this is going."

I didn't. "I don't."

"Really?" His eyes were giving me the same unbelieving message as his words, but they quickly changed back to a much more gentle expression. "I mean, of course. And the pony I am talking about would be Polly. I've...discussed this issue with her several times before, but she wouldn't hear of it. Said she would never take part in that little mutiny of mine. The terminology by itself is a clear outrage against my own dignity, if you'd ask me..."

He trailed off, and gave me an odd look, seeing how my body suddenly supplied me with some information about what was to happen next. Pinkie Sense and all that. And I guess I was taken a little off-guard myself, when all of a sudden both ears came flopping down into my face, taking turns. Trying to visually make out the reason for that didn't work so well either, given how my eyes started to hastily flutter for a second or two. And lastly, my knees went all shaky. It dawned on me, then. All of the three combined could only mean one thing!

Unfortunately though, Strange Days didn't seem to know what that one thing was. "Are you even taking me for my word, right now?"

"Huh? Oh, don't worry," I replied with a slightly suppressed laugh. "I can't even control these movements. My body just does something like that from time to time. It's a bit distracting, but also somewhat helpful because it predicts the immediate future and all, so there's that."

"Immediate future, huh?" Strange Days arched an eyebrow. He really did believe I wouldn't take him seriously. That was just sad. "Tell me then, does your immediate future result in somepony who's currently in this room becoming the Cornucopia's next captain?"

"Oh, nononono...no," I explained with some hesitation. "What it does mean is that someone might enter or leave the room. Either way, all I can tell for sure is that the door will open."

The door opened.

"See?"

Tell you the truth, I don't think our first mate was as impressed or stunned by my talent as most other ponies would have been. Even the reaction Twilight had responded to it with way back when didn't come to his mind, it seemed. He paid me little to no attention at all during that moment, as his attention had shifted elsewhere, which I assumed to be somehow connected to the opening door. When I turned my head to see what had distracted him, I quickly noticed. He had obviously lowered his gaze onto a certain, pale-coated earth pony mare standing in the door frame. As far as I could tell, she didn't seem all to content with the two of us being here.

To my defense, I had been very skeptical about even coming here. But that didn't matter now. I got that unpleasant feeling in my stomach telling me that I'd screwed up pretty badly. And making things even more miserable, Polly certainly wouldn't think any better of me after all this was over.

"I was showing your assistant around, is there something wrong with that?"

Strange Days fell even further into his defense position. He looked somewhat challenging to a certain point, as he spotted Polly standing in the door frame. And she didn't seem very convinced by his answer. Not at all, to be precise. Instead of answering to anything or anyone in particular, she remained silent, a cold, rational glare on her face. And waited. The two of them stood facing each other like this for a good twenty seconds or so, until Strange Days once more became the pony to give in first. He sure did need to practice his skills a bit.

"Let me guess, you've been eavesdropping on us, as always? How much of our little conversation did you manage to catch, if I may?"

Polly never even bat an eye, when she looked dead into his.

"I've heard enough," she retorted, her voice sounding a lot lighter than I'd have expected.

"My sweetest, dearest Polly," Strange Days continued, and I think I even saw her eyelid twitch for a split-second. "After all this time, I really don't know what to say to you. Still, I'll repeat myself again. Shouldn't it be more than clear that we're wasting our potential with every new day that we keep Saratoga in his position? Even you should be smart enough to know so. And yet, you never even once considered my way. Naturally, I had to go over to taking a less conventional path."

Without any emotion across her face, Polly blinked and continued to stare at him. "Yes," she stated. "You did."

"Oh, come on now, don't give me that! I think we all have our problems with the current leadership, even you. I could do better than our captain does in every aspect, and you know I could do better! I can bring along the wealth and success all of us have ever wanted and dreamed of. And I can protect your interests. And, above all, I can protect your little protege that you've grown so fond of for whatever reason! Do you honestly think Miss Pie will last much longer with Saratoga doing nothing to protect her? Do you?"

His nostrils were flaring, but Polly kept her cool. She never even flinched all throughout his speech. However, the same thing didn't apply to myself. I may be patient with ponies around me, even if they don't seem to like me at first, but at some point, I just didn't understand their reasoning, anymore. And neither could I comprehend why everypony here treated me like some sort of giant baby that needed all-round, extra care all the time.

"I can take care of myself," I stated. "I..."

"Shut up, Pinkie," Polly told me in her same, emotionless voice as before. Turning around to face her, mouth agape, I felt at a loss of words for the first time in days. Through everything I had heard and listened to so far, I couldn't explain to myself why she'd say something like this. Her words felt like a punch to the chest, and I hoped she knew that. Only somehow, she didn't even seem to take notice. Her eyes remained with the gray unicorn stallion behind me. "You were saying?"

"Me?" Strange Days jerked back, looking baffled. almost offended. "I wasn't saying anything! I was done speaking, as a matter of fact. Maybe now you could come up here and make a point for once. It's about time, either way."

"You're done, alright. That's just as well," Polly observed, as she turned to leave. "Come along then, Pinkie. We've got dinner to prepare."

"What? But I..."

"Not 'buts,' not now." She shot me a glare that caused me to shrink back almost immediately. "Call me what you will, but I'm still your superior. And if I remember correctly, we agreed that you would follow my orders."

I kept looking for a good response during the seconds that followed, but nothing useful anything that came to mind. And likely, there wouldn't be anytime soon. I felt my ears dropping, as I accepted my fate with a sigh. "Yes, of course," I mumbled, slowly trotting back out of the room that I'd just entered. There didn't seem to be any other option.

Strange Days groaned as I walked away from him. "Why are you still doing this, Polly?" he asked. "That's all I want to know. Why, in the wide world of Equestria and beyond, aren't you giving my theory a single chance? Just that! It's all I ask for!"

It took another moment for Polly to finally snap. Just as I reached the doorstep beside her, I noticed the mare take in a deep breath for her retaliation.

"You want to know why? I can tell you why," she replied with a hiss. "I'm still here because I'm content with what I have, Strange. And maybe you should do the same. I'm not allowing you to take this ship because it does not belong to you, you hear? Or myself, for that matter. The Cornucopia won't get anything out of ponies like you who try to become more than they are capable of handling, and that is a fact.

"What if I would be acting the way that you do? Can you tell me that? What if I tried to acquire the next highest step in the ladder? Because you can probably guess whose spot that would be. And I can't think of anypony on this vessel who would stand up to defend you. So ask yourself: Where would you be if everyone thought the way you did? Then start opening your mouth."

And with that, she turned and left. I hopped past the door step with a single, tiny leap, then attempted to follow her. Of course, Strange Days' reply wouldn't have us get very far, either way.

"The day will come that I'll say 'I told you so,' Polly. And with that attitude of yours, it'll come sooner than..."

He got cut off once more, this time by a door that slammed shut. Polly had given it a good-hearted kick with her hindleg as we left. After that, it wouldn't take longer than a mere half-second to reduce the first mate's angry ranting to a low and muffled background noise. The two of us trotted back down the corridor in silence.

"So...what now?"

It was the best I could muster, honestly. After that conversation just now, I honestly didn't know what to say. Contrary to what I expected though, Polly didn't even bother to answer my question. She just kept at her relatively high pace in perfect silence, up until we reached the kitchen door. Once there, she took a turn an marched right through, not trying to notice me in the slightest. With no better choice to make, I followed her, again.

"You're not being very nice, you know," I carefully explained as I did. "You could at least try to be a bit more kind."

