Faux Mark: The Purple Balloon

Chapters

1 - Shoulda Stayed Home
2 - Wake-Up Call
3 - Good Colts are Hard to Find
4 - Party Pony Pals
5 - The City Never Sleeps
6 - Port 'n Starboard
7 - Moondance
8 - And the Golden Dubloon

1 - Shoulda Stayed Home

Faux Mark

The Purple Balloon

Chapter 1: Shoulda Stayed Home

“Happy Birthday, Peppermint!”

The little green unicorn filly with candy-striped hair jumped in surprise as a crowd of her friends and parents jumped out from behind the furniture in her home. Slowly but surely, she cracked a smile. She couldn’t think of what to say. She just giggled and ran excitedly inside.

A young colt trotted alongside her. “Were ya surprised, Pepper?” he asked. “Huh? Were ya?”

Pepper was still grinning from ear to ear. “Yes, sooo surprised! Thank you!”

A couple of fillies caught up to Pepper next, each with inverse colors of each other. “Happy Birthday, Pepper!” they said in perfect unison.

“Aw, thanks girls!” said Pepper, brushing quickly past the twins. More-or-less subtly, she inched her way through the crowd towards the table with the cake on it. The fact that every filly and colt from her class kept trying to get in her way wasn’t helping.

“Yeah, yeah, thank you,” she said in passing to the last colt before the table. She hopped her front hooves onto the table, next to the cake. Her eyes widened, and she licked her lips.

A dark green hoof slammed in the table in front of Pepper. She gasped.

“Now, now,” said a deep voice, “you know the rules, young lady.”

“Aw, Dad!” Pepper whined. “Just one piece? Pleeease?”

Her father chuckled. “Sorry, Honey, you just have to wait.”

Pepper pouted while her father levitated her down. “How long though?”

“Twenty minutes, tops,” he reassured.

“But that’s like forever!” Pepper retorted. The cake just sat right there, taunting her sweet tooth.

Her father rolled his eyes. He grabbed her shoulders, and turned her towards the other party guests. “There’s plenty to do in the meantime, Pepper,” he told her. “Just go, have fun with your friends!”

“But—”

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “And your mother’s baking a little something special, besides the cake.”

Pepper’s smile slowly grew wider and brighter than it had ever been before. She bounced in place, squealing with joy. “Oh, thank you thank you thank y—”

“Shh!” he interrupted. “It’s supposed to be another surprise!”

Pepper nodded, then mimed “zipping” her lip.

Her father chuckled again, shaking his head. “Happy Birthday, Sweetie.” She hugged his leg, then skipped off back to the rest of the party.

— — —

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Pepper yelled, flailing. A few of the fillies around her winced as she crashed to the floor.

Pepper groaned, lifting a blindfold off her eyes. “Gah!” she yelped.

“Are you okay, dear?” asked a purple mare standing over Pepper. Her face was a bit uncomfortably close to the filly’s.

“Ms. Rivers?” Pepper asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh I stay for all the parties I help with!” Ms. Rivers answered, bouncing in place on her tip-hooves. Peppermint knew she was the one everypony got their party supplies from, but that didn’t stop her from being a little “weird” for a grown-up.

“Oh, shoot!” called somepony’s mom. “Windy, can you help me? One of the streamers fell loose.”

“On my way!” Ms. Rivers sang back. She skipped over toward the corner, smiling and letting her tail swing back and forth.

Pepper slowly got to her hooves, then looked around at all her concerned friends. “Uhh, maybe pin-the-tail-on-the-pony isn’t for me,” she mumbled. This got a few giggles out of them.

A loud SHOOP caught all of their attention at once. Pepper stared, one eyebrow raised, at Ms. Rivers. The streamer was fixed, but now she was fixing a balloon to the corner was well. Not that anypony was complaining, since it was her decorating in the first place.

“How’s she do that?” asked Pepper.

“Do what?” asked the colt next to her.

“That thing with the balloons, right?” offered some filly in the group.

As if in response, Ms. Rivers levitated over another balloon from a bag on the table. Without missing a beat, the balloon SHOOP-ed up to full size while she was still “holding” it. She carefully secured it next to the first one, then skipped off to the kitchen.

“It must just take practice,” somepony said.

Pepper thought on it for a moment. “Well her Cutie Mark is that purple balloon with the crazy string.”

“‘Crazy’ string is right,” some filly added. Everypony giggled. Everypony except Pepper.

“Crazy or not,” she muttered, “at least she has her Cutie Mark.” She sighed and curled her tail around her still-blank flank.

A small murmur broke out among the children, most of them rolling their eyes and trying not to speak their minds. One filly stepped forward, however. “It’s okay Pepper,” she said. “You’ll get yours soon.”

“She’d better,” one colt whispered to another. “I’m sick of hearing her whine about it.” They snickered, though not quite quietly enough to slip by Pepper.

“Ahem!” the filly snapped. She turned back to Peppermint. “Don’t worry about it too much, okay?”

Pepper cracked a smile. “Thanks, Tulip,” she said. Suddenly she jumped up. “Besides, it’s a party, right?” The rest of the children cheered.

A bell rang out from inside the kitchen. “Muffins are ready!” Pepper’s mother called out.

“Oh, mmmm, they smell delicious!” Ms. Rivers added.

In the blink of an eye, every filly and colt forgot whatever it was they had been discussing and surrounded the cake table. A few were actually drooling over the sweets, Peppermint included.

One hour, two dozen goodbyes, three pieces of cake, and two muffins later, Peppermint outright collapsed to the floor. “Phew!” she sighed.

Her parents were busy walking around the living room, gathering up the trash. “Did you have a good birthday party, Sweetie?” asked Pepper’s mom.

Peppermint nodded feebly. While she was distracted, her dad quietly stepped over and rustled her hair.

“Hey!” she yelled, rolling over to see him.

He smirked. “I guess somepony’s not so tired after all,” he said, passing Pepper a trash bag. She groaned, grabbing the edge in her mouth as she stood up.

“Well I’m glad you had a good time,” he added.

“Are you happy with your presents?” asked Pepper’s mother, busy taking down a particularly feisty streamer.

“Mhmm!” said Peppermint. She spat out the bag before continuing. “I can’t wait to play with that Foal’s Play Oven that Lemon Drop got for me!”

Her parents exchanged uneasy looks. “Well, uhh,” her father started.

“I think,” her mom interrupted, “you’re a whole ten years old now, and you’re old enough to try playing with something like that.” Pepper’s dad shot her mother a dirty look. She just smiled and added, “With a little help from one of us, of course.”

“Did you thank Lemon Drop?” her father asked.

Pepper smiled. “Yup! And Tulip, and Drizzle, and—”

“So basically everypony?” Her father chuckled.

“Yup! I thanked all my friends!”

Her mother almost fell to the floor when the streamer finally gave way. “Whoops!” she said. Pepper giggled. Her father took the opportunity to remind her of the trash bag she was so conveniently ignoring.

“Oh!” Pepper’s mom chimed in. “Did you remember to thank Wind— I mean Ms. Rivers?”

Pepper raised an eyebrow. “No,” she said, muffled with the trash bag in her mouth, “Why would I?”

“She’s helped set up for every one of your birthdays, you know,” her dad said.

“And the surprise party this year was her idea,” her mother added.

Pepper frowned. “Really? I thought it was Drizzle’s...”

Pepper’s dad thought for a moment, then smiled. He took the trash bag back from his daughter, then trotted over to her mother and whispered something in her ear. Pepper’s mother smiled and said, “I think that’s just a fine idea.”

“What is?” asked Pepper.

Both parents smiled at her. “You don’t have to help clean up,” her father started. “But,” he added quickly, before she slumped back to the floor, “we do want you to at least go to Ms. Rivers’ store and thank her for all she’s done.”

“Oh,” Pepper mumbled. She glanced to the side and groaned. Weird-o Ms. Rivers, or chores, she thought. What a choice...

“When I come home, if you’re not done, I don’t have to help finish, do I?” Pepper asked, the true deciding factor.

“Of course not,” said her mother. “It’s your birthday, after all.”

Peppermint smiled. “Then I’m off to Ms. Craz— I mean Ms. Rivers’ place!”

As she skipped past her parents, her dad added, “And be nice!” Of course to Peppermint, it didn’t sound so much like order so much a kind suggestion.

The door to Ms. River’s store seemed a lot bigger and more daunting once Peppermint got there. She’d gone in once or twice before, mostly when her parents were helping out with another foal’s party, but never alone. It looked fun enough inside, but Ms. Rivers had some strange habit of always being there, ready and willing to help.

Really, to Pepper, it was a little creepy.

“Let’s get this over with,” she mumbled, pushing the door open. A small bell chimed as she entered. Peppermint winced. So much for quiet, she thought.

“Just a minute!” Ms. Rivers called from the back room, in her typical sing-song voice.

Take your time, Pepper thought, rolling her eyes. She glanced around at the shelves. Balloons, streamers, cards, candles.... Peppermint couldn’t help but wonder how Ms. Rivers still had so much after her party.

She looked up just in time to see Ms. Rivers skip up to the counter. “Yeees? Is anypony there?” she asked, way too cheerfully to be considered “normal”.

“Oh, umm,” Pepper chimed in. “I, uhh—”

“Peppermint!” Ms. Rivers gasped. “What a nice surprise! I hope you enjoyed your party today.”

“I did, thanks,” Pepper muttered. She did her best to avoid eye contact with the weirdo. “Actually that’s sorta what I’m here about. I wanted to say ‘thank you’ for helping out.”

Ms. Rivers squealed happily. “Oh, you are quite welcome! That was very sweet of you.” She paused, her eyes wide, then ducked behind the counter.

Pepper barely noticed. “Well it was sorta my parents’— I mean, yes, thank you!”

“Ah, there it is!” Ms. Rivers called from below the counter. She popped back up with a bounce, plopping a bag of balloons on the counter. “Go on, Pepper, pick one!”

“Me?” Pepper asked. “I mean, why?”

“Well I can’t let you go home empty-hooved, can I?” Ms. Rivers retorted. “How ‘bout just a color? Red? Purple?”

“Blue?” Pepper asked, eying the bag skeptically.

“Good choice!” Ms. Rivers hovered out a flabby little blue balloon from the bag, then in an instant and another SHOOP, it was fully blown-up. Pepper blinked in amazement.

“How do you do that?!” she asked.

Ms. Rivers tied a string to the end, then offered it to Pepper. “Oh, just a little magic, and a little practice,” she replied, half-looking at the ceiling.

Pepper grabbed the string and pulled down on it. She sat down on the floor and grabbed the balloon in her hooves. “And it’s like real, too,” she said. “It’s not a trick.”

“Of course not, dear!” said Ms. Rivers. She giggled to herself. “My, my, I just remembered. You turned ten today, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, so?” Pepper asked.

“You’re gonna start practicing your own magic more, right?” Ms. Rivers continued.

“Y-yeah?”

“Weeell,” Ms. Rivers continued, “how would you like me to show you how I do that balloon spell?”

Pepper jumped up, letting go of the balloon's string. “You’d do that?!” she exclaimed.

Ms. Rivers giggled and clapped her hooves together. “Oh, goody!” she said. “Yes of course, Pepper! Just come on back, I’ll show you step-by-step how I do it.” With that, the side door to the back room unlocked and opened just a hair.

Peppermint started to take a step, but caught herself. She spared a glance up, at the blue balloon bouncing on the ceiling. Seeing this, Ms. Rivers hopped up, all fours on her counter. She stretched herself as tall as she could, balancing on just one hoof, and barely managed to reach the string. Once she had a hold, however, she bounced back down to the floor in one smooth motion. Pepper stared in awe for a moment, then smiled and took the string from Ms. Rivers, skipping her way toward the door.

Windy Rivers watched Pepper with a smile, snickering like a giddy filly herself, before skipping her way to the back room.

— — —

Peppermint sat down in the middle of the room and stared around in wonder. Piles and piles of supplies filled the corners and lined the walls. To top it all off, a few were apparently already opened, as streamers hung around the ceiling. More balloons hung between some of the streamers.

It struck her as odd, how bad the lighting was. The blinds were pulled on both windows, not that they was easy to spot behind the mounds of bags and boxes.

“Okay, Pepper,” Ms. Rivers chimed in, startling Pepper. “Are ya ready to have some fun?”

Pepper nodded excitedly. “How do you— er, I— er, we start?”

Ms. Rivers giggled. She hovered over a pack of balloons from the top of a stack and dropped it in front of Peppermint. “Well first, could you be a dear and open that for me?”

“Uhh,” Pepper hesitated. “Alright, I guess.” She picked it up in her hooves and bit down on the top, yanking as hard as she could. It was stubborn plastic, though. Just not as stubborn as Peppermint.

While Pepper worked at it, Ms. Rivers slowly circled around her. Her horn glowed for a second or two, then she silently giggled to herself.

The plastic finally tore after about a minute. Pepper spat out the piece left in her mouth, then set the open bag back down. Ms. Rivers stepped back out in front of her quickly, and levitated a red one from the packaging.

“Now the first thing to understand,” she said, “is how a balloon normally puffs up.” She snickered, then stretched on the balloon in the air. “Repeat after me,” she added. In one motion, she took a deep breath, then blew it all into the balloon. Pepper could barely follow as she tied off the bottom with magic.

Pepper stared at the package and frowned. “What’s this have to do with magic?” she asked.

“You can picture it better if its fresh on your mind, right?” Ms. Rivers’ eyes drifted toward the ceiling.

“I guess so,” Pepper mumbled. She sighed, then focused on the bag. She picked out another red one, and carefully levitated it through the packaging. It wasn’t as if she was completely new to all magic, but it wasn’t quite a strong suit for her.

“Now remember,” Ms. Rivers sang, “you gotta take a nice, deep breath.”

Pepper nodded. She held the balloon up to her mouth and took a few practice breaths. Finally, she leaned back, breathing in for as long as she could manage. It wasn’t until she actually felt her chest bump up with her front leg that she knew it must be enough. She dropped back to the ground, giving it everything she had.

The balloon she held swelled up to about two-thirds the size of Ms. Rivers’. But that wasn’t what Pepper noticed first.

“What the—” she gasped. Pepper looked down in shock; she still felt her chest against her legs. And as impossible as it was, it was true. Her chest and belly had swolen up against her legs. It didn’t hurt or anything, but she looked like she ate her whole birthday cake in one bite!

Ms. Rivers snickered and said, “Oh well, there goes the surprise.”

“Gah!” Pepper screamed. “W-what’s going on?!”

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Ms. Rivers. She winked at Pepper as her horn started to glow again. This time Pepper definitely noticed. Her belly glowed softly blue, the same color as Ms. Rivers’ horn, as it swelled up just a little bit more.

“B-b-but— w-what—” Pepper stammered, shaking in her hooves.

Ms. Rivers. trotted over to Pepper, smiling widely as her horn flashed again. Pepper felt herself wobbling a little. Her belly was down to a hair’s width from the floor, and pressing against all her legs. “Oh, come on, Pepper,” said Ms. Rivers, “it’s all in good fun!”

“What are you doing to me?” Pepper asked feebly.

Ms. Rivers stifled another giggle behind a hoof. “Oh, exactly what I said I’d do,” she answered. With another flash of her horn, Pepper felt the cold floor against her stretched-out belly. “Showin’ ya balloon magic!”

Pepper just blinked. “B-balloon magic? But I’m not a—”

“Oh, you might as well be,” said Ms. Rivers. “At least with my magic.” She shook her flank before Pepper. “See? Balloons!”

“I always thought that meant you liked parties,” Pepper mumbled. She tried to step forward, but struggled to move against own belly. She frowned, then leaned back to get her back hooves some better ground to stand on. Unfortunately, her belly poofed out in front of her in doing so. She lifted up her front hooves and pushed back down on herself; it wasn’t until just then that Peppermint actually believed she was filled with air. “Ms. Rivers?” she asked. “W-why can’t I walk?”

“Oh, please dear,” Ms. Rivers responded, “call me Windy.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Pepper mumbled. Just then, the blue balloon she brought in bounced onto her head. She grabbed it in her front hooves and squeezed it a few times. It felt just like herself, minus the coat...

POP!

Windy and Pepper gasped in unison. “Oh dear,” Ms. Rivers remarked. “Oh well, things happen!”

“That’s not gonna happen to me, is it?!” Pepper exclaimed in panic, eyes locked on the tiny pieces of blue rubber resting on her puffed-out chest.

“Oh, of course not!” said Ms. Rivers. “What fun would that be?” With a giggle, she sent another pulse through Pepper, shaking off the pieces.

“This isn’t much fun anyway...” Pepper mumbled.

“Oh, don’t be a party-pooper, Peppermint!” Windy joked with a snicker. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere!” she added as she trotted upstairs.

Just as a sort of insurance, Windy waved her horn at Pepper once more. Pepper’s ears perked up, then immediately drooped down. She heard a faint hissing, and slowly felt herself being pushed more and more off the floor. She shut her eyes tight, wishing for it to be over. Only when the sound of skipping hoofsteps coming back downstairs did the hissing stop. But now Pepper could barely reach the floor with the tips of her back hooves and still keep her view from being blocked out.

Suddenly, a tea pot and a pair of cups slammed on Pepper’s chest. “Whoa!” she yelled as the air shifted, knocking her back hooves finally loose. She flailed her legs; none could reach the ground now.

Ms. Rivers giggled. “Tea time, dear?” she asked, levitating one of the cups up to her lips. Despite there being nothing in any of them, of course. All Pepper could do was shiver and stare, wide-eyed, at the tea set.

Windy shook her head. “Oh, Pepper, you really need to learn to—” She stopped mid-sentence, unable to fight back the laughter at her own joke. “Lighten up!” she finished, punctuated with another surge of air.

“This feels really weird,” Pepper whined. She winced, a tear welling up in the corner of her eye. “Why are you doing this, Ms. Windy or Ms. Rivers or whoever you are? And why me?”

Windy thought for a moment. “Well, it’s not just you dear,” she said.

“W-what?”

“Actually, you’re a little,” Ms. Rivers started, snickering before the punchline again, “‘late to the party’, I’m afraid.”

“What are y-you talking a-about?”

Ms. Rivers skipped around Peppermint, horn glowing. “Well let’s see,” she said. “I already puffed up Lemon Drop in the first week or two, then Drizzle the month after that...” She sat down, leaning onto Pepper’s belly; Pepper winced. “And Tulip was three— no, four months ago.” Windy giggled. “Oh, and your parents, too!”

“M-mom and Dad?!”

“Oh yes!” said Windy. She spun around to face Pepper directly and smiled. “In fact your father was just last week, when he came to ask about your birthday party!”

“B-but how—”

“How does nopony notice?” Windy offered. “Oh, I just follow the puffy-ing with a little forget-me-spell, and poof! No one knows again!”

Pepper stared at Ms. Rivers with wide, terrified eyes. “Y-you are crazy!”

“Oh, but it’s so much fun!” Suddenly, Ms. Rivers gasped. “Oh, I just realized, you are special, Pepper!”

“How?” Pepper mumbled. So far the conversation had at least kept her the same size for a few minutes, for which she was grateful.

“You mark the first full family I’ve gotten around to!” She paused, then giggled uncontrollably, rolling on the floor. “I said ‘full’...”

With that, the streak was broken, and Pepper swelled up another few inches around. She could barely move her legs at all anymore. I’ve gotta be at least as big as Daddy now, she thought, wincing. This is too weird...

“What’s the matter, Pepper?” asked Windy. She skipped over to Pepper. “Come on, this is fun!”

“I wanna go home...” she whimpered.

“Oh, there’s time for that later!” Windy said. Her horn glowed again, letting Pepper swell up right next to her. “Enjoy yourself!”

Pepper sniffled, a tear falling onto her swolen chest. “I don’t wanna,” she whined.

Ms. Rivers giggled. “Aww, come here,” she said. She grabbed Pepper’s cheeks and lay forward, braced solely on the pressure in the filly’s belly. “Aren’t you just the cutest not-so-widdle filly,” said Windy, giggling afterward.

Pepper cringed at the feeling of Ms. Rivers laying on her. Now I know how my bed feels, she joked in her head. Oh jeez, I’ve gotta be as big as my bed by now...

Windy bounced off of Peppermint, then skipped toward the stairs again. “Don’t go anywhere, Pepper,” she sang, “not that you really could!”

Peppermint waited until Windy passed up the stairs again, then tried to wobble her front hooves to the ground. “I gotta get outta here,” she muttered frantically. “I gotta— I gotta— Agh!” Her inevitable failure left her only tilted slightly forward, but no matter what angle she tried, she couldn’t reach the floor with anything but belly.

Windy was almost to the top of the stairs when a sound caught her ear. She stopped cold; Peppermint was sobbing loudly.

“I just wanted a nice tenth birthday,” Pepper cried. “Was that too much to ask?”

Ms. Rivers poked her head out from the staircase. “You know what, Peppermint?” she asked, in a surprisingly calm tone. “You’re right.”

Pepper sniffled and her eyes widened. “I am?”

“Of course!” said Windy. “You deserve better than this, it’s your birthday!” Pepper’s eyes lit up as Windy skipped down the stairs and over to her. Ms. Rivers jumped up onto Pepper’s chest and stared her in the eyes. “Now hold still, dear!” she said.

Pepper did as she was told, as best as she could manage. Ms. River’s horn began to glow again, but this time Pepper didn’t feel anything in her midsection. Actually, for a moment, she started to feel less and less of anything at all. Her vision narrowed down to just enough to see Ms. River’s eyes. Just when she thought she was going to fall asleep, or that she would wake up from the nightmare, all that feeling came rushing back.

Windy giggled. “Happy Birthday, Pepper!” she said. “Now if you’ll go excuse me, I have to pack.”

“Wait—” Pepper started, but couldn’t catch Windy before she darted back upstairs. She frowned. “Why am I still huge?!” she yelled.

“Hm?” Windy called from upstairs. “Oh, right, just a minute!”

Pepper raised an eyebrow. Then what’d she do? she thought.

Windy suddenly burst out of the upstairs, with two full-to-bursting saddlebags and a trunk. She set the trunk down at the foot of the stairs. “Phew!” she said. “But that’s everything important. Clothes, personal stuff, and photos.” She gasped. “Oh, that reminds me!” Out of one saddlebag, she levitated an old-fashioned camera. “Smile!”

Pepper only had teary eyes and a quivering lower lip to show.

The camera flashed, and the photo printed out from the front. Ms. Rivers took one look at it and giggled. “That’s okay, they never smile.”

“Where are you going?” Pepper asked. “And can I go back to normal now?”

“In that order, I don’t know, and yes,” said Windy. “Well, ‘normal’ as in not-puffy.” Her horn flashed once more, and Pepper heard another hissing noise. This time, however, she felt herself sink closer and closer to the ground. For the first time in the last hour, she smiled.

“So, what did you do to me?” she asked. Her eyes suddenly widened again as she remembered the conversation. “You’re gonna wipe my memory or something, aren’t you?”

Windy giggled. “Oh, that wouldn’t work on you, Pepper. Not after I gave you your present!”

“Alright— Then what was the present?!”

Ms. Rivers smiled brightly and pointed behind Pepper. Pepper barely managed to stretch her neck around enough to see: There was a Cutie Mark on her flank!

Pepper gasped twice. The first time, in excitement and awe. The second time, in horror.

It was a purple balloon with, as she called it, a “crazy” string.

“What’s that mean?!” Pepper exclaimed. “Isn’t that your Cutie Mark? How can that be mine?”

Ms. Rivers leaned in closer. “You wanna know a secret?” she asked. Pepper nodded, and Windy leaned up to Pepper’s ear. “It’s not my real Cutie Mark either. But I just love it so much now—”

“What?!” Pepper yelled, frantically pushing away from Windy. Pepper felt the tip of her back hoof touch floor again.

