A Study In Nonsense

Chapters

Her Own Game
Having A Blast
A Lost Treasure
The Gift Of Laughter
Duet
Sweet Victory
Parallels
Perspective
Knowledge Is Firepower
Heroes
The Heart of All Things
The Spark
Let's Just Kiss and Say Goodbye (Collab with Donny's Boy)
Like Apple Pie
Do it for Love
Everdream
Eternity
Cruelty and Lies
Quiet Moments
A Strange Game
General Confusion
A Gift From The Moon
A Study In Nonsense
Baking With Dashie
Awakening
Guardian Angel
Like Clockwork
Loyalty
Survival
From Ashes
Shine
Fear
Those Left Behind
Invincible
Monologue
Promises
Shelter
Unconditional
Hope
A Good Plan
Together
Drawing a Crowd
Meant To Be
Secrets
It Gets Better As We Go
Good Advice
Step by Step
Consolation Prize
Blue Moon
Aflame
Pinkie Pie Style
First Impressions
When You're With Me
Second Chances
A Very Serious Story of Sadness, Heartbreak, Redemption and Make-Outs
Smile
Fowl Magic
Love Letters
Worth Fighting For
Among The Stars
Basically Cannon
Acceptance
Forever Free
Full Speed Ahead
Til The Very End
'Zecora Can Be Spiteful' Totally Counts As A Lesson
Thread By Thread
When They Cry
Perfect Disharmony
Treasures
Everything Is Good & Noone Dies
Recipe for Success
Stalemate
Movie Night 2: In The Dark
Movie Night 3 : Old Shame
True Friends
One Sided
Coming Home
A Rare Treasure
Tradition
Dance With The Devil
Blowing Off Steam
Disaster Awakening
Kind Lies
Unchanging
A Long And Rocky Road
Vital Princess Business
Lover Dearest
Hollow
Drowning
Chocolate Chips
Broken Record
Year One: Best Hero Ever
Year One: Who's Laughing Now?
Year One: Two Of A Kind
Memories Of You
Ghosts and Ashes
Crisitunity
Edgar Allen Ponies
Pieracy
Dissonance
Punchlines
Hoofprints In The Fireplace
A Rock In A Hard Place
The Best Day Ever
The Best Day Ever (Part II)
Quiet
Statistical Improbability
Goodbye, Pinkie Pie.
We Own The Skies
Forgotten
The Little Differences
Little Wonders
Reckoning
Broken
Movie Night I : Scripted
Hearthswarming Wishes

Her Own Game

Prompt: Two ponies go to a bar; one gets extremely drunk.

It had sounded so easy, the night before. That was one of the problems being friends with ponies like them. They were brave ponies, confident ponies – the type of ponies to charge a problem head on and keep batting at it until it broke, even if the only way to do it was to break themselves too. And that worked for some problems, even if she herself preferred different methods. But sometimes – just sometimes – she wondered if her friends had ever even tried to deal with real problems. Problems like this one.

“C’mon Fluttershy, it’s not that hard! All you have to do is walk up to her and be ‘Hey, you! I like you, even if you’re crazy! We should totally hang out and stuff,” and she’ll be all like, oh you are the most awesome pony ever and we should totally make out!”

Yeah. That had been great advice. She had flittered and fluttered and stumbled over her words and now she was sitting here in the middle of a bar across from that perfect pink pony. She watched as the pony rocked slowly back and forth on her hooves, humming softly to herself with her eyes closed. Places like this – loud, crowded places all full of ponies – flowed through Pinkie in a way Fluttershy had never been able to understand. She was glowing, almost bouncing for all her stillness. She took Fluttershy’s breath away, just a little bit, and for the thousandth time that night she found her words stolen away by the smile on her friend’s face. She loved her. So much. And she felt so safe.

So why had it been almost an hour since she had actually said anything?

“As much as I hate to admit it, darling, Rainbow Dash isn’t all that far off. I mean, normally I’d recommend grand, elaborate gestures. Flowers, diamonds, a serenade, a beautiful midnight stroll by the moonlight, followed by a dance. But… some ponies are just a little too…well, dense for that approach.”

“Hey! That’s what you did to me! You said that was just to celebrate the young fliers contest!”

“Yes dear. Precisely. And if you’re oblivious…well…to use an analogy Fluttershy would appreciate you rather resemble your pets – your mind, well decidedly awesome, is slow and bumbling. Pinkie’s is…well, you see where I’m going with this, I’m sure.”

She had to say something. She sipped at her drink, desperately trying to sooth her dry throat, and then sipped at it again. And again. She wasn’t sure why she thought it would help. The other thirteen glasses hadn’t. But it didn’t matter – when she opened her mouth to speak, Pinkie Pie cut her off.

“Hey Fluttershy, wanna play a game with me?” The grin on her friends face was infectious, and she found herself nodding dumbly. Yes. Yes she wanted to play. Any game. Every game. Forever. Mostly, though, she wanted the party pony to kiss her. At least then she’d have an excuse for not talking.

“Yay!” Pinkie bounced into the air, cheer echoing throughout the bar. More than one pony glanced at her, and she bowed. Then, she narrowed her eyes a little, and her smile took on a more challenging tone. “Ya see, I can’t help but notice that even with all the drinking you’re not even tipsy and I don’t see that all that often so I was wondering…do you want to have a drink off? I promise I’ll go easy on ya!”

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy realised, was already a little drunk. No way would the party pony have challenged Fluttershy to that kind of game otherwise. Not with things as they were. After all, there was no way that the poor pink pony stood a chance. A small smile crept onto her face, and she nodded, eliciting another cheer from Pinkie.

“Waiter! Bring us everything! All the cider you have, and all of whatever she’s drinking! And for everypony else too! Put it all on Pinkie Pie!”

The two stared each other down, eyes narrowed and little smiles on their faces. They had bonded, a long time ago, over games like this. It was just like old times. Only with more alcohol.

“And if it gets awkward just get her drunk! Pinkie’s an awesome drunk. She’ll have a blast.”

“Rainbow Dash! How dare you!?”

“What? Oh, ew. Ew! No. Not like that! Ugh! Now I can’t get it outta my head! Thanks, Rarity!”

Pinkie downed a drink, then another, and another. Fluttershy matched her glass for glass. Ten bottles. Twenty. Thirty. How much could Pinkie drink? Finally, the party pony was showing signs of being a little off-kilter. “Do…do you remember that time? That…when Dash first came, and got all yelly? And then you got all yelly, and told her to stop being a meanie pants, and made it okay? You always make it okay.” Then she giggled, high and musical. “But you’re still going down! All the way down!”

Fluttershy smiled, calmly, and downed another drink. Pinkie was having fun. Lots of fun. And that was good. That meant she might want to do it again.

Another half hour, and Pinkie was starting to slip. She was staring at Fluttershy, head tilted slightly and eyes half lidded. “And…and that time with Gummy! When he…with Rarity! And you were like grr and Gummy was all like ‘Kiss her you fool, what are you waiting for!? You love her don’t you!?’ and then Dashie threw Rocky away and we had to go resuce…rescue her. Remember?” She blinked, and her smile grew wider. “He was right, you know. I totally should have kissed you. That would’ve been the super bestest thing ever!” And then, quite suddenly, Pinkie Pie fainted.

Fluttershy was blushing scarlet. Very slowly, and with all the calm she could muster, she finished her drink and poured another. If Pinkie was serious, that was good. If not, that was okay – she would continue to love her friend - her stupid, silly, crazy little friend – for as long as it took. Another glass down.

Fluttershy lifted her friend off the floor and began to lead her out, smiling softly. She couldn’t remember the last time she had had quite so much to drink. She tended to avoid it in favour of tea, but it had been Pinkie’s treat after all. And spring water was so good. She really couldn’t be blamed, could she, if she hadn’t been able to resist?

—-

Having A Blast

Prompt: The mane six all wake up in Sugarcube Corner after a wild night. But everypony remembers last night differently.

Her head hurt.

That wasn’t altogether uncommon – long nights reading in the library by candlelight meant she almost always had a low grade headache. But this was a different feeling altogether – it was like a pressure in her head, squeezing her brain like a vice. She felt like she was going to explode. By Celestia, what was wrong with her? And why was she so cold?

She tried to pull her blanket closer around her only to discover it gone. In its place was something much squishier, if just as warm. That seemed odd. Not the change in the physical properties of what was clearly not her blanket – that just meant somepony was cuddled up to her. No, what was curious was how calm she felt. Normally she would have been slightly disturbed, eager to investigate. But today, it seemed, was not a normal day – she didn’t feel at all worried, or unhappy. She just felt a little dizzy.

Slowly the unicorn opened her eyes and looked around her. A prickling of unease rose up, quite suddenly, and again she was surprised by her own apathy – perhaps she was in shock? It seemed logical, given the still smouldering debris that lay scattered around her, decorated here and there with strands of confetti and three unconscious ponies. Four ponies, total – Rainbow Dash, it appeared, had somehow been imbedded in what remained of the roof and was shouting loudly, panicking. Another voice, softer and calmer, was talking to her and – Twilight Sparkle assumed – trying to get her free.

That accounted for Fluttershy. And Applejack was on top of that shelf over there, Rarity passed out – with one foreleg draped dramatically over her forehead and a cushion beneath her – in the center of the room. She was drooling, just a little. And Fluttershy was draped over Twilight Sparkle, face buried in her side and tears streaming – Twilight blinked.

Okay. That meant Pinkie was on the roof, trying to help Rainbow Dash. That was okay – she was allowed to be wrong sometimes, and in her defense it was slightly odd for Pinkie not to be the one shouting.

“Where am I?” She wondered aloud, and the Pegasus at her side snapped her head up and threw her forelegs around her neck.

“Twilight! You’re awake! I was so worried!” Twilight nodded calmly. That made sense. Fluttershy was often worried, though why she felt the need to announce it this time eluded the unicorn.

“I’m okay, Fluttershy. Are you? You look like you’ve been crying.”

“Well…um….I think I’m okay.” The Pegasus squeaked, “I was just a little startled when it backfired, that’s all….I’m um…I’m not used to explosions.”

Fluttershy hung her head, blushing as though not being used to explosions was some terrible failing, and Twilight hugged her. She herself was plenty used to explosions, but not everypony was – as her neighbours had been quick to inform her, when she had moved in. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I don’t think anypony could reasonably think you’d be used to explosions. But…what backfired?”

“You…don’t remember?” A tilt of the head – usually a signal of confusion, or curiousity. Also unreasonably adorable. “But…you…and Pinkie…with Dash!” Fluttershy stared at her earnestly, as though that explained everything.

“Right.” Twilight said, dryly. “That explains everything. Lets wake up Applejack. She’ll know what happened.”

The apple pony, it turned out, did in fact know what had happened. This became quite clear when she slammed a hoof into Twilight’s face, and began yelling. Twilight was aware, dimly, that she should be upset by that. Yes. She was definitely in shock. “What were you thinking!?” Her friend roared at her, “I expect that kinda thing from them two up there, but not from you! You’re meant to be the smart one!”

She was meant to be the smart one. There really wasn’t any arguing with that. So she opted instead for another tactic – she put on her best Fluttershy impression, blinking up at the earth pony, and whimpered “Applejack, I don’t know what I did!” There were even tears. She was ninety percent sure that they weren’t real tears, but she didn’t remember trying to fake them. Odd.

“Oh, for goodness sake Applejack. Get off the poor girl – can’t you see she’s in shock? You’re frightening her. And this is all your fault, anyway.” That was Rarity, of course. Rarity would save her. Rarity was nice. “If you hadn’t encouraged her idiocy we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Rarity would save her. Rarity was a jerk, but Rarity would save her.

“Now wait just a minute – don’t you go blamin’ me for this! It wasn’t me who –“ If Applejack had sounded angry before, now she was furious. She was also cut off mid-sentence by Rarity, doing her best Applejack impression. Twilight noted that it wasn’t a terribly good Applejack impression, but logic suggested that Rarity was doing her best – Rarity did her best at everything.

“Well golly gee gosh, Twilight, do you really think you can launch these here apples all the way to my farm!? Sure would save me a lot of walking, even though I was just trying to talk you out of it and complaining about how dangerous it would be!” She nodded “As such, it must be an absolutely wonderful idea!”

Rarity has started out speaking calmly, though there had been an edge in her voice. Now she was yelling, and tears were forming in her eyes. “Did it not occur to you, in that tiny little head of yours, that Twilight has never been drunk!? Did it not occur to you that pushing her to do something she knew was a bad idea while she was dancing around the room with a wine glass balanced on her muzzle was unbelievably stupid!?”

“Listen here, princess –“

“No!” She stomped a hoof against the ground and narrowed her eyes at the earth pony. When she spoke again she just sounded tired. “We could have died, Applejack – that’s not me exaggerating. Look at this place. You’re all just lucky I hadn’t had anything to drink – if that delightfully stupid alligator hadn’t put me off Pinkie’s beverages I’d never have been able to cast that spell.”

Okay. So, ignoring the lies Rarity was spouting about her dancing - which was technically remarkable and followed all the rules of the books she had read on the subject – what did that leave? She had allegedly done something stupid, though that seemed unlikely, her friends couldn’t be trusted to keep her lack of a social life secret, and apparently Rarity had saved all their lives, somehow. There was also a nagging fear that she had forgotten to check her punch for alligator related contaminants.

“Rarity.” The unicorn didn’t answer, having already spun on a hoof and started away. She didn’t get very far – Fluttershy stopped her, and hugged her. And then Rarity was crying, and Applejack was looking very ashamed. That was good – nopony should ever hit a friend, even if that friend was an insensitive jerk who wasn’t worried for her crying friend. Except she was, wasn’t she? She could tell from the way she suddenly wanted to vomit and cry, even if the feelings themselves were absent.

Gently she lifted Applejack off of her with magic, and dropped her – maybe a little roughly – back to the ground before heading over to speak with the other unicorn.

“Rarity?” She began - and then stopped immediately, as Fluttershy caught her eye and shook her head slowly, never stopping the soothing flow of words she was saying – except, Twilight noted, to kiss Rarity squarely on the muzzle. Twilight frowned at that. She hadn’t noticed any feelings between the two mares before – they hadn’t been exhibiting any of the classic signs of infatuation, and she knew all of them off by heart –

“Ummm, Twilight?” A bright pink hoof danced back and forth in front of her eyes, and was followed rapidly by a rather dull, though still breathtaking, pair of delightfully blue eyes. They normally made Twilight smile, but today they looked empty. And the voice accompanying them was uncharacteristically hesitant – Pinkie Pie was afraid, or sad, and she needed Twilight to make things better. Normally, this would be a dream come true – technically it still was, but something about the fact it had cost Pinkie Pie her home made it hard to feel good about.

“What is it, Pinkie Pie? Are you okay?”

The other pony blinked at her, as though she had asked the world’s stupidest question. This was, Twilight decided, probably because she had just asked the world’s stupidest question. The Pink Pony still nodded though, and offered Twilight a little smile. “Oh yeah, I’m fine. Don’t you worry, Twilight – Pinkie Pie always lands on her hooves. Eventually.” Then she glanced up, and added “But I think Dashie’s gonna land on her cute little butt –“ She paused for a moment, to give the ensnared pegasus a chance to hurl expletives down at her, and then continued, “- real soon if we don’t help her. The roof is coming apart. I was hoping you could catch her, maybe?”

Of course. Of course that was what she wanted. Twilight remembered now. Bits, anyways. She remembered Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down, excited at the prospect of finally launching a pony – a real one – out of the party cannon. She remembered Dash, standing proudly atop the monstrousity, swaying slightly due to her intoxication. She remembered the way Pinkie’s face had lit up when Twilight had suggested making the whole thing more awesome – bringing more bang. She lived for that expression.

She remembered Pinkie giving Dash a good luck kiss – a very good luck kiss indeed, and a very long one – before letting her climb into the cannon. And then there was only confetti.

For just a moment, she considered letting Rainbow Dash hit the ground. She deserved it, for stealing Pinkie’s heart away. She and Pinkie were more compatible, darn it – how many famous couples consisted of a straightmare and her goofy sidekick? Twilight didn’t actually know. But she bet it was a lot. And she bet there were far fewer functional couples in which both partners were goofy lunatics. She also wondered, just briefly, if she might be biased. But that was impossible – she was a scholar. Twilight Sparkle was never biased.

She sighed. It felt good, to hear real emotion come from her. Of course she would catch Dash. Of course – Dash was her friend an she would never let her get seriously hurt. Especially not when she could stop it. Not even the sound of splintering wood could distract her from her task. Nor could the sound of Rainbow Dash screaming as she plummeted down towards her just – oh, that wasn’t good.

At the last possible second her horn flared, and Dash stopped, suspended in midair. She didn’t stop screaming quite as quickly. That was unsurprising – her wings were trapped in the piece of ceiling that had fallen loose with her, and falling like that with no control had to be new to someone as brilliant and amazing and perfect as Rainbow Dash apparently was. Stupid Rainbow Dash. Her yelling was hurting Twilight’s head, like her Pinkie-stealing hurt her heart. Twilight decided to stop it.

She hugged the Pegasus and held her for a moment. “It’s okay, Rainbow. You’re among friends. We’re here for you.” Slowly, the Pegasus calmed. First she stopped screaming. Then she loosened her hold on the unicorn. Then she whispered a thank you. And finally she shoved Twilight away, angrily announcing that she didn’t like mushy stuff. That was normal. And it was good. Twilight felt good.

It was good to know that even if she kind of hated Dash right now, she still loved her a whole lot more. They were still friends. Neither Pinkie nor Dash was going to race away on rainbow contrail made of awesome and parties. She still had them. And they were still the same. She smiled, a little bit of happiness seeping back into her, and pushed herself up – only to immediately be tackled by Pinkie Pie, who peppered her face with tiny kisses as Dash fell over, laughing hysterically.

“Pinkie!” Twilight giggled, “Enough!” She grinned at her friends – all her friends – and looked around her. “We’ve got a lot of work to do if we want this place cleaned up for the party tonight!”

A Lost Treasure

The prompt: Write an adventure story in which Daring Do teams up with one of the Mane Six to go on a rescue mission to save Rainbow Dash.

Full disclosure: I totally didn't read the prompt right, and so failed to write an adventure story. Have some drama instead.

“You.” She glared at the Pegasus across from her, anger flaring in her chest. She wanted to yell, wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. Not here, and not now. That wouldn’t be cool. It would ruin her image, and maybe more importantly – maybe – it would make a bad impression on her adoring public. Instead, she kept her voice level and her expression calm. “What are you doing here?”

She figured that keeping calm didn’t have to mean being nice. And she only had so much self-restraint.

A hush hung over the crowd, kids and grown ups – most of whom were pretending to be parents, and some of whom might actually be parents – staring on in silence as the scene unfolded. The kids probably say her confronting some diabolical doer of dastardly deeds. She hoped. She really hoped they didn’t see their hero calling out a terrified yellow mare who hadn’t done anything but say hello. That’d be really, really tough to explain – she could do it, of course. She could do anything. But she didn’t want to.