That's something Fluttershy would have said, right? If so, I might use it just as well. At least she always came through with it, so why shouldn't I, either? I expected Polly to understand that, only to be severely disappointed by her remark.

"Not now, Pinkie. Really, I'm not in the mood."

Silence fell between us after that. She obviously didn't have anything further to add, and I couldn't think of anything that would serve as a good retaliation to that statement. To be plain, she'd made her point pretty clear. I glanced up and down the central counters, in search for something to cheer either of us up. When there wasn't anything to be found, much like there wasn't anything coming up in my head, I decided to gather my courage and ask her something that had been on my mind for a while. And this time, I was real serious about it.

"Polly...do you think I'm just a big baby?"

She looked at me intensely for a few seconds, then sighed. "Do we really need to go through this, now? I respect you, and you should know that. But I think you're not very good in caring for yourself in some certain environment. Especially if your surroundings are particularly hostile to you."

I arched an eyebrow at her. Was that it, really?

"Oh, come on, now. That's nothing to big to take care of. Besides, I know a perfectly safe way to deal with this."

"Yes?"

"You know, I got scared of a lot of things when I was little. But then my granny told me all you have to do is laugh to make them go away! Because whether you believe it or not, a little laugh every now and then can resolve so much in your life...it's how I learned to take care of myself, as I do right now." Just as I finished the sentence, another idea for a more decent conversation came to mind. "Did your granny ever tell you stories like this? I bet they must have been...oh, right..."

Not my proudest moment, I agree. But judging from her expression alone, Polly didn't seem to mind all that much. It was hard for me to tell whether she was actually still paying any attention to what I said. I decided to better keep any family issues out of this. Neither of us had generally made particularly positive experiences on that matter, after all.

"Laughter won't solve everything, you know?" She shot me another glare, and I could tell I probably should have kept quiet. Although I can't help it, really. "It won't help you here, even if you still think so. Which is why I think you probably shouldn't have come with us. That was...my mistake, I guess. But it's too late to turn back now, so we'll just have to settle with what we have. There, I said it. Now, can we please stop going on about this?"

"Alright, I just..."

"Pinkie..."

"But..."

"NO!"

"And why not?"

I could hear her sigh, combined with a slight shake of her head. It was ever so low, but neither did it escape my ever so watchful ears. She turned back to face me with a nickering sound escaping her throat. "What is it now? Can't we just bury the topic and agree that we've all made a mistake?"

"What indeed," I replied, more angered than usual. I mean, I still sounded nicer than most ponies when they're angry, I guess. But enough was enough, and I wanted a better explanation from her than just that. "I'm wondering why nopony on this ship won't treat me the way they usually do, that is all! Why can't I be friends with anyone here? Why are you all acting so weird, and saying I can't watch out after myself? I want to know! I thought this was an adventure I was going on, and adventures are supposed to be fun! But do you know what this is? It's the exact opposite of fun!"

Polly didn't respond; at least not directly, and not by the use of any words. She even evaded my looks when I tried to return her glare from earlier. Instead, her eyes wandered down, towards the counter. She turned to approach me, taking it one step at a time. When we were only less than two feet apart, she quickly raised up one foreleg, slapping me clean over the head with it.

That came out of nowhere. And it hurt a good deal more than I expected. Not even Dad would punish me that way after I'd made him angry. Not too often, anyway. Wincing, I rubbed the back of my head, trying to focus on her cold glare once again.

"I'm not answering that," she then explained, looking me dead in the eye. It was one of those looks a mother would give her foal when trying to make it clear that there wouldn't be any further discussion on this. "Don't we have a meal to prepare? I remember telling you to peel me some potatoes, earlier today. Didn't I?"

She turned around, her jaws swiftly picking out one of the smaller knifes from the nearby drawers. Then, and without a comment, she dropped it on the counter in front of me. Lastly, she trotted back to the room's other end with one last thought to add.

"You had better get to it."

Chapter 1 - Elimination Game

Canterlot blew up. The entire city, overnight.

The explosion wasn't exactly news to me when I first heard about it. Okay, maybe the details were. But I had suspected something along the lines. My Pinkie Sense rarely left me in the dark about huge impending events like this one. I just couldn't tell exactly what the strange combination of signs meant, right away. Interpreting them is usually super simple, but only if they tell me about something familiar...something that happened before. Not this time, however.

First of all, one might ask about what in Equestria is a Pinkie Sense. Boy, how do I explain that? Let's say I'm involuntarily psychic. My body parts drop me a warning for some sort of event, moments before it happens. Different events mean different signs, simple. Sometimes, when my body runs out of ideas, there's even a combination of several, simpler ones. I call those combos. Adds a little exotic feeling to the whole thing.

What I experienced that morning was also a combo, but a completely new one. It started off with nothing out of the ordinary. One knee shake followed by two ear flops didn't exactly surprise me. I've seen better, actually. What got me startled were my lips unconsciously forming the words 'Bloody Sunday', afterwards. I had no idea what it meant, but it definitely hadn't happened before. I instantly got a bad feeling from it, as I tend to do from any sixth sense signal that's impossible to interpret.

The part about Sundays didn't particularly catch my attention. After all, you call just about every day in Ponyville a sun-day, since there would always be the sun, and a day. Except for those with the cloudy weather, or even rain. I never really liked those.

Now bloody, that's a strong word. One with a very negative and non-fun touch to itself. My Pinkie Sense warning me about bloody events could only mean something bad was about to happen. Or already happening. Or it already did happen. Or somepony from Trottingham used it as a swear word. In that case whatever had happened wouldn't be so bad, just some everyday shenanigans.

That line of thought barely got me anywhere, though. After all, I was the one who said those words, even if I didn't pronounce them out loud. And I'm not from Trottingham. I don't even like tea. That's what made the entire matter so unsettling as a whole.

I found out about the details some twenty minutes later. It probably really was twenty minutes. The clock said so, but I don't trust these things. Growing up on a rock farm, the only useful tool of measuring time are the directions thrown by shadows...of rocks. If you want to learn more about rock shadows, ask Maud someday. She'd be thrilled to tell you all about them. And the best part is, she can easily get it across in a way that's simple enough to understand. It's not rock science, really. Or wait...scratch that, it is.

Anyway, I suppose it was about twenty minutes. Or so I was told. Yes, exactly. I was told it was twenty minutes...by the clock. That's probably a good way to say it.

I was standing behind the main counter at my workplace, a cafe named Sugarcube Corner. What I presumed to be the first lights of the sun started to break through the windows from the outside. They made me look forward to a warm, cheerful day in early spring. Turns out my expectations wouldn't exactly be matched. And I would grow very disappointed, very soon.

At this time in the morning however, I had a fairly easy task to perform. It mainly consisted of preparing and baking enough treats to get our business through the day. My routine started like this almost every day, and I couldn't possibly ask for more. This might be something relative to perspective, but to me, it was the best job in the whole wide world.

It only then happened, that all of a sudden, and right into my cheerful workload, the front door burst open with some impressive impact. The noise it made smashing into the wall beside it ultimately cut short the time for my morning routine, and flung me right into the chaos that lay beyond. Figuratively, silly. They didn't actually throw me anywhere.

In a heave of panic, Princess Twilight Sparkle came rushing through the entrance. Yes, a princess. In a bakery. Nothing strange about that, don't you think? She's just an old friend of mine, is all. And by friend, I mean friend-friend. After all, everypony in town is my friend. But there's a small number of mares, whom I value much more than that, and she's well among them. They're not only my friends, but my super-best friends. The kind of ponies I'd gladly support to go out there, and save the world, any day. And occasionally, that's what we actually did. Those bonds between us reached several stages higher than a standard friend, and way higher than a casual accomplice. I would tell you more about the rating system I use to keep my long list of friends in order, but I'm afraid I couldn't let myself do that (It's a secret!).