“You’ll learn to love it too, someday!” said Windy. “Now if you’ll excuse me—”

“Don’t go...” Pepper whined. It wasn’t directed at Windy, as she thought she heard it, however. Pepper was staring, entranced at her rescinding chest and belly.

Windy squealed with glee. “Oh, goody, it’s starting already!”

Pepper shook her head a few times, then stared forward blankly. “What did I just say?”

“Seeee?” said Ms. Rivers. “I told you it’s fun! And when you grow up, you’ll get to have all the fun you want with everypony you meet!”

“Wha—”

“Now really, I must get going. I gotta tell Mr. Frosting down the street that the store’s all his now.”

“You’re leaving town?”

“Of course, dear!” said Ms. Rivers. She sounded like she didn’t have a care in the world. “I can’t stay here, now that somepony knows, can I?” Before Pepper could even answer, Windy skipped toward the door. “Do get the lights when you leave, would you Pepper? And tell your folks I said ‘hi’!”

Pepper just felt her hooves touch ground when the door shut behind Ms. Rivers. She sat down, waiting out the rest of her deflating belly. In disbelief, she double-checked her flank. Purple Balloon, just like before. And just like Ms. Rivers.

And nopony would believe her without Ms. Rivers around.

Shock, amazement, worry... so much flooded poor Peppermint’s mind at once. But one thing stood out, in the silence of the old party store: curiosity. She stared at the now-squashed bag of balloons on the ground in front of her. Slowly, she levitated one out from it. As it hovered a foot in front of her, she dared give it a shot: just by a thought, the balloon started to fill, all on its own. Pepper even thought she heard a faint shooooop to go with it. She tied off the end once it was done, with a little help from her hoof to hold the knot.

Not that she would understand why until later, but at that moment, Pepper simply could not stop smiling.

2 - Wake-Up Call

Faux Mark

The Purple Balloon

Chapter 2: Wake-Up Call

“Oh Peppermint!”

“You did it, Honey! You got your Cutie Mark!”

As excited as her parents were when she got home that day, Peppermint herself could barely notice. It was all so confusing, so much happening so fast. First her birthday, and then a celebration over her new Cutie Mark. It was just overwhelming.

But something else was overwhelming in the poor filly. She just never saw it coming. Frankly, she couldn’t have, not with how powerful the effects of her curse were.

The first sign should’ve been when she snuck home a few packages of balloons from Ms. Rivers’ old store. Or rather took several. Fourteen packs of twenty, to be exact.

Her parents didn’t care much. They thought she was just excited to practice her new talent. In fact they encouraged Peppermint. It never struck them as odd when their daughter spent the rest of the night practicing blowing up the balloons and letting the air out, over and over again, from one of the packages. Perhaps it was only since she eventually did fall asleep.

The second warning would have been Peppermint’s behavior back in school. On three separate occasions she was punished for disrupting class with balloons she brought in. The third time she even snuck them in without her parents knowing. This time her parents were concerned, but not for the right reasons. All they did was pull their daughter from class for a few days to let her think about what she’d done.

Now the third warning sign was what finally tipped somepony off. The problem was, it was Peppermint herself.

See, she had taken to a habit of playing in her bed with a pack of the balloons. She happily experimented with her magic, testing the limits of the rubber, and even started using one as a replacement stuffed animal.

Something clicked one night in her head. Something about the situation just caught her completely off guard, perhaps. Surrounded by balloons, wallowing in them, laughing and smiling and having the time of her life, Pepper picked out something odd. A disturbingly familiar sound: Peppermint caught herself giggling, in exactly the same childish and cheery manner of Ms. Windy Rivers.

Pepper’s eyes widened and her ears drooped. The world came into focus for the first time in months. Her ceiling was the only thing that looked familiar about her room anymore. She wanted to ask where the balloons came from. She wanted to ask how she got there. But she knew, vaguely. It was as if she was just along for the ride, and she was only half-paying attention.

She gasped, whimpering, as a balloon rolled over and tapped her hoof. She brushed all of them off in a panic, only to find them bouncing around with others on the floor. Thirty balloons, each blown up and tied exactly the same way.

Pepper shut her eyes tightly. “It’s just a dream,” she said. “Just a bad dream, just a bad dream...”

She winked one eye open. No such luck.

She panicked. Her screaming and crying could be heard as far as the neighbors’ houses. Her parents ran as fast as they could to see what was the matter, only to find their daughter buried in the corner of her bed and the walls, trying to hide her eyes.

“Make it stop!” she yelled.

“Oh, Honey!” her mother reassured. She swept over and held Pepper close. “It was just a bad dream...”

“No it wasn’t!” Pepper snapped. “What am I doing with all these?”

Her father carefully stepped across the floor, bouncing the balloons around. “All of what, Sweetie?”

“The stupid balloons!”

Pepper’s mom hugged Pepper closer. “That must’ve been an awful dream, Sweetie,” she said. “Don’t you remember? Your special talent?”

“W-wha...” Pepper whimpered. She glanced back at her flank and screamed. “No no no no! That’s not right!”

Her dad sat next to the bed. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I thought you loved your party... balloon... something magic.”

Pepper sat in silence. It all came rushing back to her, memories of few months since Windy left. The memories of how she acted just left Pepper speechless. Her father was right. She had loved it. But now, now that she was out of that haze—

Peppermint clung tightly to her mother and sobbed into her chest. Pepper’s mother hugged her back.

“It’s not my Mark,” Pepper whined, muffled from her position.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” her father retorted.

“It’s just not!” Pepper repeated.

Her father pat her on the back. “But you’re so good at it,” he reassured. “Just look at all of this. Why, some day you’ll be a great pony for parties, just you wait.”

Pepper shook her head violently. She sniffled and flopped back onto her pillow. “But it’s weird!” she added.

Her parents exchanged looks. “It’s not weird,” said her mother. “There are plenty of ponies with party talents out there.”

“But balloons?!” Pepper interrupted.

“Look,” said her father. “I get it. When I first got my Cutie Mark, I was a little disappointed after a while too.” He showed her his Mark, not that she ever forgot it: a shiny bit coin. “This doesn’t mean I’m good at business. It means I’m good at making the coins in the first place.”

Pepper stopped, watching her father intently.

“Sure, I’m not the richest pony,” he said. “But without me, nopony would have any money!”

He smiled and rustled up Pepper’s mane a bit. “Everypony’s important, everypony matters. It doesn’t matter what your talent is, so long as you can enjoy yourself.”

Pepper immediately started crying again. Her father frowned with her. “Sweetie, don’t cry,” he said softly. “I’m sorry if I said something wrong.”

From there it took until around three in the morning for Pepper to finally wear herself out, at which point her parents were so exhausted that they just slept in different parts of Peppermint’s bedroom. And in the morning, Pepper got one more surprise.

She blinked open her eyes and saw her mother laying on the end of her bed. Pepper sighed. The night before really did happen. Pepper blinked her eyes a few times; something was caught in her eyelashes, or so she thought. It wasn’t until her mother stirred and rolled over onto her back that Pepper realized what she was seeing: a faint image of her mother, chest and belly swollen several feet with air.

“Gah!” Pepper screamed, covering her eyes. Both her parents shook awake and panicked. When they saw where they were, they groaned.

“Pepper, Honey,” her mother mumbled, “go back to sleep.”

Peppermint was still shaking, but she dared a glance over her hoof. The image was gone, thankfully. She sighed with relief, then shut her eyes calmly. She couldn’t quite sleep though. Thoughts and questions raced around her head.

“What’s happening to me?” seemed to be the big question.

Mom and Dad don’t believe me. I’m stuck with this talent— I’m stuck with these thoughts about it! What if I turn into somepony like Ms. Rivers? What if I’m already there?! No I can’t be! I’m not like her!!

She gave me her Cutie Mark, and I don’t know how. But that doesn’t mean I’m the same pony. I can do better... right?

Maybe what Dad said is right. I can make a difference. I just have to find a way to... enjoy it? No, I— well maybe I can, just— no, I need to make the best of this. That’s it.

Pepper shuddered. I don’t know what’s happening, but its like I wantto like this. I don’t want this. I want a real Cutie Mark. I want my real talent.

Whatever it is...

Over the years, Peppermint discovered just how her curse worked. The visions, the impulses, they all added up to one thing: Blowing stuff up. Particularly balloons. And if the sights she saw were to be believed, other ponies.

But she could fight it. If she just let it have its way for a little bit, she’d be fine. It just got harder and harder to please as she got older.

At some point around when she was seventeen, she hit the final straw, and decided it wasn’t worth the risk of her parents finding out about the “other thing” her talent let her (or rather wanted her to) do. So Pepper moved out, and away. It wasn’t that hard; she had been so focused on keeping things in check and researching what she might be afflicted with that she had neglected most of her friends for years. Only Tulip, her best friend since second grade, managed to keep in touch up until Pepper left.

Now living on her own in Coltport, a small city nestled on a coastal bay somewhere miles from her hometown, Pepper was used to finding time to “take care” of the odd urges. And as much as she hated to admit it, a party supply store like Ms. Rivers’ was perfect for this. The only difference was how Pepper managed to make use of the privacy.

On this particular morning, Peppermint was quite grateful for the thick blinds as she was oh-so-uncomfortably reminded of why she left home in the first place.

“Ugh,” she groaned, blinking open her eyes. Before her she could barely see anything but a wide blob of shady green. “Ugh!” she yelled, tilting her head back. “Stupid Mark!” It didn’t even take full sensation after waking up in the morning for her to know what this was anymore. Waking up to find herself part-way blown up was getting to be something she was just sick of.

Sure, it wasn’t ideal, but it was better than the alternative. And at least she was used to the feeling after a few years of this. Pepper found a way around that little voice in her head that told her to start puffing up just about everypony she saw. The problem was that she had to deal with it herself.

“At least nopony gets hurt,” she reminded herself. She rolled over, literally, until she was more or less upright. She braced her rear hooves against the bed, prepared the proper magic, then exhaled. This was the worst part of course. After about ten or twelve seconds straight, Pepper stopped, finally back to normal size, and gasped for air. It was perhaps the only thing more disorienting than being blown up in the first place.

“Okay, I might need a bigger room soon,” she grumbled. The bedroom was already cut down to just a bed with a pair of saddlebags lying in the corner. Even clothes and hats were kept downstairs, among the store’s inventory.

Pepper shuddered, then rolled her eyes. She trotted over to the bags and levitated out an empty balloon. With a SHOOOP it puffed up, then the air sputtered back out. Peppermint did this a few times, then sighed and returned it to the back. “Ahh, much better,” she mumbled. “For now anyway.” Just in case, she scooped up and put the saddlebags on to keep with her.

She trotted her way downstairs with a yawn. There was a calendar on the wall just to the side of the counter. A big red circle caught Pepper’s eye as she passed.

“Oh, right, Doctor’s appointment today,” she thought aloud. “Good. Maybe he’ll actually have something to tell me this time.” Pepper smiled. She hopped the counter and went straight for the door. “Also means I’m closed today,” she added as she shut off the lights behind her. “About time I got a day off.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” said the doctor. “Your test came back today, and—”

Pepper leaned forward on the office’s bed. Her eyes lit up. “Yes? Yes?!”

The doctor looked over his glasses at her. “You’re perfectly healthy. We got nothing. Nada. Zilch.”

Peppermint slammed her face into the thin pillow at the end of the bed. “Well your tests are wrong!”

“Ma’am— Peppermint, you’ve been coming here for a year now. I think you just need to face facts.”

Pepper pouted. “It’s not my real Cutie Mark,” she mumbled.

The doctor put a hoof on her shoulder. “I think it is, you just don’t want to admit it,” he said. “I get it, it’s weird. I almost didn’t want to be a doctor at fi—”

Pepper scoffed. “Oh please! If you didn’t like being a doctor, you wouldn’t have all those awards and articles posted up in the waiting room!” She hopped down off the bed. “I’ve heard this all before. From you, the last two doctors, even my Dad!”

“Fine, then I’ll tell you something different,” her doctor continued. “I’m not the right kind of doctor for this problem you’re having.”

A shudder ran over Pepper’s spine. She retrieved the balloon from her bag and pulsed it twice.

“See, that,” he said. “That’s either a psychological thing, or you just don’t want to admit how much you enjoy your talent.”

“I sure as hay don’t enjoy it...” Pepper mumbled, ironically punctuated by another pulse of the balloon.

“Sure you don’t,” the doctor mocked. Pepper blushed.

“I already told you, it’s like this itch!” she yelled. “I can’t help it!”

“Look, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I can send you to a good psychiatrist that I know.”

“Thanks, but no tha—”

“It’s that, or you just have to learn to accept you for you,” he finished.

Peppermint sighed and hung her head. “Alright, alright,” she said. “Just give me his card or something.” She hovered her bags back onto her back, leaving one side open for the doctor.

“There, was that so hard?” the doctor asked. He took a stack of business cards from a drawer under the bed, looked through them, then slipped the right one into Pepper’s pack. “Alright, you’re free to go.”

Pepper nodded quietly, then walked back out to the waiting room. She double-checked that the doctor wasn’t looking, then picked up her pace.

“See you next time, Pepper?” the receptionist asked as Pepper passed by.

“Nope!” Pepper called in passing. She kicked open the door, then slammed it behind herself.

— — —

“‘Accept you for you’,” Pepper mocked in her frustration. “Please! Tell me something I don’t know!” A few passing ponies in the street started staring, but she was used to it. Besides, it was mostly out-of-towners that didn’t know about her habit. Well, this habit anyway.

Pepper trotted over to the side of a building and sat down. She rumaged through her bag to find the card, then tore it to pieces. “And that was supposed to be a good doctor,” she mumbled. “Still nothing? Ugh!”

She shivered, then sighed. “Wow, the itch is bad today,” she admitted. She pulled out the balloon again and puffed it up. This time she didn’t let the air out right away, however. She just stared at it. “And this does like nothing anymore,” she muttered. “But why?”

“Ooooh,” came a small voice behind Peppermint. She looked over her shoulder to see a colt, no older than four, staring in wonder at the balloon. Pepper hesitated.

“Uhh,” she started. “Hi?”

“Bawoon...” he said. Pepper smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Ohh, you mean this?” she asked, hovering it closer to him. He giggled and poked at it with a hoof.

Peppermint sighed. “Hang on just a sec, kid,” she said. In literally a second, she managed to stretch out and tie off the end. The sight left the colt staring in curious awe. “Here ya go,” said Pepper, letting it drop into his hooves.

“Thanks, Miss!” he said before running off somewhere.

Pepper just shook her head. “Well there is that upside,” she mumbled. Her eyes widened. “Oh wow, what am I saying?”

“I hate kids.”

— — —

It would seem fate just told Pepper “that’s too bad” after that remark. Of course with her store, she had to be around little colts and fillies way more often than she’d normally want to anyway. But today, she had to pass through the park. On a Saturday.

“Just ignore them, Pepper,” she told herself as she lay on a park bench. “They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them...”

She tried to find something to distract her from the laughing and giggling of the children. Except they were everywhere. This bench was about the only place she could count on for a little peace. It’s not like any of the kids were gonna stop and take a break anytime soon.

“At least they’ve got their parents in the way,” she said. She shut her eyes and smiled. “That’s it Pepper, stay positive.” This was good practice for her. She could just lay there and tune out the world, except for the breeze and the birds. Coltport had that smell of the sea on the air almost all of the time; it was calming, even when Pepper was worked up over her “itch”.

That didn’t stop her from feeling uncomfortable over it, however. She winked open one eye and groaned. There it was again, the images. To anypony else, it might have been comical: a park full of ponies, all waddling about with balloon-bellies. But for Pepper it was just annoying, so she shut her eyes again.

Somepony prodded her side. She sighed. With a fake yawn, she waved off whoever it was. “I don’t have any more with me right now,” she groaned. “Try again tomorrow. I just wanna take a nap.”

“Any more what?” asked a regal mare’s voice.

Pepper lifted her head immediately. “Oh, no, I’m sorry!” she blurted out. She hopped off the bench so she could properly face the newcomer: a mare in an elegant dress with elaborate earrings. She couldn’t have looked more out of place in that park if she was a mule.

“I’m confused,” the mare repeated. “My name is Simple Summer. I’m looking for the local owner of the party supplies store. What was her name—”

“Peppermint!” Pepper said. “T-that’s me, yes.”

Simple smiled. “Oh, good. I was hoping I could hire you for my son’s eleventh birthday party next week.”

Pepper smiled. “Oh, of course! I’m free all month.” Of course she was, now that she’d be cancelling her appointments with her doctor when she got home.

“Splendid,” said Simple.

Peppermint sat down and thought. “So what’ll it be?” she asked. “Basic party, tons of streamers, what?”

“Well—”

“Oh, and what kind of cake?”

“Actually, you’ll be sharing the work,” Simple added. “We already have separate caterers. All I want from you is whatever decorations you think will work for the mansion ballroom.”

Pepper’s eyes widened. “Wait, so you’re—”

“Yes, we’re the current residents of the Coltport Seaside Manor,” said Simple. “At least as our Summer home.”

Peppermint shuddered, and this time not from the itch. “I-I’m honored. Really.”

Simple smirked. “Oh, why thank you,” she said. “Now, I’m sure you’re wondering about your payment. I was considering, due to such short notice, maybe just five times your normal rate?”

Pepper’s smile slowly grew across her face. “How does that sound?” asked Simple.

“That sounds like a done deal!” Pepper announced. “Pardon me, but—” she started. Suddenly, she bounced in the air and yelled, “Wahoo!”.

Simple Summer chuckled. “Very good. I take it you know the address then?”

Peppermint nodded.

“Perfect. I’ll see you in a week, then. Next Saturday, remember.”

“Yes, ma’am!” said Pepper. “I’ll make sure to give it my all, too!”

Simple smiled and walked away while Peppermint went over the math in her head. “That’ll be like three thousand bits... for one party!” she thought aloud. She snickered to herself. And with a room that big, I’ll have a way to avoid the foals for half of the party!

Of course, something had to go wrong. Pepper blinked, then groaned. The images were back, in particular around Simple. In Peppermint’s eyes, that dress could not still be intact. Pepper shook off the pictures.

Or, I’ll lose control and fill the room with puffed-up ponies, she thought.

Peppermint hurried home through the streets of Coltport, just barely dodging between everypony she met. Well in her eyes it was just barely. A few times she got a particularly dirty look from somepony she wasn’t anywhere near that she swerved “out of the way” of.

On one pass she nearly crashed into somepony’s lemonade stand trying to hop over in imagined belly-blob.

“Sorry!” she shouted back while the owner still clung to his pitcher. Pepper blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear the vision. Nothing helped.

Finally, she reached her store and darted through the door. She slammed it shut and backed up against it afterward, panting heavily. Her eyes darted back and forth to the windows. Nopony was there. Nopony could see her. She sighed with relief.

“That was bad,” she said. “I-I’ve always been able to fix it before.” She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few more times. “Maybe I should just see...” she began, levitating out the pack of balloons from her saddlebag. She grabbed it in quivering hooves and slowly drew one out between her teeth, only to toss it on the floor.

“Okay, Pepper,” she mumbled. “It’s not that bad, you’ll see...”

In just an instant and a SHOOP, she knew how wrong she was.

“Gah!” she yelped, letting go of the balloon to sputter out around the storefront. Pepper sat, dumbstruck and shivering against her door. “I-I have no control,” she admitted. “This is bad. Really, really bad.”

She grabbed the balloon from where it landed on the counter and, ignoring that it automatically filled itself again, dashed through the back room and up to her bedroom. The blinds were still pulled, leaving only the light of a lamp nestled far above in the ceiling.

Pepper took a deep breath. “Okay, calm down,” she told herself. “No need to overreact, Pepper. I just have to let it have its way, that’s all.” She groaned. “Alright, Cutie Mark, you want a puffy pony? You got it,” Pepper growled. After a moment of mental preparation, she reared back, shut her eyes, and inhaled. Combined with magic, it only took a few seconds for her to tip off balance as she swelled out. She stopped another few seconds after her front hooves left the ground.

“Hmm,” she mumbled. Out of curiosity, she grabbed one of the shades with her magic and tilted it to the side, granting her a free view of the street.

Even now, the view of everypony hadn’t changed.

“Ugh!” Pepper groaned. “Why isn’t it working?!” She frowned and prodded herself with a hoof. “I mean its not like I’m doing anything different...”

Defeated, she magically “punctured” herself to let herself sink back down to size, without all the extravagance and light-headedness that went with blowing the air out more manually. “Maybe I really do need to— No, no, I don’t!” A shiver passed over Pepper’s whole body, leaving her with a wild smile on her face. “But it could be fun...”

Peppermint shook the thought away. “No, no!” she yelled. “I’m not gonna be like Ms. Rivers. I just won’t do it. Not when I know how it feels.” She fought back another shiver.

Her forehooves touched the floor, and she calmly strode over to the window. Reluctantly, she lifted the blind just a hair.

“But I think I have to,” she said. “Or there’s no telling what’ll happen. Or when. Or where!” Ponies of all makes and colors passed on the street outside her house. Older ponies, foals, mares, stallions. In Pepper’s eyes, any one of them looked equally bloat-able. And that sight just wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard she rubbed her eyes.

Suddenly, an idea struck Pepper. “But what if it’s nopony important? Or nopony that’ll remember it?” She gasped and smiled. “Oooh, or nopony that anypony else will remember!” Pepper glued her eyes to the window, scanning the streets. Finally she found what she was looking for: a gift shop.

“This is Coltport, duh! Tourist attractions are everywhere!” She paced away from the door, just as her belly finished shrinking back to normal size. “So there should be tourists everywhere, too,” she continued. “All I need to do is find somepony who looks out of place, tell them its some exclusive whatchamcalit, and bam! Easy, harmless target!” The same smile from before crossed her face again. “Easy, harmless fun!”

Pepper shook her head and scowled. “Stop it, me,” she grumbled.

“I do need to worry about what to do with ‘em afterwards though,” she continued as she paced by the door. “I-I don’t know any memory magic...”

Pepper snickered. “I could just hit ‘em over the head with something if I was desperate.” Another shiver. “Okay, I am desperate,” she whimpered. Another shiver came shortly afterward. “Okay, okay!” she yelled.

Peppermint trotted downstairs, pausing every so often for a shudder, then came back up with a box full of balloon packages. She lined up several at once and tore them open with her teeth, spreading the contents on the floor. “Its gonna look like that bad rainbow polka-dot sweater from Mom in here,” she said. “But at least it won’t be just me that gets blown-up while I sleep.” Even as she said this, her horn started to glow faintly, and a few of the balloons on the ground started to twitch.

“This is gonna be a long night,” she groaned as she tore open the next set of packages. Pepper sighed and frowned. “Whoever I pick out tomorrow, I just wanna say now: I’m very sorry.”

3 - Good Colts are Hard to Find

Faux Mark

The Purple Balloon

Chapter 3: Good Colts are Hard to Find

Early in the morning of Coltport, a ferry, full of passengers, pulled up to the main docks. Among them, twenty ponies, about thirteen of them were Earth Ponies. Among those, about half were stallions. And of those, only one had the courage to ask, “Where are we?”

“Coltport!” called the Helmspony. “Gotta make a stop here to refuel!” This was met with a sea of groans.

The stallion who spoke up, a blue pony with slicked-back hair and a briefcase on his flank, sighed and leaned over the side of the boat. “Great,” he muttered. “ Late again.”

“Hey, Busy,” said one of the other stallions, “Don’t worry about it, a’right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” said another. “You deserve the break. Come on, let’s all take a little vacation while we’re here.”

Busy Buddy looked up from the water and smiled. “A vacation?” he asked.

“Yeah!” The others were already leaving the ferry. “You comin’ or what?”