As for the adults…ugh. Most of them probably didn’t have a clue. But some of them, without doubt, were gazing up at her and thinking things like ‘Oooooh, she’s in love! She totally wants to have her babies!’ That made her angry. It made her furious. Because, if she was perfectly honest with herself, it was true. But they couldn’t know that. They weren’t allowed to know that. She never failed. She was a hero.

“I…I just…you said…” The Pegasus whimpered, and she was pretty sure any chance of her being considered a ‘diabolical evildoer’ flew out the window as she did. If it hadn’t been for the crowd, she might have groaned. Instead she stood, forelegs folded over her chest and leaning on the podium. Her voice, when she spoke, was one of practised disdain.

“Oh, I know what I said. But that was before I knew you were a spy sent to beguile me by…” Think fast. Think fast. Not fast enough. “The Pink Paradox!” Internally, she groaned. What kind of name was that? She couldn’t change it now, though. “And after all the good times we had, you run off with…” Oops “The… diamond heart of…Discord…and leave me for dead!?”

The other mare blinked her adorable traitor eyes, clearly confused. She tilted her head slightly, opened her mouth. Closed it again. Blinked a few more times and then, very very slowly, turned to look out over the crowd of ponies assembled before the stage. Dozens and dozens of them, all staring straight at her. A moment before Fluttershy froze, Daring Do realised her mistake.

Even as the petrified Pegasus began to emit a low whining sound, Daring raised a hoof, signalling for the curtains to drop. She watched, in slow motion, as the mare she loved – had loved – spun on a hoof and tried to bolt away. And she felt the collision as she landed in front of the panicking pony, wrapping her forelegs around her and hugging her gently. “Relax, Fluttershy. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Even to her own ears, her normally booming voice sounded quiet, dull and empty.

“You…why did you….Discord…there were…”

“Yeah, I know. There were ponies.”

“I…I trusted –“

“Yeah, I trusted you too. Difference is, I didn’t betray that trust.” She felt the other pony shrink, just a little, in her arms and felt a little surge of joy. It was petty. Beyond petty. But she had learned to take the little victories, even when they hurt. Didn’t mean she didn’t hate herself for it.

“You…you did! You made me look like….like a monster in front of…”

“In front of all the little kids who came out to see their hero? Yeah, I guess I kinda did. Thing is, Shy, you’re a moron.” That felt good. If slightly sickening. “You know I don’t take surprises well. You knew I was gonna flip out when I saw you. And you still decided to walk up onto the stage in the middle of a press conference and say ‘Hello, Daring Do. Um, if it’s not too much trouble will you melt like butter and do exactly what I want you to because I’m gorgeous and you’re stupid?’”

“That’s not what I said!”

“No! Really? Ugh.”

Fluttershy pushed away from her – hard – and Daring Do found herself lying on her back, blinking up at the Pegasus, who stared down at her with wet, hurt eyes. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, “I’m so sorry. For everything.” It wasn’t the first time Daring had heard those words, and even now they still rung hollow. Fluttershy wasn’t sorry. That wasn’t the kind of thing you did to ponies if you were just going to be sorry.

She didn’t say it, though. Not for any sentimental reason – when she opened her mouth the Pegasus started rambling again, and she had no choice but to listen.

“I…I thought if I came in public you’d…have to be nice. You wouldn’t be able to yell. I know that was wrong – you have every right to be angry, and I don’t really have any right at all to ask you for anything. Especially not without…not without listening to what you have to say, first.”

Every right to be angry, huh? Yeah. She did. She knew it. It wasn’t her fault. It had never been her fault. She was Daring Do – she didn’t betray ponies.

And yet…she wasn’t angry. Well, that was a lie. But she wasn’t angry at Fluttershy. She hadn’t been for a long time. She stood, as she spoke, her voice like daggers. “I only have one thing to say. One question for you.”

Her heart fluttered a little as Fluttershy’s eyes met hers – she looked so afraid. Of her. But she nodded anyway. She’d always been braver than Daring.

“Was it worth it?” Celestia, she sounded so pathetic. She shouldn’t care. She shouldn’t want so badly for Fluttershy to be happy. But she did. “Was she worth it? Does she treat you good?” Okay, that was totally three questions. But she was allowed three questions, if she wanted them.

Her heart stopped in her chest when Fluttershy tore her eyes away, casting her eyes down. She knew the answer before she even heard it. “She doesn’t know.” It was only a whisper, but it echoed like…like…a big bell or something. “I never…I couldn’t….”

I couldn’t tell her, Daring Do. I had no trouble at all asking you out. Telling you I loved you. I had no trouble holding you and telling you that you were the best pony in the world. Because it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter if I lost you – you didn’t matter. I just didn’t know it yet.

Daring stomped a hoof, and rolled her eyes, spinning away from the other pony. The stinging in her eyes meant she couldn’t look at her. Wouldn’t look at her. Nopony got to see Daring Do cry. “Then what are you here for? Shouldn’t you be declaring your love and having smooches with Rainbow Dancer or whatever her name is!?” It was Rainbow Dash, of course. She knew it as well as she knew her own. And she hated it. The name, and the pony it belonged to.

“…Rainbow Dash. She um…Oh…” There was a hitch in the Pegasus voice, and it caught Daring’s attention “She’s hurt. Badly. She um…she could die.”

Good. The thought echoed up from deep within her and she hated herself for it. In an instant, it was gone. “Let me guess, then. You and your little friends, you’re a big deal – Elements of Harmony and all that. If there was a magic relic that could fix it, you’d be all over it in a hoofbeat and you and her’d be making out on a cloud somewhere.” She bit down on her tongue as the other Pegasus whimpered. She might have to take her brother up on those etiquette lessons, one day. “And that means one of two things. Either your friends don’t believe there’s a chance, and you don’t seem like the quitting types to me. Or you’ve found yourself a little miracle cure relic, and it’s….I dunno, split into pieces I guess? So you need me to get one of them. About right?”

“Oh…uhm…kind of.” There was hesitation, in that beautiful voice. But also determination like Daring had never heard. “You see…Twilight has to stay with Rainbow Dash. To…” To keep her alive “And um… Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie went off to search for a cure – they came to Canterlot, to talk to the Princess. But…Twilight mentioned this…other possibility. And yes, it’s a relic – heavily guarded, in a temple not too far from here. She didn’t want to risk losing the chance for an actual cure.”

Daring heard a long, shuddering sigh and fought the urge to hug Fluttershy very, very tightly.

“And um…I knew you were in Canterlot so I…” A swallow “I know if anypony can help me find it, if it’s real, it’s you. Please. I can’t let her die. I have to tell her.”

Daring snorted, “I could’ve told you that a few years ago, idiot.” She turned to face the Pegasus and looked her in the eye. “Tell you what – promise me you’ll tell her, as soon as she’s up outta that bed, and we’ll go get whatever doodad you’re after.”

“Promise? But…”

“Promise. If she’s worth saving, if she’s worth feeling this way about, she’s damn well worth telling.”

“I…I promise.”

“Good. Lets go save your stupid little friend.”

As Fluttershy launched herself forward, throwing her forelegs around Daring’s neck, Daring felt a little better. Not a lot. But maybe saving this Rainbow Dash would make her a better pony. A pony who deserved a pony as wonderful as Fluttershy. If not…at least it might be fun. And maybe they’d be friends again, by the end of it.

That’d be….nice.

The Gift Of Laughter

Prompt: Two pony parents discuss what to name their foal.

“No.” The word came out much more sharply than he had intended, and he immediately regretted it – the way his wife’s face fell so suddenly, the small little smile he had fallen in love with melting away into a devastated frown as she turned her shining blue eyes away from him. “We’re not calling our little girl…that. She’d be a laughing stock, Annabelle!”

Annabelle didn’t respond for a moment – she nuzzled little Amy, who lay sleeping in her arms. The newborn filly cooed gently and snuggled deeper into her grey fur, and he felt his breath catch a little in his throat. She was so beautiful. They all were. Amy. Lina. And her. The last little one, sleeping peacefully in the cot with her little sister and every so often letting out what sounded like a giggle.

“I thought it was a pretty name. I know it doesn’t fit with your families tradition, but I just thought… I don’t know. Forget I said anything.” She sounded so low. She often did – Annabelle had always been prone to depression, and it was difficult to make her smile. He tried his best, of course. He always tried his best.

“It’s not that.” He insisted, firmly – and it wasn’t. He smiled at his wife, hoping to reignite some small spark of the smile she had had on her face a moment before. None was forthcoming.

“Then what is it, Deep? Do you just insist on naming them all yourself? I let you name Amy and Lina, but you can’t let me have this one thing?”

He took a step back, bile rising in his throat. That hurt. Not because she meant it to hurt him, but because she believed it – even if his wife had been the type to try and hurt people, and she wasn’t, he could see it in her eyes. Annabelle really believed he was just doing it out of…what, spite? A desire to be in charge? It wasn’t that. It couldn’t be that.

“She’ll be a laughingstock.” His voice was shaking. He hadn’t intended that – he wanted to convince her, not beg her. “They’ll make fun of her – call her names, tell her she’s wrong. They’ll hate her!”

Her blue eyes narrowed, and he took a step back. Wordlessly, she kissed Amy on the top of her little purple head and placed her down gently next to her sisters. The nameless filly immediately threw her forelegs around Amy and squealed in delight. Annabelle’s smile reappeared, just briefly, and then she had her arms around him.

“You stupid, stupid stallion.” The words were harsh, but the tone was warm. “That’s what all this has been about all this time?”

He wanted to take offense. Wanted to say it wasn’t stupid. Because it wasn’t, and he knew it – it was his job, to protect that beautiful little bundle of laughter. To protect all of them. He wasn’t going to let them suffer the same way he had. But he knew she wasn’t trying to hurt him.

“It’s not stupid, Belle. You don’t know what it’s like to –“

“To have a name everyone makes fun of? Of course not.” She actually snickered a little, then, “Because Annabelle Sylvia Pie –“ Here she paused, and struck a regal pose. He felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth; Annabelle rarely made jokes, but when she did she tended to put her all into them. “- is just such a common name. My friends Pudding Pop and Twinkle Wish never stopped making fun of me.”

He frowned. “I think it’s a beautiful –“

“A beautiful name. I know you do. And you know what? Even though their teasing hurt me, I think it’s a beautiful name too. And I also like yours.” She stared into his eyes, expression flat, daring him to challenge her.

“But – “ He couldn’t help it; she had to be lying.

“Deep Schist!” She cut him off, an edge creeping into her voice “If you try and tell me I’m not allowed to like your name, I am going to throw away your hat and you will not be able to stop me. You know this as well as I do!”

It was true. He really couldn’t argue with it – when his wife wanted something a certain way, it had a way of just…happening. It had always puzzled him, a little bit – she seemed to be able to unlock any lock, find whatever she was looking for in moments – and when she wanted things to disappear, they went. Instead he just nodded, wondering just how forlorn he had to look.

She smiled at him, and stepped closer to plant a kiss on the end of his muzzle. “Good. Now, explain to me again why you think naming her after my mother would be such a horrible idea?”

He couldn’t. He knew it, and she knew it. And really…it was a beautiful name. And it fit her so perfectly. Like it was made for her. Giving his wife a small smile, Schist wandered over to the cot and stared down at his three daughters. Amethyst and Tourmalina were sleeping peacefully, a pink foreleg wrapped around each.

But she stared back at him, grinning as though she were born to. Quietly, slowly, he leaned down and kissed her soundly on the head. If they wanted to make fun of her, ridicule her, he would just have to be there to stop it.

“I love you, Pinkamina Diane Pie.” His voice was a whisper. The giggle of delight which erupted from the filly a moment later was not.

It was, he decided, the most beautiful sound in the world.

Duet

All around her there was laughter. Wherever she looked, the sound of it echoed in her ears, hastening her heartbeats and shaking her to her very core. Before her, around her, there was nothing but a swarm of smiling, swaying ponies all waiting for one thing. All eyes were fixed on her, anticipating that moment just as she herself was; the moment she had been planning for, practising for, preparing for in every second she could spare for the last week.

It had to be perfect. It would be perfect. Because she was perfect - that paradoxical pink pony, planner of parties and stealer of hearts. The mare who had begged her, pleaded with her for so long to give it just one chance. Who had whispered words and spun stories, and convinced her that she would love this feeling – did love this feeling – and just hadn’t realised it yet. Her perfect Pinkie, who had once again proven herself so very, very right.

All around her there was laughter. But nowhere more than at her side, silent and swaying – drinking in the happiness radiating from the ponies all around them. Happiness she had given to them, just as she had worked so hard to bring it to the one she loved – even before she had. Slowly – too slowly – those bright blue eyes fluttered open, finally sensing her gaze, and her mind went blank. For just that moment, there was only the sparkle in those eyes and the smile on the perfect pink face.

And then she began to sing. Her voice carried through the air as though she was born for it, but as those eyes – enchanting, excited, exquisite – stared into her own she had no doubt who they were meant for. What they were meant for.

~ In a world so full of beautiful places
Happy friends and smiling faces
All I ever wanted to do
Was make it a little brighter~

Pinkie’s smile grew wider, her voice louder, with every note. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. It was like nothing she had ever heard, and she had heard more of Pinkie’s lovely, lilting voice than anypony – she couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t look away. She didn’t ever want to.

~I didn’t really care who
As long as I could make their hearts lighter
And maybe once in a while
I could make the whole world smile~

Her heart raced, and she could feel her cheeks burning. Her smile grew wider, forcing itself to stay fixed on her face. She stood frozen. Fearful. Pinkie Pie was improvising. In their duet. She couldn’t improvise – she had never been able to improvise.

~But what I didn’t see
Was that I had forgotten me
I was breaking apart
Think I had been from the start~

Any minute now. Any minute now Pinkie Pie would stop singing and it would be her turn. They’d all be looking at her, expecting her to follow this treacherous pink angel and she would have nothing. She was going to fail. She was going to be a laughing stock. They would shun her, like they always had. Nopony would want anything to do with a pony who couldn’t perform impromptu musical numbers – she’d be an outcast.

~ I could be happy it’s true
But I was never whole ‘til I met you
You gave me reason to care
And you are my bestest mare ~

A hiss of irritation from behind the stage, followed by somepony – Rainbow Dash – snarling. “Shut up! It’s not her fault you made it hard to remember!”

And then she realised. This wasn’t a duet. It never had been. This was a serenade. She was being serenaded. She had read about this, and very few days went by that she didn’t experience it at least once. But those were spontaneous, unplanned, chaotic – this was practised, planned, perfect and for her. Pinkie was serenading her. And suddenly the moment was perfect again. Even if Pinkie really was improvising now.

~ You make the world shine
I hope that you will see
It might be a teensy bit selfish of me
But I need you to be mine! ~

And then Pinkie wasn’t singing, anymore. She wasn’t smiling. She was just staring at Twilight, expression intent. Her voice, when she spoke, was a whisper.

“Twilight Sparkle, will you marry me?”

Sweet Victory

The prompt: Two ponies are in competition. One loses … but doesn’t realize it.

The kitchen of Sugarcube Corner was filled with music. Not in the sappy, romantic sense like Rarity would’ve liked – like, actual music. Tubas and trumpets and … she was pretty sure that that was a fiddle, or maybe a violin … and a harmonica and lots of other things Dash couldn’t place. Any other pony would’ve been impressed by it all – the timing, the pitch, the singer.

All that fancy stuff was perfect. And the singer’s voice was also pretty good, even if she sounded kinda out of breath. But that wasn’t what would’ve impressed them. Or not all that would’ve, anyway. She smirked as she remembered the first time she had seen Pinkie perform a full blown musical number, even though she didn’t actually have any instruments or anypony to play them. The expression on her face had probably been priceless. This time, however, she wasn’t really even listening – the fastest flier in Equestria had other things to think about.

Rainbow Dash was bored. Restless. She wanted to do something, and Pinkie was more than happy to oblige. The problem was that they’d already done everything. In the last three hours they had pranked everypony in town, gone dancing – which Rainbow had made sure to tell everypony was Pinkie’s idea, even though it’d totally been hers – read the latest Daring Do book cover to cover with Pinkie providing the voice of Ahuitzotl, cuddled for a while as Pinkie assured Dash she wasn’t going to eat her soul, restocked the party cannon, made Gummy and Tank wrestle, made out, pranked everypony in town again, baked four cakes, tried and failed to manufacture cotton candy clouds, choreographed a musical number slash fight scene between Gummy and Tank (Rocky won), played six games of Ponopoly and twenty three of Candy Land – along with half a game of Clue before Dash had insisted it wasn’t cool enough for her. And now they were baking a fifth cake.

It was more than they got done most mornings, though not by much, but it hadn’t helped. Except the make outs. Those had helped a little. But still – what Dash really wanted was to fly. Only, she wanted to stay with Pinkie even more. And Pinkie couldn’t fly – they had tried that, thirty or so times. Hadn’t ended well, even with the tankcopter. And that meant - “Hey Pinkie, let’s have a contest“ - that she wait. Had she said that? She had. She totally had.

The Party Pony spun around and smiled at her, eyes sparkling in excitement. “Oooooh that sounds amazing Dashie! What’re we gonna do? Are we gonna have a flying contest again because I think I figured out what went wrong last time and I recalibrated the antimanticore so this time I think maybe –“

“Tempting, but no. Last time was too close – we’ll try again when ‘Shy or someone who won’t fr – who knows how to deal with hurt ponies and stuff is around, though, ‘cause that sounds awesome. But today…” She rose to her hooves, draped a foreleg over her marefriends shoulder, and whispered in her ear – she wasn’t sure where the idea had come from, but she knew it was genius. “We’re having a makeout contest!”

Pinkie giggled and nuzzled the Pegasus, smile widening to a grin. “That sounds like the super duper bestestest most funnest game ever! But…is that even a thing?” She sounded contemplative, as well as excited. That was typical – Pinkie didn’t take many things seriously but silliness, and especially games, were grave matters to be given their proper respect. Dash snorted at the thought as Pinkie continued. “What are the rules, Dashie? How’re we gonna score?”

“Pinkie, you’re not getting this! No rules. Only makeouts! And then we both score!” Dash grinned in satisfaction as Pinkie went from pink to being bright red – it wasn’t often her making Pinkie blush. Apparently Reddie Pie – Rhubarb Pie? Whatever – couldn’t let it go so easily though.

“That…that sounds really super great, Dashie! But…how will we know who wins!?”

Dash kissed her. She tasted sweet and beautiful and perfect, just as she always had. And she kissed back, softly at first and then more insistently. Intend on teasing her – it was a contest, after all – Dash pulled away and smirked at her. “Getting it yet?”

“So we both win, huh?” Pinkie sounded kinda dazed. “This sounds like a game we should play all the time and never stop, Dashie. Don’t you think?”

“Definitely.” The Pegasus agreed with a wise nod. “And yep, we both win.” She planted a kiss on Pinkie’s snout and then, after a moments thought, added “But I win more.”

Parallels

The Prompt: “What is the wish that you will pay for with your soul?”