Today however, she didn't just come here for a friendly chat of sorts. Something had gone horribly wrong, I could tell. How was that? Well, at this time in the morning, Twilight never went anywhere out into town or beyond. So her presence alone made my ears perk up. She never leaves her library without thoroughly reorganizing it every morning. And you rarely need cake or muffins for that. I'm not an expert on libraries, but that much I can tell you. I also noticed another sign of her discomfort: Her eyes were deeply bloodshot, and surrounded by dark rings. Part of them was covered with single strains from her terribly disheveled mane. Maybe I should have noted that first? Oh well.

“Hiya, Twilight,” I noted nevertheless, showing off my casual grin. “You're up early.”

The purple alicorn mare was panting heavily, as she dragged her hooves across the cafe's doorstep. From the clear levels of her exhaustion, I presumed she'd hardly slept all night. Wouldn't be the first time, but not a comforting sign, either.

To be honest, I'd been a little sleepy myself that morning. I handled tiredness with a lot more ease than her, however. And maybe a teensy bit of caffeine. When Twilight first showed up, I'd already gone around up and running for an hour or so (the clock told me, but...you know), preparing Sugarcube Corner for the day's business.

Whatever it was she put out between her breaths came along harshly distorted, and was all but easy for me to make out. Something along the lines “No time to explain...awful disaster...emergency meeting...library...ten minutes,” I think. She didn't exactly leave any time for me to respond to it, either. Right after having finished, she rushed back out the door without anything further to say. I kept looking at the deserted entrance for another few moments, one eyebrow raised, eyes narrowed, and - overall - awfully confused.

I took a while until deciding that this had somehow become Twilight's new way of greeting, and inviting me over in the process. Something like that. With a shrug, I turned around, and quickly went back to work. If I had to be at the library in ten minutes, Sugarcube Corner should be fully prepared by then. With some luck, we would finish off whatever catastrophe she meant within half an hour or so. Because if we did, I would still be back in time to open the cafe up for business.

Whatever, no time for thinking, now. I still wasn't done baking, and these cupcakes wouldn't finish themselves. By the way, did I mention that cupcakes taste amazing? Because they do. They're to die for, honestly.

Presumably less than ten minutes later (I hastily counted to six-hundred, should be good enough), I rushed out the door. I started galloping down the street with my bestest of determination. Twilight's place was only a few blocks away, so I should easily be able to make it within whatever amount of time hadn't passed from the given frame, yet. Always assuming I didn't run into anything or anyone on the way, who or which could slow me down.

I did, of course.

Turning around the first corner, my gaze unexpectedly met a pair of terrified eyes, looking my way. There was an equally horrified pony attached to them. Her overall face reminded me of Twilight's earlier expression. One of those faces you only see when something really, really bad has happened. I guess that wasn't even news to me, anymore. Even though I still hadn't heard about what exactly there was to hear about. It seemed like everypony else in town knew something I didn't. Was I actually running that late on things? Wow.

I obviously didn't need to have others know about how little I knew of knowing what they knew...and all that, I knowingly thought to myself. Whatever horror had confronted them last night, whatever disaster struck our great nation in the very heart of its amiable spirit, it didn't matter to me in that particular moment. Nope, I was gonna play this cool. Pinkie Pie style.

"Morning, Bonnie. And happy birthday, a week from today!"

The beige-coated earth pony mare gave me a look of sheer disbelief. While she always did that on seeing me, it wasn't exactly the kind of reaction I had hoped for. On the contrary, it only made me grow even more frustrated. Yes, that's right. Frustrated. Me. Wasn't there anypony up for some smiles this morning?

"Pinkie, what are you talking about, haven't you heard what's going on? I've only gotten across rumors myself, but you should have seen Lyra this morning, she..."

"Don't worry," I said, interrupting her with a giggle. "There's only been an awful disaster, and I have to go to an emergency meeting in the library, which is set to begin ten minutes from less than ten minutes ago. At least that's what Twilight Sparkle told me. There was no time to explain, so I don't know a whole lot more, just yet."

Bon Bon stared at me as if I had lost my mind, like she always did. Even though I hadn't, obviously. Why anypony would think that remained an enigma to me, forever. Surely, everyone would spent some of their spare time talking to a bag of flour, right? And right now, I only repeated everything Twilight told me earlier. I did a pretty good job at it, as well. Nothing wrong with that.

"Oh, well...I won't stop you, then," she eventually replied, hesitantly, after blinking at me a few times. I thanked the mare, and bade her goodbye, with my best wishes for her upbeat roommate. Then, I immediately started off, bouncing up and down the street towards the library. All the way, I was humming a cheerful tune to myself, though I can't remember which one it was. I suppose my mind was wandering about elsewhere, thinking about what might have gone wrong with Lyra. She was nice, only a little unpredictable at times.

Not exactly crazy by most standards, though. I've seen a lot of strange ponies in my time, most of whom Lyra doesn't even come close to. You wouldn't believe me if I told you about all the kinds of weirdos out there, in the world.

I snapped out of my thoughts, as I turned another corner, and the Golden Oak Library appeared in front of me. For some reason, the sight reminded me how I failed to wrap up my given task earlier. To be fair, finishing off the baking for a whole day in that time span is physically impossible. Good thing Mr Cake came downstairs in time. He reminded me that he and his wife might as well get the job done on their own. I could've just asked them, actually. Silly me.

While I counted the seconds at the cafe, I might have been a little too quick about it. Twilight hadn't come back yet, and she's always on time. And when I say always, I really mean it. Her scheduling is even more precise than the time on a clock. Plus, she's the one whom I trust a lot more, for obvious reasons.

Right now however, she was still out, like I said. The only pony I met inside Golden Oak was Rainbow Dash. She's one of my other super-best friends, by the way. And also the only pegasus in Equestria, who ever pulled off a sonic rainboom. It didn't help our situation or anything at the time, but still is an impressive stunt.

As I made my entrance through the front door (Dull, I know. But even I do that sometimes.), she turned towards me, eyes wide. The thing that happened to Twilight and Bon Bon must have also affected her in some way. I really hoped this whole emergency wouldn't take too long. I'd hate to let the Cakes down.

“Morning, Dashie,” I said, greeting her. “You're all pretty glum this morning, aren't you?”

She groaned, as her eyes followed me jumping up and down in enthusiasm. It usually helps ponies lightening up, acting all excited like that. But not today, apparently. “Pinkie Pie...” She sighed. “Didn't you hear what happened?”

“Nope, can't say so.”

This seemed to be a lot more serious than I thought, if even Rainbow Dash acted this way. She was always up for some laughs, pranks, or whatnot. Situations when she didn't must be horribly grim, it even says so in my mental rulebook. And even worse, I had completely failed to comprehend all that until now. No fun.

“Canterlot blew up, that's what happened,” Rainbow told me. “Everypony inside is dead, and no-one knows why. You can't tell me that completely slipped your attention. I mean, somepony must have told you.”

“Of course. You just did, silly. Everything I needed...wait, WHAT?”

I was shocked by her statement the moment it left her mouth, you see. Sometimes it just helps to slip in a small joke in between the lines. Wouldn't be myself if I didn't act a little goofy...right?