Busy barely heard him; he was a little distracted by the clear blue sky. He took in a whiff of the sea breeze, then hopped over to the dock.

“Ugh,” said the Helmspony, rolling his eyes. “Just tell your friends to get back by tomorrow morning. We’re leavin’ with or without ya.”

“Why can’t you just tell them yours—” Busy began; with his back turned, all of his co-workers had disappeared. He sighed again. “Just like at home, I guess...”

When he looked back up, however, he immediately forgot his troubles. “Oooh, is that a whale fountain?” he asked as he excitedly trotted off towards it.

Expecting the worst, Peppermint slowly opened her eyes that morning. And to no surprise, it looked like the circus had passed by her in her sleep. Hundreds of balloons, every color imaginable, clouded up the entire bedroom.

Pepper stared at them, wide-eyed. “Oooh,” she muttered, giggling faintly. A shiver passed over her, and her laughter picked up. It graduated from giggling, to snickering, to outright roaring laughter.

"Haha, ha, oh this is just awful!” she yelled between laughs. Caught up in the giggles, she kicked out, bumping the balloons together and knocking them out of formation. Pepper focused just in time to notice the glorious, if slow, cascade.

“Alright, alright,” she said. “Everyone settle down, play time’s over.” She held up her horn, then every balloon in the room loosed its air at once.

Each one flew around at random, some hitting each other and falling to the ground, while others tried to hit Peppermint herself as if to say, “Why?”

Once the madness had settled down, Pepper sighed with satisfaction. “Alright, I think that’ll hold me over until I... I... what was I gonna do today?” All she could remember was something outside her window. Pepper hopped off her bed and walked up to one of her bedroom’s windows, peeking her head underneath the blind.

“Ohh, now I remember,” she groaned. Even with the thinner morning crowds on the streets, every single pony looked just the same as they always did when Pepper’s Mark got feisty.

She trudged over all the flat balloons back towards her bed for her bags. “Yeah, I just gotta do this,” she said. “Just once. And I hope never again.” Pepper sighed and shuddered. “No, me, it’s not gonna be ‘fun’.”

Peppermint threw her saddlebags on hastily, then skipped down the stairs. She brushed by the wall calendar so fast the pages rustled. She probably should’ve felt bad about closing the shop for the second day in a row, but she knew she’d feel even worse if she had to kidnap any of her regular customers. They were all such nice ponies. And they knew where Pepper lived.

“Remember: tourists,” she said. “Anypony that looks really out of place is fair game.”

“I am so lost...” Busy groaned. He sat by the fountain, with a statue of a walrus, not a whale as he had hoped, and fiddled with unfolding a map somepony had given him on his way in. Finally he managed to pull the folds loose, if only for the pamphlet to smack him on the nose. “Ow!” he yelped, dropping it.

As Busy Buddy spread the map across the ground, he was oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. Peppermint sat on a nearby corner to the plaza, holding just a single balloon on a string next to her. It was, of course, just an excuse.

“Ma’am, what are you—”

“Free balloon?” Pepper asked quickly. “I’m just givin’ em out today!”

She caught the questioning mare off guard. “What?”

“Hi, I’m Peppermint, I own a party store in town. And this is a free sample. Want it?” Pepper kept talking as fast as she could, trying to move on so she could keep one eye on the hapless stallion by the fountain.

“Oh, umm,” said the other mare. “No, thank you.” After a moment of silence, she walked off in a huff.

Busy looked back and forth a couple of times, then reached into the fountain and grabbed a few rocks. He used them to pin the corners of his map to the ground, despite the fact that he only grabbed three.

“He’s an idiot...” Pepper mumbled. She shook her head in disbelief. “It’s almost like he’s asking for it.”

Just when Busy was about to find where he was on the map, the hoof he had on the fourth corner slipped, and the map curled up over where he was looking. He frowned, then tried to fix it, only for the rocks to fall loose. He sighed and hung his head in defeat.

Peppermint sighed too. “I do feel kinda bad for the poor guy though.” She smiled as he picked himself right back up, starting from scratch with the map. “He’s got bad luck, but at least he’s stays positive.” Pepper snickered to herself. “Maybe I can ask him to teach me how he does it. That’ll be ironic.”

“Oh my, Pepper,” said a mare’s voice.

Peppermint jumped. “Gah!”

“Oh, calm down, it’s just me,” said the voice again. The mare put a hoof on Pepper’s shoulder. “It’s about time I saw you eye-ballin’ some stallion.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Sunny, please, it’s not what it looks like.”

“What?” Sunny retorted. “He’s cute! Probably from out o’ town, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice day together!”

Peppermint stared at Sunny’s face skeptically. “I’m not looking for a date,” she said.

“Sure you aren’t,” said Sunny. “And I’m sure you won’t mind that he’s getting up and leaving now.”

“What?!” Pepper exclaimed, snapping her gaze back toward the fountain. She couldn’t see that clueless stallion anywhere. “W-where’d he go?” she asked.

Sunny snickered to herself. “He went up Coral Street,” she said.

Peppermint started off, knocking Sunny off balance. “Oh, uhh, thanks Sunny!” she called back. “Your daughter’s next party’s on me, alright?”

“Oh, please!” Sunny called after Pepper. With a wink, she added, “Forget about it. Just go get him, lovergirl!”

“It’s not a love thing!!”

Busy Buddy stopped at the crest of a hill, at a bench sitting between a gap in the buildings. He sat next to it, looking over the top of the hill at the rest of the city in awe. “Vacations are great,” he sighed.

Busy heard a wild clamor of hoofsteps coming up the street behind him. “Just ignore it,” he said. “Probably somepony getting caught stealing from a fish stand or something...” The hoofsteps kept getting closer. Against his better judgment, Busy looked back at the street to see who it was. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, but now the hoofsteps sounded like they were going further away. “Am I hearing things?” he asked.

The hoofsteps got closer and closer. Finaly, out of curiosity, Busy turned around. He saw nothing, and heard the hoofsteps going further and further away. “Am I hearing things?” he asked.

Suddenly the noise stopped. He raised an ear to the wind, but all he could hear were ponies’ voices and the occasional seagull. His eyes widened. “Maybe the sea air’s getting to me. Am I going nuts?”

“Hi there!” said some mare’s voice. Busy gasped and clamped his hooves to his ears.

“La la la, I can’t hear you, voices, la la la la,” he yelled.

Peppermint rolled her eyes. She waved a hoof in front of the Busy’s eyes. He glanced up at her, then took his hooves down. “H-hello?” he asked.

“Hi there!” Pepper repeated. “I’m Peppermint, I live here in Coltport, and I was wondering—”

“Oh, good, a local!” said Busy. He unfolded the map and held it up in front of Pepper. “I was wondering how to get to that big mansion up on that hill outside of town.”

Pepper paused. “The Coltport Seaside Manor?” she asked. “That’s sorta private property...”

“Are you sure?” asked Busy. He frowned. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Listen,” Pepper interrupted. “I’d be happy to show you around, if you’d want.” She looked down and shifted her hoof in the dirt. “But uhh, you’ve gotta do something for—”

“Hey, I can pay for it,” Busy said. “I’ve got bits on me.”

“No, no,” said Pepper. “Nothing like that!” She froze. This wasn’t going at all like it had in her head.

Busy raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t some kinda native ritual thing, is it?”

“Uhh,” Pepper hesitated. She thought for a moment, leaving Busy confused, before an idea struck her. The only idea, really, as much as she knew she’d regret it. Pepper blushed, and shifted her hoof again. “W-would you mind, I mean, if you have the time that is, coming back to my place for dinner later?”

“Well, I— Wait, are you serious?!” Busy asked. He too started blushing. Except, of course, his reaction wasn’t an act.

“Y-yeah!” said Pepper. She faked a pout and added, “I understand if you don’t want to—”

“N-no! I-I’d love to, P-Pepper!” he stammered, beginning to sweat. “C-can I call you that?”

Pepper smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, sure,” she mumbled. A small breeze reminded her of the balloon she still had tied to her pack. Now she really did flush red. “Oh, uhhh, here!” she blurted out, grabbing the string and passing it to Busy.

Busy Buddy looked at it and smiled. “What’s this?” he asked, just before glancing at her Cutie Mark. “Oh! So you must work for the circus or something...”

“Actually— Uhh, I mean yes, sorta,” Pepper said. Now was not that time to argue semantics.

“N-not that there’s anything wrong with that!” Busy added. “I, uhh...”

Pepper snickered. “It’s okay, I’m used to it,” she said. A slight shudder passed over her. Yeah, yeah, I get it, she thought.

Busy packed up the map and stood up. “So, umm, should we get started?” he asked. “M-my name’s Busy Buddy, by the way.”

“Nice to meetcha, Busy,” Pepper said. She motioned for him to lead at the same time he motioned for her to.

“L-ladies first?” he tried to explain.

“No, I insist,” said Pepper.

“Okay, i-if you’re s-sure,” he stammered. He kept one eye on her as he started to walk down the street. She picked up just behind him on his right.

“I’ll tell you when we come to anything interesting,” she explained. He simply nodded, trying to hide his blushing, sweating face.

Pepper giggled silently behind him. There really was only one way she could keep this up; if she knew how much of a joke it was. So she had to give herself something silly to keep on the mind. In this case, the wobbling image of Busy’s not-yet-bloated belly trying to walk would have to do. “I don’t know whether to thank or smack Sunny next time I see her,” she muttered under her breath.

The two managed to wander around the streets of Coltport in circles for about an hour or two before Busy started to wonder where they were going. Up until then he was a little too focused on making sure Peppermint was real.

“So, uhh, this is gonna sound like a silly question, but were you down at that not-whale fount—” he began.

“Annnd on your right,” Pepper blurted out. “You’ll see, umm— The fine architecture of, umm—”

“Of Coltport?” Busy offered, suddenly intrigued by the rooftops.

Pepper stopped and looked where he was staring. All that was there was shingled roofs. “Oh, uhh, yes! Of the Coltport roofing!”

“Fascinating...” Busy muttered.

Peppermint rolled her eyes. “Done yet?” she mumbled under her breath.

“Is it true they make that out of coral and driftwood?” he asked innocently. Pepper did a double-take.

“Umm, sure?” she said. “I have no idea...”

“‘Ey! Buddy!!” somepony yelled across the street. Pepper turned to see another stallion walking up to Busy. Busy groaned.

“Hello, Boss,” he said.

The newcomer smirked. “Well, come on, Buddy!” he said. “Who’s the lady friend?” Peppermint shrank down, blushing and scowling while averting her eyes.

Busy suddenly snapped to attention. “Oh, uhh, this is Peppermint!” he explained. “She offered t-to show me around today!”

“Annnd?” his boss asked. “Come on, Buddy, I can see it in your eyes.”

“Oh, brother,” Pepper mumbled.

“Well she, uhh—” Busy started to sweat again. “She sorta offered me dinner.”

“Whoa, whoa, look at you!” Busy’s boss started again. “Goin’ ‘round town and pickin’ up the mares like nopony’s business. I’m proud o’ ya, Buddy!” He paused, looking back over his shoulder. “Say, me and the other guys were gonna head downtown later, you want in?”

Busy smiled. “Oh, I’d love—” He stopped, looking at Pepper. It took her second to see the opportunity; she looked back at his eyes and sighed, ears drooping. Busy turned firmly back to his boss and shook his head. “No thanks, I’ve got a date tonight,” he explained. Pepper groaned quietly.

“Heh, suit yourself,” his boss said. “Just remember to be back at the boat by mornin’, got it?”

“Yes sir,” Busy responded. His boss disappeared back into the crowd. Busy smiled at Peppermint. “Y-you ready to get going?” he asked. Pepper hesitated to respond, so Busy tried wrapping a hoof around her. She swatted it away.

“What’re you—” she started, before she saw the hurt look on his face. “I-I mean, its the first date, take it easy!”

Just like that, he was smiling again.

The rest of the day was filled with a bunch of other minor activities and sight-seeing. Busy seemed to find every little aspect of the city interesting, no matter how hard Pepper honestly tried to point out something boring. He even liked how the storm drains looked, and spent ten minutes talking about them.

But alas, when the sun began to set, Peppermint realized she was running out of time. She watched the orange sky out of the corner of her eye and bit her lip.

“Hey, uhh, Busy,” she said. “Mind if we get moving? I’d rather not hold ya too long with dinner.”

“Dinner?” he asked. His eyes widened. “Oh, yes! Dinner! Right! Y-yeah, sure thing, Pepper. Just l-lead the way!”

Peppermint turned around and shook her head. “Way to keep your eyes on the prize, clueless,” she mumbled. She didn’t even dare glance at those desperate puppy-dog eyes anymore until they got back to her home.

— — —

Busy Buddy stared up at the sign over Pepper’s front door. “Party store?” he asked as she went inside. “I thought you said—”

“You said circus,” she corrected. “Trust me, it can get like that some days.” She shuddered. Partly from the thought of the groups of kids that came in some days, like she was talking about, partly from the sight of the balloons hanging on the wall.

Busy slowly walked in, gazing in childish amazement around the walls. “You sell everything here,” he remarked.

“Not everything, just party stuff,” said Pepper, sitting by the back door.

“Like streamers?” he asked.

“And balloons,” she added. Immediately she winced, hoping he wouldn’t read too much into it. Not that he could possibly have any idea what she was thinking at that moment. “L-look, just head into the back room and have a seat anywhere,” she said. “I’ll be right back with something to—” Another shiver, and a wild look came over her eyes. “To fill ya right up...” she finished. A second later, as she came back to her senses, her eyes widened and she bit her lip.

“Oh that sounds great!” Busy said. “I’m parched!”

“G-good,” Pepper stammered. She pushed open the door and slinked through.

Busy Buddy took one last look around, then found something he was looking for: a purple balloon mounted on the wall. “Its not flowers,” he said, “but its at least its more personal.” He smiled, then trotted happily into the back room.

— — —

“Come on, Peppermint, any day now...” Pepper whispered to herself. She sat, tensed-up, in the silence of the stairwell. She had just enough of a line of sight to see Busy, sitting obliviously in the middle of the dark back room. And for some reason, as if to taunt her, he had taken one of the balloons from the storefront back with him.

“I gotta do it, I gotta do it, I gotta do it,” Pepper muttered.

“Oh, Pepper?” Busy called out. “What’s the matter?”

Pepper instantly pressed herself back against the stairs. “Nothing!” she called back quietly, as if to make it sound like she was behind a door. “The, uhh, cookies aren’t as ready as I’d hoped they’d be!”

“Oooh, cookies,” Busy said with a smile. “Well take your time!”

Pepper sighed. “I can’t hold out much longer, I just gotta—” She paused, shivering. “Just gotta start the fun,” she mumbled, horn starting to glow.

For the first time, she actually saw it happen on another pony. His belly puffed out a few inches. Just barely not enough to really feel different, apparently. He just sat there like nothing happened.

Peppermint’s eyes widened and she almost yelped. “No, I-I can’t do this, I—” Her horn started glowing on its own. Pepper found her vision just a little bit fuzzy when she looked to see it. When she turned back towards Busy, she knew why.

Right before his belly swelled up another step, she saw the image of it happening. Again, however, he didn’t notice anything other than a strange noise from his stomach. “Must be hungrier than I thought...” he told himself.

Pepper shook her head. “Okay, that’s enough, right?” she asked herself without thinking.

“That’s enough what?” Busy called, looking around the corner up the stairs. He tried to stand, but found it a little... different.

“Wait! Busy, I-I can—”

“What the?!” he yelled when he saw himself. “W-what is this, some kinda port town sickness?”

Pepper ran downstairs, then stopped cold. “Wait, what?” she asked. “What possibly does that?!”

“I don’t know,” he said. “But I’m like... I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have eaten those fries at the pier...”

Pepper’s horn started to glow again, and luckily she was the first to notice. She ducked to the ground, covering it with her hooves, but she couldn’t (or didn’t want to) stop the magic itself. Busy’s belly swelled up another several inches, almost to the floor. Now that, he noticed.

“There it goes again!” he said. His eyes widened in panic. “Pepper, d-do something!”

“I am doing something, you idiot,” she growled. She moved her hooves to show her horn. “How did you miss this?!” she yelled, pointing at the glow.

“P-Peppermint?” he asked. “W-what are you d-doing?”

She shivered, then giggled. “Oh, just having a little fun,” she said. Pepper nodded towards him, sending another pulse of air and pushing him off his front hooves. Busy gasped.

“Pepper, what are you doing?!” he yelled. “I thought we had something!”

Peppermint stopped. Her eyes were still wild and crazy, and another shiver ran through her whole body. She didn’t even seem to notice. “How thick are you?” she asked calmly. She shook her head and groaned in frustration. “And there was no pun intended there!”

Even still, she sent another pulse of air into Busy’s belly.

“I trusted you!” he said.

Pepper’s horn stopped glowing and she scowled at Busy. “Okay, ‘Buddy’,” she said. “I’ve got a little something to tell you.”

“W-what’s th—”

“I’ve been lying to you all day!!” Pepper yelled. “How in the world did you not know that?!”

Busy shook his head. “No, no, I refuse to believe that.”

“Refuse to believe what?!” Pepper hopped her front hooves onto his chest to look him closer in the eye. “I lied to get you back here to do this to you!” She prodded him for emphasis, making him wobble in place.

“But why?” he asked. His voice started to fade out at the end.

Pepper averted her eyes. “It’s a long story,” she said. “I just have to, okay?”

“No you don’t!” he said quickly. “Pepper, I-I can forgive you, I—”

“Yes, I do,” Pepper groaned. She shuddered, then added another inch in width. Busy looked down at himself and winced. “I’m sorry, that’s just how it is.”

After a moment of silence, Pepper hopped back down to get a better look from afar. And just as she did so, another shiver came to her. “And that’s not enough yet, it would seem.”

Busy sighed. “Okay, what did I do wrong?” he asked. “I-If I offended you—”

“It’s not like that!” Pepper shouted. “It’s like... I want to do this, really badly, and—”

Busy raised an eyebrow. “You like doing this to ponies?”

“No!” Pepper defended. “I-I mean, I don’t like that I want to, or something wants me to want to, or—”

Busy just gave her a blank stare.

Pepper sighed. “You ever get an itch, and you wanna scratch it but you can’t?” she asked. Busy nodded. “Now imagine that, but it keeps getting worse and worse until you scratch it,” she explained. “And it starts getting into your head, and all you can think about is scratching it.” Pepper showed him her Mark. “And imagine having that build up for years.”

Again, nothing more than a blank stare. “If you can’t reach an itch, I-I could scratch it for you...”

Peppermint groaned. “Wow, you’re impossible,” she said, sending him another pulse.

“Well yeah, I’m impossible,” he defended. “Impossible to move out of here now!”

“Oh, please,” Peppermint scoffed. “I can just let the air out whenever.”

His eyes widened. “Air? What, like a—”

“Yes. Like a balloon.”

He snickered. “Well if that isn’t the silliest thing I’ve ever—”

“Don’t remind me,” Pepper snapped. Her face flushed bright red.

“Uhh, sorry?” said Busy. He just kept snickering. “I just thought I was in pretty serious trouble for a minute there.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I hear ya...” Suddenly it hit her: the shivers were gone. She smiled and squealed, running over to the store’s counter.

“Hey, uhh, Pepper? Pepper!” Busy called after her.

“Just a minute, airbag!” she called back. Under the counter were a few spare packs of balloons, for emergencies. Pepper tore into one and levitated the first one out. And after a few seconds... it just stayed flat.

“Yes, yes, yes!!” she cried. “Finally, I’m free! I’m—” She paused, and slowly turned with horror back to her flank. “But you’re still there...”

“Yes, I am,” Busy said impatiently. “Can you let me down yet?”

“I-I don’t understand,” said Pepper. “I let you have what you wanted, why can’t I—” Suddenly she groaned loudly and stomped on the floor. “Of course,” she said. “That’s why Ms. Rivers never changed either.”

“Uhh, hello?”

Pepper looked at him and her ears drooped. “That leaves me three questions,” she said. “‘Can I fix him?’, ‘What do I do about his memory?’, and ‘When will I have to do this again?’”

“I hope, I promise I won’t say anything, and hopefully sometime I’m not in-town?” Busy offered with a smile.

Peppermint shook her head. “I can’t let you just go,” she said. “How do I know you won’t rat me out?!”

Busy shifted his eyes. “Uhh,” he said. “I owe you for the special time we shared today?”

“You really are a moron, aren’t you,” Pepper snapped.

“And you really are a tease,” he muttered under his breath.

Pepper stopped. “What did you just call me?” she asked quietly.

Busy’s eyes widened. “No, no, I-I didn’t mean it!”

Pepper glared at Busy with fire in her eyes. “You honestly thought I was some kind of cheap, easy mare?!” she yelled. Her horn began to glow. “What kind of colt are you? Did you think that I’d just fall into your lap? That I’d just be yours after a stupid, lame tour?!”

With each question Busy’s belly swelled up another several inches. His hooves were long gone from the floor by now, and his panicked expression showed he at least realized why.

“I don’t care how alone I am,” Pepper screamed. “I’d never, and I mean never, really go out with such an idiotic, hapless, lame jerk!”

And on the last note, Busy shot up so quickly, and had gotten so high off the floor, that his head slammed into the ceiling. His eyes crossed, and then closed.

Peppermint calmed down at the sound of the collision. “Uh-oh,” she said.

But then she smiled. “Well that solves question number two, I guess,” she mumbled. “And if I can still do that, I should be able to bring him back down...”

From that day on, after a dazed and confused Busy Buddy was found just outside the docks, his reputation would never be the same.

Busy Buddy’s “night in Coltport” would become the stuff of legend, at least among the others in his office.

4 - Party Pony Pals

Faux Mark

The Purple Balloon

Chapter 4: Party Pony Pals

A cart sat outside Pepper’s store. Passersby slowly watched as it filled more and more with what must have been half the contents of Peppermint’s storage room. Well, to those who didn’t know just how much space was devoted to storage at least.

Peppermint herself was positively beaming. “Five days later and I feel great!” She excitedly told herself. “Now I get to set up a nice, simple party for some rich colt without having to worry about anything! Once I get the decorations up, I can just sit back, relax,” she said, licking her lips, “and maybe have a little birthday cake...”

Pepper finally tossed the last streamer onto the back of the cart, then hopped into the harness. Almost as an afterthought, she shut the door with magic and flipped the sign around from “Open” to “Closed”.

“I’ve gotta stop taking time off,” she mused.

— — —

“Oh, umm, Miss?” asked a little colt in the street. Pepper barely heard him over the rumbling cart wheels.

“Hm?” she said without taking her eyes off the road.

“Could we have some of those noisemakers?” he asked, hopping as he walked alongside.

Peppermint shook her head. “Sorry, no-can-do today,” she said.

“Aww.” The colt frowned. “Why not?”

“'Cuz these are for somepony’s birthday,” she explained. “I’m takin’ all this up to the Manor for little Spit Shine.” She stopped and sat down, thinking. “Or was it Shine Spit...”

The colt smiled. “Oh, well uhh,” he stammered, “t-tell him I said Happy Birthday, Miss.”

Peppermint smiled. “Now that I can do,” she said with a wink. When the colt had ran back to his friends, she sighed and shook her head. As much as she couldn’t stand little kids sometimes, she still had a soft spot she couldn’t really get past. Probably, as she expected, due to the Cutie Mark. After all, she needed some way to deal with kids to hold a believable job on this talent.

But now Peppermint saw somepony walking up the street who wasn’t quite paying attention. Sunny had a pair of flowers in either saddlebag as she trotted along, humming an old tune. She was so caught up in the routine that she didn’t even hear Pepper’s cart’s wheels while she trotted a little faster to catch up.

“‘Sup, Sunny?” Pepper asked.

“Wha— w-wha?!” Sunny blurted out.