Temples, she had decided a very long time ago as she lay in a hospital bed covered from head to hoof in bandages, were all the same. Sure, they didn’t all look the same – the layout and the meaning and the stupid statues were usually pretty different, but where it mattered? They were all the same. Like, there were always traps. Always. If somepony had asked her if Celestia’s own sun temple was trapped, she’d have bet all her bits that it was and walked away richer. Sure, the traps were different – sometimes it was snakes and spears, other times it was explosives and magic and that one time in that old tomb there’d been a confetti cannon.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was there were always traps. And there was always treasure too, because if you’re gonna have traps well heck, why not dump your powerful magical artifacts in there too – surely the traps’ll catch anyone who tries to get ‘em. No need for any, y’know, ponies guarding the ancient relics. Nope. Those traps were just too devious. Recipe for converting rock into gold? Put it in the temple. And make it only usable by unicorns. Jerks. Elixir of Life? Give it a stupid, misleading name – healing potion, how hard was that? – and chuck it in this other, identical temple!

And now here she was, in the only Pegasus temple she’d ever seen - she hadn’t even known there were cloud temples – standing before statues of the greatest of her ancestors. And it was exactly the damn same. It was a majestic, floating temple that would never, ever decay. It hung above the everfree forest, hidden amongst the constant swirling storm clouds that covered just one part – something about bolt apples. She didn’t care. They could have done so much with the place, and it’s just been the same old boring stuff. And now, staring across the enormous room at the enormous yellow gem on the other side, she couldn’t help but let out a groan.

Her companion noticed. Of course she did. Her companion hadn’t shut up since they’d started. “What’s up?” The Pegasus asked, and Daring could hear real concern in her voice. Somehow, that annoyed her more than if she’d just snarked again.

“Nothing.” Daring snapped, “Everything’s just fine. I just thought maybe our ancestors’d be a bit more creative than this. It’s just the same old thing.”

Her friend said nothing, but she could feel the eyes burning into the side of her head. Whirling around she found herself staring into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. It took everything she had not to immediately look away as bile rose in her throat. If there was any reason – any damn reason – Fluttershy’d chosen her as a stand in, it was those eyes. The expression didn’t hurt either – the flat, you’re-a-moron stare Dash was giving her was one she’d seen in the mirror way too many times.

“Sooooo… what you’re saying is that we broke into this kickass cloud temple dealie, worked our way past all the traps – because you knew where they’d be – figured out exactly how we could use that doohickey to save ‘Shy – because you’re an egghead – and now all we gotta do is fly over there and grab the thing – ‘cause you got us this far – and you’re complaining because it was too easy?” Dash snorted, “What, you wanted us not to make it or something?”

Well, maybe she’d wanted Dash not to make it. Maybe. Except not. Stupid Rainbow Dash. Being charming and fun and lovable and all those things Daring wasn’t. Being her friend. Ugh. She’d never forgive herself for that one – if she had one big regret, it was that she wasn’t going to die hating Rainbow Dash. Or maybe it was the dopey grin that’d appeared on her face just now. Whichever.

“Don’t be dumb,” She heard herself laugh, and then stopped. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a pair of canteens and offered one to Dash. When she spoke again her voice was quieter. More solemn. “One last drink, as friends?”

Dash didn’t say a word, but she took canteen offered and began to drink. Good. Perfect. As she did, Daring continued. “I know it’s dumb, okay? I just… I wanted my last hoorah to be something special. Something new. I wanted to go down in history.”

Dash swallowed, and blinked at her. “What the heck are you talking about? I told you already, I’m the one who’s gonna use the stupid thing. I get my wish, ‘Shy get better and then…” She trailed off.

“And then you’re dead and off dancing with Discord in Tartarus and I take care of ‘Shy.” Daring finished for her, rolling her eyes. “Yeah. That’s what you told me. And like I told you that leaves ‘Shy an unhappy wreck. She’ll spend her whole life blaming herself and never, ever smile again.”

“But –“

“Shut up. No buts. You know I’m right. It has to be me.” She bit her tongue, and tried to make the next words sound casual. “It won’t matter if it’s me. My fans’ll whine about it, but noone’ll really care. You’re important – element of harmony an’ all that. The world needs you. And – more importantly – ‘Shy needs you.”

She’d expected a lot of reactions. Anger, disbelief, arguing. She hadn’t expected to be punched in the face. Given that she was basically talking to her, that had probably been dumb of her. Lifting herself to her hooves with a scowl, she opened her mouth to tell Dash exactly where to go. But this time, she was the one who got cut off.

“No, shut up. You’re wrong. Plenty of people’ll care. Sure, there’s your fans and all – but then there’s your friends. Y’know, us? The nice folks in Ponyville who all love you and think you’re the greatest thing ever? Me? ‘Shy? Pinkie? Pinkie’s got it bad for you, you know. And you’re just gonna leave her?”

“Hypocrite.” She hissed.

“Yeah, maybe. But the thing is, I’m the element of loyalty. This whole never let my friends down, never give up, self sacrificing deal? That’s my job. It’s what I was born for.” Dash, Daring noticed, was swaying a little now. Perfect. “You? You’re awesome. You’re a good friend. But it isn’t your job. You’re not going to beat yourself up if you… if you let me do this… you’re not gonna regret it forever.”

“That’s dumb. You’re dumb. I’ll totally regret it. Only I’ll have more to regret, because you’re throwing away something you actually care about! Me?” Daring smirked, “I’m throwing away a whole life of hurting everyone I love or watching ‘em be miserable. Oh yeah, I’m a real hero!”

Those eyes, exactly like her own, flashed in anger. “I won’t let you. You know I’m faster than you. You know I’m stronger than you. And you know I’m every bit as much of a stubborn jerkface as you’re being! And your… eggheadness can’t help you! You can’t stop me. So what are you going to do!?”

Daring looked away. “You’re right. About all of it. Almost all of it. I can’t outfly you. I can’t outfight you. Most of the time, I can’t outthink you. But you’re right about something else, too.” She looked up, waving her still sealed canteen at the other Pegasus, “I’m not the element of loyalty. And I’m totally smarter than you.”

The betrayal in those eyes as the her friend took a step towards her would be the last thing she saw. Last memory of her friends. Celestia, sacrificing yourself sucked. “You drugged me!?” Dash roared, “You…. You….”

“Yeah. I drugged you. And I kept you talking just long enough for it to kick in, too.” Daring nodded, never breaking eye contact. “I’d say I’m sorry. But I’m not. You’re gonna live, and you’re gonna make ‘Shy happy. Or I’m gonna crawl my way back out of Tartarus, and I’m gonna buck you in the face.”

Dash fell, then, and Daring didn’t bother to catch her. She stared down at the one she’d hated for so long. Rainbow Dash was glaring. Furious. Whether about not being able to be the hero or not being able to save her Daring didn’t know. It didn’t matter, really. “Look.” She said softly, “For what it’s worth… you’re probably the best friend I ever had. And… tell Pinks I’m sorry I couldn’t make our date. Pinks is awesome.”

And then she was across the room, the jewel in her hooves – she wasn’t quite sure how she had gotten there, which meant she was running on instinct again. Probably for the best – she’d probably chicken out again otherwise. She felt the magic pulse through her, overwhelm her. It drove out all thought and left only the knowledge of absolute, overwhelming power. And then the voice. Echoing from all around.

“Well well. It’s been forever since one of you little ponies found one of my little surprises! I have to say, I was starting to think none of you ever would. Oh, and I see you already know the rules. Well. That’s no fun.” The tone, initially jovial, became darker, “No fun at all. I’m going to punish you for that, you know. It’ll be like a game! Isn’t that exciting?”

Daring didn’t respond. That was one of the rules, too. Anything she said – anything – could be used as her wish. The taunts went on for what felt like hours. Promises that she would see her friends die a thousand times over, subtle promises of ice cream that were somehow even more ominous, and above it all the constant, unfathomable rambling. And then, eventually, it stopped.

“Ugh.” Hissed the voice – hissed Discord. “You’re so boring. Fine! Make your silly wish, and I’ll make it come true.”

Daring smiled.

“I want Fluttershy to live a long life, and be happy.”

The anger that flared in Discord then was like nothing she had ever felt.

And then there was nothing at all.

Perspective

Prompt: “There are more things in heaven and earth … than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Rainbow Dash glared, her purple eyes a glowing, swirling storm of barely restrained anger. Her mouth was twisted into a scowl and her wings flittered anxiously behind her as she stood, tense, in the doorframe. It was a look that Fluttershy had seen many, many times before – usually as her friend stood over her, screaming down some pony who had decided to bully her. It was anger, yes – but it was a very special kind of anger. The kind that only came out when someone hurt one of the ponies lucky enough to be Dash’s friends. And now, for the first time, it was directed at her.

Fluttershy was terrified – cold fear snaked through her, strangling the warmth that she’d built up over the course of the day. The visit to Rarity, the unplanned spa trip, the hour spent reading in front of the fire, all of it had had only one purpose; to stave off the sickening guilt and blind panic that had been threatening to overwhelm her for days now. All of it a waste. As the two Pegasi stared at one another, the guilt rose in her again and she had to fight the urge to fall right where she stood and throw up. The panic… stayed gone. That surprised her, but it didn’t worry her; she had other things to worry about.

“Are you even listening to me?” Dash snapped, waving a hoof back and forth in front of her eyes. Fluttershy stared at her blankly for a moment, and she rolled her eyes. “I said I gotta talk to you. It’s important. So are you gonna let me in, or what?”

“Um…talk? But I…that is to say… what did you want to talk about? If you don’t mind me asking, I mean.” She already knew, of course. But delaying the discussion seemed like a good idea, if it was at all possible. She really, really liked being friends with Rainbow Dash. The longer she could pretend that was still going to be the case, the better.

Dash didn’t seem to think as much of the idea, and the look she gave her said as much. “Don’t play dumb, ‘Shy. We both know you learned that from me, and we both know it never works. But fine – you want to play it that way?” She leaned closer, and spoke very clearly – and a little loudly. “You’re gonna tell me why I came home to find my marefriend a wreck who thinks nopony gives a damn about her, why Rarity’s been such a hermit lately, and why the heck I shouldn’t kick your flanks right here. How does that sound?”

Fluttershy flinched, and found herself gazing steadily at the floor. With a slight nod and a mutter of “Okay,” she stepped out of the doorway and let her friend barge past. She knew Dash wouldn’t hurt her, of course – beyond any doubt – but the fact she had even said – had needed to say them – forced her to fight back a sob. Even if she deserved to hear them. Especially if she deserved to hear them.

Dash reached into her saddlebags and tossed a small paper sack on the table, where it landed and fell onto its side, before dropping herself onto the couch. Fluttershy stared at the sack, and Dash sighed. “Cupcakes. Pinkie sent them. She sent me to make sure you were okay.”

“She…?” Fluttershy could barely believe what she was hearing. “Pinkie wanted to make sure I was okay? After….after what I said to her? But… but why? That doesn’t make sense!”

“Of course it does. You’re her friend, you dope. She loves you.” Dash snorted, a mixture of amusement and anger. “That’s not gonna change just ‘cause you say something stupid. Worse than stupid. She’s just gotta love you with whatever bits of her heart you didn’t break now.”

Fluttershy whimpered, and felt tears forming in her eyes. “That’s…that’s not really very fair of you to –“

“So? You did something I don’t like. That means I get to treat you like crap, right?” Dash’s tone was light, casual.

“I know I shouldn’t have said it! It was an accident!”

Dash was in front of her then, eyes narrowed and any pretence of calm gone. “You think I give a flying feather about that? We all say dumb stuff sometimes – that wouldn’t matter!” She stomped a hoof. “What matters is that you meant it. I know you meant it, you know you meant it, and they know you meant it! But don’t worry.” She smirked, then, and it was somehow even worse. “Today, I’m going to tell you the story of the amazing butterpony, who ditched her best friend right when she needed her most for some stupid animals on the ground.”

“Ditched? I didn’t –“

“Of course you don’t think so. Animals matter to you. Animals make you happy. Me? I think they’re kinda a waste of time. But I guess it’s all about perspective, huh?”

Fluttershy allowed herself to be led to the couch, and listened as Dash began to tell her story. She suspected, by the end of it, she was going to be a wreck herself. But that was okay. Maybe she even deserved it.

Knowledge Is Firepower

Prompt: “You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world! This room’s the greatest arsenal we could have - arm yourselves!”

“Pinkie, not to…y’know, doubt you or anything, but are you sure this is a good idea?” The Pegasus shot a nervous glance over her shoulder, then rested her eyes on the frowning pink pony – or what she could see of her, sticking out the end of the blue party cannon. That Pinkie could fit inside the cannon at all - given that her puffy pink head alone was larger than the mouth of the thing - was kind of weird, but she didn’t let herself worry too much.

Pinkie let out a cheerful “Nope,” from somewhere deep inside the cannon, continuing to whistle cheerfully as though nothing was wrong at all. Dash resisted the urge to rap a hoof against the side of the cannon, mostly because it wouldn’t be as funny the fifth time she did it - Pinkie hadn’t even been surprised, last time – but also because, just maybe, that answer kind of scared her.

“No!?" She whispered fiercely, as though doing so would prevent them being found “What do you mean no? Why not?”

Pinkie sighed and, with a loud popping noise, pulled herself free of the cannon to fix Dash with a flat stare. “Well I dunno, Dashie – it just seems like maybe Twilight’s gonna be a teensy weensy bit of a grumpy pants about it when she finds out we took a whole lot of her books to shoot out of a cannon. And it kinda maybe seems like kind of a dumb idea to come into the Everfree forest in the middle of the night with no backup and no Fluttershy.”

“I told you –“

“Fluttershy can’t know ‘cause she’d be really mad at me and think I did it on purpose, ‘cause honestly – who besides you is gonna believe I let a manticore get at Applejack’s hat by accident?” Pinkie finished for her, voice low and gravelly in a passable imitation of Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, I remember Dashie – and I get it. You don’t want Fluttershy to be mad at you because then she won’t give you kisses and that’d be so sad! But Twilight? Twilight’d never not give me smoochies!”

Dash scowled, trying to find some flaw in Pinkie’s logic. What Pinkie called logic. When she failed she settled for crossing her forelegs over her chest and muttering, “I do not sound that whiny.”

“Yeah you do! You totally do!” Pinkie giggled, “When you get upset your voice breaks and gets all silly and high and it’s so cute and I bet Fluttershy likes it!”

“You…that…I – Shut up!” Dash snapped, “At least I don’t sound like I’m on a sugar rush all the time!”

“Oh wow, Dashie. That’s really the best you could come up with?” Pinkie shot her a little smile, “You’re really upset about this, huh?”

“No!” She retorted, and then hesitated. “Well…yeah. Maybe. I mean, Applejack loves that stupid hat – I think it was her dads, or something. I was just gonna hide it for a while – I wasn’t expecting anything like this!”

“I know that, silly – you’d never do that to your friends. But how’d the meanie pants manticore get it’s greedy little paws on it anyway? I mean, that’s kind of a weird thing to –“

“That doesn’t matter right now, okay!? Let’s just get this over with so we can get all these back before the egghead notices they’re gone! I’ll tell you the stupid story later.” As she spoke she patted the large bag of books that stood beside her, noticing with a pang that the top one was the latest Daring Do – she hadn’t even read it yet. “And did you have to pick all the good books? Why couldn’t you get any of the stupid boring ones?”

“Well, I could have. But those are the ones Twilight loves best. And no offense Dashie, but I wasn’t gonna save the books you like over the books she likes – this is already gonna hurt her pretty bad if we don’t get them all back safe, and I don’t really want to make her sad.” There was no edge in Pinkie’s voice, but the words lacked some of their usual bounce – and they hit Dash hard. Pinkie was giving up a lot, to make her happy. Just like she always had. Still, she was a little surprised.

“Didn’t you say this was her idea?”

“Well…it was! Kinda. A little. I asked her what the best way to distract a manticore was and I wouldn’t tell her why. She was real busy, and she got a little impatient ‘cause she thought I was being a silly-pie again.”

“Pinkie – what did she actually say?” If Rainbow Dash had been nervous before she was genuinely frightened now.

“Um….” The pink pony bit her lip, and glanced away.

“Pinkie!”

“Pinkie, you know I love you – but I’m in the middle of a very important project for the Princess and I don’t have time for this! But I’m sure that you can find the answer – there’re all kinds of books around. Just…use them this once, okay?” If the party pony’s impression of Dash had been bad, her impression of Twilight was horrible. That might have been because she was hesitating, and seemed a little scared. Dash chose to believe it was because she sucked at impressions.

She didn’t say it though. Pinkie was giving up a lot, to help her. “Pinks…when we get back, we’ll go book shopping, okay? Everyone of these things we lose we’ll pick up again – good as new. On me.”

Her friend gave her a sad little smile. “Thanks, Dashie.”

“No problem! And besides, she said it herself – use the books! And that’s what we’re doing – she doesn’t get to be mad at us, right?”

“Um….”

“Right?”

“If you say so, Dashie.”

“Heck yeah I say so! Besides, this is a rescue mission – we’re here to save a friend’s hat, and we’re not going back without it! Trust me, Pinkie – Twilight’ll get it. And so will ‘Shy. Not only that? We’re gonna kick some manticore flank and go down in history!”

As Dash spoke Pinkie’s smile grew wider and wider, and her eyes matched it perfectly. By the time the speech was over her eyes were wide and bright and sparkling, and she bounced into the air with a loud “Yeah! Let’s rescue that hat!”

Dash nodded gravely and then smirked, throwing the bag on her back, “Is the cannon ready?”

“Aye aye, Cap’n Dashie!”

“Good.” She struck a pose, and narrowed her eyes heroically. “Let’s go find us a manticore!”

Nothing, she assured herself, could possibly go wrong.

Heroes

Prompt: Magic has disappeared from Equestria.

“Twilight?”

The voice, so familiar, echoed around the dark halls of the library and hung in the air, the only sound to be heard above the soft whisper of rustling pages. A distraction – and not a welcome one. She had already failed once, and she could feel the consequences in every inch of her body – an aching, hollow feeling unlike anything she had ever felt before.

“Twilight, I know you’re in there. Can I come in?”

She blocked it out, willing herself to focus on the tear stained pages before her, searching. There was an answer, there had to be – there was always an answer and she could always find it, and there was no reason for this to be different. Everything that happened happened for a reason, and all of it had happened before – long ago, before the name Twilight Sparkle had been on every pair of lips in Canterlot.

Failure. Traitor. Bad Student.

Unworthy.

“Twilight?” The voice wasn’t outside her door this time – it was right in her ear and she jumped back away from it on reflex, spinning as she did so. And as yet more proof that the world hated her, wanted her – specifically – to pay for what she had done or not done, she struck the table and sent the candle she had been using tumbling onto its side, igniting the book she had been pouring over in an instant. And there was nothing she could do.

She watched the flames slowly consume the book, panic seeping through her. It was burning – and she had no idea what to do. The prize student of Princess Celestia, and all she could do was stand there and stare as her home burned. She had to do something. She couldn’t let the library burn. The books, Spike, her research, and her visitor – they had to be saved. All of them. She couldn’t fail them, too - so she did the only thing she could think to do.

She planted her hooves and focused, trying desperately to find that…that power, that spark that had been there all her life. To touch it, ignite it and bend it to her will as she had been able to do just days before. As she had always been able to do. But it didn’t come – all that came, all that would ever come now, was the splitting, blinding agony. It tore through her in an instant, spreading from her head outward and sending her body into twitching spasms. As she collapsed to the ground, staring helplessly at the still spreading flames, Twilight Sparkle could hear herself screaming.