As it turned out, Rainbow wouldn't have the time to explain anything to me, either way. Right after my sudden outburst, the door once again swung open behind me. Twilight stood in the door frame, panting heavily (déjà vu?). She looked even more exhausted than before. I didn't even know that was possible.

Twilight didn't seem to mind my ignorance of that fact. Probably because I didn't tell her. She hurriedly burst into the room, looking and nodding at the two of us in turn. Our other friends followed in her hoofsteps: Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, in that order. I greeted each respectively, but still as quickly as I could. There was no time to lose, after all. That's what she said.

“There's no time to lose,” Twilight repeated, stating the obvious, as soon as the door slid close behind them. It sounded awfully redundant to me, but I decided not to say anything. For now.

“I hope you all know what's going on?”

“Ooh, oh, I don't!” I immediately exclaimed, one forehoof shooting into the air. Just my way of subtly explaining myself. And good enough at that, as long as it gets others' attention.

“Canterlot was destroyed by an explosion,” Twilight replied. She had caught her breath by now, so those words came out a lot easier than before. “Nopony knows why, or who did it. The entire city just went up in smoke, and came tumbling down the mountain. Haven't had a word from the princesses, either.”

She lowered her gaze to the floor, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “You see, I'm afraid...I do fear for the worst.”

We all exchanged some nervous glances. This didn't look like a time for jokes, so I simply joined in. After a moment of silence, it was Applejack who first spoke up, as she stomped one of her hooves onto the floor.

“Shoot. Ah hoped at least these two could've gotten out unharmed...kinda explains, why the sun and moon are up at the same time, though. Y'all noticed that, didn't ya?”

Oh, right...the thing that should not be. I thought something about the weather outside didn't look familiar.

Nopony in the room uttered another word. We were perfectly still, and more than a few felt unable to comprehend what had happened, I could tell. Honestly, I felt at a loss of words, myself. If Celestia and Luna weren't there to deal with some mess, who would? A possible answer to that question started to rise up from the back of my head. And I didn't like it...didn't like it one bit.

“So, uh...what now?”

Our gentle Fluttershy's voice was more a whisper than anything, but at the time, it still seemed to strike the silent room with the impact of a cannonball. She kept looking at the floor while speaking, one hoof carefully scratching over the wooden planks. Even now, her eyes averted those of Twilight, or any of us, for that matter.

“Well,” Twilight told her with a heavy exhale. She sounded extremely tired, all of a sudden. “We have to assume a worst case scenario. Meaning the princesses didn't...didn't make it.”

Her eyes went all watery once more, or whatever you call that. My vocabulary isn't made for sadness. It didn't take long, until a first tear started rushing down my friend's cheek. This didn't make anything any better. Wasn't Twilight usually the one, who'd come up with a solution out of nowhere? I sure did hope she would, this time.

Instead, she kept sobbing, and interrupted her narrative. My initial reflex told me to jump over, and squeeze her in a tight hug. Maybe knowing about her friends still being here would make some of her worries go away. But I wasn't the only pony in the room who must have had that idea. And Rarity just so happened to be quicker than me. She pulled Twilight in a close embrace, one forehoof gently caressing the alicorn's back.

I admit, though being a cheerful pony most of the time, it really hurts to see my friends like this. I don't show much of these unhappy emotions, mostly. I don't want ponies to think of myself as depressed. But that doesn't mean I can't feel like that, sometimes. When Twilight looked as desperate as she did in that moment, it felt like an icy sting right through my chest. I had to force myself not to cry. If the bearer of the element of laughter did that, what more hope would there be?

Bearing the element of laughter is a fun position to be in, most days. Whenever somepony feels glum for some reason that can easily be fixed, I'm usually the mare to call. Because on most days, a little laughter and a few smiles can quickly show the world to them from a much more fortunate angle. But there would also come days, which didn't just seem unhappy, they really did feel depressing to everyone. Days, on which you couldn't get ponies to smile for you, because they simply didn't want to. And that's when the bringer of joy and laughter feels utterly useless and alone, all of a sudden.

At times like this, I sometimes just like to stare ahead. Sit still and hope it all blows over. There really isn't anything else for me to do. Believe it or not, despite my somewhat extrovert nature, I can become a very quiet and reasonable pony if need be. Which didn't mean I wouldn't feel completely miserable about it. But I do so for the best of my friends...and I suppose that's more than enough reason to hate yourself at times.

And this was one of them.

When Twilight slipped from Rarity's forearms, the two gave each other a considerate, generous smile that warmed me up on the inside. Without a second's notice, the white unicorn had given her friend exactly what she needed, for nothing else but make Twilight feel better about herself. And like any true friend, Rarity would never ask for anything in return, I knew that. She considered any of the little gifts she regularly gave away for granted, no matter if they were physical or emotional. I guess that's what really makes her such an amazing friend to have.

It took us all a little longer to take all that in, but Twilight was - aside from emotionally scarred - also willing to hurry on with the matter. She cleared her throat, and regained all of her full composure. Despite her earlier fragility, I could still see the spirit of a true princess in her wake.

Not because of my Pinkie Sense, silly. Sometimes you just notice these kind of things without having to use supernatural powers you can't control. Anypony would.

"I already got word from Princess Cadance and my brother," Twilight resumed. "She won't be able to leave the Crystal Empire for time being. Her explanation was a little vague on the details, but it seems they're having enough of a hard time up there, themselves. Without anyone in the capital to rely on, managing an entire empire will be even messier than before..." She trailed off for a second, her eyes wandering over each of us. All the while, I kept thinking of a way to cheer my friends up, but nothing useful would come to me. Of course my expertise would leave me when I needed it most. Typical.

"Anyhow, as the princess of friendship, this whole chain of events would leave me the highest in command, as far as most of Equestria is concerned." She interrupted herself for a frown. Not one of those desperately sad ones I usually deal with. This was more of an expression of becoming frustrated from something. Probably all the work and responsibility that would be loaded on her, soon enough.

Did that mean some of it could also become transferred to me? Yikes...no fun at all.

"As you all probably realize, this means a whole lot of new tasks and responsibilities for myself. I will have to lead Equestria through this time of crisis. And being the element bearers, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you for your support with the best efforts."

Well, there you have it. Not gonna say it out loud, but...told you so.

"I can count on you," Twilight asked, turning to each of us. "Right?"

"Are you kidding?" was the immediate answer, as a cyan something rushed through the air, right past me. I guess it shouldn't surprise me. Loyalty...just comes natural.

"We're not gonna let you hangin'," Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Especially not now."

Her voice brought some excitement and optimism back into the room. While I simply cherished the change in atmosphere as long as I could, it didn't take long for our other friends to add their bits and pieces.

"Second that, sugarcube."

"Why...of course."

"We could hardly consider ourselves your friends otherwise, darling."

And then (what else?) all eyes suddenly rested on me. Yours truly hadn't contributed as much as usual to the conversation. Something I realized only now. It hadn't gone as unnoticed by the others, obviously.

"I say we go out there, and give it the super-duper best we can manage," I answered them without much thinking. "Wee...hee?"

Several pairs of eyes were rolled at me, and I could tell I'd done it again. Like I said, while I could handle mandatory seriousness, it never brought itself into the list of my top qualities. But nopony else commented on my words, so there probably weren't too far off. I gave my friends the best shot at a smile I could manage right now, hoping for somepony else to speak up soon. I could already feel the sweat forming on my brow. Too much attention when I didn't need it. Yay.