Pepper snickered. “Victory at last,” she said. “What’re you up to this morning, Sun Flower?”

Sunny shook her head. “Oh, just the usual, Peppermint. Delivering a couple of these to somepony.” She craned her neck back to look into the cart. “You’re not moving, are you?”

“No, no,” Pepper explained. “Big party up—” She turned Sunny’s head with her hoof. “— there.”

Sunny’s jaw dropped. “The Manor?!” she exclaimed. “B-but how?”

Pepper shrugged and smiled. “I dunno, some rich family’s there for a bit. Crazy mother’s gonna pay me way over my normal rate, too!”

“Wow, Pepper,” said Sunny. “Congratulations!” She smirked. “I don’t suppose you’ll have any time for us little folk after you retire, though.”

“Okay, not that much,” Pepper admitted. “But still,” she whispered, “three thousand bits.”

Sunny gasped. “What’re you doing still talking to me then?” she shouted. “Go, Pepper! Earn your small fortune!”

Pepper laughed. “Alright, alright, I will! See ya ‘round, Sunny!” She took off up the road, leaving Sunny waving in the dust.

“And have fun with it!” Sunny added. Pepper was already out of earshot. “Drat,” Sunny grumbled. “I forgot to ask about that cute colt from the other day. So much for the juicy gossip...”

A pair of armored stallions stood at either side of the front gate to the Coltport Seaside Manor’s estate. Peppermint was left dumbstruck by the formality. “It’s like I’m trying to get into Castle Canterlot...” she thought aloud.

“State your business,” one of the guards commanded.

Peppermint nodded. “Delivering and setting up the decorations for the party, sir.”

The guards looked at each other, nodded, then pushed the gate open. Pepper giggled excitedly as she skipped inside. And this was the sight that Simple Summer first saw of her that morning.

“My, my,” she said, startling Pepper. “I must say, I do appreciate a little enthusiasm, but please don’t break anything while you’re here.”

“Oh, uhh, g-good morning, Simpl— Ms. Summer,” Pepper stammered. “S-sorry, I’ll try to calm down.”

Simple chuckled. “It’s fine, dear, just watch where you’re going.”

“So where should I set up shop?” Pepper asked. “Er— Where exactly is the ballroom?”

“Walk with me,” Simple said. She motioned ahead for Pepper to walk alongside around the side of the mansion. “And thank you for coming so early. The cakes arrived just a few minutes ago, so we might be starting earl—”

“Pardon me, but cakes? With an ‘s’?!” Pepper exclaimed.

“Oh, certainly,” said Simple. “Only the best for my boy. All of his favorite flavors. Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Almond, and Lemon.”

Peppermint caught herself drooling at the list. She shook her head to regain focus. “I know I’m here as the decorator, but y-you wouldn’t happen to mind if I—”

“Help yourself, dear,” said Simple. “Once they’re cut of course. You’re as much our employee as our guest.”

“Thank you,” said Pepper. “Thank you very much.”

The conversation seemed to cut off right there. It took a few minutes for Pepper to work up the courage to speak to her employer again. “This r-really is an honor.”

“You’re welcome, dear,” Simple reassured. She led them around the corner, around a hedge garden, to the one side of the mansion nopony could see from Coltport itself. Pepper stopped cold with her jaw wide open.

“Is this—”

“Yes, this is the ballroom.”

It must have been one hundred feet long and fifty feet wide, with a massive dining table in the middle and a huge chandelier hanging precariously over the middle. The walls were painted with some mural of an old tale, perhaps from before Equestria was officially founded. All of this, with an entire wall of solid window overlooking the gloriously elaborate garden Pepper and Simple stood in now.

“S-so where do I start?” Pepper whimpered.

Simple smirked. “The entrance is in back. I just thought you’d like the view.”

As her words failed her, Pepper simply nodded in response.

The ballroom had so much space to it that Peppermint barely knew where to start. Usually she’d be working from the ceiling down, hanging streamers from where the ceiling and the walls met, but unless she sprouted wings she’d never get high enough.

“This almost begs the question if I should ever try helium on myself,” she muttered under her breath. And even still, she double-checked the room. It was empty except for herself, the table and chairs, and one of the cakes. She missed that first one being brought in, apparently. “Better question,” she said. “How can I get a hold of that baker pony for myself? That cake looks good.”

Distractions aside, Pepper found a point to start working. Between the fancy columns of the room was just enough room to hang a length of streamer, with the help of a little stepladder and a few pins. She hated to admit it, but she did get a sort of creative sense to this kind of thing. She could just envision the arrangement, alternating between blue and yellow, the colors of the birthday colt, combined with a rainbow assortment of balloons “hanging” from every meeting point between the streamers by way of a string tether.

Pepper managed to work with this pattern for about halfway around the room before she noticed a second cake on the table. Shoot, she thought. Okay, gotta listen for ‘em next time.

She paused and looked over the work so far. Something was definitely missing. Perhaps the table was just a little too bare. Well, there was already a tablecloth there, but nothing else. Then it hit Pepper: birthday hats. She trotted back to her cart to get a package or two.

Oh, who am I kidding? she thought after grabbing just two. She grabbed another ten before heading back inside.

And she almost dropped them when she saw the third cake. “How does this keep happening?” she asked herself. She shook her head. “Ugh, I’ll just have to find them during the actual party or something.”

She continued on with the decorations. The cakes, plus birthday hats at every seat, made it feel a bit less formal. Pepper could only hope that’s what Simple would want for her son.

Peppermint got another idea to fill the space after another few streamer ties. It required a bit of magic, but this was a special case. Something that caused her just that right amount of satisfaction and awkwardness to feel like she was getting away with something; the standard, old-fashioned balloon spell. This time would take a little more finesse than usual, however. She had to balance helium and air just right to get them to stay in place without floating off to the ceiling. But this was something she had an unfortunate amount of practice with, to say the least. The only tricky part anymore was remembering how the two gases were cast differently.

In just a few more minutes, Pepper had an almost-perfectly uniform cluster of balloons tied to and hovering off of every chair, and some hovering just a little higher and scattered around the room, with strings hanging just low enough that anypony could grab them if they wanted to. She smiled, proud of herself for once. “Ah, control feels good,” she muttered.

Just then, one of the doors to the room closed. She turned around, only to see what she was afraid of: the fourth cake.

Pepper sighed. “Sneaky baker, I’ll give him that...”

— — —

Finally, after another twenty minutes of streamer hanging, balloon blowing-up, and string tying, Pepper was down to her last streamer, finishing the circle of the room. She squinted as she carefully levitated the last pin through the streamer, right next to the last one. Suddenly she smiled and clapped her hooves together, although the latter was short lived once the step-ladder started wobbling.

“All done!” she announced to nopony else.

Something caught the corner of her eye. She glanced over her shoulder and gasped. “There he— or I guess she, is!” It took her a second, but then her jaw dropped.

This up-until-now-mysterious pink baker pony was literally skipping along, balancing the last cake on her nose and forehead. Pepper bit her lip, just waiting for the inevitable disaster... which never came. With playful grace, the mare bounced the cake box off of her nose and catching it with her front hooves, gently setting it down by the others. “All done!” she announced cheerfully.

Pepper shook her head. “Now that was talent,” she mumbled. She turned back to check the pins, but suddenly snapped back around to look at the baker again. It was so fast, in fact, that she accidentally collapsed the step ladder under her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” she yelled just before crashing to the floor.

“Ugh,” she groaned. Even in her daze, she looked around for the baker.

Suddenly that same pony popped up in Pepper’s face. “Whoa, are you okay?” she asked. “That sounded like a nasty fall!”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Pepper said. Come on, come on, turn around already...

“Well if you say so!” The baker offered a hoof to help Pepper stand up.

Pepper smiled. “Thanks.” Even still, she wasn’t quite all focused on the conversation. This pretty much left the two in an awkward moment of silence.

“So, uhh, you must be that other pony they said was helping set up the party, right?” the baker offered.

“Yup,” said Pepper, craning her neck to the side. “Uhh, Peppermint. Nice to meet ya.”

The baker smiled and offered her hoof again. “Nice to meetcha, Pepper! My name’s Pinkie Pie!”

“Pinkie, eh?” Pepper asked, more or less disinterested.

“Yup!” Pinkie answered. After another moment of awkward silence while Pepper tried to see around her, Pinkie shifted her eyes and smiled. “So, uhh, I’ve gotta go back to the kitchen and get the rest of the stuff for the thing, and, uhh—”

“Oh yeah, go!” said Pepper. “I don’t wanna hold you up.” Still, she barely made eye contact.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Well alright... thanks I guess?” She slowly turned around for the door.

Pepper’s eyes widened at the sight. Not of the door, or Pinkie’s expression, but her Cutie Mark. She’s not... I mean, no, she couldn’t possibly...

Pinkie shook her head and started to skip away.

“W-wait!” Pepper blurted out.

Pinkie looked over her shoulder and asked, “Yeees?”

Ms. Rivers mark II, Pepper thought. “You, uhh, you’ll be at the party, right?”

Pinkie smiled and bounced in place. “Of course! I’d never miss out on a party I’ve been invited to, especially not one in such a swanky place like this!”

Pepper grinned back. “Oh, good!” she said. “Maybe we could hang out while we let the kids do their thing?”

“Sure!” said Pinkie. “I’ll find you, kay?”

“Got it,” said Pepper. “See ya later!”

“See ya!” Pinkie skipped out through the swinging kitchen door, then was completely out of sight.

Pepper sighed, shaking in her hooves. “Okay, Pepper, just calm down,” she told herself. “I could be wrong still, but— Oh, I just hope this doesn’t end badly.” She pictured Pinkie’s Cutie Mark in her head vividly.

“But I still sorta hope I really did find somepony else like me.”

The candles were lit, the lights were dimmed, and a crowd of almost fifty colts and fillies gathered around the center of the dining table to watch Spit Shine. He was a little chubby for the average colt. I can only imagine why, thought Pepper. Still, he had a charm about him. If it weren’t for his family’s ludicrous sums of money, she’d have thought there was actually a good reason for him to have so many friends.

Pinkie Pie popped up next to the birthday boy and started, “Alright everypony, a-one, a-two, a—”

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,” the crowd sang. Even Pepper found herself smiling and mouthing the words. She’d been to enough birthday parties since she was ten to get over most of any bad feelings she got when one came around.

“Happy Birthday, dear Spit Shine, Happy Birthday to you!”

He then blew out the candles, while somepony else turned on the lights. Pepper was surprised it even made a difference with that massive window-wall on the side of the ballroom.

“What’d ya wish for?” Pinkie asked Spit Shine excitedly.

“Huh?” he asked, shying away from her.

“You know!” Pinkie insisted. “When you blow out the candles on your birthday cake, you get to make a wish!” She paused. “Although you might have to keep it a secret for it to come true...”

“Umm—”

Pinkie winked at him. “Oh, I get it! Clever!”

Peppermint snickered at her antics. I stand corrected, she thought. Ms. Rivers with twice the energy and half the creepiness.

“Alright, alright,” said Simple from the far door. “Everypony settle down. Pinkie Pie, be a dear and cut the cake, would you please?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Pinkie replied. Simple smiled and left once more.

Peppermint realized just why her pay was so high by now. Simple never mentioned how little chaperones there would be, or how many children. Zero chaperones, actually, besides Pepper and Pinkie. Simple herself couldn’t even be bothered, it would seem.

“Oh well,” Pepper thought aloud. “At least the pay’s still absurd.”

“And one for you, and one for you,” Pinkie repeated over and over again as she passed out slices of cake. It was a little disorganized, just passing over the table and back, but she was getting the job done.

“Alright, now’s my chance,” Pepper mumbled. She snuck a plate into Pinkie’s way just in time to be passed a slice of the chocolate, then hovered it back over the foals’ heads. “Sorry, cake, no time to enjoy you,” she whispered. Pepper hurried to scarf down the deliciousness while she made her way around the long table. It only struck her halfway down that nopony was looking anyway, so she just squeezed underneath to save time.

Peppermint tapped Pinkie on the shoulder once she made it all the way back around. Pinkie tilted her head back, almost upside down. “Yeees?” she asked again. She smiled and spun around to face Pepper. “Oh, hiya!” she said. “I guess you found me after all.”

“Oh, uhh, I guess I did,” Pepper said. “Say, uhh, could I talk to you for a bit?”

“Sure!” Pinkie responded. “Just lemme get some cake first.” Before Pepper could even say one word, Pinkie slid three slices of cake onto one plate and grabbed the plate in her mouth.

“Uhh, want me to help with that?” Pepper offered. She stared with genuine concern at the precarious slices.

“I got it,” Pinkie insisted through her teeth.

This wasn’t exactly the most reassuring thing for Pepper, but she had no room or time to argue. All Peppermint could do was lead her over towards the side of the room, well out of earshot of the children while they ate. “Sooo—”

Pepper was cut short when Pinkie chomp-ed down loudly on the first piece of cake. She swallowed and blushed. “Uhh, sorry,” she said. “Go on.”

Peppermint snickered. “Alright, I’ll try to be as straightforward as I can be with this,” she said. “I think we uhh, we might have a lot more in common than most ponies would think.”

“What do you mean?” asked Pinkie between bites.

Pepper sighed. “Well you know... sorta why we’re here? At the party?”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “We both got invited, right?”

“Well its more than just that,” said Pepper. “I mean, you know, why we got invited?”

“Because Simple heard of us somewhere?” Pinkie was still confused.

“Our talents?” Pepper tried again.

Pinkie snickered. “Well duh, why else would she have heard of us and invite us?”

Pepper groaned. “Okay, I’ll make this real simple,” she whispered. She stood up and turned to the side, pointing at her flank with her front hoof.

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “No way!” she shouted.

Peppermint smiled. “So you do know?!”

Pinkie bounced up to her hooves. “Yup!” she said. “I know exactly what you’re getting at!” She grabbed Peppermint in a tight hug.

“Uhh, just to be clear,” Pepper said, “what am I getting at again?”

Pinkie giggled, then showed her flank just like Pepper had. “We’ve both got party Cutie Marks!” she said. “So it’s like, uhh...” She put her hoof to her chin and frowned. “I guess we’re like... party pals!”

Peppermint smacked her own forehead. “Think more literal, Pinkie.”

Pinkie stared at Pepper’s Mark, then her own. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Balloons! We’re like... balloon buddies!” This was punctuated with another squeezing hug.

And that was followed by another heavy groan from Peppermint. “I still have no idea if you’re getting me or not,” she mumbled.

Pinkie snickered. “Well then just tell me, silly,” she said. “If we’re not balloon buddies or party pals, what are we?”

Peppermint blushed. “I, uhh, well its— Its sort of a secret,” she stammered. “I can tell you, but only if you already know.”

“Oooh,” said Pinkie. She hopped off Peppermint’s shoulder and bounced in place. “Can I get a hint?”

“Ohh, uhh,” Peppermint mumbled. “Well, how much do you like parties?”

“I love parties,” said Pinkie. “They’re so much fun, you know? Oh wait, of course you kn—”

“Humor me,” Pepper challenged. “What makes ‘em fun?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Well, there’s the sweet, delicious cake and cupcakes and cookies and muffins and all that, all kinds of silly stuff like streamers and confetti and— Oh nice job on that by the way—”

“Thank you!”

“No problem!” Pinkie added with a smile. “And my favorite part,” she continued, “is getting to spend a fun time with friends!”

Peppermint smiled weakly. As simply put as it was, that was perhaps the most beautiful thing she’d heard in years. “What about ponies you don’t know?” she asked.

“Well then a party’s the perfect place to make friends with them, too!” said Pinkie. “And I love making new friends. I’m friends with everypony back in Ponyville, and—” She paused when she noticed Pepper’s expression. “You okay, Pepper?”

“Y-yeah,” she said. “I just never really thought about parties like that before.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “How come? I mean, it’s your job, right? Your special talent?”

Pepper sighed. “Well... sorta.”

Pinkie frowned. “I don’t get it,” she said. “I thought everypony was supposed to love their special talent. Although I guess you can just love it your own way, but—”

Peppermint put her hoof up to Pinkie’s mouth and looked her in the eye. “It’s complicated.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Pinkie offered. Pepper stared back, bewildered. “Well?” Pinkie asked again with a comforting smile.

Peppermint looked left, then right. No one was watching. “Alright,” she said. “But we gotta go somewhere nopony can see or hear us, okay?”

Pinkie Pie hesitated. “W-why?” she asked. “Is it—”

“Its a secret,” Pepper said. “A huge, really important secret.” She sighed and hung her head. “And I just wanna tell somepony I can trust.”

Pinkie put a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey,” she said. “If anypony can keep a secret, it’s me.”

“Are ya sure?” Pepper asked.

Pinkie nodded and mimed “zipping” her lip. That’s all the proof Peppermint needed.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” Pepper said softly.

The two of them found a little nook among the hedge gardens just outside the ballroom to chat. For a while, they did keep it quiet, but Pinkie Pie found it a little harder than most.

“So then you—”

“Yup,” said Peppermint.

“And then Ms. Rivers—”

“Never saw her again.”

Pinkie sniffled. “That’s so sad!” she yelled.

“Shh!” Peppermint insisted. Pinkie shrunk down and quieted herself. “Besides, I’ve gotten past most of that...”

“But you still have her Mark,” Pinkie noted. “So why don’t you just tell somepony what happened? You know, get that creepy meanie in trouble!”

“Well back then, I did try that,” said Peppermint. “And nopony believed me. She skipped town so fast, and then— well, I kinda forgot about it for a little while, let’s put it that way.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “How could you forget about that?”

“You see this Mark?” Peppermint asked. “I think it came with a few... side effects.”

“You mean the party ‘talent’?” Pinkie asked softly. She smiled the faintest of smiles.

Peppermint winced. “That’s just part of it,” she explained. “There is another part... and that part’s why it's such a huge secret.”

Pinkie Pie nodded. “Well, what i—”

“I think I should just show you,” Pepper said. She sighed and braced herself. “Normally I get this ‘itch’ to do something like this, just... well, to other ponies.” Suddenly she took a deep, deep breath. And thanks to magic, retained it all.

“Ahh!” Pinkie yelped. She quickly covered her mouth. “Y-you— w-what?!”

Peppermint winced. “Please don’t get scared,” she said. “I-I’m not like Ms. Rivers, honest! I only did this to somepony else once, a-and I feel terrible over it!”

Pinkie shook in her hooves. Cautiously, she extended a hoof and poked at Peppermint. When her belly gave just a little, just like a balloon, Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Whoa,” she said. “Honestly, I-I didn’t know you were serious...”

“I know, it doesn’t make much sense,” said Pepper. She rolled her eyes as Pinkie continued to poke at her belly. “Can I come down now?”

“Oh, uhh, sorry!” Pinkie stepped back, offering an uneasy smile.

Pepper shut her eyes, focused the magic, then blew the air out straight toward the ground. In just a few seconds she was back from the size of two ponies to one. When her front hooves finally touched the ground again, she swayed a little back and forth.

“Are you okay?” Pinkie asked.

Pepper shook the daze away. “Oh, uhh, yeah,” she said. “More or less, I’m fine.” She smiled awkwardly. “Uhh, ta-da?”

Pinkie Pie averted her eyes. “So,” she said. “You do do that to other ponies?”

“I-It was just the one time, I swear,” Pepper blurted out.

Pinkie shook her head. “One time so far!” she said. “What if you get that ‘itch’ to do it again?”

“It’s not quite like that,” Pepper insisted. “It’s like, over time it builds up— But not that quickly! And I can do stuff like that to calm it down! Or, well, sometimes even a regular balloon is enough.” Pinkie Pie still wouldn’t look at her. “Please, Pinkie, I swear its the truth.” Pepper’s eyes lit up. “Look, you’re my friend, right?”

“Well I guess—”

“Well then,” Pepper said, holding up one hoof. “I promise, I will never blow you up.”

Pinkie finally looked at her, if out the sides of her eyes. “Would you be willing to make that a Pinkie Promise?”

Pepper raised an eyebrow at Pinkie. “A what now?”

Pinkie smiled, then demonstrated the motions. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Pepper just stared at her further. “Well?” asked Pinkie faintly. “Could you please?”

“Well... alright,” said Pepper. She sat down and cleared her throat. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a... cupcake in my eye?” On the last motion, she barely touched her eyelid with her hoof.

Pinkie giggled. “Close enough,” she said. “Alright, Peppermint, I believe you.”

“Thanks, Pinkie,” said Pepper. She smiled and sniffed back a happy tear. “You have no idea what it means to me, having somepony— a friend, who isn’t afraid of this.”

“Does anypony else even know?” Pinkie asked.

“Not besides Ms. Rivers,” Pepper grumbled. “But that’s not important. I uhh... do you happen to live around here?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Sorry, I live back in Ponyville. It took me all last night to get here by train.”

Peppermint shrugged. “Well then we’ll just have to make the most of the party tonight, right?”

“Sure!” said Pinkie. Peppermint offered her hoof, but Pinkie shyed away.

“We are friends, right?” Pepper asked.

“Sure,” said Pinkie. “S-sorry if I’m a little nervous still. It’s just, you know...”

Pepper puffed up her cheeks in jest. Pinkie couldn’t help but giggle at the face. “Let’s just get back to the party, alright?” said Pepper. “Maybe have a little fun while it lasts. And who knows? Maybe I can write you or something once it’s all over.”

“Sounds like fun!” said Pinkie, bouncing up to her hooves. “Last one back’s a rotten egg!”

Pepper barely got to her own four hooves by the time she lost sight of Pinkie. “Hey, wait up!” She smiled, however, giggling with Pinkie as they galloped back inside.

Everyone from the party lined up in front of Peppermint and Pinkie Pie out in the manor’s front yard. Pepper paced back and forth, glancing at the foals’ nervous faces out of the corner of her eye.

“Does everypony understand the rules?” she asked. Nopony objected. “Then I think we’re ready to start.”

Pinkie tapped her on the shoulder. “Are you sure about this?” she asked.

Pepper smirked. “I’ve cleaned up worse messes. With magic, it’s easy,” she whispered back.

Pinkie snickered. “Think we have enough though?” Something landed on her face, splashing water all over her mane. “Gah!” Pinkie yelped, while everypony else giggled at the sight.

“There’s always enough for water balloon wars!” Peppermint announced. She showed the foals three wide buckets full of water balloons of varying sizes and colors. “Now Spit Shine, me, and Pinkie Pie are the team captains. Birthday boy picks first, for blue team,” she explained. She took a long blue balloon from a pack under the buckets and blew into it, using her magic to twist it around into a hat. “Then I’ll pick for green team, and Pinkie gets the red. Once we all have our hats, we get to the count of ten to run and hide with our buckets. After that...”

Pinkie tossed a balloon from one of the buckets at the back of Pepper’s head. “It’s war!”

Everypony giggled. Even Peppermint, once she shook some of the water out of her hair. Pepper nodded toward Spit Shine, and he began to look over his choices. Pinkie pat Peppermint on the back. They exchanged smiles, then giggles. For once, Peppermint wasn’t going to just pretend to be a part of things. She really was enjoying herself.

Now she just had to learn how to dodge.

5 - The City Never Sleeps

Faux Mark

The Purple Balloon

Chapter 5: The City Never Sleeps

By the time everypony had been dried off, the bits of balloon were all swept up, and the party was declared officially over, the sun had started to set. The dimming orange light somehow managed to make the Seaside Manor’s grounds look even more beautiful than they had that morning. The front yard, otherwise just a wide expanse of grass with a fountain in the middle, appeared to be a wondrous golden color. It was a little distracting for Peppermint, really, as she and Pinkie Pie saw every foal off with their parents. Except Spit Shine of course.

“Thank you,” he told them both. His mother stood over him with a warm smile.

Pinkie and Pepper both smiled back. “You’re a-welcome!” said Pinkie. “Happy Birthday! Again!”