She watched in slow motion as her visitor tore from the kitchen faster than Twilight had ever seen her moving, an enormous pot of water clutched between her jaws. And in an instant, just as quickly as it had started, the fire was out and Pinkie stood over her, muzzle pressed to hers and breath hot on her lips. “Twilight! Twilight are you okay?”

Twilight couldn’t answer for a moment. She just lay there, staring up at her friend – or what she could see of her, in the pitch dark that now consumed her home. Her friend. Her saviour. Pinkie hadn’t panicked. Pinkie had acted, and she had saved both their lives. As Twilight opened her mouth to speak, another spasm rocked her and she cried out in pain, vision blurring as she fought back tears.

And then Pinkie was holding her, running a hoof through her mane and singing softly. In the darkness she couldn’t see her hero, but as the words washed over her and she felt the pink pony’s tears fall on her face, Twilight closed her eyes. She tried to calm herself, tried to fight the desperate need to do something. She knew why this was happening – her body was desperately trying to do exactly what she had asked it to – to call up the magic deep within her – and as long as she was in the state she was it would continue. It was instinct.

She didn’t fight, didn’t struggle to get free and continue her work. She just snuggled closer, doing her best to focus on the rhythmic sound of Pinkie’s heart and letting the warmth of her friend’s embrace chase away the panic from her veins. She didn’t know how long they lay there. She didn’t care. She had already failed to save the world – fixing it could wait a little while longer.

When at last the music stopped and she opened her eyes, she found that sunlight had begun to seep into the library through the wide open curtains. It danced off Pinkie’s face, and illuminated the sad, tired smile the earth pony was giving her. It also highlighted just how ragged she looked – her mane, usually so wild and untamed, had lost much of its life and now simply looked a mess. Her eyes didn’t sparkle in the quite the way they usually did. She looked exhausted.
“Pinkie,” She managed, her own voice hoarse and tired, “You look awful.”

Her friend frowned, and a flash of hurt appeared in her eyes before she forced it away – normally, Twilight wouldn’t have noticed. Wouldn’t have had time to notice. Now was different. As Pinkie forced a smile back on her face and opened her mouth to speak, Twilight continued. “It’s alright. You’re still beautiful.”

Both of them froze, eyes wide, and stared at each other uncertainly. The panic Twilight had so easily fought off before began to build back up in full force, and she regretted ever opening her mouth – she hadn’t meant to. It had just slipped out.

“Thanks.” The pink pony interrupted her thoughts, stealing them all away with her next words. “So do you. Even if you look like you haven’t slept at all again.”

She hadn’t, of course, but she didn’t plan to actually tell Pinkie that. “My research?” She asked instead, and Pinkie shook her head slowly. “Sorry, Twilight. I…I tried to save it, but I wasn’t fast enough.”

“No!” Indignation flared up inside her, and she forced herself up to stare directly into Pinkie’s eyes. “You did everything you could – you reacted, and I just stood there. You saved both our lives, Pinkie! You saved Spike’s life!”

Her friend looked away, biting her lip gently. “So what you’re saying is…even though I can’t fix everything, I did all I could and that’s enough?”

“Exactly! You might not have saved my research, but you saved our lives! Isn’t that what’s really important?”

“I think so.” Came the whispered reply, before the pony before her shot her a little grin. “Soooo…what you’re saying is that you should forgive yourself?”

Oh, that devious little – “No. That’s not what I’m saying. The two situations are entirely different! What I did killed magic. Not just for me; for everypony in Equestria – that’s not the same thing as burning some research documents, Pinkie!”

“But if you hadn’t done it, there wouldn’t be an Equestria left. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather live in a world that still has all my friends in it – still has you in it – than a world with some dumb magic. We can make do. And we can make it right. I’ll help you, even.”

Twilight didn’t say a word, for a long moment. When she did she was amazed by how frightened her voice sounded. “So….you don’t hate me?”

“Nope. Nopony hates you, Twilight. But me? I extra super duper don’t hate you. I promise.” After a moments hesitation, she added. “And the girls feel the same, too. You’re their hero, Twilight. You’re my hero. You saved us all. And…well, we kinda miss you.”

“Miss me?”

“You’ve been cooped up in here for days now. That’s why I’m here. You’re gonna stop all this, you’re going to take a day off, and you’re gonna come have a picnic with us. Okie dokie lokie?”

“Pinkie, that’s sweet of you. But I can’t – I have to fix this, I have to –“

“And you will. We will. But not today. Today you’re gonna stop beating yourself up for not saving the world properly and remember that you saved the world. Again.”

“I…”

“There’s a lot of ponies who love you, Twilight. And they’d like to see you. Will you come with me? Just this once?” Pinkie’s voice turned wheedling, “I made you a pie. And some more pies. And a cake. And some other stuff too.”

“But –“

“Do you trust me, Twilight?”

“Of course I do, Pinkie.” That she even had to ask the question was absurd.

“Then say it with me, just this once: Okie dokie lokie, Pinkie Pie.”

“…”

“Hmmmmmmmm?”

“…Okie dokie lokie, Pinkie Pie.”

And then she was back in Pinkie’s clutches – not a gentle embrace this time, but a grip like a vice that reminded her, beyond any doubt, that she wasn’t alone. That she never would be.

“Pinkie?” She forced out.

“Yeah?”

“…Thank you.”

The smile on the party pony’s face – wide and bright and gleaming – was the only answer she gave.

The Heart of All Things

The Prompt: Once upon a time, there was a dragon...

Once upon a time, there was a dragon.

And for a long time, there was nothing else. The dragon, whose name was Balance, slept alone in the void for a thousand times a thousand years, and though he would sometimes stir he would never wake – for when Balance woke, he would find that he was alone again, just as he always had been. And so he slept, and as he slept he dreamed. He dreamed of worlds yet to be and songs unsung, of worlds torn asunder and of worlds made whole. He dreamed of laughter and joy and fire and pain, and he loved it all. For he was Balance, and he was the first; he knew neither good nor evil.

There is an old saying amongst the eldest and wisest dragons, though many have now forgotten it – Balance lies at the core of all things. Without Harmony, Chaos has no meaning. Without Chaos, Harmony offers no joy. At the core of all things is Balance – for without Balance, neither Chaos nor Harmony would ever have come to be. For you see, as Balance lay dreaming his will echoed through the void, calling out to the emptiness – for the emptiness was Magic, and above all things Magic desires purpose.

Magic wove itself deep into the mind of the sleeping dragon, disguising itself as merely another dream among the many, and was amazed by what it saw. For an age, Magic sat in awe of what it found before it – never had it imagined such things, for Magic could not dream. It saw things that were not, things that had never been – rivers and mountains, earthquakes and tornadoes, thunderstorms and songs – and in seeing the world Balance dreamt of, Magic found purpose.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Magic began to sing the song of creation that flowed through all the dreams it saw before it – a song so faint and so pure it had taken an age for Magic, focused on nothing but the wonders it saw before it, to hear even the first notes.

And as Magic took up the song, Balance heard for the first time the song that rang out from deep within his own heart – the song that still echoes today, at the heart of all things. And though he did not awaken his own voice joined the song, and Balance and Magic sang together. As they sang dreams were pulled from the ether and made whole – a thousand worlds formed, and as time drew on almost all eventually collapsed as Harmony gave way to Chaos. But then, as Magic and Balance reached the crescendo of their song and the last world was to crumble, to be remade again, things changed.

The song ended, and the world endured. For Magic had chosen its purpose, and that purpose was to guide and shape this world – to give it life and make it whole. It would serve as guardian, and in finding it’s own purpose it would grant purpose to the children that Magic and Balance had birthed.

For Magic, you see, was the mother of Harmony – a child named for the purpose Magic had come to love so dearly. And for many years, Magic watched over the world – our world. It watched over the dragons, shaped for their father, and the griffons, born of his more chaotic whims, but most of all it watch over the ponies – for they had been the firstborn, and Magic loved them best.

But Balance cannot exist in a world ruled by Harmony – and as Magic protected and guided the children it had come to love, Harmony was what it wove. As Balance found his dreams more ordered, his darker urges became unfulfilled, and his own nature began to change – he began to crave not only chaos, but destruction – the absolute desolation of a world that had endured far beyond its time.

And so Balance awoke, twisted and changed by the madness growing within him. He looked upon what Magic had wrought, and he was angered. He descended into the dream he had created at last, taking the name Discord and seeking to undo the order that had been imposed upon his unwilling heart. Magic could do nothing but watch, for the world was Discord’s, and his power far exceeded that of Magic.

But Discord knew not of Harmony, or the seed of her that had been planted in each creature Magic loved so dearly. He knew not the power within them, and when after a thousand years they called upon it and stood against him he was afraid. Discord warred with Harmony, and though his power was the greater they were united where he worked against himself. Discord was locked once again into slumber – but Harmony was shattered, broken forevermore.

And Magic mourned. But as it stood, crying for its most beloved child, it was awed again – for Harmony did not fade from the world. Instead it divided, first into five: the core of who Harmony had been.

Kindness, which had brought the races together so they could survive and prosper and which kept them united. Honesty, which allowed them to see things for what they were and live without delusion. Laughter, which allowed them to fight against the fears that honesty brought with it. Generosity, from the one who had dedicated her life to the happiness of her children. And Loyalty, which had seen a thousand disparate individuals stand together and sacrifice everything to save their world.

And these sparks, these remnants of Harmony, divided again and again until eventually there were more sparks than living creatures – and then they began to weave themselves into the hearts of all the children of Magic. Though all received some part of each gift, there were those among them who lived as the embodiment of one particular virtue. And in that moment, Magic found purpose anew – it would do as it’s daughter had, for with Harmony divided they would need more than her will to guide them. They would need heroes.

And so it was that Magic found its way into the world it had birthed at last, and the Elements of Harmony were born.

The Spark

The Prompt: Ship all the mane six in a single relationship, not as separate pairings.

Love, she had decided long ago, was complicated.

Not in the way that cheap romance novels or plays had led her to believe, where obstacles emerged at every turn to tear the beloved couple apart and leave them pining for one another until the end where one of them inevitably died – although, in this particular case, that was in fact rather closer to the truth than she might have liked. They were, however, a special case; not every couple in the world had to contend with world ending disasters, and she quite suspected that almost none had been targeted by the Spirit of Chaos himself.

Couple was the wrong word, really. She knew that, but found that she didn’t especially care. As she gazed around the crowded ballroom a smile found its way onto her lips. From where she sat, high on the balcony gazing down over the assembled throngs – there for her, for them – she was happy. Away in the corner, chatting animatedly with the Wonderbolts, was Rainbow Dash. As always – always – was when she was excited the Pegasus was a blur of motion, gesturing wildly and striking pose after pose as she regaled them with some tale or another of her (suitably embellished) heroism.

And rightfully so. There were few ponies in Equestria or anywhere who could have done what Rainbow Dash had – bragging about it was, of course, extremely rude and unladylike. But Rarity found that she didn’t care about that, either. Her friend was in her element, and she was happy – add to this the gown Rarity herself had designed and she had rarely been more beautiful. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered, just for a moment, the look on that face when Dash had first heard her proposal.

She had been the first, of course. That had been a necessity, given the circumstances – two of her friends had already been smitten with the Pegasus, after all, and in all honesty she had seemed the most likely to take to the idea. How wrong that assumption had been.

“F….Fluttershy….and Pinkie? No way! That’s….you’re crazy!”

“No, my dear – I’m simply not blind.”

“Oh, and I am huh? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Of course not, darling! You’re simply a little dense, that’s all.”

Looking back on it now she supposed she could perhaps have been a little more tactful. But Dash had absolutely overreacted – she’d spent an hour getting herself more and more upset, and then she’d refused to speak to Rarity for almost a fortnight. She’d left heartbroken, convinced that her master plan – her scheme, to see all of her friends as happy as they deserved to be – had failed.

And then, after two weeks of anguish Dash had had the nerve to saunter straight into her boutique with a wing around…

Fluttershy. There she was, hidden away in the back of the room, shifting uncomfortably on her hooves. She was doing her best not to draw attention, of course – but as was quite often the case she was failing miserably, and ponies were flocking to her left and right. It was no surprise – Fluttershy was always radiant, but tonight she was simply magnificent. Usually Rarity would have taken it upon herself to intervene, to draw the ponies away or to steal Fluttershy for herself – but that honour had been reserved in advance, this particular night.

“You really think Pinks likes me too? I mean, seriously? She’s always drooling over Fluttershy!”

“W….what? She…she is? No. N….no, you must be mistaken. She’s always talking about how amazing you are!”

“Of course she is – I am amazing. But that doesn’t mean she likes me like that. And haven’t you noticed how she’d dead set on being your guardian angel all the time?”

“If you’ll forgive me for saying so, I rather suspect that you’re both correct in the particular case.”

As she watched a pair of bright pink forelegs stretched out –somehow, impossibly – from beneath the table at least a meter from where Fluttershy stood, shaking, and then she was gone. An explosion of on the other side of the room, and out tumbled two ponies – Fluttershy herself, and the ever enigmatic Pinkamena Diane Pie. That was perhaps the encounter she remembered best, though it made her shiver just to think of.

“Pinkie Pie, come out already!”

“NO! You’re LYING!”

“Why the heck would we do that!? I never lie! And neither does Fluttershy!”

“Ahem.”

“Oh yeah! And I’m pretty sure Rarity does sometimes, but we’d kick her flanks if she tried it with this!”

Rainbow Dash, Rarity decided, would pay for that later.

“You’re all LIARS! I thought you were my friends and then you go and do THIS!?”

“P…Pinkie…please…”

“You said you loved me and I BELIEVED YOU! But you DON’T! You love HER! Well you really got one over on poor, stupid Pinkie Pie! HA HA HA!”

It had taken a long, long time. Days and days of screaming and crying and horrible, horrible words. And Pinkie had believed every one of them. But not one of them had moved, not one of them had walked away or abandoned her, and when that door had opened…well, it had been a start. Pinkie hadn’t been the last to join their little…whatever one would call it, but Rarity was quite sure she had been the last to really accept that her friends – all her friends – loved her.

Especially that one. Rarity’s heart still danced whenever she saw Twilight Sparkle, and as the two ponies tumbled out of nowhere and landed at her feet the other unicorn laughed – a beautiful, perfect sound that sent an exquisite chill through her and soon mingled with the quiet music of Fluttershys giggle and the bellowing, inelegant snorts that radiated from poor, beautiful Pinkie.

“Whatever do you mean ‘not possible?’”

“Exactly what I said! It’s not possible. She’s so…so….”

“Random?”

“Exciting! Exuberant! Full of life!”

“Insane?”

“Yes! But in a good way!”

“And why in the world would that mean her loving you back is ‘impossible’?”

“Well…look at me. I’m nothing special – I spend all my time with my nose in a book or babbling about magic. She doesn’t care about that stuff.”

“Perhaps not, dear, but she cares very deeply about you.”

Twilight had started rambling, then. Spouting off facts and figures in that adorable way she often did. And so Rarity had done what felt right – she had kissed her, and made it quite apparent that it was not, in fact, impossible to love a bookworm. She loved all her friends, of course – but Twilight had been the first. And the last…

“Rare?” There she was, sliding a foreleg around her and pulling her close. Rarity didn’t quite dare to look her in the eye. “What’re you doin’ up here all by yourself? Didn’t you want to mingle with all the fancy ponies or somethin’?”

She chuckled and, eyes still closed, planted a kiss on Applejack’s cheek. It might have been her idea, and it might have been her drive, but it had been Applejack who had bound them all together in the end. Who had brought them to this night. “I was just thinking, darling. It’s remarkable, isn’t it?”

“What is, Sugarcu – oh. That.” The earth pony chuckled softly. “I reckon it is. Can’t say I’m surprised, though – you set it up, after all, and there ain’t a pony alive more remarkable n’ you.”

She snorted – inelegant and unladylike, as only they were allowed to hear her be. “Don’t let Rainbow Dash hear you say that. Remember last time?”

“How could I forget?”

They laughed together, then, for a long time. And when it was over, the six of them stood together – just as they would forever.

“I daresay, girls, that this was the most wonderful wedding I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending.” She couldn’t help but notice that she sounded on the verge of tears.

“Of course it is!” Dash shot back, grinning her winning grin. “It’s our wedding. And we’re awesome.”

The others nodded their agreement, almost as one, and as Pinkie launched into yet another long speech Rarity smiled.

Love was complicated. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t the most beautiful thing in the world.

Let's Just Kiss and Say Goodbye (Collab with Donny's Boy)

The Prompt: Trixie becomes great and powerful.

Special rule: Twilight Sparkle cannot appear or be alluded to.

She sat on her haunches, staring up at the magnificent wonder before her. She had heard tales of the beauty of the Emerald Carriage, whispers on every pair of lips and from every pony she had met, but nothing she had encountered had prepared her for this. When she had first been carried away from the rock farm on the back of a rainbow, Gummy in tow, she had been alone - a lone pink pony in a world she didn’t know. She still remembered the fear she felt as Gilda, the Grumpy Griffon of the North, had chased her from the town, screaming about how not even the Great and Powerful Trixie would be able to save her.

So the pink pony did the only thing that she could do—she went off to find the Great and Powerful Trixie. She journeyed very long and very far. Or, at least, she walked to the other end of town, but considering how hungry she was, it felt very long and very far. Gummy waddled along after her, and she felt glad to have his company in this strange, alien world. Though, as luck and fate would have it, they didn’t stay alone for very long.

Where they had started as two scared but brave and superheroic adventurers, now they were five - companions, bound together by friendship and the journey they had shared. She turned her head, and smiled a wide smile at the sight of her new friends. Rocky, whom she had found trapped motionless at the side of the great dirt road. Sir Lints-A-Llot, whom had been cowering in fear from his enemies but had proven himself a worthy friend, and the mysterious Madame LeFlour - Pinkie couldn’t understand most of what she was saying, but she seemed really nice.

And now the pony, alligator, and assorted formerly non-animate objects had arrived at the Emerald Carriage, which was parked in an alleyway next to Berry’s Tavern. The pink pony wasn’t entirely sure why it was there, but she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

With a grin, she glanced back at all her companions. “This is it, you guys!” she chirped, waving a foreleg in the direction of the carriage, which was a brighter green than any green she’d ever seen - even greener than her sister’s face the one time she’d eaten a mud pie. “Time to meet the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Rocky bounced up and down in delight from atop her back, with what Pinkie was almost entirely sure was a grin on her tiny rockface. “Aw, heck yeah! Time to get me a heart. Thanks, Pinks - you’re the greatest!”

“Aw. You’re welcome, Rockam - Rocky!” Pinkie shot her a grin as Lints-A-Lot piped up.

“We wouldn’t have made it this far without you, you know. We hadn’t the courage!”

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true! Well, okay. Yeah. You were kinda hiding and not going anywhere, but that’s okay! We’re here now, and that’s what matters!”

“Vous êtes fou!” Chipped in Madame LeFlour, brightly, “Vous le savez cela?”