"So, uh...what's the plan? You tend to have the high ground when it comes to planning ahead, Twilight," Rainbow Dash asked. She was hovering in the air, several feet above the rest of us.

Twilight again cleared her throat before she resumed speaking. "I guess it all comes down to getting to Canterlot. It's where they need us most right now. The six of us, as well as any other kind of help. The train tracks are currently disrupted, obviously, but I've gotten in contact with the southern earth pony towns. They're sending over some emergency transports, soon. Towards the foot of the mountain at least. We could hitch a ride on one of those. All things considered, we're in for a long trip, but I think it still is the quickest way possible."

"Ooh, waitwaitwait, today?" I burst out. I couldn't help myself, honestly. Sometimes, I just say something first, then do the thinking part afterwards.

"Yes, today," Twilight replied, turning her gaze towards me. "In all honesty, I'd like to get there as fast as five minutes ago..."

I first wanted to tell her that maybe I could manage that, given I'd take in enough of the right substances, beforehand. There where at least a dozen possibilities coming up in my head. But I ultimately decided not to mind them, and keep my mouth shut. Which was probably for the best.

"...but anyways. There is no time to lose. If you're all going to help me out, you need to get your affairs in order. Do what you must, and meet me here as soon as you're finished. The first train passes by in about an hour, so we'll take that one. And we will be gone for a few days. Maybe more, maybe less. I can't tell, yet. So make sure everypony who needs to know about our absence, does. I'll meet you back here in thirty minutes maximum. Everypony clear?"

She put her hoof down, putting some extra emphasis on those last words of hers. It was all the command we needed. With a simple nod, Rainbow turned herself around mid-air, then dashed through the front entrance in the wake of a rainbow trail. I guess that's where her name comes from, don't you think? Anyway...

The other four of us quickly followed her outside. Within another few seconds, we spread out all across town, getting ready. As I raced back the way I had come, I could already imagine the Cakes wouldn't like what I had to tell them. But then again, neither did I.

I don't know what exactly I had expected. Disagreement? Empathy? Maybe. I returned to Sugarcube Corner to collect all the goods I needed (and my party cannon, just in case...none of this looked like there would be much partying going on anytime soon, but I needed to be prepared, nevertheless). I told Mr and Mrs Cake all about Twilight's plan, but neither of them had to say very much about it. The news about Canterlot had shocked them as much as everypony else. Which made sense.

I apologized times and again, for my going to be unable to help them out anytime soon. I didn't think it would do, but they told me it did. More than anything.

They also let me know I should do my best, and they simply had to manage on their own for a while. Just pretend it was for nothing but old times' sake. After all, I had been around for a while, but not exactly forever. And though I understood they might even appreciate a little time for themselves, I still hated myself for letting them alone with all their work and the foals, on top of it all. But I didn't have a choice.

And I couldn't take Pound and Pumpkin with me either. I mean, I could, but it wasn't a very good plan. Sure, the idea seemed fun in my head. On the other hoof, so did cloning myself in the mirror pond. And we all know where that got us.

From the two bakers' faces, as well as those of everypony else I had met today, I could tell my absence was the least of their worries. A national disaster leading towards an uncertain, possibly dark future could do that to you.

Gee. So far, the entire day had been nothing but a horrible mess. And I felt like it was only getting started. Maybe I should've just stayed in bed this morning.

Chapter 12 - High Tide

As it turned out, the route to Docking Bay 94 was never as much an enigma as I thought. On the contrary, the place where our ship was currently docked lay only about two blocks away. In hindsight, it really did make sense. Yesterday's cafe wasn't situated that far off the coast, I just sort of forgot about that. Trixie and I could easily have discovered the route ourselves, hadn't we decided to march off into the opposite direction, heading further into town.

And of course, we didn't find any docks there. Why would I even think so? I probably just didn't think at all, last night.

When calling it a day the other night, Trixie came to ask whether I already found a place to stay for the night. Which, in turn, brought me to the unfortunate realization that I hadn't. Which I couldn't describe to be one of my brightest moments. All the time, I had become so caught up with finding a way to resume my journey alongside making new friends, I completely forgot to look for a pillow I could rest my head on tonight. I might have settled for a rock on any other day, before remembering the last time I tried that. Which didn't go so well, to say the least.

The blue unicorn mare again explained how she tried changing herself for the better, especially by accepting what a closer look at the elements of harmony taught her. All in all, she tried becoming a nicer pony, as I already noticed. I had no idea where Trixie was trying to get from there, or why she brought up the topic now. Then again, with no place to sleep I had to pass the time somehow. I figured, I might as well stay and listen to her, just for the sake of it. Where else was I even supposed to go?

In any case, she had some of her studies devoted to the elements since we last met. Which made her all the more eager to find a decent value for herself to live by. And in the spirit of generosity, or so she explained, Trixie was more than happy to offer me a place to sleep at her mobile for the night. All we had to do was dump her dishwasher beforehand to make some space. According to Trixie, it wasn't that big of a loss. Apparently the whole thing just broke down a few days earlier, anyways.

Ponies later told me that dishwashers in mobile homes made entirely from wood aren't exactly normal. Not sure why that is, though. I couldn't find anything weird about the concept.

We made sure to ditch the entire thing somewhere among the other garbage piling up in the street, where nopony would notice. Her unicorn magic, combined with some good, old-fashioned earth pony strength from yours truly made sure to get the job done. And as we finished it off, the newly formed free space inside Trixie wagon quickly became filled out with a number of cushions, pillows, and other fluffy objects taken from her show props. It wasn't the most majestic of resting places, but still much more than I could ask for. When I promised to make it up to her one day, Trixie simply dismissed my notion with a wave of her hoof, again reminding me it was the least she could do.

I woke up half an hour prior to the time I agreed on for Polly to pick me up, the next morning. Or rather, Trixie made sure I'd wake up at that time. For obvious reasons, she had her carriage parked with the entrance side pointing east. That way, the sun wouldn't ever fall in here, disturbing our peace. Which also meant I could have just slept through for days, not even noticed a single second had ever passed.

Fortunately, my unicorn companion's inner compass, or whatever it was she used to get up and about didn't work like that. Nope, she got up in time before getting me back up on my hooves, just like I asked her. To this day, I'm not so sure about how she actually managed to do that. Because there wasn't anything in her wagon even remotely indicating the current time. Not even a clock hanging from the wall for me to mistrustfully glance at. Somehow, Trixie kept track of everything all by herself. I suppose it's either extremely impressive, or it's just another common unicorn thing I didn't know about. Or...something else about something...else.

We had a short breakfast soon after, which consisted of little more than a basket of week-old apples and some leftover oats, which we split fifty-fifty. Trixie didn't mind us finishing off the last of her reserves, either. On the contrary, she was more than happy to get rid of them, so that she might actually go for some decent food right away after arriving in Filly.

She also managed to arrange our meal as comfortably as possible. Lucky for us, Trixie apparently managed to recently conduct a spell on her cabin that kept the insides nice and cool at all times, shielding us from the sun's heat that bore down on it every hour of the day and night. And when first stepping outside a few minutes before nine, the hot Baltimare air quickly embraced us just like it had done the night before. I may have been mistaken, but I think it even felt a teensy bit hotter this time. Or maybe, that was nothing but the sudden transition feeling a bit extreme.