“Sincerely, thank you both,” said Simple. “You were everything I had heard of and more.”

Peppermint smiled with pride. “You’re quite welcome, ma’am. Glad to help out!” Pinkie nudged her and winked.

“Are you sure you don’t like parties?” she whispered.

Pepper blushed. “Well, you know,” she whispered back, “it’s kinda hard not to.” Of course, Pepper didn’t have the heart to mention it might have something to do with the itch. Actually, she thought that this time it might have been fun for real.

“I’m sure you’re wondering about your payment,” Simple began.

That caught Pepper’s attention. “Oh, yes!” she blurted out. “I-I mean, uhh, the party’s done now, so—”

Simple held her hoof up and chuckled. “Don’t worry, Peppermint. The checks are in the mail already.”

“Oh,” said Pepper. “Seems like a waste of posta— I mean thank you! Thank you very much!” Pepper almost started to sweat in the following silence, until Pinkie broke it with a small giggle.

“Well you’re welcome,” said Simple. “Now unless you have any further questions, I think it’s about bedtime for us.”

“Mooom!” whined Spit Shine. “I wanna stay up late tonight, it’s my birthday!”

Peppermint groaned; she’d seen this a million times before. She knew how it went. “Uhh, let’s get going Pinkie,” she mumbled.

Pinkie shrugged and said, “Sure thing.”

“Now listen here, young man,” Simple started to say. Pepper winced at the start of the scolding, in particular at the look on Spit Shine’s face. It was no wonder that she almost pushed Pinkie Pie back out the front gate with her. Even the two guards on either side of the gate were trying not to listen.

Pinkie sighed once they were outside of the estate. “I hope she’s not too hard on him,” she mumbled. “I’d hate to think anypony would get yelled at on their birthday...”

After checking that they had walked far enough away from the gate’s guards, Pepper scoffed. “Pinkie, you and I both know worse things could happen.”

To Pepper’s surprise, Pinkie laughed at the joke. “Hah, you’re right,” she said. “Still, I kinda feel bad for him.”

“But what can you do?” Pepper asked just as the path took a bend downhill.

Pinkie only shook her head. “Good point,” she mumbled. Suddenly she gasped, almost shocking Peppermint off her hooves. “Oh no! What time is it?!” she exclaimed.

Peppermint squinted towards the town. There was a big clock tower somewhere near where she had left from. Somehow she hadn’t noticed it before, despite living in Coltport for months. “About six forty-five,” she read. “Why?”

Pinkie grabbed Peppermint and pressed their faces together. “When do the trains run?!” she yelled.

Pepper’s eyes widened. “I-I don’t know!”

“Exactly!” said Pinkie. She let go of Pepper and collapsed to the ground, sobbing. “I was supposed to get out of here an hour ago!”

Peppermint stared at Pinkie Pie for a moment. “Umm,” she muttered. “There there?” Pepper bit her lip and looked from side to side. Her and Pinkie were the only ones on the path, at least as far as she could see.

Pinkie just kept crying, sprawled out on the ground. “Why?!” she asked the sky. “I told the Cakes they could trust me!”

“You talked to the cakes?” Pepper asked, raising an eyebrow. All she got in response was a loud wail.

Pinkie flopped to the ground. “I don’t know what to do...” she moaned.

Pepper paused, then stepped up to Pinkie’s face. “You’re stuck here in Coltport tonight?” she asked to double-check. Pinkie nodded feebly. “Well, uhh, why not stay with me?”

Pinkie lifted her head off the ground and sniffed. “W-what?”

“Yeah!” said Peppermint. “I mean, you already know about me, so it’s not like there’s that to worry about. I mean, sure, sometimes I’ve caught myself sleep-puffing—”

Pinkie’s eyes widened.

“N-no, don’t worry!” Pepper stammered out quickly. “It’s usually just me. Or balloons in the room with me, if I really feel like it.”

Clearly, this didn’t help; Pinkie cowered against the ground.

“Trust me, Pinkie,” said Peppermint. “I can set you up a bed downstairs, and you’ll be fine. I mean that’s where I keep all the store’s stock of stuff, and nothing’s ever been messed up in the morning before.”

“A-and you wouldn’t mind?” Pinkie asked quietly.

Pepper smiled. “Of course not!” She snickered and clapped her hooves together. “It’d be kinda like a sleepover, right? Wow, I haven’t had one of those since I was like twel—”

She was quite violently cut off as Pinkie sprang on her, squeezing Pepper in the tightest hug of her life. “Oh thank you sooo, sooo much!” said Pinkie.

Peppermint barely managed to squeak out “You’re welcome!” while she was caught in the friendly deathgrip.

Pinkie let her go after a few more seconds, letting Pepper gasp for air. “That’s it,” said Pinkie. “Breathe, Pepper. Nice, biiig breaths.” Pepper shot her a glare, but Pinkie just giggled away.

“Oh yeah,” said Pepper. “Tonight’s gonna be fun.”

— — —

About twenty minutes later, the two had made it back into Coltport. The sun was barely able to shine on the rooftops, while the streets were either shady or dimly lit by the streetlamps that were just turning on. Very few ponies were out and about at this hour. Combined with the ocean breeze, this made for a rather relaxing walk for Pinkie and Peppermint on the way to Pepper’s store.

Pinkie glanced around. “This place is pretty nice,” she said. “Lots of ponies, breezy...”

“Oh, it’s not that much,” said Peppermint. “Plenty of cities have more ponies in them.”

“And the buildings are cool, too!” Pinkie added. She stopped and looked up the face of the nearest townhouse. It was made in an older style of brick and roof shingling, traditional for around the sea; if she looked hard enough, she could see seashells embedded in some of the walls.

Peppermint looked up too, if only to accidentally bump into somepony she didn't see. She smiled to apologize, but the other pony just shook their head. “Well, uhh,” Peppermint said, “I guess it is. I’m just sorta used to it after living here for so long, you know?”

Pinkie seemed to ignore the question. Rather, she was bouncing up and down, pointing towards the roofs. “Oooh! Oooh! Can we go home like that?”

“Like what?” Pepper asked. “Flying?”

“No, silly!” Pinkie insisted. “On the rooftops! I mean, if it’s safe of course.”

Pepper shook her head. “Huh?” she asked.

Pinkie groaned, then grabbed Pepper’s head and turned her to face what she was seeing. Pepper’s jaw dropped. A few others in the street pointed and muttered to themselves. Somepony in a cloak was hopping silently across the rooftops. It was impossible to make out any more detail than that due to how they were silhouetted by the sun behind them. Following the gentle curve of the street, eventually they disappeared over the edge of the roofs.

“Weeell?” asked Pinkie.

“Well what?” Pepper countered.

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Can we take the rooftops home? I mean, nopony does that in Ponyville, but with all the roofs so close together—”

“Pinkie, that’s still not exactly normal around here,” Pepper replied. “And I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, what are these, three-story buildings?”

“Aww...” Pinkie sighed. “Oh well.”

Pepper smiled sympathetically and pat Pinkie on the back. “Tell ya what,” she said. “If you’ve got time in the morning, I’ll take you to Moondance Cove.”

Pinkie’s eyes lit right back up. “Where’s that?” she blurted out. “And what can we do there?”

Pepper chuckled. “Well they say that pirates used to hide their ships there,” she began.

“Pirates? Like buried treasure and peg-legs and Arrrgh?”

“Yup!” Pepper rolled her eyes. “It’s probably just a myth though. I’ve been there plenty of times, no pirates or anything. Just a nice relaxing swimming spot.”

“Swimming’s fun, too!” said Pinkie with a bright smile. “So tomorrow morning it is, then!”

Pepper shook her head. She simply could not get over Pinkie's never-ending torrent of enthusiasm. “And you’re sure you can stick around?” she asked.

“Hey, I’m already getting home late. The least I can do is have a good excu—”

“There they are!” shouted some distant voice. “Stop! Thieves!”

Everypony in the street looked up at the same time. A pair of armored ponies galloped furiously down the street. Peppermint’s eyes widened as they got closer.

“Uhh, Pinkie?” she asked.

Pinkie stood at attention. “Any way we can help, officers?” she called out.

“Pinkie, umm, I really think—”

“What, that stealing’s bad? That the guards are our friends?”

Pepper groaned. “Pinkie, don’t those guards look familiar to you?”

Pinkie squinted towards them. “Sorta... but then again, they all look the same, right?”

“There’s only one place in town that has armored guards like that,” said Pepper.

The thundering of the stallions’ hooves slowly got louder. More and more, ponies jumped out of their way as they barreled down the road.

“The mansion?” asked Pinkie.

Pepper nervously stepped away from the direction the guards were coming from. “Yup. And who just came from there again?”

“Us?” Pinkie asked. Just then it dawned on her too. Both Pinkie and Pepper stared at the furious guards and trembled. “They’re after us aren’t they.”

“Yeah, uhh,” said Pepper. “We should probably—”

“Run!!” Pinkie shouted. Before Pepper could even lift a hoof, Pinkie took off down the street as fast as her hooves would let her. Peppermint frantically flailed her hooves to try to catch up.

Ponies dived out of the way of the two as they ran, probably mostly due to all their panicked screaming. Pepper spared a glance behind them every once in awhile, but she only ever had her fears realized; the guards stayed in hot pursuit no matter how many turns and side roads Pinkie and Pepper tried.

“Wait!” Pinkie yelled over Pepper’s panicked screams. “Why are we running?!”

“What?!” Pepper yelled back. “Those are big guards! And I don’t think they want to talk!”

Just as she said that, somepony pushing a cart full of oranges tried to cross the street in front of them. Pinkie screamed and winced, but Pepper had another plan.

“Count of three, jump!” she called.

“What?!”

“Just— three! Three!”

For a pair of ponies that had never hurdled anything in their lives, much less at breakneck speeds downhill, the jump was impressive. Both cleared it with little more than a few inches on their hooves, but that was enough to make the salespony grateful. This was short-lived, however, as the guards didn’t have the luxury of any jumping ability while they were in such heavy armor.

The crash even sounded spectacular to Peppermint and Pinkie Pie. It was enough to get them to stop and look at the damage. The salespony was lucky enough to get out of the way, but both guards were stuck in the remnants of the cart. The oranges slowly rolled down the street, much to the owner’s dismay.

But worst of all, the guards were barely dazed by the collision.

Pepperming grabbed Pinkie by the shoulders. “Pinkie, we have to split up.”

“B-but I’ll get lost!” Pinkie stammered.

“It’ll be harder to catch us if we do this,” said Pepper. “I-I think. Either way, I’d rather not get tackled like that poor cart.”

“But w-where do I go?” The guards were getting to their hooves.

“Go left!” Pepper blurted out. “Docks. Lose the guards, meet me there. Got it?”

She didn’t get a chance to answer. The two broke out running again just before the guards did, giving themselves a good bit of a head start. At the first fork, they split off, despite any reservations either still had.

Peppermint sighed. “I hope that was the right idea,” she said. “And not just panic talking.”

She turned right, then left, then right again. Despite all the twists and turns, she could still hear the thundering armored hooves against the pavement. She tried to pick it up, but her hooves were already getting sore, not to mention her eyesight a little hazy. “I-I can’t keep this up,” she muttered between panting.

One right turn later left her eating those words. She was a little lost by now, obviously, but she never counting on something as simple as a dead end alley.

“Uh-oh...” she mumbled.

“I think she went this way!” shouted one of the guards.

“Down the alley?” the other yelled.

That’s why they were still so loud, thought Peppermint. It took her a second to remember what the guards’ words meant. She gasped. “What do I do? What do I do?!” she asked herself.

Strangely enough, a shiver passed over her. Her eyes went wild for a moment as she glanced around the walls of the alley. She tried to shake it off, but this time it didn’t work. “Well that could work,” she said. “But it seems like a stretch...”

The sound of hooves got alarmingly close. Her eyes snapped back to normal, and Pepper winced. “Well I’m out of options,” she muttered. She glared at the wall, then shut her eyes and charged for it. “This is stupid, this is stupid, this is—” Pepper cut herself off; she jumped forward while casting her magic. Just before hitting the ground, her chest and belly puffed out wide, and what started as a random belly flop into the dirt turned into a reckless bounce into the air.

Pepper kept her eyes shut. There was no time to get scared now. She just needed to focus on her sense of balance...

Now!

The bounce by itself wasn’t that high. It only got her a few feet further into the air, but it did send her spinning. Once she was aimed at the right angle, slightly off of upside-down, she had her chance. In an instant, she blew out every bit of the air she had taken on, propelling herself upward and over the lip of the rooftop. She managed to flip herself so forcefully with this that she almost landed and tilted over onto her back. Instead, she regained her balance once her front hooves touched roof shingling, and slammed her back hooves down behind herself.

Peppermint shook violently until she lost the strength to stand. She collapsed to the roof and clung on for dear life. “What did I just do?!” she yelled. Frankly, she was so disoriented from everything that just happened that she could barely hear herself. Her vision still needed to come back into focus from the shock of the hard landing, and her hooves were a little numb. Still, it was nice to take a short breather.

“Peppermint?” a familiar voice called out faintly.

Curious, Pepper crawled over the crest of the roof and peered over the side. She could just barely see the tip of a fluffy pink mane bouncing in the street below. “Pinkie?” she called back as she crawled a little further forward.

Pinkie was in a narrow, empty street, bouncing off of a stack of barrels. “Down here!”

Pepper looked down from the edge of the roof and shuddered. “H-how do I get down?”

Pinkie snickered, or at least it looked like she did. Pepper’s hearing wasn’t all back yet. Pinkie hopped over toward the wall Pepper was hanging over and stepped under an awning. She tested it from below with her hoof, then said, “It’s safe! Don’t worry!”

“No way, that’s— No, I-I can’t, I—”

Pinkie tested the awning from above this time, standing on her tip-hooves. Still, it seemed pretty taut.

Pepper heard voices behind her, from the alley.

“Where did she go?” yelled one of the guards. He coughed sharply.

“Wait, is that— Look! Red tail, up on the roof!” Pepper pulled her tail over the crest of the roof and clung to it. “Around the corner, I saw a fire escape! Let’s go!”

Peppermint suddenly found the energy to stand up again. “Alright, Pinkie,” she muttered. “You win, I’m coming down.”

“Hurry!” Pinkie yelled. She looked up either side of the street, just in case.

“Okay, this time on three for real,” Pepper told herself. She lined herself up with the awning, then leaned over. The height was still daunting; the ground seemed to constantly move further and further away from her the more she looked. Pepper shut her eyes and counted, “One, two, three!”

Pepper more or less slipped her way off of the rooftop. The fall was only about one and a half stories, but it was long enough for her to scream on the way down.

Pinkie giggled and Pepper opened her eyes. Pepper was sprawled across the awning. Although it gave to her weight, it stayed strong. That is until she tried to put a hoof down on it. That’s when it tore through, letting Pepper collapse onto the boxes and barrels below.

“Ouch,” said Pinkie. “A-are you okay? Peppermint?”

Peppermint slowly lifted her cross-eyed head, mumbling some gibberish. She shook it off. “Huh? I-I made it?” she asked. Pepper laughed and shook her head. “Wow, Pinkie,” she said. “I owe you one. Or two. Or however many you want, really!”

“Maybe three,” said Pinkie, eyes fixed back on the rooftops.

“Huh?”

Pinkie dragged Pepper under an awning on the far side of the street and stood tight against the wall. Pepper glanced up and saw why; the guards had finally made it up onto the roof themselves. For an agonizingly long time, they stood in that one spot Pepper had rested.

“No idea how she got away so fast...” one mused.

“Probably teleported,” said the other. “Like how she got up here in the first place. We shoulda went for the pink one. The Earth Pony.”

“Does teleporting really stir up that much dust?”

“I don’t know, maybe? Have you ever seen somepony teleport?”

“Well no, but I—”

“Look, she can’t have gotten far. Let’s just keep looking.”

Finally, the two trudged off over the rooftops. Pepper waited until they were out of sight before daring to breathe again.

“Still wanna meet by the docks?” Pinkie asked.

“No, no,” Pepper muttered.

“Can we go home then?”

Pepper sighed and shook her head. “Pinkie, they know where I live. I hate to say it, but—” She stopped and sniffled. “I think home isn’t safe for us right now.”

“But we didn’t do anything!” Pinkie insisted. “Well I didn’t, did you?”

“No, I didn’t, but—”

“Sooo,” Pinkie continued, “all we gotta do is wait until those guards calm down, then we can explain that it was all a big misunderstanding!”

“Pinkie, I hope you’re right,” said Pepper. “I just don’t know what it’ll take for those two to be in a talking mood.”

Pinkie frowned. “If we can’t talk to them, what can we do?”

“We’d have to prove we’re innocent, I guess.”

“How do we do that?”

“I’m not sure,” said Pepper. “We might need to know more about what we’re being accused of first.” She shuddered and sobbed. “I’m not cut out for this kind of thing...”

Pinkie sighed and pat Peppermint on the back. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ve seen crazier.” She sat and thought for a moment. “Would it help if you got some sleep?” she asked.

Pepper nodded weakly. She wiped a tear off her nose and stood up. “Don’t worry about that. I think I can get us a bed for the night.”

“Hey Pepper?”

“Yes?”

Pinkie poked Pepper’s nose. “I bet you’ll feel better if you just smile.”

They both grinned at the same time.

“Peppermint? Are you okay?”

“Hey, Pepper. You don’t look so good...”

“Yo, Pepper, what’s shak— yikes, did you fall or something?”

It wasn’t until the barrage of questions that Peppermint had second thoughts about walking through the part of Coltport where everypony knew her. She had to just shrug off every one, however. There simply wasn’t enough time to explain the entire story to every single pony that cared to ask.

“Wow, you sure are popular,” said Pinkie Pie, just a few steps behind Pepper as they walked through the district. “Maybe that’s just a party pony thing.”

“Yeah, probably,” Pepper said in passing. She rolled her eyes and added, “It’d explain why I don’t really like it at least. Besides, its not that I really know everypony here. They just know me for my store.”

“What’s not to like about being friends with everypony?”

“You mean besides when you’re bad at conversation?” asked Pepper. She leaned towards Pinkie and whispered, “And its not so cool when I’m trying to keep a big secret all of the time, either.”

Pinkie nodded and zipped her lip again.

“Hey, Pepper, are y—”

“I’m fine! Sheesh!” Pepper exclaimed. The curious pony just backed away in the awkward silence. “Ugh,” Pepper groaned, “I need to hide myself for a bit.”

Pinkie glanced down a side alley. “If you’re hiding from those seeking guards, shouldn’t I hide too?”

“I guess so,” Pepper thought aloud. “Why?”

“Be right back!” Pinkie insisted as she took off into the alley.

“What?” Pepper asked. She didn’t get an answer. And sitting alone in the crowd, all she could think of was how many ways the guards could see her while she was vulnerable. “Uhh, wait up!”

— — —

“Now I feel ridiculous,” said Peppermint.

“More ridiculous than when I beaned you with that water balloon?” Pinkie mocked.

“Yes.”

The two walked out of the alley slowly so they wouldn’t trip over the pair of old sails or tarps or whatever they used to be that were now fashioned into hooded cloaks.

“I changed my mind,” said Pepper. “I’ll risk it. This is too much.”

“It’ll be fine!” Pinkie insisted. “Just watch your hooves.”

Pepper couldn’t decide which was harder: trying to push through a crowd of curious ponies trying to make small talk, or trying to walk with a dirty old piece of cloth wrapped around herself. Just the image of that dumpster these came from makes my skin crawl, she thought.

Either way, they managed to trudge onward through the nearby plaza without anypony stopping them, so it was a little better. Pinkie stopped for a moment to admire the fountain and the statue in the middle, but Peppermint pushed her onward.

But when they turned around, Pepper spotted the guards again.

Pinkie tried to yelp, but stopped herself with a hoof. “Whadowedo?” she whispered in a panic.

“Don’t move,” whispered Pepper. “Just act normal...”

“What’s normal for a pony with a cloak?”

“Shh!” Pepper whispered harshly back.

The guards slowly waded through the crowd. Their significant stature let them look over everypony else. “Remember,” said one, the clear leader from before. “Pink and red hair. They should be pretty easy to spot.”

Peppermint and Pinkie hung their heads, letting the hoods cover any part of their manes that were sticking out.

The guards passed within just a few inches of Pinkie Pie. She held her breath, trembling underneath the cloak. Pepper couldn’t watch.

“Oh, sorry.” One of the guards accidentally stepped on her hoof.

Pinkie bit her lip to keep from yelling out. That armored boot hurt! “I-It’s fine,” she mumbled in a faked deep voice. “Excuse us.”

The guard tipped his helmet. “It was my fault, sir. It won’t happen again,” he said. “You have a nice evening, and don’t mind us.”

“Thank you,” Pinkie responded.

Miraculously, the guards just moved on without another word. Pepper motioned forward with her hoof, and both her and Pinkie hustled their way toward the plaza exit.

“Peppermint?” asked a mare behind the two.

Pepper couldn’t have jumped in front of the mare’s mouth faster. “Shh!” she whispered in the mare’s face. “Don’t say my n— Sunny?”

Sunny raised an eyebrow. “Pepper, what are you wearing?”

Pepper glanced over at the guards. Neither seemed to have noticed the mention of her name, but she turned Sunny away just in case. “Sunny, we’ve been friends or something for a while now, right?” she asked at a hush.

“Well yes, but what—”

“I need to ask a pretty big favor of you.”

“Sure, Peppermint,” Sunny said, starting to quiet her voice as well. “What do you need?”

“Oh, it’s no big deal,” Pepper started. “Just a place to spend the night...”

“I guess you could sleep at my place,” said Sunny, “but why? What’s wrong with your house?”

“It’s a long story,” said Pepper. “We, uhh, well me and Pinkie, we’re kinda sorta—”

“We’re on the run and we need to hide,” Pinkie finished.

Sunny’s eyes widened. “On the run from what? Pepper, what did you do?” Her voice started to get loud again.

Pepper ducked down and whispered, “We didn’t do it! I swear! But those guards think we stole something from the mansion.”

Sunny sighed. “Oh dear...”

“Please, Sunny,” said Peppermint. “Just one night. Tomorrow we’ll get it all straightened out.”

“Do you promise?” Sunny asked. Her face still looked a bit skeptical.

Peppermint sat down and started moving her hoof. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Sunny stared at her, bewildered. “What?!”

Pinkie barely stifled her giggling. A few seconds later it struck Pepper what she just did. “Uhh, it means yes,” she stammered. “I-I’ll explain later.

Sunny shook her head and smiled. “Fine, fine,” she said. “Just not a word of why you’re there to Maple.”

“Her daughter,” Pepper explained to Pinkie. “Sure thing, Sunny. I really do owe you for this one.”

They started off down the road just as the sun finished setting over Coltport. Sunny thought for a moment while she walked. “How about that free party, eh?” she asked. She smirked and added, “That, or you tell me how it went with that cute colt the other day.”

“Party it is!” Pepper blurted out.

Pinkie and Sunny snickered on either side of Peppermint. Pepper eventually joined in, if only from knowing what Sunny didn’t.

6 - Port 'n Starboard

Faux Mark

The Purple Balloon

Chapter 6: Port ‘n Starboard

Sometime early in the morning, way before even the sun woke up, Pinkie lay tossing and turning on the floor of Sunny’s living room. She couldn’t keep her eyes closed no matter how hard she tried. Eventually she stopped trying and turned toward the sofa.

“Psst,” Pinkie whispered. “Pepper, you asleep yet?”

Peppermint rolled over on the couch, taking most of the blanket with her, and stared begrudgingly at the ceiling. “Nope,” she grumbled. “Don’t worry, it’s not because you keep asking me or anything.”