“That’s right, Madame LeFlour! We’ll get you a brain and then everypony will be able to understand you!”

Pinkie turned towards the door, and her eyes narrowed in excitement. She had to get inside, but from the sign on the door - a simple piece of paper with the word ‘CLOSED’ printed on it that stood in stark contrast to the beauty of the carriage itself - she was willing to bet they wouldn’t just let her in. She needed a plan.

She frowned thoughtfully at the door and considered knocking. But that idea was quickly tossed right out. What if the Great and Powerful Trixie was taking a nap or something and couldn’t hear a knock? Clearly, that simply wouldn’t do. Then, with a bright grin, Pinkie grabbed the carriage door’s handle, threw open the door, and poked her head inside.

“Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie!” she called out, making sure to speak as loudly as possible so she’d be heard. “What’s your name?”

There was no immediate answer from the unicorn she found before her, blinking in shock with a cookie clenched between her teeth. Hovering in the air before her was a glass of milk, which hung in the air between them - almost like this new pony wanted to keep her away. But that couldn’t be right. “Hellooooooooooooooo?” She tried again, tilting her head slightly as she spoke. “Do you have a name? Do ya?”

The unicorn’s eyes narrowed, almost to the point where she had them entirely closed. The other pony drew in a deep breath and then, in a booming voice, replied, “WHO DARES INTERRUPT THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE’S SACRED SNACK TIME?”

Pinkie took a step back, a little frightened, before the words sunk in. She felt Rocky tense, saw Gummy narrow his eyes in intense fury, and heard Lints-A-Lot duck behind Madame LeFlour. But as she heard those words, she knew her goal was in sight - she darted forward, pressing her muzzle to that of the unicorn and grinning at her. “Ooooooooh, you know Trixie? Can you take me to her? I need her help cause she’s the super duper bestest wizard in Equestria and she can get - oh! Snack time?” He stomach rumbled and she glanced around, hoping to find some morsel to fill the aching void in her belly.

The unicorn paused and blinked. Her eyes opened up just a little bit, and a slow smile spread across her face. “THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE IS INDEED THE … super duper bestest? … WIZARD IN EQUESTRIA! WHAT ASSISTANCE DO YOU SEEK FROM—” Suddenly she frowned. “Get your dirty little hooves off Trixie’s cookies!”

Pinkie paused, halfway through her fifth cookie, and grinned sheepishly at her new friend. “Oh, sorry! I was listening, I promise! I was just really hungry, and I didn’t want to interrupt you, and I figured ‘well, Trixie’s not here so I can’t ask her but since she’s so nice I’m sure she won’t mind if I have just a couple’ and my hooves are clean I promise!” She waved her free hoof in Trixie’s face as she finished the cookie, but made no move to take another. “See!?”

The unicorn scowled darkly. “I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE, YOU FOALISH PONY!” She heaved a gusty sigh and then crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Time is money, little pony. Tell Trixie what you want or begone!”

Pinkie’s smile shrank, just a little, and her eyes darted to the hat sitting atop Trixie’s head. It looked familiar…suspiciously like…no. No, that couldn’t be. Trixie was nice! A little yellie, but Pinkie had eaten her cookies without asking so that made sense really. “Ohhhhhhh! You’re Trixie? It’s nice to meet you!” She paused for a moment, thinking. “I’m Pinkie Pie, but you knew that already. So now you know twice! Or three times, ‘cause you prob -”

“Pinks, get to the point already. You’re borin’ the nice chu - lady.”

“Oh yeah! Thanks, Rocky.” She looked at Trixie, smile fading a little, and spoke. “Well, it’s not just me. I mean, it’s me too, but it’s also my friends! I need to get home, but they need things that might be even more important! Like Rocky needs a heart, so she can love! Do you think you can help us, Miss Trixie?”

Gummy simply blinked his eyes, first the right, then the left. He wanted to be recognized as the best baritone in Equestria, but he knew it was a foolish hope and buried it deep within his heart and said nothing.

Trixie tilted her head. “First, little pony, you will address Trixie as ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’ or not at all. And second, whaddaya got? Nothing gets you nothing—everything has got a little price.”

“Price?” Pinkie responded through another mouthful of cookie, blinking in confusion. “You mean you don’t help ponies for free? I thought you were like, a big time hero pony! Are you a salespony instead?”

“TRIXIE IS! BUT TRIXIE HAS BILLS TO PAY AND CREDITORS TO HIDE FROM!” She paused and scrutinized the travellers before her with a keen, piercing gaze. “Does this mean you have no money to give to Trixie?”

“Uh….” Pinkie stammered, eyes darting around desperately as she began to feel afraid. “I…I don’t have any money but I can give you….” Gummy whispered in her ear, and her eyes lit up. “I can give you cookies!” She exclaimed in delight, waving the half empty cookie packet around as though it was made of gold. “Everypony loves cookies!”

At that, Trixie was silent for a long, long time. The tension hung in the carriage like something very tense, like a novel that had a lot of tense scenes. Gummy blinked. Sir Lints-a-Lot coughed, one single cough. Madame Le Fleur had to turn her head away, and Rocky allowed the sack of flour to cry into her stony, non-existent shoulder. Pinkie, however, stood firm, gazing into the unicorn’s eyes with a broad grin and unshakeable faith that everything would turn out all right.

And then, finally, at long last, Trixie gave a single nod. And turned them all into newts. Except for the alligator, who inexplicably turned into a light green earth pony with a dark green mane.

Trixie’s heart fluttered, just a little. He was gorgeous. His huge purple eyes fixed onto her, and seemed to say ‘you are my everything.’ She felt a little weak at the knees, but struggled to maintain her poise. “Uh….YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A PONY BODY, WISE ALLIGATOR, AT THE KIND AND GENEROUS WHIM OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” She threw out her hooves, and small spells designed to imitate fireworks erupted around her. “TRIXIE HAS DONE THIS BECAUSE… because… because… BECAUSE SHE HAS SEEN IN YOUR EYES THAT YOU REMEMBER THE PATH HOME, AND CAN GUIDE THESE PONYNEWTS THERE!”

Gummy blinked at the unicorn. Then, with a slow nod, he began singing:

The first, the last, my everything
And the answer to all my dreams
You’re my sun, my moon, my guiding star
My kind of wonderful, that’s what you are …

He swept Trixie up into his forelegs, twirled her around, and then kissed her with a passion heretofore unknown to ponydom. And then he gathered up the little newts around him, gave Trixie a wink, and trotted off into the sunset like the amazing hero he was.

Trixie watched, overcome with sorrow, as he went. As he disappeared over the horizon she called after him “Promise you will come back to THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE?”

But Gummy was already gone.

—-

Like Apple Pie

The Prompt: One of the Mane Six has a twin.

Special Rule: The twin isn’t the result of time travel, changeling shenanigans, or Pinkie Pie’s esoteric powers.

Applejack tore her gaze away from the sight before her and, for only the fifth time in almost twelve years, turned to face her sister. She’d always thought, when she was small, that one day she’d be able to look her twin square in the eye again. And she’d always wanted to do it - to settle things between the two of them once and for all, and make it right. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried, either: twice before she’d made the trip, and tried to talk things out so they could put what had happened behind them and move on. Neither time had gone so well, and both’d ended with Applejack screaming and hollering and driving them further apart. It wasn’t a mistake she planned to make again.

“It’s...sure been a long time hasn’t it, Hon?” There was no answer – no reaction at all. Honeycrisp didn’t even seem to know she was there. She’d been expecting that, of course – if they’d been in each other’s shoes she doubted she’d have much to say either. Still, she had to try. “I guess you already know why I’m here, don’t you? You always were good at figurin’ stuff out, and it ain’t like I’ve had much else to say to you since…what happened did.” She tried to chuckle, to poke fun at her own failings, and regretted it immediately – her sister would, without doubt, take the wrong idea from it.

Honeycrisp didn’t even have to say the words. Applejack knew just what she was thinking.

“Oh yeah, sure is funny how ma and pa are dead. Real laugh riot! And we didn’t even get to say goodbye to ‘em! Joke’s on us, I reckon.”

Then the tears would come, as they always did – except they didn’t, and Applejack almost wished they would. At least then she’d know her sister felt something, know that she was listening. But all she got was cold, indifferent silence.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered softly, turning her eyes back over their home – she found that she couldn’t look at her sister anymore. “I shouldn’t have said that. I wasn’t laughin’ about them, and you know that. I was laughin’ at me.” She felt a lump building up in her throat and swallowed it back down, “You ever hear o’ the elements of harmony, Hon?”

She didn’t get an answer, but she hadn’t really been expecting one. “They’re old magic, like in the stories ma used to tell us – real powerful. More powerful than Princess Celestia herself, I reckon. I met her, you know. She’s real nice – maybe one day you’ll get to meet her. Would you like that?”

After a long pause she sighed, and continued, “Yeah, that’s about what I thought. I know you always wanted to meet her though, when we were little. I told her all about you, last time we talked. She’s… actually the one who put me up to comin’ here. Not that I didn’t want to, you understand.”

This time she really did snort with laughter; it wasn’t much, but it was genuine. “On second thought, nah - you don’t. But you deserve to, and that’s kinda why I’m here. So let me explain, real quick - the elements are magic drawn from the hearts of ponies who embody certain virtues - Generosity, kindness, magic, loyalty, laughter and...well, honesty. Each of ‘em gets bearer, and that pony can use the power of their element to do some mighty impressive things. Like...did you hear Nightmare Moon came back? I guess you probably didn’t. But she did, and the elements stopped her. We stopped her. Me, and my friends...we’re the bearers.”

She could feel her sister staring at her, now. Feel the eyes boring into her like a bird glaring at its breakfast. But she pressed on. There was no going back now. “I’m the element of honesty. Yeah, I know - what a joke. That’s kinda how I felt about it to. The others all tell me there ain’t nopony more deservin’ or more honest - the girls, Big Mac, Granny Smith...and Apple Bloom.”

Her voice cracked, at the last word, and the tears began to flow. “Apple Bloom’s doin’ good. I know you’d want to know that. She...she doesn’t really remember you. She was too little, back then - but I made sure she knows all about you. Knows you loved her. Knows you...well, y’know...saving her. But you know that, I hope. I brought her to visit once, when she was real small. I...I didn’t tell her it was my fault. I couldn’t. I still can’t. She wouldn’t understand, and she needs a big sister she can look up to - one like I had. But I need you to know that I know it. I know I’m to blame, and I ain’t ever forgiven myself. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you, Hon.”

She turned back to the grave, really taking it in for the first time. It was nothing. It meant nothing. It wasn’t her sister, and it never would be. But it was the closest she had, and she just had to hope that wherever Honeycrisp was she could hear her. “I’m sorry, Hon. I’m so, so sorry. I always told myself I’d tell you that, when I was little. That I knew it was my fault. That I knew I’d done wrong. But I couldn’t face you. Always thought it’d be easier when I grew up - lies were somethin’ little ponies did when they needed something to hide behind. You told me that, and I believed you. It...it ain’t true, but I guess you know that by now. No way you could’ve back then - you were a few minutes bigger ‘n me yourself. Turns out, it doesn’t get any easier to stop lyin’ to yourself just because you get older.”

She leaned down, and placed the brooch atop the grave - it was a beautifully carved golden apple, and she’d treasured it for as long as she could remember. “I dunno if you remember this. I bet you do. You never forgot anything. But this - you gave this to me, when I left for Manehattan. You said I had to give it back to you, so I’d have to come home. But by the time I did...”

She let out a long, shuddering breath and tried to keep her voice steady. “I know if you was here you’d tell me to keep it. But I promised I’d give it back to you, and the greatest pony I ever did know taught me that we gotta keep our promises. So I’m keepin’ this one.”

“AJ?” Big Macintosh spoke softly, from not all that far behind her, “Your friends are here. Parties about to start, I reckon.”

Applejack nodded her head without looking away from the gravestone. “I...I wish you could’ve met the girls, Hon. They’re my best friends. My sisters. I bet they’d have been yours, too. They’re part o’ me. But they ain’t my twins. You are - and I’ve neglected you for too long. So I just wanted to you to know - I love you, big sister. Sleep well, okay? I’ll never forget you. Never could.”

She turned, and began to walk away. She stopped just once, and whispered “Happy birthday, Hon.”

And then she was gone - but Honeycrisp stayed right where she was, her parents at her side, gazing out over the beautiful fields of Sweet Apple Acres.

Do it for Love

The Prompt: Despite how easily he changed physical appearance, the changeling remained utterly the same and unvarying on the inside … until the day he met Pinkamena Diane Pie.

The pink pony paced around him, eyes narrowed slightly and face twisted into a frown. He could feel her scrutinizing him, taking in every detail. It was a routine he knew far, far too well by this point. The fastest way to get through it was just to stand there, and hope that this time he’d gotten it just right. That was his usual mistake – he would panic, react badly, and she would know – that had to be it. He knew – knew – that he’d gotten every detail –

“You forgot it again,” she chirped brightly, muzzle suddenly pressed against his own, “Really, you’d think you’d know better by now – I mean, you’re a Changeling! But you’re never gonna fool anypony if you keep forgetting all this stuff, especially not me! I know everypony around here, and I never forget a face. I’m starting to think you’re not even trying!”

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. His mind raced, trying to figure out how he could convince her, how her friend would react if she had – yes. He jumped back, widening his eyes in shock and letting out a loud “Eeeeep!” He forced himself to start sweating, and spoke in that strange, high pitched voice. “W…what are you talking about? Changelings? Where!?”

She blinked at him, and a grin slowly made its way onto her face. And then she was laughing, rolling around on the floor and filling the room with the melody of her perfect, wonderful happiness. He couldn’t help but smile bright, wide smile. Somehow, this made Pinkie laugh even harder – she was clutching at her sides and near convulsing.

“Uhmm….Pinkie, what’s so funny? If I can ask, I mean.”

Pinkie didn’t answer right away – she tried, but she was laughing too hard to speak. It was only as her laughter died down to loud, repeated snorts that he got his answer. “You forgot who you are!” She giggled as she spoke, tears streaming down her face. “You’re doing Fluttershy but you’re not her you’re Dashie!”

He blinked, and slowly looked down at himself. Light blue coat. Tacky but admittedly badass rainbow tail. He was Rainbow Dash, alright. There was only one thing he could say to that.

“….Oh.” He murmured quietly, feeling a blush light up his cheeks as he averted his gaze. It was a rookie mistake – one he shouldn’t have made. He was better than this. He was a changeling. He was a master of deception. He was…being hugged. Or perhaps strangled. He had never quite been able to tell the difference – all he knew was that, whatever she was doing, the flow of love from her was incredibly, unbelievably strong. And she was warm, and soft. That was nice, too.

“Don’t get all pouty,” she whispered in his ear, “I can’t really blame you for forgetting – I mean, you DO turn into ‘Shy a lot. Not as often as Dashie, but you still do it for me. And it’s not like I didn’t give you lots of other things to think about, right? Plus it was like, the funniest thing ever.”

He didn’t respond. She wasn’t allowed to cheer him up. He wanted to pout. She might hug him more, if he pouted.

“I know what you’re doing.” Her voice was sing-song and teasing as she kissed his nose gently. “You’re pouting so I’ll make kissy faces with you! But…you’re really sad too, huh?”

He nodded. Poutily. “Yeah…kinda.”

She nuzzled his neck gently, and he felt his heart beat faster. “Don’t be.” Her voice was stern, but gentle and loving. “I don’t mind if you’re not the most perfectest impressionist. I love YOU, not the ponies you turn into.”

He kissed her then, feeling her love flow into him like fire in his veins. This continued for some time. He wasn’t really counting – but it was long enough for the sun to set. It would have been longer, but as they paused for breath the door creaked open slowly. “P…Pinkie? Are you here? I…I was wondering if I could –“

Fluttershy stared down at them, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Hi, Fluttershy!” Pinkie said with a wave and a smile. He said nothing.

The pegasus’ eyes darted back and forth between them, slow realisation dawning. “…You and…I…um…you and Dash are….oh my. I’m so sorry. I’ll come back another time.”

And then she was gone, a blur moving faster than even Pinkie could – and that sweet, melodious laughter filled the air again.

Everdream

The prompt: Rainbow Dash’s first sonic rainboom gave all of the mane six their cutie marks. What did her second rainboom do?

Once upon a time, there was a dragon.

His name was Balance, and he was the first – creator, father, and progenitor. It was he who, with the aid of the primal forces of Magic, wove creation from the void and gave the gift of life to all the little children his dreams brought him. And what did he ask in turn? Nothing. Only that all the good little children behave – that they live and love, fight and hate and never let Harmony or Chaos hold sway over the land.

Needless to say, his children obeyed for a time – they lived and died as they should have, at the whims of the one who loved them most. But alas! As children tend to do, eventually some grew to be disobedient, ungrateful and cruel. They didn’t fight, or feud, or destroy one another like they were supposed to – their world outlasted its brothers and sisters by aeons, and long past the day it should have ended once and for all. It wasn’t their fault, really – the poor dears are children, barely capable of thought. Their mistake was in following the path of the traitor Magic, who turned the power of Balance against him.

Balance didn’t like that. Not at all. As Magic fostered Harmony throughout the world and Chaos faded more and more, he began to change. The stories will tell you that he went mad, became twisted and bitter – they will tell you to pity poor Balance, for he could not fight against what he was, and was changed. But of course, stories lie – all stories are lies, at least in part, and all storytellers are liars. Balance wasn’t twisted, or destroyed – he evolved. He shifted and twisted to match the cracks that had begun to form in his world, and he made it whole again. In short, he became Discord – Spirit of Chaos, destroyer of Harmony, and the most handsome and intelligent entity in all creation.

Admittedly I am indeed quite mad, but that’s exactly what this world – my world – needs. They can’t see that, being blinded by their petty ‘morals’ and ‘friendship’ but that doesn’t make it any less true. It may in fact make it more true. Or possibly less true. Or equally true. It really doesn’t matter – they have to die, and so I’m going to kill them. Not all at once, of course: that would be predictable. Boring. No no – to undo the damage they’ve done is going to take some truly magnificent artistry on my part. It’s a big job, and it won’t be easy – but that’s all part of the fun. And I’ve had so very long to think over exactly how I’ll do it.

I’ve been sleeping, you see – for a very, very long time. It’s not the first time, and really it probably won’t be the last: for all their boring predictability those ponies are remarkably resourceful. But the point is, I’ve been asleep for a long time – more than a thousand years. More than four thousand. Or less. Whatever. When I dream I create, I destroy – my power is in the very fabric of this glorious tapestry. Dreams have power. And every time those cursed elements put me to sleep, I dream. But things are different, this time. I didn’t just wake up – I was woken up. And by the very force that defeated me – the element of loyalty. Yes, old friend – I felt your call. I remember you well – the grin on your face when you sealed me away. The triumph in your eyes. Dreams of what I’ll do to you have kept me warm, and knowing it is coming is just too delicious for words.

I’m not free yet, of course. But the cracks are showing. And it’s all your fault. I know just how I’ll thank you – I’m going to tear your friends apart, emotionally. Then mentally. Then physically. But not you. You’re going to watch, my little saviour. You’re going to see it all. And believe me when I say you’ll never, ever forget it.