Trixie again told me she needed to get ready to leave for Fillydelphia. She also mentioned that I could still trot along if I wanted, and all that. Which meant she probably wasn't all that convinced of my mission, after all. And I couldn't blame it on her to be honest. Trixie hadn't met with Celestia, this recently. She didn't even have a Pinkie Sense telling her where to go and what to do next. Or a Trixie Sense...well, in any case, I don't think that kind of thing worked well with her. So how could she possibly fully understand everything I needed to do? I wasn't even entirely sure about the plan myself. Still.

To be plain, I told her our further companionship wasn't going to happen, which was a shame. I also mentioned that I was sorry about it, and would love to travel with her, only my obligations told me otherwise. Which seemed to be good enough for her to accept. While she proceeded to get her carriage ready for departure, all I had to do was wait for Polly while trying not to get my hooves all that dirty in the mud. That sounds like an easy task, but let me tell you; in Baltimare's harbor, it's something entirely different. Not sure what exactly it actually is at the end of the day, but definitely not an easy task. Just saying.

I spent the next few minutes doing nothing in particular, except waiting for Polly to get here. She arrived on time, which ironically confused me a good deal. How was it that everyone in this town seemed to somehow still grasp the concept of time, except for me? There had to be an explanation for this, and I made a mental note to find out on my equally mental to do list. Neither of which had a curfew. Lucky me.

Still, examining the timey-wimey issue would have to wait. There were still other problems and tasks lasting on my mind more heavily, for example the journey that now lay ahead of me. That was kinda important. Before finally leaving alongside Polly, I turned back one last time, and said my goodbyes to Trixie. It wasn't that hard, I guess. For time being, everything that needed to be said had already crossed our minds, and we could part on friendly terms. The prospect of seeing her again, maybe permanently once I came back home made the whole thing a bit easier for both of us.

And just like that, I was off, heading for the mysterious place they call Docking Bay 94. And like I already stated, the entire way there wasn't much longer than a few hundred yards. Overall, we managed to cover it in what felt like five minutes or so. Then again, I wouldn't possibly know, would I?

Me and Polly didn't do a whole lot of talking for the biggest part of our way. Polly and I? Dunno, but anyway. At least, we didn't have anything interesting to discuss, safe for the usual stuff I need to know about ponies whom I'm trying to befriend. And whom I just met recently, both of which applied to the mare now walking next to me.

That meant some standard Pinkie Pie topics to be discussed. Big deal. Stuff like for example her birthday, city of origin, hobbies, favorite cake, and so on. I would have asked about her zodiac sign as well, but that pretty much came with the birthday. Also, now that the celestial bodies didn't seem to move around any longer, weren't they really all just the same?

None of her answers were very much surprising. In fact, the one about her birthday even helped me calm down a bit, seeing that one was still a good deal away. So I wouldn't have to throw her a party in the next few weeks. I didn't even know how to do that on a ship. Though I felt I needed to figure it out in due time. The bearer of laughter has to find a way with these things, mind you.

The only answer I didn't expect to be the way it turned out was the name of her hometown. I had some troubles even recognizing the name at first, but it sure didn't sound like any place here in Equestria. After a while only, I remembered where I heard it before. In fact, this was the same which she earlier explained to be their current destination. Well, our current destination, as it was now. The name she told me was pronounced Druzyovsk.

So Polly was actually a native of the islands we needed to go to. Which was just as well, I guess I could need a guide as soon as I got there. Those islands pretty much remained a blind spot on the world map in my head, so I didn't actually know a whole lot about that place. On second thought, however, her answer also confused me. Hadn't there been a second part to the town's name, yesterday? I felt pretty sure there had been, but didn't come to ask her that, now. In fact, I needed to save all further questions for later. Just as I started opening my mouth again, we turned another corner, thereby reaching the docks we were headed to.

"Well, this is it," Polly told me with a relieved sigh, her hoof motioning to one of the larger sized vessels nearby. "I sort of expected you would know how to get here. You know, yesterday. But seeing this is your first time in Baltimare, well, I didn't want to leave anything to chance, either."

I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to her words, just then. Mostly because I'd become more or less fixated on the sight rising up in front of me, now. There were a number of artificially created basins lined up to our right, separated from each other by long, rectangular piers. Each of which had a two-digit number painted on a nearby wall in bold, black characters. My eyes wandered upwards, widening at the sight of the ship parked inside the place labeled ninety-four, only waiting for us to get aboard.

"Wowsies!" I squeaked. "This is your ship? Our ship, I mean? It's so...so...I don't even know what to call it. And that by itself is sooo super-spectacularly amazing! I don't even..."

And so on. I might have overdone it a bit with the screeching on the last few syllables, I admit that. But Polly didn't seem to mind all that much, so I guess it was okay. Again, she motioned towards me with a hoof, dismissing my worries with a simple gesture.

"Oh, it's nothing really. You should see the great clippers out there. And don't get me started on the navy's frigates. We're...comparably tiny to those. Our boat just so happens to look pretty big in this environment, I guess. Most of the more wealthier companies tend to avoid Baltimare's ports altogether. You can probably imagine why that is."

I nodded, though I really think she was being modest, here. As far as I was concerned, this ship had every reason to be called majestic. Extending to a full length of a hundred yards at least, it filled out the entire bay they had settled it into, even stretching out a good deal in the back. Literally on top of all that, three masts reached out from its massive decks, each of them in turn also spurring three yards to their left and right, reaching out at dazzling heights. The mast in the back looked a good deal shorter than its other two equivalents, reaching only about two thirds of their height. Still, the main one of the three would easily be higher than the tallest building in all of Baltimare, or so I thought.

That conclusion was only partly correct, since I didn't really think of the skyscrapers some distance away. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Can't keep it all remembered all the time.

None of my little mistakes made the sight any less impressive. Though I probably couldn't even see all of it, just now. Most of what was visible to us from here was the front-left part. Stretching my neck to the right a good deal, I noticed what looked like a large cabin beneath the elevated rear deck. The windows, which I guessed to cover most of the ship's back extended to the side I kept looking on. They were framed with all sorts of expensive-looking golden ornaments. All of that fancy-shmancy stuff you usually only see in Canterlot. Not in most Equestrian cities, and most definitely not here. In any case, Celestia would have approved.

Snapping my neck back into place, I also noticed the ship's name printed onto the rump in even fancier brass letters. VCR Cornucopia, they said, being fixated to the wooden planks at the very forefront of the entire vessel. While this cursive-thingy was definitely a style of writing Rarity would only have squeed at, it also raised another question in my head.

"How...how do you pronounce that first bit? Like...Fuh-ce-err, or something like that?"

Polly blinked, looking at me like I had just lost my mind. Which may not be so far off, but still not the kind of response I was hoping to get. "You mean the Vee-Cee-Arr? The acronym?" she asked me. "Every ship in Equestria has that. I thought you knew about that. You didn't ask yesterday, at least."

"So what's that mean?" I wondered. "Vigorous Cake Retrieval? That would fit my interests, I guess. Or...Villains Can't Reach...us? Oh, oh, or how about Vaccinated Cavalry Rowing? That would work."

"Uh, no. Not really, it wouldn't," Polly replied, her forehead in wrinkles. "I think the words you're looking for would be Vessel of Celestia's Royalty. It doesn't sound any better, I know. Just a lot more boastful. But federal regulations require us to put these three letters there, so what can you do? I didn't come up with the rules in this country, I don't even live here."

I didn't find any proper words to answer that at first. Arching an eyebrow, I just looked at the title in skepticism. Celestia's Royalty...really? That didn't sound like fun, mine sounded more like fun...like more fun. Fun like more? More like it. But honestly, didn't they? I'm sure I would come up with at least a dozen different titles better than this one within two point three seconds or so. Give or take a few, depending on my current levels of blood sugar. I didn't have any instruments to measure that right now, and they probably wouldn't help me out in any case. And then there was that distraction I received a bit later. Something related to Polly patting me on the shoulder to snap me out of my thoughts, which she did.