“Oh, good, you can’t sleep either,” Pinkie continued. “Look, I’ve been thinking—”

Pepper held up a hoof in front of her. “It’s fine. I get it, you’re not comfy with me sleeping in the same room as you.”

“Umm, actually—”

“And I’m like ninety-nine percent positive that you’ll be fine.”

“Well that’s nice, but—”

“My itch has been fine for almost a week now. I don’t even think I’ll need so much as a plastic bag to—”

“Umm, Peppermint?” Pinkie interrupted.

“Yes?”

“That’s not what I was gonna talk about at all...”

Pepper turned over on the sofa toward Pinkie. “Oh, uhh,” she whispered, “Sorry I guess. What were you thinking about then?”

“Well I was thinking about some stuff from today...”

“Some stuff,” Pepper repeated. “Fascinating.”

“Like the guards-chasing-us stuff, and the, uhh, balloony-curse stuff.”

Pepper blushed and rolled her eyes. “Can we just call it a Cutie Mark curse?”

Pinkie jolted up. “Say that again,” she said quickly.

“Cutie Mark curse?” Pepper asked, watching Pinkie as she started to pace.

“Hmm,” Pinkie mumbled. She almost bumped into the coffee table, then turned around. “I’ve heard something like that somewhere before,” she added. “Cutie Mark curse... you get a Cutie Mark that’s not yours...” She paused to turn around again. “You have to do something with it... and it won’t go away.”

“Sounds about right,” said Pepper. She did a quick count in her head, then frowned. “Don’t forget that somepony gives it to somepony else.”

Pinkie stopped in her tracks and smiled. “You mean it’s contagious? Like a cold?”

“Sorta,” Pepper mumbled. “I mean I guess you could say that.”

Suddenly Pinkie started bouncing in place. “I know what it is! I know what it is!” she whispered as excitedly as she could without getting any louder.

Peppermint sat up immediately. “What, you do?! How?”

“Well it’s not exactly the same,” Pinkie explained, “but it sounds a lot like this thing somepony had a while ago back in Ponyville.”

“And what was it?” Pepper asked, tensing from the suspense.

“What’d Twilight call it? Uhh... I think it was the Cutie Pox, but I’m not sure...”

Pepper rolled back over and stared at the ceiling. A smile slowly formed across her face. “Cutie Pox, eh?” she asked. “And if we know what it is, that means there’s gotta be— No, no, I wanna hear you say it. I don’t wanna jinx myself.”

“Gotta be what?” asked Pinkie.

“Does that pony you knew still have the Cutie Pox?”

“Nope! Zecora whipped a cure lickety-split, and she was all better the next day!”

Pepper hopped out of bed and leaned right up to Pinkie’s face. “Who’s Zecora and how can we meet?!”

Pinkie giggled softly. “Zecora’s this zebra that lives a little outside of town. She’s good with potions and stuff. For a while there everypony thought she was evil, but she’s just a little strange, so don’t worry. I—”

“Pinkie, focus,” said Peppermint. “I need that cure. Whatever it takes, I need that cure.”

“Oh, right!” said Pinkie, smacking her own forehead. “Well I’m sure she’d be happy to help—” She got cut off as Peppermint finally managed to return that super-tight hug from after the party in full.

Pepper let go after a few seconds, leaving Pinkie gasping for air. Pepper hardly noticed. She was too busy dreaming of a world without balloons in her head. “I-I don’t know what to say...” she muttered in a happy haze. She collapsed back onto the sofa and sighed with relief. “Thank you Pinkie. I owe you big time.”

Pinkie frowned. “We can’t leave town though, right?”

“What do you mean?!” Pepper gasped.

“You know, the whole ‘on-the-run’ thing?”

Pepper pouted against the sofa cushions. “We could always just skip town.”

“Nope!” Pinkie insisted. “We have to prove we’re innocent, remember?”

“How are we even gonna do that?” Pepper asked.

Pinkie frowned and sank back to the floor. “I kinda hoped you had an idea...”

Peppermint sighed and sat back up. “Well, I...” she began. “I’m not sure.” She looked up toward the ceiling and started to mumble to herself. “Maybe that pony on the rooftops... He was pretty suspicious-looking. And he came from— yeah, yeah, that makes sense.”

“How do we find him or her again?” asked Pinkie.

Pepper shook her head. “Well obviously it won’t be easy. If they did take something, they’re probably either hiding somewhere—” She gulped. “Or they’re long gone by now.”

Pinkie managed to force a smile. “W-well let’s stay positive,” she stammered. “Like, what if they didn’t leave? I bet we’ll find ‘em tomorrow, even! A-and if we don’t, they probably didn’t steal anything that valuable. Probably just a few doilies!” She snickered. “Doilies...”

Pepper couldn’t help but giggle herself. “Okay, okay, you have a point. Worrying won’t fix this.” For a moment, she sat and stared upward again. “Alright, I think I have a gameplan for us.”

Pinkie sat at attention and said, “Lay it on me, coach.”

“Well first thing’s first,” said Pepper, “let’s assume we’ll get out of this. And let’s assume we can leave Coltport by tomorrow. That makes our first stop the post office.”

“Want me to write Zecora?”

“Good, we’re on the same page. Yes please, Pinkie,” Pepper continued. “And leave the return address to my place— you know what, I’ll write that part. Don’t worry about memorizing anything but the plan.” Pinkie nodded, letting Pepper continue. “After that, we’ll check out the harbor. Lots of shady ponies show up there every now and then. I’m sure we can find some kinda lead.”

“Is it safe?” Pinkie asked, biting her lip.

“Oh yeah,” Pepper reassured her. “Shady, not dangerous. At least as far as I’ve heard. But anyway, after that— okay, I’m not exactly sure where to go from there. We can’t go anywhere near the Manor or we could get caught, so we’re kind of stuck in the dark for some of the details.”

“Like what was stolen?”

“Exactly.” Peppermint slumped over and mumbled, “And so much for that cart idea...”

“What cart idea?”

Peppermint jolted back up and repeated, “What cart idea?” Pinkie just stared at her sideways for a minute. Pepper sighed. “Okay, I uhh, I sorta left the cart I took the supplies in at the Manor.”

“How come?”

Pepper averted her eyes and muttered, “So I had an excuse to see the mansion up close again.” Pinkie just stared on. “What?! It’s beautiful and you know it!”

“That might seem kinda suspicious to the guards...”

“I realize this now,” Pepper explained. “I never expected them to accuse us of something when I left it.” She stopped and shook her head. “Look, this isn’t important. We can’t change the past. All we can do is try to find proof that we’re innocent, and hope they’ll accept it.”

After a moment of thought, Pinkie nodded. “Gotcha. Tomorrow, we investigate!” Pinkie bounced up and started sniffing the ground. It took Pepper a moment, but she realized it was meant to be an impression of a bloodhound. Although the barking probably gave it away.

“Shh! Shh!” Pepper insisted between giggles. “You think you can sleep now? Probably best that we at least try.”

The two heard a creak from one of the floorboards above them. Both dove under their respective blankets in a panic. “So we don’t wake up Sunny?” Pinkie asked at a low whisper.

Pepper just nodded. “Goodnight,” she whispered as she buried her face in a pillow.

“G’night, Pepper,” said Pinkie. “Sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs—” Another creak silenced her before she could finish the old rhyme.

Several hours of sleep did the two of them good. Even better, the next day proved to be one of those perfectly clear and sunny days in Coltport. It made for perfect weather to keep them energized for the work ahead. After a bit of breakfast at Sunny’s place, Pinkie and Pepper set out for the nearest post office: one situated right on the water.

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie yelled. She bounced along, peering over the heads of the other ponies in the crowd. “Is that the water? I think I see the water, right over there. The sea, Peppermint! The ocean!”

Pepper hung her head and groaned. “That’s very nice, Pinkie,” she said. “It probably is the ocean. You know, because we’re at the harbor.”

Pinkie frowned and nudged Peppermint. “Are you sure you got enough sleep, Ms. Grumpypants?”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Pepper. She raised her head back up. “Sorry, I’m just a little uneasy being out after yesterday.” Suddenly she stopped walking and groaned. “Uhh, hang on—” One more step and her back cracked so loud that it startle a few ponies nearby. Pepper smiled and sighed. “Oh yeah, that’s better...”

Pinkie giggled. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Tonight you’ll get to sleep in a nice, warm bed. Remember?”

“And that won’t come without us working for it, remember?” Pepper countered. “Look, the post office is just over there. Might as well get something done to start us off, right?”

Pinkie nodded, then skipped off before Peppermint. Pepper followed slowly, mindful of her back.

When Pinkie arrived at the post office, she was greeted by a clerk at a booth of some sort. “Good morning,” said the clerk. “Are you picking up or dropping off?”

“Umm,” Pinkie hesitated. “Dropping off I guess?” She retrieved the envelope from a saddlebag and passed it through the slot under the glass. The clerk took the envelope, checked for a stamp, then slid it through another slot in the back. “Pardon me for asking, but what’s with this post office?” Pinkie asked.

The clerk shook her head. “Too many letters getting stolen from the mailboxes around here,” she explained. “Not that I’m complaining. I get a job out of the deal.”

“Oh,” said Pinkie. “Well uhh, congratulations I guess!”

“Thank you, thank you,” said the clerk. “Now hurry along, ma’am. There’s more mail to get today.”

Pinkie looked back at the small line behind her and smiled apologetically. It was short-lived; Peppermint promptly pushed her out of the way. “You heard her,” Pepper said. “Hurry along.”

“Wow, I didn’t know so many ponies were thieves around here,” Pinkie muttered.

Pepper shrugged. “Around the harbor, there’s a bit of a problem with that. That’s why we went to the post office first.”

Pinkie smirked. “Clever, clever...”

“But now, unfortunately, that doesn’t leave us with anything to work with,” said Peppermint. She pulled the two of them over to the side of the post office building and sat down against the wall. “Think, Pepper, think!” she mumbled, squeezing her head between her forehooves.

Pinkie sat down next to Peppermint and tilted her head. “Well what do we need first?”

“I don’t know!” Pepper exclaimed.

“Calm down, calm down,” Pinkie insisted. “We need to prove we didn’t steal... whatever it was. How do we do that?”

Pepper took a deep breath. “Hmm,” she mumbled. “Well we can’t just say we didn’t do it. They wouldn’t believe that.”

“Why not?” Pinkie asked. “We’re trustworthy, right?”

Pepper shook her head. “No, no, that's not enough. We need proof.” Her eyes lit up as it started to click. “We need evidence!” she added.

“But how can we get evidence of something that didn’t happen?” Pinkie asked, frowning.

“Hmm.” Pepper put her hoof to her chin and thought some more. “But something did happen. We just weren’t involved.”

“Somepony else was, right? The real thief?”

“What if we figure out what really did happen?” Pepper offered. “You know, track down whoever really did it?”

“Like that pony from the rooftops?” Pinkie asked, doing her best impression of the mysterious acrobat’s slinking gait.

Pepper grinned in excitement. “Yes! Of course!” she exclaimed. “Pinkie that’s perfect!”

Pinkie returned an uneasy smile. “It is?”

“Pinkie, it’s a lead!” Pepper explained. “We know what the thief probably looks like, or at least how he looks like when he’s stealing something.”

“Or she,” Pinkie corrected. Peppermint continued regardless.

“And then the harbor’s full of shady ponies... but that just means the thief is probably somewhere around here.” Peppermint smirked. “Once we pin down who did it, we can turn them over to the guards and clear our names.”

“Then we get to go home, right?”

“Of course,” Pepper answered. She took a dramatic step towards the docks and added, “Now all we have to do is check everypony to see if they did it!”

Pinkie jumped in front of her and held her hooves up. “Wait! We can’t just accuse everypony.”

Pepper frowned. “Right, right. That’ll take way too long.” She sighed. “Wanna just walk around and see what we can figure out?”

“Sure,” said Pinkie. “You know what? I bet we’ll find ‘em in no time!”

Pepper muttered, “I wish I could say the same.” Still, the two walked off into the docks and shipyards. Most of everypony awake that morning in Coltport was there, or so Pepper figured. She considered it at least a small sign of good luck that they didn’t get separated within the first two minutes of the chaos.

Several hours later, Peppermint and Pinkie Pie found themselves no less lost and no closer to anypony interesting. In fact they were stranded, in a way. The two had stumbled across the middle of the docks, and there was nearly no room whatsoever for their hooves. Pinkie actually found a barrel to stand on top of in lieu of expecting somepony else to get out of their way. Peppermint could only manage to squeeze up against it.

“This is starting to seem like a bad idea!” Pepper called over the dull roar of the crowd.

Pinkie balanced precariously on the barrel. “I-I don’t know, maybe we’re just in the wrong part of town...”

Pepper glanced around. Barely any light got around here, with all the buildings in the way. The air smelled less of refreshing sea water and more of raw must and mold. Even the streets seemed to have a perpetual air of dampness about them.

“No, we’re in the right place,” said Pepper. “Unfortunately...”

“Hey!” a gruff voice shouted. “Get down from there!”

Pepper looked around the crowd, finally finding the source of the voice coming from one of the docks. Her eyes widened at the sight of the stallion. He easily towered over everypony else in the crowd, and had the scowling expression to match. Pepper tried to let Pinkie know, but all she could manage was a whimper.

The stallion tapped Pinkie on the shoulder. “Who is it?” she asked playfully.

“You!” he shouted in her face. “What’re ya doin’ with my barrel, eh?”

Pinkie promptly collapsed off the side and cowered to the ground. “I, umm, I...” she whimpered.

“Don’t you ever take somethin’ o’ mine again!” he yelled. “Ya hear me?” Pinkie only managed to nod in response. “Good,” he said as he rolled the barrel away. As soon as he was out of sight, Pinkie grabbed onto Peppermint for dear life.

“Yeah, shady part of town,” said Peppermint, shaking wildly along with Pinkie. “Shady and rough. Sometimes.”

“I-I thought you said it’d be safe!” Pinkie cried.

“I just heard stories, remember?” Peppermint explained.

“I’m scared,” Pinkie said. “I’m scared, and hungry, and the street feels all slimy, and—”

“Wait— did you see that?”

“See what?” Pinkie asked.

Pepper stopped shaking and squinted through the crowd. It was a weird sight, and she wanted to be sure it was real. “I think I— there!” she said. Leaving Pinkie behind, Pepper pushed through the crowd towards the edge of the nearest dock. Pinkie yelped, then followed.

Across the water, at the westernmost dock in Coltport, floated a large, old-style ship. The siding was made of wood planks, the front was adorned with a carving of some beautiful mare, and there was even a crow’s nest on the main mast. None of this is what caught Peppermint’s eye though.

“What do they call those,” Pepper mumbled to herself. “Jolly Roger?”

“Roger doesn’t look so ‘Jolly’,” Pinkie chimed in. “That’s how I always remembered it.”

“We’re talking about the skull and crossbones flag, right?”

“Of course!” said Pinkie Pie. “That means they’re pirates, right?”

Pepper raised an eyebrow. “I suppose so—”

“Ahem,” Pinkie interrupted. She winked at Peppermint and said, “Say it right!”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Aye, thar be a pirate ship,” she groaned.

Pinkie giggled. “I bet that’s why this place is so nasty. Everypony’s a pirate!”

“Uhh, actually Pinkie,” Pepper insisted, “I’ve never seen or heard of any pirates in Coltport. Not for like a few hundred years.”

“But they’re right there!” said Pinkie.

Pepper shook her head. “Just because there’s a ship with a flag like that doesn’t mean—”

“No no no,” Pinkie exclaimed. “I mean I see them! The pirates!” She bounced and pointed over Pepper’s shoulder.

“Wha—” Pepper looked where Pinkie was pointing and her jaw dropped. “P-pirates?! But how?”

Pepper watched the crew as they passed barrels from one pony to the next. It was as if they were in perfect harmony, working as one to get something off of their ship. Somepony in a large hat, presumably the captain, stood on the side with his chest held high. It was hard to see at this distance, but Pepper thought she saw that he had a peg-leg and an eyepatch.

More intriguing, however, were a pair of newcomers. At first they just looked like ponies in hooded overcoats, but then they let their hoods down. They were wearing the same striped caps that some of the crew members wore. It wasn’t until they turned to the side that Peppermint made the connection.

“Pinkie! Look!” she gasped.

“Wait, are those— Is he— Are they—”

Peppermint ducked down to the dock. “Get down!” she whispered. “What if they see us?!”

Pinkie shrugged, but followed regardless. “Well we saw them first...”

“Focus, Pinkie,” Peppermint continued. “I think one of the pirates was the thief!”

“Just because they’re pirates? I mean I guess that’d make sense, but—”

“No, those cloaks they were wearing! I remember how that pony on the rooftops looked. It was just like that, I swear.”

Pinkie gasped loudly. “S-so we gotta prove the pirates did it?”

“At least that makes the motive easy,” Pepper mumbled. “The problem now is, well, the hard evidence. The only real evidence we can get without going back to the mansion and getting caught ourselves.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, uhh,” said Pepper, “I’m not quite sure what exactly we’ll be looking for, but I know how to find it. It’s whatever they took.”

“We still don’t know what they stole, so how can we find it?”

“Simple,” said Pepper. She stood up and glanced over warily at the pirate ship. “We have to find where they be hidin’ thar booty.”

“Can I talk like a pirate too?” Pinkie asked eagerly.

Peppermint snickered. By now she couldn’t resist: “Aye!”

“Yay!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I-I mean ‘Arrrgh!’”

The way those two were giggling afterwards made them seem like either the craziest or the bravest ponies in the whole harbor. At least it finally gave them a way to clear the path as they walked.

“I don’t know, Pinkie,” said Peppermint. “It seems just a little too convenient. I’m not sure I like it.”

Pinkie groaned. “I’m sorry, but can you just be happy for once? We’re getting somewhere. This is good. Goood!”

Peppermint just rolled her eyes. “Shh! We don’t wanna draw too much attention to ourselves, remember?”

The two tipped their hats over their eyes and leaned against the wall while the pirate passed. He stopped and looked at the two. “Sup?” Pepper asked in a false deep voice. He seemed to stop wondering about the two after that. Once he was out of sight, Pepper and Pinkie relaxed again.

Pinkie tipped her hat and continued to sit against the wall. “I still think we could’ve gone for the mustaches, too.”

“Hey, that guy drove a hard bargain,” said Pepper. “I’m just glad he gave us two of anything.”

“Shh! Shh!” Pinkie whispered. “One’s coming over here!”

The two tipped their hats over their eyes and leaned against the wall while the pirate passed. He stopped and looked at the two, to which Pepper responded with a simple “Sup?”. He seemed to stop wondering about the two after that. Once he was out of sight, Pepper and Pinkie relaxed again.

“‘ey! Get that barrel ‘fore she rolls into th’ sea, dog!” shouted the captain. The crew member who passed the two jumped to attention and took a barrel off the edge of the dock to roll back over.

“Right away, Cap’n!” he answered.

Another crew member carefully walked up to the captain. “Umm, sir?” he asked.

“What?” the captain snapped.

“The uhh, we’ve got a little problem,” the crew member whimpered.

The captian stomped his hoof and turned to face him. “Well you’d better be havin’ a good reason t’ be interruptin’ such an already ‘perfect’ landin’ party, matey!”

“There’s a leak in the hull, sir.”

The captain groaned. “Aye, so that was a rock we brushed up ‘gainst on the way in. How bad is it?”

The ship creaked and listed to the side a few feet, dropping the makeshift ramp plank into the water.

“We’ll be here for a few more days, sir.”

The captain rolled his eyes. “Arrgh, of course we will...”

The crew member shifted his eyes uneasily. “Should we move her, sir?”

“Aye, it’s for the best. Try to get her over to that cove we spotted comin’ in. Probably better for a little unloadin’ anyway.”

“Aye aye, captain,” the crew member said with a salute.

“Oh, and Mister Starboard,” the captain began, “try to make sure the cove is clear this time before we store the load. You’ll be rememberin’ the last time ye forgot.”

Starboard shook in his hooves. “W-won’t happen again, cap’n. I promise!”

“For your sake I hope you’re a colt o’ your word!” The captain yelled. “Now get outta here!”

“Aye aye!” He quickly hopped across the gap to the ship’s railing and hoisted himself up. “Get that patch under way!” he shouted down the far side of the vessel. “Captain’s waiting for us to move ‘er!”

There was a resounding chorus of “Aye aye!” from the same side, followed by a small lurch of the ship.

Peppermint smirked. “While I’m getting seasick just looking at them,” she muttered, “I wanna thank them for telling us so much.”

“Was that a joke?” Pinkie asked. “Or should I start planning a pirate party?”

“A joke, Pinkie,” Pepper explained. She shuddered and her eyes shot wide open. “We better do this fast, or I’m gonna need to find a nice, dark alley I don’t mind squeezing into.”

Pinkie shyed away slightly. “Was that the itch?” she asked.

“Sorta,” Pepper whispered. “It was just a little bit, nothing to worry about.”

“If you say so,” Pinkie mumbled. “Hey, what was ‘this’ that we better do fast, anyway?”

“What else?” said Peppermint. “Get into wherever the pirates have that whatever-they-stole, and take it back.”

Pinkie shook her head. “Did I hear that right? Or is my hat on too tight?”

“How else do we get the proof, Pinkie?”

“Get some help? Maybe from somepony bigger than us? Bigger than the big scary pirates?”

Peppermint scoffed. “Please, Pinkie. That guy at the docks was one thing, but this? We’re smarter than they are. Just look at them!” Conveniently enough, one of the crew had caught his leg in the mooring and was left to dangle while the others just watched. “Trust me,” Pepper continued at a whisper, “we’ll be in and out without them knowing what hit them.”

“And how do we do that without knowing what we’re looking for?” Pinkie asked again.

“Uhh,” Pepper stammered. “W-We ask them?” She stopped and smiled. “Yeah, I think I know how we can do that, too.”

“Please share,” said Pinkie. Her face looked more and more worried by the second. “I don’t wanna do something this crazy without a plan first.”

“Alright, alright,” said Peppermint. “I’ll tell you on the way to the cove, deal?”

Pinkie held back and shifted her eyes, then sighed. “Deal,” she muttered in defeat. Peppermint smiled, then trotted off back towards the rest of the city. Pinkie walked after slowly. “I’m keepin’ my eye on you, ‘loony.”

Pepper stopped in her tracks. “Did you just—”

Pinkie giggled. “Hey, jokes help me stay smilin’,” she explained. “Maybe you should try it sometime, instead of getting all in a huff.”

Peppermint glared at Pinkie, despite only proving rather silly point.

7 - Moondance

Faux Mark

The Purple Balloon

Chapter 7: Moondance

Just outside of Moondance Cove, two of the pirates paced along the waterside path. Well, just about waterside. There was still a good ten foot sheer drop of a cliff on the ocean side of the path. At least it wasn’t too narrow of a walkway. The other side just had a few bushes running along.

One of the pirates sat down and yawned. “Why’s it always us, eh?” he asked.

The other sat down next to him. The two of them just about blocked off the path. “Because we ain’t done nothin’ wrong, that’s why.”

“Oh come on, Sail, don’t be like that.”

“Shut up, Tail Wind,” Sail snapped. “I wasn’t bein’ cute. I’m serious, we ain’t done nothin’ wrong. Nothin’ bad enough. Nothin’ to make the cap’n impressed.”

Tail Wind sighed and stared at the rocky ground. He kicked a pebble off the edge just to wait for the splash. “What can we do though?” he asked. “It’s not like he ever gives us a chance to prove ourselves.”

“Oh, quit belly-achin’!” Sail yelled, slapping Tail Wind’s shoulder. “If we wanna get anywhere in this crew, we gotta make our own luck, got it?”

Tail hopped to his hooves and smiled with confidence. “You’re right, Sail. We gotta... go do our own pirate stuff! I’m sure we can do it!”