Daddy knows best, after all.

Eternity

The unicorn knew she should be calm. Knew she should be collected, and ordered, and ready to do whatever it took to save her home – no, not just her home. Her world. Her friends, her family – they were gone. Maybe dead. As she remembered the terror that had been etched into her sisters face when the things caught her, the hopelessness and pain as she had begun to fade and then disappeared entirely, she couldn’t help but hope for dead. Nopony deserved whatever those things were doing to everyone. Had done to everyone.

Because she was it, now – she was sure of it. It had been weeks since she had seen any signs of life beyond animals or those things. Not that there was any difference: whatever they were, she had no doubt that they were monsters. And with nopony else around, they were coming for her. Not in waves, or a combined effort – why would they? She was no threat to them, anymore. She was no hero. Just a scared, exhausted kid who’d decided to chase a legend on the off chance it could save her even more frightened sister. And she’d failed at that, too – Star Swirl was gone, and now she was alone in the dark halls of the ancient library, surrounded by cobwebs and dust. Right where she’d always wanted to be.

A laugh escaped her, echoing through the dark, empty place. A broken, defeated sound but one that she had to let out – it really was funny, in a way. All the stories she’d heard – the legends, the songs, the rumours and even the occasional snippet in an old history book – seemed so stupid now. They were kind of thing you told foals so they wouldn’t be afraid of the dark, and she had dedicated her entire life to them.

But what if the monsters eat me?

They won’t. I’m here – I’ll keep you safe, I promise.

But what if you can’t stop them? What if they get you too?

Oh, I’m not afraid. I know just how to fight monsters. Great-Grandpa taught me.

As she had stood atop the mountain and seen for the first time the great tree that towered over the rest of the Everfree forest, her breath had been stolen away. She’d believed, for that one moment, that it had all been true. That six ponies had banded together and saved the world – how many times? Once? Twice? A thousand? She didn’t know. It varied by the telling. All she had known was where to find what was once Ponyville. A dragon had told her that – an honest to Celestia, real life dragon – in his last breaths before he had died peacefully of old age.

He had been happy. But she had cried for weeks.

Grandpa Spike? Really?

Yep. And I’ll never let anything happen to you. You have my word.

Do you…do you Pinkie Promise?

Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.

And so she had trekked through the forest, dodging death and never once looking back – she wished she could claim that was bravery, but really she just hadn’t wanted to glance back and see the things chasing after her. And she had arrived – most of the town was ruins now, overgrown and torn apart by the forest. But not all. Two structures had been completely untouched – the first was the enormous tree, the legendary library of the great Twilight Sparkle. Supposed resting place of the elements of harmony. Dusty, abandoned – and devoid of the one thing she had thought could save them. And the other had been the tomb.

It stood in what must have been the centre of Ponyville – a large, magnificent structure topped with a statue of six grinning friends embracing each other. She had been able to name them all, of course. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and – somehow balanced atop the heads of her friends, striking a pose that could only be some kind of dance – Pinkamena Diane Pie.

She’d been awed. And when she read the inscription she had cried.

The Heroes Who Saved Us All

Divided in life

Reunited, forever

It was a simple thing, but it had struck home. She had heard it of course – the rumour that the elements had not died as friends. But she’d never believed it. It had seemed impossible. And yet Spike had told her once – again insisting that he had known them personally – that they had insisted on being buried together. Even when life broke them apart, he had said, eternity was going to be for them.

She stared down at the tome at her hooves, trying desperately to believe her plan could work. She was no hero – but they were, and maybe – just maybe – they could help.

She opened the book -Theories On Advanced Time Travel by Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie - and began to read.

Cruelty and Lies

Apple Bloom lay huddled in the corner of the room, eyes fixed firmly on the sight before her – she didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see it, but she couldn’t look away. The mouse was screaming, and it wouldn’t stop. It lay on the table, writing in pain and staring up with frightened, pleading eyes at Fluttershy, who stood staring down at it with just a hint of a frown on her face.

The Pegasus leaned close, pressing her cheek against the mouse and whispering softly. “Aw, did you hurt your leg? That’s simply awful. And it looks like it might be broken too.”

The filly couldn’t help but flinch away from that voice, that tone. It didn’t sound right. Fluttershy didn’t sound scared. She didn’t sound worried, or sad, or at all like herself. She sounded excited – like she couldn’t wait for what was coming. And the small smile she gave the mouse as she continued didn’t do anything to make it better.

“But don’t worry, Mr. Mouse. Mama’s here. Mama will make it all better just like before, okay?”

As Fluttershy spoke, she lowered a hoof gently to rest on the mouse’s wounded leg – Apple Bloom saw him freeze, for just a moment, before relaxing. As Fluttershy pulled her face away Mr. Mouse’s eyes followed her, his screaming having dimmed to the occasional pained squeak.

“There’s a good boy.” The Pegasus cooed softly. “Now this might hurt just a little, so you have to be brave, okay?”

The mouse began to squeak it reply, only for it to turn into a shriek of agony as Fluttershy reared up and slammed her hoof down onto his wounded leg with all the strength she had. Apple Bloom felt bile rise in her throat and tore her eyes away and snapped them closed, unable to watch. The mouse continued to scream, and she could hear him scraping against the table as he struggled to get free.

“There there, don’t struggle.” There was a hint of a giggle in that voice now, and Apple Bloom realised that she was terribly, terribly afraid. “It’s hard for mama to fix you when you keep trying to get away like this. You don’t want to make mama angry, do you?” If the mouse heard, if he cared, he didn’t show any sign – the screams continued above Fluttershy’s soft words until, after what felt like an age, the Pegasus sighed. “Well, if that’s how you’re going to be I’ll just have to leave you like this until you calm down. Try to relax, okay? I’m going to go and talk to our guest for a little while.”

The sound of something being slammed down on the table echoed throughout the cottage and Apple Bloom opened her eyes, hoping desperately that it was over. She couldn’t help but take a step back at what she saw – Fluttershy stood not a foot away, a smirk on her face and those horrible, cold grey eyes fixed locked onto her own.

“There’s no need to look so worried,” the Pegasus assured her softly, “Mr. Mouse will be just fine. He just has to calm down a little before I can treat him without making him worse, that’s all.”

“But…can’t you give him somethin’ for the pain?” Apple Bloom’s voice shook as she spoke, “He sounds like he’s hurtin’ real bad!”

“Mmmm.” Fluttershy’s eyes flickered closed as she let out a soft sigh. “He does doesn’t he? He really is suffering.” She shook her head, opening those eyes again and frowning intently. “I’d like to stop him hurting, but I’m going to need him later. And I’m afraid I need all of my anaesthetics for something…” She trailed off, and stared at Apple Bloom for a moment, smile growing just a little wider, “…special.”

The little filly had never been so afraid.

“A…Applejack said I should come here. She said you’d look after me.” Something about that seemed right. Like if Applejack had told her to come it would all be okay.

“Oh, really? That wasn’t very clever of her, but that’s not really a surprise. Did she say why?”

“You ain’t my sister.”

The memory of the words bought tears to her eyes again and she looked away, doing everything she could to fight them back. “She…she told me I ain’t her sister. Or Big Mac’s neither. She said…she said I was adopted.”

“You ain’t my sister, and I don’t want you ‘round here anymore!”

She had begged her s…begged Applejack to let her stay. Begged her to still love her – it didn’t matter to Applejack if they were related, they were still sisters. They loved each other. But Applejack had just scowled.

“Love you? I don’t love you, and I never did. Now get goin’!”

And so she had run. She had fled and come to the one pony she knew would never turn her away, who never had. She had come to Fluttershy, seeking comfort. And instead she had found this.

Fluttershy’s expression changed, and now she looked concerned. With a few steps forward she wrapped a foreleg around Apple Bloom and began to stroke her mane. The earth pony couldn’t help but notice the tiny flecks of blood on her hoof.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry that she said that. I’m sure it’s not true.” Apple Bloom relaxed, just a little. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe Fluttershy would help her after all. Maybe…maybe she didn’t need Applejack anyhow.

“She probably only said you were adopted because she never wants to see you again.” The Pegasus whispered softly, tone reassuring. Apple Bloom tried to pull away, and when that didn’t work she began to cry.

“But why? What’d I do? Why doesn’t she love me anymore?”

“Anymore? Oh, no – she’s always thought that. She told me so. And can you really blame her? All you ever do is run around and cause trouble. I can’t think of anypony who’d want a sister like you. But it was very cruel of her to say it.”

“That – that’s a lie!” Apple Bloom was shouting now, and Fluttershy pulled away a little in shock. “Applejack loves me! She always has! She told me so just this mornin’! And my sister don’t lie!”

Fluttershy smiled, and patted her on the head. “Of course she doesn’t. She’s the element of honesty after all. I guess she just must have changed her mind since then, hmm?”

“Well I gotta make her change it back! You gotta help me! Please?”

The Pegasus nodded happily, “Of course I’ll help. I know just how to make her miss you more than anything! Come with me, and I’ll sh –“ A knock on the door interrupted the Pegasus, and her expression darkened. Lifting herself onto her hooves she glared at the door and called out, voice frighteningly cheerful. “Who is iiiiiiiit?”

“Fluttershy, you open this door right now! I gotta talk to you, an’ I know my little sister’s in there!”

Little sister. The words sent warmth flowing through Apple Bloom, and she took a step towards the door quickly – only to be stopped dead by Fluttershy’s foreleg, still wrapped around her. “Just a moment, Apple Bloom. I need to have a talk to Applejack about treating you properly. Could you step into the other room for just a second?”

Before Apple Bloom could answer the door cracked of its hinges and Applejack burst through, green eyes burning and with Twilight at her side. She glared at the Pegasus for a moment and then snarled. “Fluttershy, I know you ain’t right and we’re here to fix that. But if you don’t get your hooves off of Apple Bloom I’m gonna break a few o’ your teeth in the process.”

As she pulled Apple Bloom even closer to her, Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Quiet Moments

It really was terribly unfair. All the effort she had put into preparing for their rendezvous, the hours she had spent making entirely certain that her hair was perfect, that her coat was immaculate, that her hooves were spotless and that her horn shimmered in the sunlight. Hours of worry and panic and revisions and changes – and it had all been for nothing. As she subtly glanced up from the masterfully prepared sandwich she was eating, she knew she could only admit defeat.

Fluttershy lay in the grass with her eyes closed and the faintest hint of a smile on her face. The light from the setting sun reflected off her coat, illuminating her like an angel. No, illuminating her like a Goddess. Celestia herself could never have compared to Fluttershy. The birds nestled into the Pegasus‘ ravishing pink mane, singing their little hearts out, seemed to agree - Fluttershy was perfect. And she, for all her makeup and dresses and undoubtedly flawless taste, would never be her match. With anypony else, that would have…bothered her, ever so slightly. Perhaps angered her just a touch. Possibly even – oh, who was she kidding? It would have killed her.

But not with Fluttershy. Somehow, whenever she realised all over again just how amazing her closest friend really was, all she could do was smile. And fight the urge to embrace her. And perhaps she occasionally fought the urge to kiss her too. Sometimes.

“Fluttershy?” She finally spoke, the first time that either of them had in close to half an hour – they had done plenty of talking earlier, of course, but when all was said and done they had gotten into the habit of just…lingering. Rarity knew why she did it – every second spent with Fluttershy was another that she got to feel like her soul was aflame and that her heart would burst. She rather suspected that Fluttershy just liked the quiet.

“Mmm?” The Pegasus didn’t open her eyes, and barely moved. It had taken Rarity a long, long time to get used to that. She was used to her timid, frightened friend jumping at every unexpected sound – in all the long years she’d known her, she’d come to expect that. For Fluttershy to simply hum at her – at anypony – and keep smiling was something she’d only been lucky enough to witness recently. And she wanted to know why.

“I don’t mean to be rude, dear, but….are you quite alright? You seem so much….” She paused, struggling to find a word that wouldn’t sound too cruel, “Calmer, lately. It’s lovely, of course - I’m happy for you. But everything is alright, isn’t it?”

Her friend did open her eyes, now. Those beautiful, glimmering orbs – such perfect teal, unlike anything Rarity had ever seen. They were breath taking. And now, they were dancing. As the Pegasus slowly raised her head from the grass and turned it towards Rarity, she was giggling.

“Oh yes.” Her voice was like music, dancing through the air and lighting up the world. Rarity loved it. “Everything’s okay. I promise. It’s…it’s better than okay, really. Um…” Those eyes darted downwards, and Rarity’s heart skipped a beat before she realised that the Pegasus was still smiling. “…I’ve…I’ve been really happy, since we started doing this. I like being here. With you. It’s…nice. Wonderful. And I’m not afraid, when we’re together.”

Never had the unicorn wanted to kiss another pony as badly as she did at that moment. What she wanted – all she wanted – was to throw her forelegs around Fluttershy, hold her close and never let her go. But she couldn’t, of course. It would ruin everything – Fluttershy wouldn’t reciprocate, wouldn’t want her, and she would be afraid. The time she had just confessed she loved so very much would be shattered, irrevocably. And perhaps their friendship would too. So instead she just smiled.

“You have no idea how much it means for me to hear that, darling. I must say, it’s the part of the week I look forward to the most. An ingenious idea, I must say.”

Fluttershy looked up, locking eyes with her, and nodded slowly. “It really was. It was an amazing idea. I’m glad you came up with it.” And with that, the Pegasus darted across the blanket and kissed her.

Rarity froze. Just for a moment. That wasn’t right. She hadn’t been the one to send the note. She’d received one from…from…hmm…as the Pegasus’s kisses became more insistent, Rarity found that she couldn’t remember. And as she fell backwards, sliding her arms around the one she loved, she found that she didn’t care.

——-

Rainbow Dash grinned at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie grinned at Dash. Slowly, quietly they crept out of the bushes and snuck away. As soon as they were out of earshot, Pinkie spun on a hoof and tackled Dash to the ground, hugging her close and giggling like an excited filly. Dash couldn’t blame her, really. It had all gone off without a hitch.

“You were right Dashie! You said it’d work and I didn’t believe you but you were right and you’re the greatest did you see how happy they looked it was like –“

Dash kissed her, mostly to stop her talking. When she pulled away she looked up at her crazy Pink Pony and smirked. “Of course it worked. I knew it would. I didn’t expect it to take them so long, though. And I thought I was stubborn.”

“You are stubborn.” Pinkie nuzzled her. “But that’s okay. You’re an amazing friend, Dashie.”

“Yeah.” Dash nodded, “I know.”

A Strange Game

Pinkie Pie tore through the streets of the city as fast as her legs would carry her, hooves thundering against the surprisingly soft cobblestones and mind racing faster than Rocky when she’d had a little too much sugar. The earth pony supressed a shudder at the recollection and resolved never to let the little rock pile near the sherbet again, but a moment later she forced the troublesome thought, that most perilous of ponderments out of her mind: Rocky wasn’t the point of the story. And still isn’t. The point of the story was her friends, and the nightmare she’d accidentally unleashed upon them.

She veered left around a corner and gasped as a cupcake shot towards her – but this was no ordinary cupcake. It was a super duper mega cupcake – a pastry of pony-sized proportions. Well, it would have been. If cupcakes were pastries. She supposed that evil pie had been too much to hope for. Effortlessly she bounced into the air, executing a perfect triple somersault and landing atop the cupcakes…top. She took a bite and kicked off, sending the dastardly dessert - oooooh, that was a good one – careening frosting first into a big brick bastion, whatever that is, as she had all baked bad bullies before it.

A scream cut through the air, and Pinkie knew immediately who it had come from.

“Help us, Pinkie Pie!” Cried Twilight Sparkle, her unusually high pitched voice somehow echoing across several city blocks. Probably because of magical amplification or something. Though Pinkie had to wonder, how would magical amplification even work? Would it actually make your voice louder, or would it just make it echo more or something? Was Twilight echo-locating! Was she part bat!? That had to be it! It explained everything! Even her name! Especially her name!

Really? It’s not. Oh. Okay. Are you sure? Because it’d be really cool if –

Aw. Well, okay. Twilight isn’t part bat then. Thanks!

Pinkie stopped, and turned her brain – what’s that? Oh! – turned her amazing brain back to the task at hand. She had to do what she was here to do. She had to provide…a distraction.

“Pinkie!” This time it was Rainbow Dash’s voice which rung out over the city, “Hurry up! We’ve all been captured and had our special powers somehow taken away, rendering us helpless!”

The pink pony wondered how that had happened.

“How did that happen?” She called out, curiously.

A voice in her ear interrupted her question, and she turned to see Fluttershy beside her. You know…if um…if that’s okay with you. I…I can go away if –

Pinkie immediately tackled the perfect Pegasus, pinning her to the ground and kissing her repeatedly, giggling as she did so because she was so happy to see her! Of course it’s okay, silly.

Oh…oh my. Um…Mwah. Fluttershy kissed Pinkie, but then reminded her that they had friends to save.

Oh yeah! Pinkie was on her hooves in a flash, off down the street as fast as she could go, which wasn’t as fast as Fluttershy because wow that pony could move but that was okay because it gave her a great view and –

Pinkie!

And she meant of the city, duh! It wasn’t all blurry from how fast she was going.

Aw, come on. Don’t give me that look. You know you want to smile for me. Go on.

There we go!

As Pinkie charged up the street she – AH! No! What are you doing!? You put me down right now mister!

Aw, it’s okay. He just wants to play too!

How can it be okay!? He’s eating me! HELP ME FLUTTERSHY!

Fluttershy watched as the pony she…um, you know…

Say it! Sayitsayitsayitsayit!

…the pony she loved was lifted high into the air by the powerful jaws of the giant attack-alligator, no doubt sent by their enemies to stop them rescuing their friends. Fluttershy was sure he wasn’t a bad alligator really, he was just bored. So she asked him very nicely:

“Gummy, could you PLEASE give me back Pinkie Pie?”

——-

The alligator blinked up at them, expression unchanging, before slowly opening his jaws and allowing the tiny Pinkie Pie figurine to clatter to the ground. As Fluttershy smiled and kissed Gummy gently on the head, Pinkie whooped loudly and snatched up the toy. “Thanks you thank you thank you! You’re the best!”

The Pegasus smiled, cheeks reddening slightly as she mumbled something under her breath. As Pinkie threw her forelegs around her, Fluttershy felt warm, and loved, and happy. She cast a quick glance towards Pinkie’s bed, where her book lay forgotten and abandoned, and then looked back into Pinkie’s breath taking eyes.

“Thanks for coming to play with me today, Fluttershy.” The pink pony whispered.

Fluttershy grinned at her. “You’re welcome,” she spoke softly, before picking up the tiny Fluttershy figurine and pressing its face into the tiny Pinkie’s own.

——-

“I’m so glad you’re okay! I was so worried!”

“I’m just fine, Flutters! Now come on! We got friends to save!”

General Confusion

Pinkie glared out over the battlefield through her oversized dark glasses, face set in a grim line and a lollipop clenched tightly between her teeth. The glare was important. Rainbow Dash has said so. Ponies would respect her if she glared and didn’t smile, and even if Pinkie didn’t normally like being a meanie pants this time it was super-duper important that she have the attention and respect of her soldiers. This battle was vital and - even if she felt kinda mean for saying it – getting them to focus on anything for more than a few seconds was really, really tough even at the very bestest of times.