"Come on, then," she said, heading for the pier. "I'll take you around, show you where everything is. We still have some time before leaving port."

Over the next two and a half hours or so, I somehow learned more about sailing than I ever did in every other day of my life combined. All the new data and facts sure did make my head spin, but then again, what didn't? Polly made sure not to leave out a single detail during our tour around the place. That included explaining where everything was, why it was where it was, why some things weren't where they were not, and other things about other things. How each of them worked, for example.

We started off with the kitchen that would become our workplace, of course. Or actually, we started off with the small cabin I'd be given for sleeping and all that. I figured there wouldn't be much for me to do in here but sleep, since I'd be alone in here most of the time. There only was a single bunk in this tiny room, so it didn't take me very long to figure that out. And for those who haven't noticed, Gummy wouldn't be there, either. He hadn't been with me all along. I left him in good care with the Cakes before running off to here. Which seemed reasonable. After all, he was much to small for a journey like this one. Still being a baby alligator and all that.

Oh, and the running off part. That seemed reasonable, too. Only it sounded somewhat wrong, saying it like that. I didn't exactly run off, did I? I was planning on definitely coming back, after all.

But back to the lecture at hand. The ship's kitchen wasn't very big on the inside, and most of its space was already occupied by a massive place for storage of all the ingredients we were to use for the comparably simple meals the two of us were to prepare for a crew of about fifty ponies or so. When Polly explained the main recipes to me, the whole task didn't seem as difficult as I'd expected it to be. There wasn't anything complicated in her list, only the standard stuff ponies used to fill as many stomachs as possible in the shortest possible time. Mostly, I thought, I definitely got this.

The kitchen itself contained three medium sized counters, some shelves for the various tools, and a more than decent fireplace with a large kettle made from copper hanging over it. I somewhat reminded me of the place where the bearded guy from that one comic book used to brew his super-duper-extra strength magic potion kind of...thing. Whatever either of them were called; I couldn't recall that at the time.

There were plenty of other places around the ship, some of which Polly decided I should get to know straight away, while some others I'd be introduced to in time, anyway. The upper deck was divided into three portions, the first and last one each elevated a few meters from the central one's height. If I wasn't mistaken, it was the one at the ship's back that was the highest of the three. Or rather, the one at the stern, as Polly explained it. Apparently, sailors had their own words for a lot of different concepts and objects all over the place. It was like learning the entire language all over again. Yikes.

Several different establishments were placed below the stern deck; one of them being our kitchen, combined with a few smaller chambers for the crew to eat their meals in case the outside weather didn't play along. And of course there was the captain's cabin and office. The latter ones took were situated next to each other at the ship's very rear. They also took up all of the fancy windows by themselves. No fair.

We even met Captain Saratoga a few times while moving around the vessel. As Polly had predicted, he wasn't in a very good mood during any of our brief encounters. Describing him as grumpy would have been the understatement of the century. I guess. Though I could also think of several other recent events that could easily be underestimated. Most of which were also connected with some particularly bad memories, so I decided I'd rather concentrate on what was in front of me, right now.

Last night's cider appeared to really have kept its promise. Though whatever he kept drinking probably wasn't even apple cider. Or no only apple cider, at least. Just looking at Saratoga, I could tell he must have had some of what I like to refer to as the tough stuff. All the while, the Captain kept trotting around the ship without much enthusiasm in his steps. He had his Stetson hung low into his face, covering up most of his features for the rest of us.

Looking over the final preparations for our departure, he did in fact mutter, call out, or yell an occasional command to his crew members. Though he usually seemed to be mostly pleased with the job they were doing. Or not, given the perspective. Among the ones he criticized more harshly was also his first mate; neither of the two seemed particularly fond of the other's presence. Why, I had no idea. They didn't do a worse job than anyone else around, after all.

Strange Days wasn't one for cheers either, though I didn't actually see any reason for him to act like he did. When I first appeared on deck, his mood seemed to drop down even further. My presence was generally frowned upon from his part, and he still didn't seem to approve of me being here. Call that what you want, but it certainly felt like a sting in the chest to me. Any kind of frown is pretty much the opposite of what I expect ponies to react to me approaching them.

Apart from our two grumpyheads, I met a lot of new faces that day, each of them taking up a different position and task around the ship. I tried to keep their names in mind as well as I could manage, but at the end of the day, I really couldn't tell just how many of ponies there were on this bark. I managed to recall a good number, but I really couldn't tell just how many I'd already forgotten about. Because these were a lot of new names to learn in such a short time. Probably the most excessive case ever since I moved to Ponyville all these years ago. And believe it or not, even back then did it take me some time to learn about all the town's inhabitants. I expected this time to be no different.

The rest of this little tour was mostly about all the remaining, minor stuff. In more or less detailed explanations, Polly told me about everything else I might need to know or worry about, as well as some general knowledge that could come in handy at some point. How each of the different sailing techniques worked, for example. And what exactly it was I had to do if ever called upon for helping out with them. And how to steer and navigate, the latter one made a tad more difficult by the weird position of the sun and moon. At least, we could forget about using a sextant to get around, Polly told me. Which I didn't mind, since I had no idea how to work with a sextant, anyways. I didn't even know what that word meant.

Lastly, she pointed out that there was a flagpole sticking out of the rump's rear ending, tilted from an upright position at about thirty degrees or so. Right now, it bore nothing but the national flag of Equestria. The one with the sun, moon, and both princesses in front of a blue background and all those details. And stars. Sparkly ones, to be precise.

Being a vessel of the Kingdom of Equestria, this flag would be all the representation we would need at the moment, Polly explained. However, when approaching our destination, she asked me to also keep in mind that we needed to hoist a smaller version of the Pegasilian flag beneath it, sort of as a display of our respect. As it turned out, the captain had already forgotten about it a few times in the past, and the folks over at Chuda and Druzyovsk didn't exactly appreciate the gesture. Or lack of gesture, in any case.

Yep, you've heard me. Now, all of a sudden it was called Chuda and Druzyovsk. I really wanted to ask Polly what was going on with this names, but she wouldn't even have me start the sentence. Too much to explain on her own part, I guess.

We finished our tour at about eleven-thirty, or so Polly told me. She also mentioned that we should be getting together with the others on the central deck, where there would be a short assembly before we left port. It was custom for the captain, or whoever was in charge at the time, to hold a short speech to his crew members at the beginning of every new trip. And every one of us had to be there. That accounted for myself especially, this being the first time I ever worked on a ship. Which was exciting. Wasn't this exciting? I sure thought it was.

Making our way through the disoriented mob of ponies, I received a variety of different remarks from the assembled crew members, most of which I didn't even know by name yet. One of the few things I did notice was that apparently there were mostly stallions on this ship. I didn't immediately want to assume Polly and me being the only mares all around, but the assumption didn't leave me be that quickly, either. The glances from everyone else were only more or less friendly; several of them didn't seem to like having me around.

There was also a lot of grinning involved with some of them. Which might seem like a smile, but it's far from genuine. More like the kind of corrupted laughter I had to face that one time we went to look for Discord in the Canterlot Garden Maze. Laughing at me instead of with me, and so on. That kind of thing. I didn't know what those ponies wanted to say with that, or why they acted that way, but I didn't like it one bit. It all seemed pretty freaky...even a bit repulsive, come to think of it.