“Ugh,” Sail groaned. He lay down and held a hoof to his forehead. “Sure, kid. Whatever you say.”

Tail Wind smiled. “Oh! Oh! Maybe we can plunder something from somepony in town! Like uhh... a purse. Or a wallet! Yeah, wallet. Don’t wanna start too big...”

“How are you even a blasted pirate anyway?”

“I’m not exactly sure,” said Tail. “I guess the captain just really needed somepony who can work a sail.”

“And the rest of us couldn’t have figured it out?!” Sail yelled out in exasperation.

“Face it,” Tail Wind mocked, “you need me.”

“Arrrgh...” Sail groaned. “Why am I on this crew?”

— — —

While the two continued to talk amongst themselves, they hadn’t the slightest notion that they were being watched. Pinkie and Peppermint were already well underway with step one of the plan. They had spent the last half hour slowly working around the path without ever setting hoof on it by sneaking through the bushes. But now they were stuck; the bushes ended before actually reaching the cove, and these two guard pirates weren’t going anywhere any time soon.

“Ugh,” Pepper groaned. “Move it, you two.”

Pinkie shushed her. “Careful!” she whispered.

“Sorry, sorry,” Pepper sighed. “There’s gotta be a way around them. I mean we got this far already.”

Pinkie peered over the top of the bush. Just over the edge of the pathway, she saw a wave crash spectacularly on a rock jutting out of the water. The spray managed to catch the attention of the pirates too, if only for a second.

Peppermint pulled Pinkie back down. “What happened to careful?” she snapped.

“But it’s so pretty,” Pinkie whined. “Even they thought so.”

“Really?” Pepper asked. She poked her head through the bushes and saw the two facing the ocean still.

This time Pinkie pulled Pepper back. “Well?” Pinkie asked.

“I think that might be enough of a distraction, actually,” said Peppermint. She slinked her way over to the side of the bushes. Oh-so-carefully, she tried to take one step out from the hiding place...

Sail’s head jolted up. “What was that?” he asked.

Pepper pulled her hoof back so fast it gave left some of the gravel on the path spinning. “Well there goes that theory,” she mumbled. “Got any better ideas for a distraction?”

Pinkie sat and furrowed her brow. “We need ‘em to look the other way, right?”

“Probably,” said Peppermint. “At least for a little while.”

“Got any magical whatsits that’d help?” Pinkie asked, poking Pepper’s horn.

Pepper blushed. “I, uhh,” she stammered, “s-sorta only know balloon spells...” A shiver punctuated the notion. But a weird look struck her eyes, and she smirked. “Actually, that might just work,” she said. “I mean, it’s like putting air into stuff, right?”

“Mhmm...” Pinkie muttered, nodding along.

“Look, just follow my lead,” Pepper insisted.

— — —

After a few minutes of awkward silence between the two, given Sail refusing to believe he was seeing things, Tail Wind decided to start a little game.

“I spy with my little eye...”

Sail groaned. “We really are bored now, aren’t we?”

“Something blue!” Tail finished.

Sail stared in utter disbelief. “You mean the sea? The big blue? Are you really that simple?!”

“Wow, you’re good at this!” Tail Wind proclaimed. “Go on, Sail, your turn to spy something.”

“Absolutely not,” Sail growled.

“Aw, come on! You know you want to!”

“I know I don’t want to,” Sail insisted. “Because I’m not a little filly!”

Tail Wind shook his head. “‘I Spy’ isn’t just for little fillies, Sail. It’s a wonderful game for ponies of all ages.”

“You're apparently missin’ that I’m callin’ you a little— Hold on, look at the water.”

The two glanced down at the water lapping gently against the cliff below. The water seemed to pulsate, like the waves were coming from the spot beneath them rather than the middle of the sea. It was subtle, however. Something easily passable as a trick of the eye.

“Uhh, nevermind,” said Sail. “I thought I saw a fish ‘r somethin’.”

“You should eat more fruit, Sail,” Tail insisted. “Scurvy can do some nasty things to your mi—”

“I’m not crazy!” Sail yelled.

— — —

Meanwhile, back in the bush, Peppermint was in the middle of smacking her own head a few times. Pinkie was just a little concerned.

“Hey, no need to hurt yourself,” Pinkie whispered.

Peppermint stopped hitting herself and stood back on all fours. “Sorry, I just needed that to focus,” she explained. “Not more water, air in water...”

Pinkie raised her eyebrow. “You can put water in things too?”

“And helium,” Pepper whispered. “Anything you’d put in a balloon for a party, typically. Remember back at the party? Did you see a hose at all through the water balloon fight?”

“Well no, but— I guess that makes sense...”

Pepper smiled. “Now shush! I need to concentrate.”

— — —

The two pirates stood up and looked at each other. Tail smiled brightly, yet Sail growled and bared his teeth.

“I know there’s no dolphins ‘round here! That’s not what I be spyin’!”

“Okay, okay!” Tail insisted. “I’m just saying, it’s not fair for me if you pick something that’s not really there.”

“I ain’t seein’ things, ya bilge rat!” Sail screamed.

“Now there’s no need for name-calling.”

Even over the sound of Sail’s anger and the crashing waves of the sea, an odd sound caught both of their attentions. They looked down at the same spot of water, but this time the sight was more obvious. Bubbles, thousands of them, all popping up to the surface.

“You see ‘at too, right Tail Wind?” Sail asked, suddenly lowering his voice to a civil volume.

Tail just nodded slowly. “W-what do you think it is?”

“Some kinda geyser?” Sail offered. “Or maybe there’s somepony down there...”

Now they were entranced. Both stood at the edge of the path, peering as close as they could without tipping over. Even better, the sound of the bubbles was picking up. It was just enough that Sail completely missed the sound of shifting gravel, and the sound of somepony rearing up to buck.

Neither pirate could’ve missed the thud of the hit, or Sail’s screams of “Whoa!!”, or the heavy splash as he hit the water. Tail Wind spun around and saw some strange pink Earth Pony smiling and peering over at Sail.

“Go on in, the water’s fine!” she yelled.

“W-what’s going on?!” Tail Wind shouted. Suddenly something shoved him to the ground from behind. He spun around in the gravel and saw his unicorn assailant standing over him with a malicious smirk. She stopped his mouth with a hoof before he could say one more word.

“Stow it, sailor,” said Peppermint. “You’re not gonna scream. You’re gonna go back to town, and you’re gonna get the guards down here. Understand?”

Tail nodded frantically. Pepper slowly lifted her hoof off of his mouth. “W-whatever you want,” he said. “I mean— Aye aye!”

“Good,” said Peppermint. “Oh, one more thing—”

“Yes, whatever you want. Just don’t hurt me!”

Peppermint rolled her eyes. “Just tell us where the captain’s storing all the ‘booty’.”

“Big pile, far side of the cove,” Tail blurted out. Sail shouted something from the water, but it was unintelligible against the crashing waves against the rocks.

Peppermint smiled and hopped off of Tail Wind. “Thank you very much, sir.”

“Anytime?” he said. “Should I—”

“Go? Yes.”

Tail Wind hopped up to his hooves, saluted Peppermint, and galloped off furiously up the path. Pinkie watched him and snickered.

“He was silly,” she said. She glanced over the edge at Sail and shouted, “Sorry about this!”

“He can swim, he’ll be fine,” Pepper reassured. “Now come on. Assuming nopony heard any of that, we’ve only got a few minutes to get in and out of the cave before the guards come and arrest the crew.”

Pinkie didn’t need to be told twice.

The two made their way through the path into the cove very carefully. One wrong step sent a bunch of loose gravel crumbling down out of control, so it wasn’t exactly ideal for the stealthy entrance Peppermint was hoping for. Fortunately, they soon found it was a lot less crumbly to walk off the regular path.

Peppermint led Pinkie Pie along the inner edge of the cove, giving them the best view possible; they could see the pirates’ ship docked just around a large bend in the cove. This "path" was rather dark and damp, not unlike the harbor, but it was a bit more bearable without the mobs of other ponies.

“Watch your step,” Pepper advised. They came to a small gap in the rock, leading to a twenty foot drop over much sharper rocks. Pepper paused to take a breath, then leapt for it. She landed it, yet her back hoof slipped on a smaller rock. For a second Pepper thought her heart stopped when her leg gave way. “Really, really be careful with that.”

“Uhh, I need a little more landing room,” said Pinkie. It was a little bit of an understatement, given how Peppermint was still hogging up the nearest flat patch on the other side.

“Sorry, sorry!” said Pepper. She slowly inched her way further along the path, just far enough to see around a large stone in the middle. “Oh my gosh...” she muttered.

A pile of bit coins— no, a mountain of bit coins lay in a large, wide alcove. What little light was getting into the cove shone gloriously against the gold, lighting up the cove like a fire. Peppermint couldn’t believe her eyes. Especially not when still more barrels of money were being unloaded as she stood there.

“Ahh, they don’t make money like they used ter,” echoed the unforgettable voice of the captain. The rest of the crew joined in a hearty chuckle.

“Well now we know where to look...” Pepper mumbled. She felt Pinkie prod her side, then continued walking.

— — —

The path around the edge was long and tricky. A few more times Pepper thought their cover was blown when one or both of them had the rock give way underneath their hooves, but the pirates seemed too distracted by the glory of their treasure.

It was distracting for Peppermint too. When they finally reached the ledge of rock behind the gold mountain, Peppermint could only stop and stare in awe. “How does somepony get all that money?” she whispered.

Pinkie scowled. “Stealing, of course.”

“That’s gotta be like ten times what Simple was gonna pay me,” Pepper continued. “No, more! Somepony could buy the Manor with all of that!” She slowly stepped forward towards the mound, and Pinkie followed.

“Pepper, it’s stolen. It doesn’t belong to them.”

“Pinkie,” said Pepper, “did it ever occur to you that they might’ve stolen money?” She reached a hoof out to within an inch of the gold and trembled. “I mean, either way... what if we just paid Simple back for whatever was stolen?”

“No!” Pinkie gasped. “Pepper, we can’t! It’s not our money! Well it’s not the pirates money either, but still—”

Peppermint glanced around the pile to check if anypony was watching, then carefully took a single coin off the top of the pile. “But if they stole it from Simple, we’re just giving it back, right?”

Pinkie snatched the coin away from her. “It’s not right! What if they didn’t? Then we really are thieves!”

Peppermint took the coin away with magic and held it out of Pinkie’s reach. “But we’ll be helping the ponies who lost something.”

Pinkie Pie bounced up and grabbed the coin, then spat it back out to the pile. “Peppermint, I can’t believe you! It’s wrong, and you know it!”

Peppermint backed away from Pinkie and smiled weakly. “I-It’s just an idea. I mean, we don’t have t—”

“You sure sound like you want to...”

“No, I don’t, I swear! Pinkie, please, I-I’m sorry, I—” Pepper paused when her hoof fell on something other than rock. “Uh-oh.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “What?”

Suddenly the coins gave way. Pepper slipped backward and yelled, “Grab me! Grab me! Help!!” Pinkie tried to save her, but all she managed to do was get pulled down. The two slid down in a spectacular shower of gold coins and ponies. The pirates below scattered out of the way just in time for the two to skid to a halt at the end of the mound.

Coins were still spinning to a stop as the pirates recovered. Peppermint and Pinkie Pie groaned and stood to their hooves. Pinkie gasped and backed up close to Peppermint. Pepper only shook in place. Slowly, the pirates converged on the two in a circle. Eight pirates, each one snarling mad and about half of them armed with a rusty, but sharp-looking scimitar.

Pinkie Pie began to sweat and quiver. “Whadowedo, whatdowedo?!” she exclaimed.

Peppermint found herself tongue-tied. Her legs wouldn’t work either. All she could do was think, and worry, and fear. Her life began to flash before her eyes. She remembered the first time she lost a tooth to a chewy sandwich. Then came when she met Tulip in the second grade. And of course, that night with Windy Rivers...

Ms. Rivers never got caught, she thought. She never lost. How did she do it?

The pirates took another unified step inward.

What was different about her? What made her special?

“Help!!” Pinkie screamed.

A shudder passed through Peppermint. She blinked her eyes, and there it was: that wide-eyed, wild look she would never forget. Pepper could see it reflected in the nearest pirate’s sword. And she remembered the last time this happened.

“This is stupid, this is— Now!”

“Pinkie, I can get us out of here,” Pepper said plainly. “Just follow me.”

“Wha—”

Peppermint glared at the nearest pirate and focused. Her horn glowed, and Pinkie finally caught on. Suddenly the pirate swelled up, then shrank back down to size, knocking aside the two of his mates on either side. Pepper hopped forward through the opening in the circle. “Pinkie! Grab his sword!”

Pinkie hesitated, but when the other pirates charged, she jumped. Peppermint hopped up onto a rock past Pinkie and glared out at the other pirates. Two with swords charged at Pinkie while the others watched Peppermint.

Pinkie ducked down to pick up the sword just in time to duck the first swipe. “Gah!” she yelped. Before the pirate could pull the blade back, Pinkie bucked in a panic. As he jumped away to dodge, he dropped his sword.

“Arrrgh, they’re just a couple o’ girls!” he yelled. “What’re you all waitin’ for?!”

Peppermint jumped down off the rock and grabbed the loose sword with magic. “Pinkie, go make sure the guards are coming. I’ll hold ‘em off.”

“I can’t just leave you here with all of them!”

The other sword-bearing pirates lunged forward. Pinkie and Pepper managed to block the blades just in time. “I think I can handle—”

“Look out!” Pinkie shouted. Another pirate lunged for Peppermint from the side.

Pepper gasped. She grabbed her sword with her mouth, then turned her magic on the new attacker; he tripped over his swollen belly just seconds before reaching Pepper, then bounced off of her harmlessly.

“Okay, okay,” Pepper panted. “You can help.” The pirates drew their swords back and started to circle Pepper and Pinkie. They stood back to back, their own swords ready. “I’m gonna need it...”

“This is crazy,” Pinkie whispered. “You know that, right?”

“Crazy would be sitting down and letting the pirates capture us,” said Peppermint with a weak smile. “This is just a fancy way of making a run for it.”

Suddenly the pirates lunged again, leaving the girls barely enough to time to block. “Split up and run!” Pepper shouted. She jumped off to the side and ducked between two of the pirates’ hooves. In the confusion, Pinkie managed to slip out the other way, towards the pile of gold.

Three of the pirates trapped Pinkie in against the gold. She tried to fake one way and ran for the other, but there was no way to go but up the slippery slope. The armed pirate closed in slowly, growling and seething past the sword in his mouth. Pinkie looked from one pirate to the next, then smiled. She took a step forward, and all three lunged at once. Pinkie, however, gracefully bounced up in the air just as the three collided in the middle. She landed on their backs and giggled. For good measure, she kicked loose a little of the gold, partially burying the three as a good few hundred coins slid down, then stuck her tongue out at the unfortunate colts.

Peppermint drew the other swordspony away towards the water. He was quick, taking jabs at her every step she took. Once she almost dropped her sword when her hoof touched water, but it was just in the shallows. Come on, come on, she thought, focusing intently on his belly. Nothing came of the magic more than a few sparks off her horn, however.

“Look like you’re all used up, witch,” the pirate taunted.

Pepper’s glared intensified. “You did not—” She swung hard overhead, which he barely held back. “Just call me—” She swung again, this time from underneath. The pirate once again barely stopped the blade from nicking him. “A witch!!” As dramatic as the buildup was, her third blow was the weakest of the three, something the pirate easily pushed back onto Peppermint.

“You best be controllin’ that temper o’ yers, lass,” he growled. “Nopony likes a feisty wench.”

She tried desperately once more to use her magic, but nothing. Nothing except the strained groaning from the pirate she had forgotten about. The one still swollen. “Oh, duh,” she said.

“Pardon?” asked the pirate.

The earlier victim immediately shrank down to normal size, leaving him dazed and blurry-eyed. Pepper pushed her opponent back, then tried again. This time he swelled off of his hooves in seconds, just as planned. Pepper hovered her sword out of her mouth and said, “Only one at a time, sorry.”

“What is this?!” the pirate exclaimed.

“No idea,” said Pepper. She reared back and punted him away towards the sea, draining the air from him before he landed.

Pinkie skipped over to Peppermint, then they both looked over the alcove at the fallen pirates. Each one lay groaning or trying to from underneath a pile. Peppermint stared in disbelief.

“H-How’d we do that? I mean— pirates, Pinkie! We took on a whole crew of pirates!”

“Not the whole crew!!” A gruff voice interrupted. The pirate captain hopped off of a rowboat and stomped towards Pinkie and Peppermint. “You’ll be payin’ for all o’ that, lassies.”

Pepper smirked. “Oh yeah? It’s two against one. I think you’re a little outmatched.” Pinkie, however, bit her lip and quivered at the captain's presence.

The captain whipped his head back. His fancy hat slid back, revealing a unicorn horn. “Captain Redbuck. That’s what they call me.” Two loose swords slid over to him, one narrowly avoiding Pinkie’s hooves, and hovered in front of him with a bright red glow around the handles. “I’m a livin’ legend. And what’re you?! A pair o’ fillies in way over their heads...”

Pinkie and Pepper gulped in unison. “W-we were just leav—”

“Oh no you don’t!” yelled Redbuck. He charged for the girls way faster than anypony with a peg leg should’ve been able to move. In fact it took a little magic from Pepper to blow them out of the way in time.

“Up there!” Pepper shouted, pointing her sword at the gold pile. “We can climb out!”

Before she could say another word, the Captain caught up to them. With one sword trained on Pinkie and the other on Peppermint, he attacked. The swipes were fast and often; too often for Pepper to focus on anything but blocking. No magic was going to save them this time. All Pepper could do was try to follow the pirate’s sword while her heart pounded in her chest.

The girls backed up as far as they could against the gold, up to reached the very top. Quivering, their hooves locked up. All they could do was stall the inevitable. Even that didn’t last too much longer. In one swift move, Redbuck’s sword caught Pinkie’s by the guard and he tossed it away.

“Pinkie!” Pepper gasped. She held her sword in the way of both of them, desperately blocking both blades. That is, until one scissor-like maneuver grabbed her sword away from her. Redbuck dropped it tantalizingly out of reach.

“Any last words, lassies?” he asked, leveling his swords at their heads.

“S-sorry?” Pinkie offered.

“Nice try,” said Redbuck with a chuckle. “But I think you’re forgettin’: I’m a pirate, lass. We don’t take no ‘sorry’ for what it’s worth.”

“Captain!” called a voice from the water. Pepper recognized it: Sail, the pony they pushed off at the entrance.

Redbuck groaned. “What is it?!” he yelled back.

“They’re coming!” Sail shouted.

Redbuck stood aside and showed Pepper and Pinkie cowering on top of the gold. “Arrrgh, a little sooner woulda been nice.”

“Not them, cap’n! The—”

“Freeze!” shouted an echoing, commanding voice. As he turned to see who it was, Redbuck froze with a look of horror on his face.

Peppermint craned her neck. She could barely see the newcomers, but the sight was enough to make her smile. A mix of golden helmets and police officer caps swarmed in through the entrance. Soon Pinkie saw too and gasped with joy.

The guard and police department of Coltport, gathered en masse, had finally arrived.

“Put the swords down,” shouted the tallest guard. His regal figure towered over the rest as he stodd at the front of the mob. “And let those two go!”

“You’ll never take me alive!” Redbuck shouted at him. “Do you even know who yer dealin’ with, sonny?!”

Peppermint looked at Pinkie and nodded towards the captain’s turned back. Pinkie nodded back, then they both pushed together. Redbuck slipped and rolled down the gold pile. He skipped off the crew members still stuck at the bottom, and landed right at the hooves of the guard captain. When he tried to stand, Redbuck found twenty spears pointed straight at him.

“Arrgh,” he groaned. He held his hooves over his head in defeat.

The guards spread out to check on the other pirates. Most were too dazed from the fight to hold their hooves up, but the few that could most certainly did.

“I can’t believe it,” said Peppermint.

“I know,” Pinkie added. “We won. We really, really won.”

“No, not that,” Pepper sighed. “I mean, we didn’t do what we came here to—”

She was interrupted by the sound of fluttering wings behind them. The two turned around and gasped. A young pegasus colt, no older than fourteen and with a thick bronze-ish coin for a Cutie Mark, froze up like a statue on the back of the gold pile. His fearful eyes locked with Peppermint’s. At least until she saw what he had in his hooves: A small white statuette of one of the Princesses.

“Captiain Redbuck!” announced the guard captain behind them. “You are under arrest for mass piracy, disorderly conduct, and the theft of a rare, priceless heirloom statue from the Summer family manor. How do you plea?”

“Not guilty,” Pepper mumbled. She reached out for the pegasus colt, but he jumped back. “Please, just leave the statue here, and—”

Suddenly he jerked and shuddered. He looked at the gold, then at Peppermint, then the statue. In an instant, he tossed the statue at her and scooped up as many coins as he could. Pinkie tried to grab him before he took off, but wasn’t quite fast enough. Combined with the statue and the shifting coins, however, Peppermint slipped back down the mound towards the guards.

“Ahh!” she yelped. “Help!!”

“Stop! Thief!” Pinkie yelled after the mysterious pegasus.

Pepper winced before she hit the ground, but felt a pair of hooves stop her descent. She winked open one eye to see the guard captain himself. He was a handsome stallion, especially given the situation; Peppermint almost forgot about the world around her as she stared into his eyes.

Of course he was more focused on her hooves than her eyes. “The statue!” he declared. “Thank you for retrieving it, ma’am.”

“Th-that’s her!” cried a feeble voice from the crowd of guards. Tail Wind popped up between them. “She’s the one who told me to get you all!”

The guard captain chuckled. “Well, you’ve done a great service to Coltport today, ma’am. I will see to it that you do not go unrewarded.”

Pinkie slid down from the gold pile. “The pirates didn’t take the statue!” It took Pepper a second, but she remembered what Pinkie was talking about.

“Yeah! This colt just showed up a-and left it here. Like just now!”

“Sir! Just spotted some pegasus pony headed back into town!” called a guard at the back of the mob.

“There’s no time to lose,” the guard captain declared. “You two have done enough for one day. Go home and rest. You’ve earned it.”

With that, the guard and all of their captives galloped off back towards town, leaving Pinkie, Peppermint, and a few police officers to watch the gold.

“Phew!” said Pinkie Pie. “I don’t know about you, but I sure could use a break right about now.”

Peppermint shook her head. “We’re not done,” she mumbled.

“Not done?!” Pinkie gasped. “We just saved the day! You know, bad guys in jail, good guys get to give back what the bad guys stole...”

“You remember my itch?” Pepper asked.

“Uhh, yeah? What, is it acting up again?”

Pepper scoffed. “Hardly. I think I’ll be good for months after those guys.” She shook her head again. “No, I mean— You remember what it looks like?”

“Sure,” said Pinkie. “You get all twitchy. Why?”

“Because I saw that colt before he took off. Before he took the gold.” Pepper stared toward the Coltport rooftops. “He twitched.”

8 - And the Golden Dubloon

Faux Mark

The Purple Balloon

Chapter 8: And the Gold Dubloon

“Come on, Pinkie!” Peppermint called. She galloped as fast as she could through the cobblestone streets. It was eerie, really, the way the sunlight shone on Coltport at the moment. Not just that the sun seemed to stand still, but that, once again, it was around sunset when Pinkie Pie and Peppermint were trying to race the guards through Coltport.

“I’m running as fast as I can!” Pinkie yelled back. “How do you even know this is the right way?”

“I don’t!” Pepper yelled.

Pinkie skidded to a halt. “What?!”

Pepper kept running. “It’s a hunch! Just trust me!” Pinkie just shook her head and tried to gallop forth to catch up. “I sure hope I’m right,” Pepper mumbled.