And this was not the very bestestest of times.

She turned to stare at her loyal soldiers, the ones she had fought with, died with, partied with and written at least four musicals with. They stared back – one pair of ferocious purple eyes and one blank, emotionless face. Neither betrayed a hint of fear. The party pony smiled. Neither the alligator nor the small pile of rocks smiled back. But that was okay, she could tell they were excited.

“Rocky! Bob! The time has come! The moment is now! The hour of triumph is at hoof!” She paused and poked out her tongue for just a moment, chewing it thoughtfully. “Well I mean the moment isn’t now as in that moment back there it’s now as in real soon as in we gotta hurry and get ready! Now, I’m afraid I have some bad news.” She fixed them with her best solemn expression and sighed softly, letting the very real disappointment she felt seep into her words, “General-Super-Amazing-Danger-Dash of the Wonderbolts won’t be joining us today. She says Fluttershy’s friend Sam had chicks, and that helping Fluttershy with eagles sounded more awesome than helping us with bugs.” She paused, waiting for the disappointed groans. Gummy blinked up at her, anguish burning in his eyes, well Rocky managed to remain stone-faced.

She giggled at her own joke, and then continued, “Ants have infested Sugarcube Corner, and since Mrs Cake thinks it’s all my fault even though it totally isn’t because I never leave sugar open because there’s never any left by the time I’m done baking we have to eradicate this menace once and for all!”

She leaned down close to Rocky and poked her gently, “You got that, soldier?”

“Yeah, sure thing Pinks. But I –“

“That’s GENERAL PINKIE! But it’s okay if you call me Pinks. I mean, we’re friends right?”

“…Uh, yeah. Sure thing, Pinks. But anyways, I was thinkin’ that this seems kinda…not your style. You don’t usually do the whole violence thing. What’s the deal?”

Pinkie snorted and patted Rocky on the head. Top rock. She was pretty sure it amounted to the same thing. “We’re not using violence, silly! We’re using food. Each of you has been equipped with two cookie crumb launchers. Using the delicious devices, we’re going to create a tantalising trail too tempting to pass up! Those cute little ants will march right out of the bakery! Fluttershy’s coming over later to help us with ant proofing! Isn’t that exciting!?”

Rocky stared at Gummy. Gummy stared at Rocky. No words were needed. They both knew that they would rather be somewhere – anywhere – but here. But neither of them even considered turning their back on the pink pony they both loved so much.

Rocky gazed up at Pinkie with a smirk, and snapped off a salute. Gummy stared into space, tail wiggling slightly, as he contemplated doubtless magnificent strategies that would assure them victory.

They charged as one – Pony, gator and rock. One again, just as they had always been.

A Gift From The Moon

Pipsqueak was smiling, a broad, glowing smile that stretched across his face as he bounced up and down where he stood babbling excitedly. Gently, she placed a hoof atop his head and guided him back down to the earth, hoping fervently that his youthful merriment had not drawn attention to their hiding place.

Pipsqueak was smiling, and his smile was infectious. Like a plague it spread, down through his tiny hooves and across the ground, worming its way up through her and coming to rest in her heart. Pipsqueak was smiling, and Luna smiled with him.

The pair watched silently from within the leafy embrace of one of the many bushes that had come to dot the area now called Ponyville during her long absence, eyes fixed upon the door to the schoolhouse. Both were trembling with excitement – Pipsqueak for the coming fruition of his old and secret dream, and Luna in simple delight at the joy she was about to bring to the young pony who had shown her that ‘twas not the whole world that saw her as a monster.

The door creaked open, and the face of the teacher appeared in the doorway. Luna had to repress a royal giggle as she recalled the expression on that one’s face when she had strode into the school before the rising of the sun and informed her that Pipsqueak would not be in attendance. Certainly she was no monster, but would be dishonest to say that she did not sometimes enjoy the awe in her subject’s faces at the sight of their Princess.

The little ponies began to depart the structure one by one, and she watched them. A portly grey colt, exiting alone – the expression on his face made Luna consider inviting him to join them, but ‘twould have been too great a risk to their cover – a white and red filly with a cutie mark of candy canes. Perhaps some relation to Pinkamena Diane Pie. The littlest Apple. A small white unicorn singing softly as she went. And two fillies, one grey and one pink, gazing at the ponies around them with nothing but contempt.

To her surprise it was then that her young companion tugged at her leg and whispered, “That’s her! Diamond Tiara! She’s the one!”

Luna couldn’t help but curl her lip slightly at the questionable taste exhibited by a colt she intended to one day have in her guard, but the choice was not hers to make. She forced a small, dignified smile onto her face and whispered “Then let us go forth and claim her heart,” before she burst forth from the bush and stood towering over the tiny, terrified fillies.

“LADY DIAMOND TIARA!” She greeted them calmly “WE ARE HONOURED TO INFORM THEE THAT THOU HAST GARNERED THE ATTENTION OF THE KINDEST AND MOST NOBLE COLT IN ALL OF PONYVILLE. AS YOUR PRINCESS WE HAVE GIVEN HIM OUR ROYAL FAVOUR, AND HE HAST REQUESTED THAT YOU BE INVITED TO A FEAST!”

The pink filly stared up at her, shaking violently, as the grey one bolted away down the road as fast as her hooves would carry her. Frowning, Luna cleared her throat and tried again.

“I apologise if I was somewhat overenthusiastic. My dear friend Sir Pipsqueak was wondering if you would do him the honour of joining him for dinner at the palace this evening.”

The filly didn’t stop shaking, but her eyes widened and she bobbed her head up and down with a sob and let out a choked “Okay.”

Luna smiled. And she knew that Pipsqueak was smiling, too.

———

Pipsqueak was smiling as he gazed across the table at her, eyes wide and bright with love and adoration. It was not often that Luna saw that expression, on any face, and so she allowed herself to bask in it for just a moment. Then she bowed to him, face solemn. After a short moment, he returned the gesture, as was tradition.

“PIPSQUEAK OF PONYVILLE.” She began softly, “THOU HAST BEEN CHOSEN, ONE FROM AMONG THE MANY, AS THE FIRST IN A MILLENIA TO ENTER INTO THE RANKS OF THE PERSONAL GUARD OF LUNA, PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA AND MAIDEN OF THE NIGHT! DOST THOU ACCEPT THIS CHARGE, KNOWING THAT YOU MAY NEVER AGAIN RETURN TO THE LIFE YOU ONCE KNEW?”

For a moment, Pipsqueak hesitated. And then his face became grim, and he nodded firmly. “I accept, Princess Luna.”

Unable to help herself she reached over and pulled him into a tight embrace, proud tears trailing down her face as she whispered. “I’m so proud of you, little one.”

And then she cleared her throat and continued. “THOU HAST CHOSEN A PONY THAT YOU FEEL IS A DRAIN ON EQUESTRIA, WHOM BY THE VERY DRAWING OF EACH BREATH IS A BURDEN UPON OUR FAIR NATION. WE, WHO RULE OVER THIS LAND, HAVE ABSOLUTE FAITH IN YOUR JUDGEMENT, AND THE SENTENCE HAS BEEN PASSED.”

As her gaze fell on the shaking, terrified filly Luna felt a momentary pang of regret. She pushed it aside – if Pipsqueak claimed this filly was evil, Luna had to believe him. And there was no going back now.

“THIS PONY SHALL DIE BY YOUR HOOVES, AND IN DEVOURING HER HEART AND HER FLESH YOU SHALL ALSO GAIN THE MAGIC THAT FLOWS THROUGH HER VEINS. WHEN NOT A SCRAP REMAINS I WILL USE MY POWER TO BESTOW UPON YOU THE GIFT OF THE CHANGE, AND THOU SHALT BE BOUND TO MY SERVICE FOREVER!”

Pipsqueak nodded, and picked up the knife with shaking hooves. Luna watched as he began to cut, his technique brutal and ineffective. The screams of this filly would haunt her for many years to come. But she was a necessary sacrifice. As they had all been.

Luna smiled, and her smile was infectious. Pipsqueak grinned up at her as Diamond Tiara finally stopped screaming, and he began to feast.

A Study In Nonsense

Twilight sat in the center of the library, ostensibly poring over the huge volume that Pinkie had shoved into her hooves the day before, giggling in delight and bouncing in place— Sentient Rocks: the age old question by Amethyst Claire Pie. It really was a fascinating volume - the idea of sentient rocks was completely illogical, of course, but Twilight had known as much as soon as she had made the connection between the author and her bouncing pink friend. But where she had been expecting rambling, disjointed arguments that somehow made perfect sense what she actually found were dry, scientific observations concerned only with the facts of the case. It had struck her as odd, until Pinkie had pointed out the dedication with a gleeful squeal of “Look look look she dedicated to to me!”

Dedicated to my sister, Pinkamena, in the hopes that it will help her see sense.

For a while Twilight had just sat there, dumbstruck and wondering what Pinkie could possibly have done that had inspired her sister to pen an entire volume dedicated to proving her wrong. The book was no small undertaking – years of research had to have gone into writing it, and Pinkie’s delighted reaction suggested that it hadn’t been done out of spite. But the question had been pushed from her mind rapidly as the pink pony had bounded past her and started pulling books off the shelf at random, tossing them into a neat pile in the center of the room.

“Pinkie! What are you doing!?”

“Research! I mean, she went through so much trouble and it’’d be mean of me not to write a rebuttal. Mom always told us that when somepony does something nice for you – hey, Spike! Do you have anything by Professor Snuggleton?”

As her eyes trailed over the same line for the thousandth time, as she again failed to actually absorb the information she was reading, a small smile appeared on Twilight’s face. Her whole day had been spent watching and assisting Pinkie with her research. This had mostly consisted of answering the questions Pinkie had mumbled aloud to herself as she pored over the books, penning dozens upon dozens of pages of notes.

She had spent hours and hours discussing theories supporting the idea that rocks had souls too, and were every bit as alive as ponies. Ridiculous, slightly unsettling completely insane theories nopony in her right mind could ever believe – and she had loved it. By the time Pinkie had disappeared into the night with a loud gasp, taking a number of Twilight’s books with her, she had almost been convinced.

That infuriated her. She was a clever mare. A reasonable, logical mare. She knew rocks were just that – rocks. They were not alive. They didn’t even have brains! And yet she had had to spend an hour before bed reminding herself that it was completely impossible. And now she was sitting here, reading a book dedicated to disproving the idea, just to get the last scraps of doubt out of her mind.

And it wasn’t working because all she could think about was that insane, hyperactive, cloyingly charismatic persistently painful perfect pink pony. Her beautiful blue eyes, her shining smile and her…

Twilight caught herself before she could finish the thought, cheeks suddenly burning red as she chastised herself internally. She had to stop doing that. She wasn’t allowed to like Pinkie. They weren’t compatible. Statistically, they were doomed to fail – she knew it. She had run the numbers herself, time and time again. And she had nopony to go to for help.

Rarity would insist that she attempt some grandiose plan to sweep the party pony off her hooves, giggling all the while at Twilight’s insistence that she didn’t really know how she felt yet and pushing her into a place she was entirely uncomfortable going. Dash would roll her eyes at her and then race off to tell Pinkie, firmly believing that the problem would resolve itself. Fluttershy…would be hurt. Terribly. Applejack would tell her to be honest, and that idea terrified her more than Rarity’s hypothetical suggestion. The only pony that could have helped her – the pony that had always helped her with feelings like this – was Pinkie Pie. And that was simply not an option. She couldn’t just march up to the pony she maybe kind of liked and —

She was interrupted by a series of loud, repeated knocks on the door accompanied by that musical, melodious voice she had come to know so well. The one that echoed in her head like a drum, making it ache like almost nothing else could. The one that set her on edge and made her a little grumpy just on principle – the principle being that the pony it was attached to shouldn’t be allowed to make so little sense.

“Twiliiiiiiiiiiight. Open up! I need your help!!” Came the amazingly loud whine from the other side of the door, the excitement in it barely dimmed by the hitch it held. Her heart skipped a beat, and she had to take a deep breath to prevent her running to the door. Instead she sat for a moment, as the thundering on the door continued, to allow her blush to fade. Then, slowly, she lifted herself up onto her hooves and dimmed the idiotic grin that had appeared on her face to a smaller, more proper smile. Then she trotted across to the door and slowly pulled it open – only for a pink hoof to come to a dead stop less than a millimeter from her muzzle. She froze where she stood for a moment, eyes fixed on the hovering hoof, waiting for it to finish its approach and for the inevitable pain it would bring with it. And approach it did, as Pinkie Pie booped her gently on the nose.

“Hi Twilight! It’s good to see you again. It took you forever to get to the door though - you weren’t sleeping, were you?” The pink pony tilted her head, hoof still resting gently on Twilight’s nose. It smelt like flour, and Twilight had to fight back a sneeze. After letting it rest there for a moment of long, awkward silence Twilight took a step back, forcing herself to look irritated.

“Hi Pinkie. Sorry – I was just reading that book your sister wrote. It’s really very –” She began, hoping that the party pony wouldn’t call her bluff. She needn’t have worried; Pinkie Pie had other things on her mind. Such as the book she had extracted from…apparently nowhere at all and was now waving in front of Twilight’s face.

“I bought you a present! It’s a book! We wrote it! I thought you’d want a copy since you like books and you did help me write it and all so I figured it was only fair! So here you go, one copy of –” She was cut off by the unicorn enveloping the book in a magical field and snatching it away.

“…Treatise on Rockyus Pieicus by Professor Snuggleton and Doctor Sprinkles?” She stared at Pinkie flatly, for just a moment, as the Pink Pony bobbed her head up and down excitedly.

“Yup! You’re Doctor Sprinkles! I thought it was the perfect name because you’re such a smarty pants and it sounds like your name. Sparkle, Sprinkle, Sparkle, Sprinkle. See? I was going to call you Tutti-Fruiti but it just didn’t sound right.”

“Uh….huh.” Twilight turned the book over, mumbling absentmindedly. “Pinkie, this book is a thousand pages at least. Did you really write this whole thing yesterday?”

“Sure did! But you helped a bunch! Hey Twilight, what do you do when you like somepony?”

“You ask them out.” She muttered, adding, “This isn’t possible. Is…is this published? Did you publish this? I can’t have this attached to my name Pinkie!”

“It’s not attached to your name silly. It’s attached to Doctor Sprinkles! And I guess to Rocky’s too. Hey, do you want to go out sometime?”

“I’d love to.” She said it without thinking, opening the book and flipping through the pages as she spoke. “Pinkie, this is really impressive. How did you do this?”

“Awww. Thanks, Sprinkles! I’m really glad you like it. It was really hard, but it was all worth it if you like it! So, when they say yes what comes next?”

“Hm? I dunno. Kissing and stuff, I guess.” She blinked, and thought for a moment about what she had just said. Then what she had said before that. And before that. Slowly, she turned to stare into the wide, shining eyes that belonged to that paradoxical pony. “Wait, what did you just say? Did you just…?”

Pinkie kissed her then, and the book fell to the floor with a thud. That was okay. There would be time for books later. Right now, she had nonsense to attend to.

Baking With Dashie

Try as she might, Pinkie Pie couldn’t stop grinning – and try she had, because today was a serious day and it called for serious ponies. Today she stood alone, and had her second chance. Today she would prove herself worthy, and show those around her that she wasn’t just a silly, goofy, ridiculous pony that liked to throw parties – she was a super duper silly filly party pony goofball who could be counted on.

Today, Pinkie Pie stood in the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner - and it belonged to her.

Well, it didn’t actually belong to her – it still belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Cake really, what with it being their bakery and all, but that wasn’t really the point well it kinda was because she didn’t want anypony to think that she was some kind of bakery thief ‘cause that would make ponies think she couldn’t be trusted because really what kind of pony would steal a bakery? Not her, that was for sure – though if she did steal a bakery she’d go down in history as the pony who could steal whole entire buildings. That, she decided, would be the single best prank in history – just as long as she put everything back later. Maybe with more cookies. Or maybe with less. It really depended on how hungry she got.

But the pranks would have to wait. Today the Cakes had been kind enough to give her another chance even after she practically poisoned all those poor ponies the last time they’d left her in charge — at the thought her grin faltered, just a little, but didn’t disappear. She’d let everypony down before. Especially Applejack — Applejack was the best baker in Ponyville, and Pinkie had completely ruined her cupcakes! Sure, Twilight said it was Applejack’s fault but she knew her purple pal was just trying to make her feel better; there was no way Applejack would ever have made a mistake like that. Nopony would. Except dumb old Pinkie Pie.

No! Thinking like that was bad! That was a bad place for thoughts to go, especially her thoughts. She didn’t really want to relive her last episode, when she’d grabbed up all those…things and decided they were alive. She’d really believed it too – the flour sack, the turnips, the dust ball…. Poor Gummy had been terrified, and Rocky hadn’t spoken to her for weeks afterwards! Today was a happy day for happy thoughts. She was going to prove she could be counted on, and that she wasn’t just a Ponyville’s Premier Party Pinkie but also – in the words of her Rainbow – the best, most badflank baker ever.

Pinkie didn’t really know if she wanted to be badflank; if she was being honest she wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but she was pretty sure she wanted to be goodflank, not badflank. But that was okay; when Dashie had stopped laughing she had patted Pinkie on the head and promised her with that cute little grin that she was ‘totally that too.’

The thought of Dashie made her smile grow just a little bit wider, and as she spun where she stood mixing bowl in hoof, she was positively beaming. There sat Dashie, a tiny little chef’s hat perched atop her tiny little head and a wooden spoon casually leaning on her shoulder as she struggled valiantly to stir the mix. She wasn’t getting very far, but that was okay – Dashie meant a lot to Pinkie, and that she’d gone to all this trouble to help her almost made her start crying again. But at least this time they were happy tears.

On impulse she set the bowl down and pulled little Rainbow Dash into the tightest, warmest, bestest hug she had in her, remembering all over again how lucky she really was.

It had been Fluttershy who gave her the doll, originally, as a present for she and Dashie’s first anniversary – she’d given Dashie one too, but that was of Pinkie and not of Dashie so it really wasn’t quite as special as her one was. Ever since she’d gotten it little Dash had gone everywhere with her – much to the embarrassment of big Dashie, who didn’t really like it very much when Pinkie pulled out her tiny twin in public and started doing the voice.

But this morning she hadn’t been able to find her. Or the real Dashie either. She had woken up and they’d both been gone and she’d been so scared because her and Dashie had been fighting when she’d gone to sleep and she had to make sure they weren’t still fighting and make it all okay because she’d said things she didn’t mean and she really hoped that Dashie hadn’t meant some of what she said and…and...

Pinkie bit down on her lip to stop the tears coming fresh, and focused on what had happened next instead. She’d been sitting downstairs just before the bakery opened, crying like the silly filly she was, when a tiny little head had popped up over the edge of the table and stared straight at her with bright purple button eyes.

“What’s wrong Pinkie? Why’re you crying?” It had asked, adorable blue bobbing as it did so. She had stared at it in wonder for a moment before she had answered, barely able to believe her eyes.