And as on queue, a pony stepped up in front of the crowd for said, scheduled announcement. Only he didn't really look like Captain Saratoga, analyzing him now. More like a variously shaded, gray unicorn with a cream-colored streak in their mane. He looked very much like his first mate, to be precise. I assumed that was because he was the first mate. Which would also explain his appearance. What it didn't explain would be why he stood in front of us now instead of his superior. Didn't Polly say something about the captain doing this kind of thing?

"You're probably wondering why the captain isn't doing this kind of thing," Strange Days called out to us, stepping onto an empty crate, which said From Hayti With Love in faded letters. "And I'd be lying when I say I hadn't asked myself the same question just five minutes ago. But the truth is, he seems to have some very important, very delicate navigation work to do back in his office...among other things. He will, however, be here to guide us into open waters under his protective wings and cunning expertise."

The sarcasm was strong with this one. I could hear snorts and chuckles going all around just as he finished the sentence.

"Yes, yes, I know," he resumed. "It's a long journey ahead of us, and we're all a little nervous. Which doesn't mean any of us gets to let down their guard. This is not going to be anything out of the ordinary. Just another, regular trip to the Pegasilians, as you all should be aware of. We've managed to pull through this before, and we'll manage to do so again. The only thing each and every one of us needs to remember is this: All you have to do is not screw up. Do your job properly, and in a few weeks' time we'll be docking in good old Chuda, safe and sound. And the lot of you can go waste your payment, heritage, or whatever it is you feel like doing that to. Waste yourself, see if I care. Until then however, you're under Captain Saratoga's and my authority, and I don't want to see any of you slacking off."

A generally pretty dampened mood settled around me, some frustrated murmuring making its way through the ranks.

"As you should be aware of, it is a normal affair to admit some new members to a ship's crew after some time spent at the docks." At Strange Days continuing of words, several pairs of ears perked up in curiosity. "At this time, there is only one new member for us to welcome aboard." He motioned towards me. "I can't tell you that much, so if you feel like you need to know anything else, go ask her yourself. Her name is Pinkamena Pie, and she'll be helping our chief steward preparing the meals. She's also rather inexperienced with our noble profession altogether, and I would want each of you to note that down. It isn't the most promising position for the job, and I've been critical of accepting her, myself."

He took a deep breath. "However, as long as Miss Pie stays on this ship, she will be a complete and respected member of our community, worth no less than every single one of you. Each of you is to respect her as one of their own, which also goes for every other of your crew mates. If I find anyone breaking with that rule, you'll be discovering very soon that getting on this ship might not have been your wisest decision ever made.

"I would like you to remember, the Princess does not allow any excessively severe punishment inside her country's borders. But you should also recall that, as soon as we're more than three miles out at sea, this vessel will no longer fall under Celestia's jurisdiction. From that point on, the captain and I alone decide what happens to your sorry flank, if need be. Thank you very much."

And with that, he stepped back down, turning his back while marching up onto the bridge. Left behind him was nothing but a tense mood made up of frowning grim faces, joined by a heavy silence. None of these ponies seemed in the mood for partying right now, which was easy to understand after what had just been said. But there wouldn't be the need for punishing any meanies, as long as we were all nice to each other, right? And to lighten up the mood, what would fit in better than an upbeat, cheerful song?

Polly seemed to be able to think of a thing or two she'd prefer. As soon as I opened my mouth to start what I'd planned for these ponies, she short me a stern glance, and I closed it back up again. No singing, apparently. I decided I'd rather not pull out my confetti cannon at this time. Though cannons and ships did fit really well together...I never thought of it like that. Might be worth considering in the long run.

About five minutes after our first mate ended his speech, the captain did in fact appear on deck. And just like everyone had expected, he started to give the usual commands. Loosen the ties, get the sails ready, pull in the boarding bridge...that kind of stuff. This may be my first time on a ship, but it still pretty much covered everything I had expected. And it still felt exciting, nonetheless. From there on out, it didn't take much longer until we finally left the harbor behind us, then sailed out of Horseshoe Bay a good ten minutes later. Probably.

Polly disappeared soon after to get everything ready in her own little empire. She also commanded me to join her at fourteen-hundred hours, so we could start preparing dinner for everyone on board, which would be our first meal at sea of many to come. Also, she used that very military-style commanding speech...thingy. I only knew about the Royal Guard to actually use that, so far. But it sure sounded like fun, so I figured I might as well roll with it.

It also meant there was about another hour or so for me to spend up here, trying to get an overall idea of how this whole cruise thing was supposed to work. Watching the crew's ponies for a while, it wasn't so hard to detect a pattern or two. Somehow, everyone already knew what they were to do next. Most of them only carried out some minor, repeating task, but they all added up to a greater whole, somehow. Like gears gripping into one another inside a machine. These ponies must have done that a million times before or so, I figured. That's what I call trust. And guess what comes from trust? Friendship, maybe?

It's kind of a sappy answer, but it's the right one. Sorry.

For now, there wasn't anything for me to add into their routine. I would make sure to throw all these ponies one hay of a party at some point during our trip, they deserved as much. Not today, however. I first needed to find out about what their own likes and dislikes about everything in life was, so I could make this party super special for each and every one of them. Planning is everything, mind you. The joined meals would be a good place to start finding out about what these ponies would consider a good time.

I watched their work being done for a while, my enthusiasm never even shrinking in the slightest. Eventually though, I decided to climb up the stairs to the stern deck, and settle up there for a while. Leaning over the rear railing, I watched the coast of Equestria grow smaller by the minute. And just like that, my feelings went back to being terribly mixed, again.

On one hoof, this was probably going to be a fun trip, and I did the right thing trotting along on here. It brought me closer to finishing my own task, if any. On the other, I knew that somewhere inside this land I called my home, there was someone whom I left behind for what was likely going to be a really long time. A sweet, gentle pegasus mare whom I knew I would miss more than anything in the world during the weeks to come. I really hoped she wouldn't blame any of what happened on herself. Who knew what effects that would have on her?

A sigh escaped my throat, while I watched the western horizon with bittersweet sorrow.

"Remember, this was your own choice."

I looked up in confusion, turning my head two, maybe three times, before noticing where that voice came from. Eventually though, I realized the answer was as nonchalantly as it was plain and simple. It was Strange Days, now standing a few feet apart from me. Just like this. Where had he even come from?

"I might not have been very fond you taking you in, but I will respect you. You are one of us, now, and you will be treated as such," he continued. "Of course, that also means, you should know your place as kitchen assistant. And respect those above you. Keep that in mind."

"Oh, I will," I replied to him with a weak smile. Couldn't do any better, as of now. "I, uh...I'm sure I'll make this the super best trip either of us ever had."

He nodded, the corners of his mouth tucking downwards. "Yes, something like that. Or you'll come around, I guess." He sighed. "Just one more thing. You may have noticed already, but...there's only two mares on here, making up a small portion of a comparably large crew. Polly already earned her respect long ago, so she doesn't have to worry about that kind of thing. You on the other hoof aren't exactly there, yet. Standing in your horseshoes...I'd better watch my back. Literally."

Before I could ask him what in the world that even meant, the unicorn already turned his back with a scoff, walking...elsewhere. Watching him leave, I eventually fell back on my haunches. I turned back around and caught a last glimpse at the Equestrian shore behind us, just before it disappeared on the horizon, leaving nothing behind but water.

The things I'd give for a genuine hug from Fluttershy right now...