The buildings on their right eventually gave way to a wide open view. Peppermint knew this spot, but she’d never actually been here before: Overlook Bridge. They actually ran by a couple of ponies just there to watch the sunset. It was hard to tell, but Pepper thought it was a guy and a girl together.

Figures, she thought. Of course I’d have that guard stallion's blowing-me-off rubbed in my face.

She glanced over the side of the bridge and saw the mob of guards rushing by on the street below. They made a sharp left, now running parallel to the road Pinkie and Pepper were on. “Good,” said Pepper. “If they’re still tailing him, we’re headed the right way.”

“What’s your hunch, anyway?” Pinkie asked.

They paused, dodging on either side of a slow cart in the middle of the road. “I think he’s gonna give something back,” Pepper explained. “To Simple, or somepony up there in the mansion.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Why would he do that?”

“Maybe he feels bad? Like I said, it’s a hunch,” Pepper explained. “Just roll with it, alright?”

Pinkie rolled her eyes, but kept on running anyway.

At a fork in the road, Peppermint led them down an alley on the right. It got really narrow alarmingly fast. Pinkie was forced to back up behind Pepper instead of running alongside. “Where’s this take us?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s not really supposed to be here,” said Peppermint. “It’s like a gap between the buildings, but sometimes you can use it like a shortcut.” She gulped. There wasn’t even enough room to turn around anymore.

Something darted across the rooftops on the far side of the passage. “There he is!” Pinkie shouted.

Pepper gasped. “Run faster! Now!” The thundering sound of hooves started to build up from the street ahead. Pinkie suddenly realized what was coming this way: The mob of guardsponies.

Pepper popped out of the passage and shook the dirt off of her sides. Pinkie followed, pushing Pepper into the middle of the street. They both turned and gasped at the ponies barreling down on them.

Their hooves scraped on the stone a few times before actually finding any traction. Peppermint in particular got moving in the nick of time; her tail hung back into somepony’s face in the mob.

“Pff, hey!” the guard shouted. “Out of the way! We’re chasing a fugitive here!”

Pepper couldn’t respond. She just shut her eyes and pounded her hooves furiously in the dirt. Pinkie shouted something to her, but she could barely hear herself think over the guards’ hooves. It wasn’t until she felt herself pulled off of the road that Pepper had any idea what was going on.

“I said, ‘Stop!’” Pinkie yelled into Pepper’s face from the side alley. “I don’t wanna see you get trampled over a hunch!”

“W-wha...”

“It’s all fun and games until somepony gets squashed,” Pinkie recited.

Peppermint slumped to the ground, panting heavily. “I— Pinkie, I—” she stammered.

“Forget him!” said Pinkie. “He’s a thief, one way or the other. The question is, are you alright?”

“Y-yeah,” Pepper sighed. “Thanks.”

Pinkie put a hoof on Pepper’s shoulder. “Why do you care so much about getting to him first, anyway?” Pinkie asked. “I mean, he’s the reason we got in this mess, right? Why would you wanna help him?”

“Well if he really is just a dirty thief who framed us, then by all means the guards can just have him,” Pepper explained. “But I think it’s not that simple.”

“So he twitched,” said Pinkie. “Big whoop!”

“Remember what happens when I twitch?” Pepper insisted. “I know it’s far-fetched, but what if I’m right? What if he doesn’t have a choice?”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “You think he’s got a cursed Cutie Pox Mark too?”

“Exactly. I mean it fits, right? Why he kept stealing stuff even with the guards right there, why he feels bad and gives stuff back—”

“We don’t know that he’s giving anything back,” said Pinkie.

“We won’t know unless we beat the guards to the Manor,” Pepper corrected. “That’s why we have to go. I mean, if there’s even the slightest chance—” She sniffled. “I just don’t want him to get in trouble for something that’s out of his control. I feel for him.”

Pinkie paused and frowned. She looked around the alley for a few seconds, turning her gaze and mumbling “Hmm” a few times. “Alright,” she finally said. “I think you could be on to somethin’.”

Pepper smiled. “Thanks. And if I’m wrong, we can just give him over to the guards. Deal?”

“Deal,” said Pinkie. “Now let’s hurry! Those guards got a head start now!”

“Well if you’re willing to get a bit more dirty,” Pepper mumbled, “I think I know another shortcut or two on the way.”

Pinkie gulped and brushed off her hooves.

Spit Shine sat in the hedge garden of the Coltport Seaside Manor, leaning over a fountain. He sighed as he stared at his reflection. “I hope Momma calms down soon...”

He hopped off the edge and slowly walked towards the window of the ballroom. Peering inside, he could still see the leftover streamers and cake from his birthday party. All of it was left untouched thanks to those stallions with their yellow tape. Spit knew it was so the police could investigate, but it was still a tantalizing sight.

His hoof stepped in something odd. It felt like a leaf, but when he gave it a second look he realized what it really was: a fragment of a water balloon.

The poor colt sat down and sniffled. “Ms. Pinkie and Ms. Pepper were so nice,” he mumbled to himself. “How could they be thieves?”

— — —

Just outside the now-unguarded gates of the Manor, Peppermint and Pinkie collapsed into the dirt path. They were panting and sweating heavily, not that the sun was helping.

“We... made... it!” Peppermint gasped. She saw a blurry shadow pass over her, headed into the Manor. She glanced up and saw the underside of a pegasus pony as they swooped down towards the garden. “Pinkie!” she said. “Come on! He’s here!”

“Five more minutes,” Pinkie mumbled. “I just need a... a breather...”

Peppermint forced herself onto wobbly hooves and shuffled forward. “We’re so close,” she said. “He’s right there...”

— — —

A flutter of feathers and a soft thud caught Spit Shine’s ear. “Who’s there?” he asked. “I-is it a birdie? Wanna keep me company?” He was caught completely off guard when the pegasus colt poked his head around the corner. Slowly and silently, the newcomer stepped around the hedge. Spit gasped, but the pegasus quickly held a hoof up to his mouth.

The pegasus slid a small pile of bit coins out from behind the hedge. Spit stared at them for a second, then back to the pegasus. “F-for me?” Spit asked.

The pegasus opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It took a few tries, but then he spoke, in a voice that almost sounded like a weak frog than a pony.

“Happy Birthday.”

Spit Shine stood frozen in place. The pegasus pushed the coins a little closer, but still nothing. He tilted his head, but this just made Spit Shine flinch. Eventually the pegasus just ducked his head in defeat.

“Th-thank you,” Spit Shine whimpered.

— — —

“What’d I miss?” Pinkie whispered. Peppermint nearly jumped through the hedge just from the surprise.

“Shh! He’s talking with Spit Shine,” Pepper explained. She pressed her ear back up to the hedge and listened closely. Pinkie did the same, just above where Pepper’s head was.

Had the two been thinking clearly, they probably would’ve remember that hedges weren’t built to support the weight of two full-grown ponies.

— — —

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Peppermint called as she collapsed through the bush.

Pinkie fell on top of her shortly afterward with an “Oomph!”

Spit Shine and the pegasus colt stared at the two with wide eyes. Neither one could move, yet both trembled.

The pegasus spread his wings and prepared to jump.

“Wait!” Peppermint cried. “Don’t go! Please!”

“Go away!” Spit Shine said. “I’ll get Mom!”

Peppermint ignored him. “I know why you steal things!”

The pegasus halted, then folded his wings back up. He stared at Peppermint quizzically.

“You can’t help it, can you?” Pepper asked.

“What are you—” Spit began, but Pinkie shook her head. She hopped off of Peppermint so she could move.

The pegasus stared at the ground, still silent.

“It’s like this itch you get,” Pepper added. He shuddered at the word “itch”. “You have to do it, no matter how hard you fight it.” With every word, he winced and shifted his eyes to a different part of the ground. Peppermint slowly walked towards him. “Little things help, but its nothing like what you want— what ‘it’ wants you to do. ‘It’ wants you to want it.”

A tear fell from the corner of his eye.

“What’s your name?” Pepper asked. He just shook his head. “Alright, well, what is your Cutie Mark then?” Pepper asked. “A coin?”

“Dubloon,” he croaked.

Pepper sat next to him and pat him on the back. “Can I call you that then? Dubloon?”

He nodded slowly.

“Well, Dubloon,” Pepper said softly. “How do you think I know what you’re going through?”

Dubloon just shook his head. He couldn’t make eye contact, not while he was still tearing up.

Pinkie chimed in this time. “It’s because she’s going through it too...” she muttered.

Dubloon suddenly perked up.

He looked to Peppermint in wonder. She smiled warmly back. “It’s true,” said Peppermint. “Not exactly the same thing, but close enough.” She stood up and showed her Cutie Mark. “This isn’t my real Mark, and that’s probably not yours. But you knew that, right?”

Dubloon nodded.

“But there’s a cure out there,” Pepper continued. “I know there is. And Pinkie here was gonna help me find it, right?”

Pinkie smiled and nodded. “Anything to help a friend,” she said.

“Would you want that? A cure for this curse?” Pepper asked Dubloon.

He nodded vigorously.

Pepper chuckled and hugged the poor colt. “Then I’d be happy to help,” she reassured him. “Once I find the cure for myself, I’d be happy to help you get it too. No, no, that’s not good enough.” Pepper cleared her throat. “I promise that I’ll help get you cured— if you promise to turn your talent into something productive in the meantime.”

“How?” Dubloon asked.

“Ohh! Ohh!” Pinkie spoke up again. “I have an idea!” She hopped up and balanced on one hoof. “You’re pretty quick, right? You can be a street performer!”

“That doesn’t cover the stealing part,” said Peppermint. “But uhh, it’s something. I know the store’s helped me...”

Dubloon started to smile.

“Maybe like... steal from the rich, give to the poor kinda thing?” Pepper offered. “But only when you have to.”

Dubloon nodded.

Pepper smiled back at him. “Does that sound doable?”

He nodded again.

“So wait,” Spit Shine chimed in. “I-I’m confused... didn’t you two steal the statue?”

Dubloon hung his head and mumbled, “No.”

“Oh didn’t they?” Everypony in the yard jumped at the shrill voice. Simple trudged around the corner of the hedges and glared at Peppermint. “Thieves!” she shouted. “I thought the guards would have you arrested by now. No matter, I—”

“Momma, wait!” Spit Shine jumped in. “I-I think—”

Pepper shot him a sideways glare. Compared to the look from his mother, however, that was nothing.

It was the look of despair on Dubloon’s face that convinced him to stay quiet.

“It was pirates!” Pinkie quickly blurted out. “The guards already got ‘em, so—”

“But you two were at the mansion!” Simple insisted. “None of the children could tell me where you were for at least twenty minutes! How do you explain that?”

“We, uhh...” Pinkie stammered.

“We were trying to get Dubloon into the party!” Peppermint said. “H-he didn’t make the guest list, but he really wanted to give Spit Shine a present.”

“That’s why we’re here now,” said Pinkie Pie. She pointed frantically at the pile of bit coins.

Simple sighed. “But I was so sure... did you say pirates?!”

“I couldn’t believe it either,” Peppermint grumbled. “But it’s true. Captain Redbuck and his crew, all caught up in stealing money and valuables from the rich folk.”

“How can you prove it?” Simple asked.

“The guards have them in custody already,” said Pepper. “Ask them! We helped with the capture!”

Pinkie shuddered. “Trust us, that was not fun.”

“But you— I don’t—”

“Momma, please,” said Spit Shine. “They just wanted to help. They’re nice ponies. Just like I thought.”

Simple growled and shook her head. “No, no, no! It’s just your word. What if you are the theives? Of course you’d lie to me!”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Just ask the guards. We helped find the statue.”

“A-ha!” Simple exclaimed. “So you know what was stolen!”

“Momma, please—”

“But the guards told us that’s what we were looking for,” Pinkie explained. “When we went to take it back. From the pirates!”

Simple sat down and sighed. “This all sounds too unbelievable. I’d like to believe you two, but there’s so much evidence against you.”

“So why not just trust us?” Pepper asked. “That’d be easier, right?”

“I’ll just have to talk to the guards,” Simple groaned. She stood back up and stomped towards the exit. “I, uhh,” she sighed, “I was hoping to bring good news when I next saw you two. I really do hope you’re telling the truth.”

“And why’s that?” Pepper asked.

Pinkie giggled. “Because you like us?”

Simple chuckled. “Because the money is in the mail. I’m a mare of my word, I’ll have you know. I just hope you two are too.”

Peppermint squealed happily. “Oh, yes, thank you very much ma’am.”

Pinkie giggled. “You know, the money’s nice, but I was really in it for the party. Now the Cakes on the other hoof, they’re gonna be happy about that.”

“Oh, yes, that reminds me,” said Simple. “You need to leave town again soon, don’t you Ms. Pie?”

“Well yes, but— Oh no, it’s past the last train of the day, isn’t it...”

Simple shook her head. “Even if it wasn’t, I’m not sure I could let you leave town just yet. The investigation—”

Pinkie looked at Peppermint, and they exchanged smiles. “That’s okay,” said Pinkie. “I can stay one more night.”

“As you wish,” said Simple. “Come along, Spit Shine. It’s almost supper time.”

“Can Dubloon come in, to— Where’d he go?” Spit asked.

Peppermint spun around in disbelief. “How’d he do that?!”

“Quick and quiet,” Pinkie whispered. “That’s his ‘talent’, right?”

“What a shame,” said Simple. “And here I was about to say ‘yes’. Oh well. Come along, before your food gets cold now.” She stomped away towards the gate and added, “And Momma has some guards to talk to.”

Spit Shine slowly trotted after her, but not without giving a last word to Pepper and Pinkie. “Thank you,” he said. “For the party, and for making Momma happy again.”

“You’re a-welcome!” Pinkie replied. They both waved after Spit Shine as he hurried after his mother.

It took twenty minutes of explaining from the guards, but eventually Simple resigned herself to defeat and let Pinkie and Peppermint leave the estate.

“Thank you!” said Pinkie. She bounced along the path as they left. “It was fun!”

Peppermint shook her head. “I think Simple’s head’s gonna be hurting after this, Pinkie. I’d keep it a little quieter.”

“Oh, right,” Pinkie mumbled. She turned around put her hooves around her mouth, shouting, “Sorry ‘bout the noise!”

Peppermint snickered. “Let’s just get going.”

“Okie-doke!” said Pinkie.

The two trotted down the path for a few minutes. Pinkie opened her mouth a few times, but decided not to speak up when she saw Pepper so lost in thought. “What’s cookin’, ‘loony?”

“I hope I see Dubloon again,” Peppermint mumbled. “And I hope I can bring him good news.”

Pinkie smiled. “Hopefully Zecora writes back soon,” she said. “Then you’ll know if you have good news or not.”

“True, true.” Peppermint stood up and yawned. “For now, though, I could go for a good rest.”

“Lead the way, ‘loony,” said Pinkie, motioning down the path. This time Peppermint couldn’t help but giggle along.

“Hey, careful there,” Pepper mocked. “We’re goin’ back home to my place now. Tons and tons of balloons.”

“Yeah, so?” Pinkie asked.

“Oh, nothing,” said Pepper. “Just lots of different colors is all. Red, blue... pink...”

Pinkie gasped, then shoved Pepper playfully. The two just couldn’t stop giggling for the rest of the way home, what with every bad joke and pun they kept coming up with.

The next morning at Pepper’s store, Peppermint awoke from the first peaceful night’s sleep she’d gotten in months. She slowly opened her eyes to the morning sunlight. No balloons, no belly puff, just herself and her bed sheets. Pepper’s smile stretched all the way across her face.

She sat up and stretched, letting the blankets fall loose around her. “Whelp,” she said. “Pinkie’s goin’ home today.” Pepper hopped out of bed and grabbed a comb from her saddlebags. She then lifted a window blind to look out at the street. Everypony looked so calm and collected, unaware of whatever had happened in the last few days. “Just the way it should be,” Pepper thought aloud.

While Peppermint changed her focus, using her reflection in the window to comb her hair, Pinkie Pie rolled around on a mat downstairs. She yawned and blinked her eyes halfway open. Only then did she remember where she was. “Whelp,” she said. “Gotta head home today.” She sat up and smiled. “I wonder if they missed me...”

Peppermint hopped down the stairs with her saddlebags on. “Pinkie? You up?” she asked.

“Yuppers!” Pinkie called, bouncing to her hooves. “And ready for breakfast!”

“I’m sure they’ll have something good on the train,” said Pepper.

Pinkie’s ears drooped. “What do you mean?”

“Your folks are probably worried sick,” said Peppermint. She smiled with sympathy. “I don’t wanna keep them waiting.”

Pinkie slowly walked toward the door to the store’s front. “So you’re just gonna kick me out?”

“Oh, no!” said Pepper. “Believe me Pinkie, it’s been great having you around! Definitely unforgettable at least.” She sighed. “But you live in Ponyville, and I live in here in Coltport. It’s time for everypony to go home and rest, don’t you think? I mean, don’t you have friends back at home?”

“Lots,” said Pinkie. “But what about you, here?”

Pepper scoffed. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “Maybe I’ll even visit sometime!”

“Do you promise?” Pinkie asked with big, pleading eyes.

“Of course,” said Peppermint. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, Pinkie Promise.”

Pinkie hugged Peppermint for a moment. “Thanks,” she muttered.

“Now go on!” said Peppermint. She hovered a bag over onto Pinkie’s shoulder. “There’s enough money in there to get you a ticket, a snack, and maybe a fake mustache if you want.”

“Thanks, Pepper,” said Pinkie. She opened the door and glanced back one more time. “It’s been fun! And don’t forget your promise!”

Pepper watched from the counter as Pinkie skipped away. “I won’t!” she called after. The door closed so fast that Pepper wasn’t even sure Pinkie heard. Pepper sighed and shook her head. “I really didn’t expect that to go so smoothly,” she told herself. “I mean, after how bad it was leaving home—”

She saw a pony trot up to the mailslot through the window by the door. Most days she’d just ignore it, since nopony ever wrote her besides her parents. But today she got at least three different letters at once. One barely fit through the mailslot.

“That’s odd,” Pepper remarked. She levitated the letters up to the counter and spread them out.

One was marked as a bill, from one of her suppliers. “Figures,” she said, tossing it aside for the moment.

The second was made of fancy parchment, and the name on the front was written in elaborate calligraphy. Pepper recognized the seal on the back from a few days ago. “Simple’s Cutie Mark,” she mumbled. Her eyes widened as she tore open the letter. Actually the letter itself just fell to the counter without a second glance from Peppermint. She was more focused on the check. “Wow,” she stammered in awe. “Th-that’s a lot of zeros...”

Pepper hopped over the counter and dropped the check in her saddlebag. “Gotta go deposit that,” she said. The third envelope caught on the breeze of her jump, and plopped down just noticeably onto her back. Pepper hovered it in front of her face and squinted.

“Everfree Forest?” she asked as she read off the return address. “Where’s tha— Zec... Zeycoo... Zecora? Where— Pinkie Pie!”

She frantically tore open the envelope and started to read over the letter. “What is this, a poem?” she asked after about half a page of skimming. Suddenly she gasped. “Oh no,” she said. Pepper hovered out a pouch of coins from her bag. She undid the tie and did a quick count with her eyes. “Close enough!”

Pepper burst through her front door with a few lingering packs from the shelves following behind her. As they found their way to stuff themselves into her bags, she shut the door and locked it. “Be back in a few days,” she told the store. “Maybe... Well we’ll see!”

“Next!” called the pony operating the ticket booth at the train station. Pinkie took another begrudging step forward in line, then sighed and hung her head.

“I’m going home,” she told herself. “Come on, Pinkie, be happy!” She snickered. “Wow, Pepper really did rub off on me...”

“Next!” Everypony took another step forward. Pinkie almost missed the cue. Again she sighed.

“Next!” Finally it was Pinkie’s turn at the booth. She stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. “Ma’am? How many and where?” asked the ticket booth pony.

“One, Ponyvil—” Pinkie started to say.

“Two!” Peppermint called out as she ran up to the booth. Pinkie gasped. “I’ve got money, don’t worry,” Pepper added.

The mare at the ticket booth shook her head. “Ma’am, you can’t just cut in l—”

“We’re together,” Pinkie blurted out. “Right?”

Pepper nodded quickly. “She was holding my place in line... or... something.” She and Pinkie smiled innocently.

“Oh, fine,” the ticket booth pony muttered. “Two for Ponyville? Thirty bits.”

The two frantically started pouring bit coins out onto the counter and shoving them through the slot. The mare’s eyes widened as they produced every single one, one bit at a time. “One, two... twenty... thirty!” she declared. “Alright, you two, here are your tickets.”

“Thanks! Bye!” both said in unison. As soon as they had the tickets in-hoof, they ran off out of the way of the rest of the line.

“What are you doing? Why are— You came back!” Pinkie stammered all at once. “You’re coming with me?!”

“I got Zecora’s letter,” Pepper explained, digging through her bag for the letter itself. “Without that, I wouldn’t be here.”

Once Pepper retrieved it, she held it open for Pinkie to read. Pinkie squinted, then began, in her best impression of Zecora’s voice:

“Dear Pinkie Pie,

I have read of your friend’s problem, but I must confess,

While I can understand it may be a source of great distress,

The cure you seek is a rather delicate brew,

And while I most certainly may concoct it for you,

Your friend must come here to receive the benefit.

I can not simply send it off or mail it.

If she wants to be forever rid of her curse,

She must come to me for the cure first.

My sincerest apologies,

Zecora”

Peppermint snickered. “Does she really talk that way?”

“I know, right? It’s weird!” said Pinkie. “But— So you’re coming with me! That’s great!” She bounced giddily in place. “Oh wait,” she added, suddenly stopping her celebration. “What about the shop?”

“Sunny’s gonna check on it while I’m gone,” said Pepper. “I caught her on the way over here. That’s why I was so close to being late.” Pepper winked at Pinkie. “Thanks for covering for me by the way. I mean, what’s up with that? You’re fine lying, but not stealing?”

“Well when it’s just a little white lie...”

Pepper held her hoof up. “Say no more, I understand.”

“All aboooard!!” called the conductor.

“Oh hey, we get to sit together,” said Peppermint. “Maybe you can give me a little ‘Intro to Ponyville’ lesson on the way.” A plastic pack slipped to the edge of Peppermint’s saddlebag.

Pinkie took one look at it and snickered. “Only if you make me some balloon animals,” she joked.

Peppermint smirked. “Deal.” She actually surprised Pinkie by popping open the pack and stretching out the first one with magic. “Just lemme know whatcha want.”

The two merged into the crowd boarding the train while Pinkie thought. Peppermint stowed the balloon at her side until they got through the bottleneck at the entrance. Once they were seated, Pepper slid over to the window, still passively stretching the balloon. Pinkie arrived a few minutes later with a snack of a pair of muffins. From the looks of her cheeks, there used to be a third.

“I wonder if I’ll miss Coltport while I’m gone,” said Peppermint. “Did you miss Ponyville?”

Pinkie nodded, then swallowed. “It wasn’t too bad though.”

“Really?” Pepper asked. Pinkie answered, but Peppermint was too busy watching the station leave them behind. Along with it, she could see the buildings of Coltport pass by quicker and quicker as the train picked up speed. Pepper sighed and put her hoof up to the glass.

“A moose!” Pinkie said suddenly, breaking the silence.

“What?!”

“A moose!” Pinkie repeated. “I wanna see ya do a b’loon animal moose!”

Pepper snickered. “Alright, alright. Gimme a minute...”

The train was already rolling far and away, out of sight of Coltport. But Peppermint was already thinking about new things. For one, what exactly a moose looked like. And for another, what Ponyville would be like.

Most importantly, short of Pinkie’s requests, Pepper’s mind was finally off of balloons and her Cutie Mark. For at least one train ride, she had something else to do, something else in her life. And Peppermint couldn’t remember the last time she felt so happy for it.