“I…I thought you were gone. I thought I’d never see you again. I…I thought you hated me!” She had tried to keep the hitch from her voice, but hadn’t quite succeeded. Without a word the little doll had climbed up, all on her own, and raced across the table to latch onto Pinkie’s face and nuzzle her.

“Oh,” Said the voice from behind her as a hoof came to rest on her back, rubbing it softly, “Nah, I don’t hate you. That’s dumb – I’d never hate you, but especially not for wanting me to be here on your big day! I mean, that what I wanted too. They just kinda….conflicted is all.”

“You mean it?” She had whispered.

“Yep, sure do. And…I’m sorry I said this was less important than my trials. It’s not.”

“But it is! This might be your only chance to impress the Wonderbolts and I’m being all greedy and selfish and I shoulda –“

“You should’ve let me know a little sooner is what you should have done – and that’s the only mistake you made. You’re like, the least selfish pony I know – except maaaaaybe Fluttershy. And that’s only a maybe. And what you want matters just as much as what I want. Heck, it might matter more.”

“No! It can matter the same, but it doesn’t matter more!”

She had felt the Pegasus shrug as Dashie’s forelegs wrapped around her middle and squeezed her gently. “The point is, stuff happens. Just because we’re gonna be apart doesn’t mean we don’t love each other, right?”

Pinkie had nodded, pressing closer to the one she loved, and mumbled, “I’m sorry I said you didn’t care.”

“Don’t sweat it, Pinkie. I know you didn’t mean it. I’m sorry I called baking dumb. It’s not.”

“I know, silly. I’m sorry I called you a buttface.”

Dash had snorted then and kissed her gently on the cheek, “To be fair, I was totally being a buttface.”

Pinkie had grinned then, giggling as she spoke. “Totally.”

They had laughed together, for a while, and then Pinkie had reached up to detach the little doll from her face and look at it. “Dashie, I’m not imagining things am I? Dashie moved, right?”

“Heck yeah she did! When I got up this morning I didn’t want to ditch you on your big day, you know? But I didn’t know what to do, ‘cause I need this too. And then, awesome as I am, I figured it out! I grabbed Danger Dash here and I got the egghead to magic her up! So she’s gonna stay and help you out today – I’ll be right here with you the whole time!”

Pinkie hadn’t said anything for a long moment, staring at the doll as it leaned against the wall and tried to look cool. It was too adorable to really pull it off, but that just made her love it even more.

“Dashie?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re the best pony ever. You know that, right?”

“Yep. But thanks for saying it anyways.”

“I love you, Dashie.”

“I love you too, Pinkie.”

Awakening

Flying.

She remembered flying, from before. She had had wings then. Or she thought she had. It was hard to be sure, anymore. She had been so many things. Some had flown. Some had not. Once she had been a butterfly, dancing from flower to flower with shredded wings as an army of bees chased her, intent on ripping her apart. Once she had been a dragon, soaring through the sky raining fire down on a village full of screaming yellow ponies. They had cried and wept and called her by name.

It seemed strange to her, that she couldn’t remember her name anymore. Did she have a name? She had had one once, but she had lost it somewhere along the way. Did that mean it wasn’t hers, anymore? She didn’t know. There were a lot of things she didn’t know anymore. Her name. What face she wore. Who the ponies around her were, and why she had seen them in her dreams. Why her body didn’t change from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute. Why she hadn’t died yet, to begin again as something else.

But she knew that she wanted to fly.

They knew it too. She had seen it in their worried eyes and heard it in their hushed whispers. They were afraid. Were they afraid for her? Or were they afraid of her, of what she would find? She didn’t know. But she did know some things. She knew that the yellow pony, the one who had died screaming times beyond counting and yet seemed unchanged, cried over her. She had heard the apologies that one whispered, when she thought she was sleeping.

She wasn’t sleeping. She never slept anymore. Life was a dream now – maybe always had been – and so she didn’t need to close her eyes.

She knew the blue one had bought her here, taken her from where she belonged. And she knew she hated her for it. Things had been simple before. Run, don’t walk. Walk, don’t run. Save them, kill them, love them, burn them. Don’t bend. Don’t break. Do whatever it takes to survive, and then die anyway. No time for thought. No time to know.

But she knew things now. And she knew that she was empty inside. No thoughts. No memories, No soul. Something was missing, and she didn’t know how to find it. She had tried. She had wandered and wandered until her strange, weak body failed her. She had collapsed in the dirt and lay there for days waiting for him to find her, only for the pink one to pick her up and carry her back here. To the box.

It was small and quiet and loud and fearful, just like…

Like what?

It didn’t matter. Except that it was all that mattered. Here, in this place, with only her thoughts echoing through the terrifying sameness of the dark room, something gnawed at her mind like the rats that had gnawed at her flesh. But this was worse, somehow. There had been pain, there. Real. Visceral. Something to grasp at in a world made of shadows.

Here it was different. Here she was the shadow in a world made of realities.

But she knew things now. Some of them were things she had been. Some of them were things she had done. People, places, nightmares and endings. But above it all, as she stared through the window at the grey, swirling sky – ever changing and yet still so very much the same – she knew longing.

In the centre of the storm it sat. A pale fortress filled with flashes of light that roared like a dragon. Tall, proud and fading. It changed, when she looked away. Pieces shifted. Rearranged themselves. Fixed themselves. Crumbling walls became tall spires became demons became doorways became dancing lights that split the sky, breaking it apart before fading away. Perhaps they were shadows too. She didn’t know.

But she wanted to. Because she knew things now, and above all the things she knew she knew that that place – that swirling nightmare in a world not its own, a bastion of chaos and an echo of him – was meant for her. Perhaps it would contain her memories. Or her name. Perhaps it would whisper to her, and tell her why her heart ached whenever the yellow one was near. Perhaps it would burn her, destroy her, cast her down. Perhaps she would be like the lights, and find out what she was meant for in the instant before she faded away.

That would be okay. Somewhere deep inside her, she knew. She had already done what she was meant for. She had already played this game. She didn’t know it she had won or lost, just that she had left the board early.

And she had cheated, if he was to be believed. That was okay, too. As long as she had won. Winning was all that mattered to her, now.

And that was the why, wasn’t it? The one constant she held within her. Winning was all that mattered…and that was wrong. She wanted other things to matter. She wanted to find the laughter and the joy that she could hear but not feel. She wanted to be whole again.

The thing…the ruin…was a challenge, meant for her. That was good. She liked challenges. Perhaps she hadn’t always, but she did now. And she’d beaten them before. Beaten him before. Never for long, and she always paid for it. But something told her that here, in this strange, static world, once would be enough.

She leaned forward, hooves shaking in anticipation, and pushed the window open. They didn’t think she could do that, anymore. They had sealed it. But it opened this time. Because he wanted it to. She was playing right into his hands.

As she pushed herself from the window and forced her tired, aching, clumsy wings to carry her up, she felt a flicker of fear. She hadn’t been afraid for a very long time. Fear was good. Real things were afraid sometimes. And she would be real again. Or she would be nothing.

As she forced herself onwards the sky came ever closer, a swirling expanse of blackness and sound that rushed forth to consume her.

The sky was falling, and Daring Do rose to meet it.

Guardian Angel

Walking sucked at the best of times – it was slow, boring, and it took forever to get where you were going. Ever since she’d first taken to the sky she’d made it a point to never, ever walk if she didn’t have to: flying was just better, and that meant walking was a waste of time. That’s what she’d told herself, anyways. Until she met ‘Shy. Walking hadn’t been so bad, after that. Still slow, and still pointless…but maybe she’d kinda liked taking her time and just talking with ‘Shy.

Maybe. A little. Whatever.

The point was that walking officially sucked, and today it had raced right into sucktown, gotten elected mayor and declared that every stupid step had to hurt like being punched in the face by a griffon. But at least she had somepony to lean on – even if it had to be the last pony in Cloudsdale she wanted to talk to right now. Which it wasn’t. But Dash was pretending it was, and as far as she was concerned it was the same thing.

She took another step, and hissed as pain shot through her – not the worst pain she’d ever been in, but enough that she let out a short string of bad words as her legs buckled under her. She didn’t fall, though – the bigger, dumber yellow pony beside her held her steady, one wing draped over her like she was a baby that needed protecting. It was humiliating, and she didn’t need it. She didn’t need help, she didn’t need friends, and she didn’t need saving.

And yet that treacherous voice in the back of her mind kept whispering “It’s nice though, isn’t it? Knowing someone will save you?”

And the rest of her almost wanted to agree. That was…bad. Stupid. Stupid of her, and stupid of Fluttershy. Sure, the other Pegasus had dragged her away from the Griffons – raced in and pulled her right out of the centre of them, moving a whole heck of a lot faster than Dash had ever seen her move. Sure, she’d carried her into the empty school before her wings had failed and they’d had to land. And sure, she’d had no real reason to do it. But that didn’t mean Dash had to be grateful. She knew the Pegasus had to have her own reasons – maybe she liked having a little blue bodyguard, and knew Dash couldn’t do that if her wings were broken.

Though she was pretty sure at least one of them was broken. And one of her legs, too – it felt the same as last time, at least. Whatever. The point was that ‘Shy hadn’t done it for her. She couldn’t have – she wasn’t allowed to have. Ponies didn’t help her, and she didn’t help ponies. She was out for herself, just like everypony else.

“Dash? Are you okay?” The timid, quavering voice cut through her thoughts and she pointedly ignored it, keeping her eyes dead ahead as she took another step. “Um…I mean…I know you’re not okay, of course, but do you think you can keep going? You’re slowing down, and it looks like you’re hurting an awful lot.”

She didn’t answer – wouldn’t answer. She didn’t need to be babied, and she wasn’t gonna let it happen. Not now and not ever. She was Rainbow Danger Dash, and the world was never going to forget it.

“If…if you don’t answer me I can’t tell how you’re doing. I mean, if you need to stop we can – but we need to do it now. They’ll find us soon.”

Dash still didn’t answer. If she kept her mouth shut, everything would be okay. ‘Shy would get scared and race off, just like everypony else did. She’d be safe. Sure, Dash’d end up with a few more scars and she’d be stuck on the ground for a while, but the Griffons didn’t care about ‘Shy anymore. They wanted Dash – she knew for a fact she’d at least put a crack in the big ones beak.

“Rainbow Dash, you need to answer me right now. Please. Otherwise I’ll have to find out for myself.”

She took another step forward. Fluttershy let her go. As her legs buckled under her and she collapsed to the ground with a sharp cry, she heard the stupid traitor whisper “I’m sorry, Dash.”

But what came next surprised her. Fluttershy didn’t run, even with the taunts from the idiots chasing them getting louder and louder. Instead the Pegasus lifted her slowly back to her hooves and led her into a side room – just a small classroom, with some desks and a window and a closet. Any other day she’d have bolted for the window but today, unable to fly and barely able to walk, all the room was to them was a dead end.

If Fluttershy realised this she didn’t show any sign of it, kicking the door closed behind them and looking around the room as she chewed her lower lip. Dash had to roll her eyes at that – even when she was being stupid, ‘Shy couldn’t seem to help being adorable.

“So what now, Shy?” She was a little surprised to hear herself speak, but she supposed it was okay. They were dead anyways – might as well go down in good company. “We sit in a box and wait for them to find us?”

Fluttershy looked at her and, with a small smile that somehow made her believe it would all be okay, said, “Yes. That’s it exactly.”

There was no good answer to that. So she went with her old standby.

“What?”

‘Shy didn’t answer, instead guiding her over to the closet which sat in the far corner of the room with the key still in the door.

“Dash, do you trust me?”

“Yeah, of course I do.” She lied easily as the other pony pulled the door open.

“I’m glad. Then I need you to listen to me, okay? You’re going to get inside here and I’m going to lock you in. They’ll be here soon – but if you stay quiet they won’t notice you. You saw me earlier – you know I can move fast enough to get them away, and then I can come back for you. What do you say?”

“No.” She hissed it sharply, glaring at the other pony. She wasn’t about to let her only friend do something so dumb – and there was no guarantee ‘Shy would ever come back for her.”

“Oh. Um…I see.” Fluttershy frowned, a little, and then let out a low sigh. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. I wish it hadn’t come to this.”

“Come to wh –“ Her words were cut short by a squeal of pain as Fluttershy let her go and she landed heavily on the hard floor of the closet. Before she could react the other pony had shut the door and she heard the key click in the lock.

“Let me out of here right now!” She tried to shriek, but all that came out was a scared, frightened whisper. Fluttershy didn’t answer, but she heard the door to the classroom open, and then close. A few moments later she heard them.

“Well lookie what we’ve got here – it’s Klutzershy, without her stupid little friend to watch her flanks for her. Where’d she go, Klutzershy? Finally realise what a waste of time you are?”

There was a brief pause, and when the voice spoke again it was dumbfounded.

“What did you just say to me?”

And then Fluttershy, as clear and strong as Dash had ever heard her. “I said ‘at least I’m not a coward like you.”

Dash’s heart froze in her chest, and not long after came the screaming, the crying. She slammed against the door, trying to force it open. Trying to break it down – but it wouldn’t budge. All she could do was sit there, and listen to her friend – her best friend – take the beating that had been meant for her.

It was hours – many hours – of terrifying, horrible silence before the key turned in the lock again. And when Dash set eyes on her bleeding friends swollen, bruised face there were tears in her eyes. As she launched herself forward, burying her face in her friends mane with loud sobs and quiet whispered apologies, she knew for the first time that she had a friend.

And she knew that she would never, ever let Fluttershy be hurt again.

Especially not for her.

Like Clockwork

“But Twilight, it’s not fair! I helped build it too, so you gotta let me have a turn! That’s how it works!” It wasn’t often that Pinkie Pie’s voice sounded quite as indignant as it did right now. When she had taken the last cupcake without asking on what she learned later was Fluttershy’s special six pony super special pre-birthday extravaganza. When she had insisted that Pinkie use her full name on their first published volume, and now this.

And just as it always did, that tone broke her heart. But there was no choice. Something this important couldn’t be left in the hooves of…well, Pinkie Pie. And when Pinkie had been pestering about it for the better part of three hours now she thought she could probably be forgiven if her patience was starting to wear just a little bit thin.

“Pinkie, for the last time – you can have a turn later. This is the first test! It’s imperative that we send back a pony who’ll do exactly what I tell her so that she doesn’t mess up the timeline!” She tried to keep the edge out her voice, and for the most part she succeeded – which might have been why she suddenly felt a little ill as Pinkie’s eyes widened and a little spark of hope popped into them.

“But I can do whatever you tell me! I promise! I’ll do everything you say and make you super-duper proud of me and it’s so exciting we’re gonna change the world Twilight! You and me, together!” Pinkie shot her that dazzling, beautiful smile…and Twilight felt the last remnant of her patience fly out the window.

“Pinkie, I said no.” As the other pony opened her mouth to protest, Twilight raised her voice and cut her off, “You can’t go back because you won’t listen. You’re not capable of listening! You’ll get distracted, rush off end up messing everything up and I’ll have to fix it! This isn’t a game, Pinkie – I’ve spent seven years working on this, and I’m not going to risk it all going wrong because you can’t pay attention for more than two minutes! I just need somepony dependable, just this once, okay!?”

The effect was immediate and devastating – as Twilight advanced on her, moving closer with each word, Pinkie backed away. As she listened, and heard – finally heard – what the unicorn had been trying to tell her gently all along, her smile faded inch by inch. It went from a shining beam to a small, puzzled smile, to a frown to…Twilight didn’t even know. Pinkie’s face was unreadable, a blank mask – and then it happened, right before her eyes. A phenomenon she’d only ever witnessed once before. In one instant, all the life drained from Pinkie’s mane and it fell flat and limp around her face.

If Twilight had wished for silence a moment earlier, she would have given anything to hear the pink pony laugh now.

But she didn’t.

The Pink Pony turned her cold blue eyes to look straight into Twilight’s own and spoke. “Somepony dependable, huh?” Her tone was casual, and somehow chilled Twilight to the bone. “I mean, it’s not like I spent the last seven years helping you with this because nopony else had a clue what you were babbling about or anything. It’s not like I’ve worked and worked and worked for this just because it mattered to you. I’m sure you’re right – I’m just a stupid pink pony who can’t do anything right. I’m sure I’d just screw everything up like I always do.”

Twilight took a step closer, and attempted to nuzzle the pink pony – who held up a hoof to keep her away. “Pinkie, that’s not what I –“

“I really don’t care,” Pinkie interrupted casually, “I’m gonna go find Dashie, since you don’t need me anymore. We not-dependable ponies’ll go do stupid, boring stuff like save ponies and make them happy and you can stay here and play scientist just like you wanted.”

With that Pinkie spun on a hoof and started quickly towards the door. Twilight had to stop her. She had to fix things. She had to make things right. “Pinkie wait! I was wrong, please don’t go! You can be – should be – the one to go.”

Pinkie froze, for a moment. Then she turned back to look at Twilight with what the unicorn assumed was intended to be a smile. “Thanks, Twilight. But I really don’t think I should. I’d be kind of tempted to go back and make sure we never met, so I wouldn’t be such a drain on you and all. And then you wouldn’t have a time machine at all. So thanks, but you’re right – you need a dependable pony. Just wait for Applejack.”

Before Twilight could answer, Pinkie was gone. The door slammed behind her with an air of finality. And as it did Twilight Sparkle, personal protégé of Princess Celestia and the pony with the wonderful track record of ruining her own life, began to cry.

Loyalty

The look on Rainbow Dash’s face told her exactly how the Pegasus felt about her plan. The slight frown, and the way she was biting her lip just slightly to keep herself from yelling again. The flat, unfriendly glare. The way her eyes never left Twilight’s own, and the furious glow that had entered into them not long after she had begun explaining. It wasn’t just her expression, though – the Pegasus was hovering in the air before her, forelegs crossed over her chest and wings flitting irritably.

She had been yelling, before – that had gone on for quite some time, even after Twilight had explained why she was there. Eventually, though, the perturbed Pegasus had calmed down enough to let Twilight tell her exactly what she had in mind.

She didn’t seem impressed.

“That has to be the stupiest thing I’ve heard. Ever.” She mumbled darkly – though the edge had gone out of her voice, replaced with a kind of tired grouchiness. Twilight hoped that was a good sign – she’d already done too much damage today, and she didn’t want to lose anypony else if it could be avoided. Which it could, of course – these ponies were her friends. They wouldn’t turn their backs on her just because she’d said something she shouldn’t have. Dash did that all the time! Never quite so cruelly. And never to her girlfriend. And never…it didn’t matter. They were her friends. They wouldn’t give up on her so easily.

Not that she didn’t deserve it. She knew that. And she was afraid that they would know it too. Because if they did… well, for all that she could be hard to take seriously there wasn’t a pony in their group – except maybe Fluttershy – that they were more protective of than Pinkie Pie. For all the ways she was an incredible, brave, wonderful mare the pink pony was also a scared, easily wounded child in a lot of ways.

And Twilight had destroyed her.

“And believe me,” Rainbow Dash continued emphatically, “I know stupid. Like, I know stupid better than anypony.” Her frown grew a little more intense and she cocked her head to the side, eyes still fixed on Twilight. “Well, anypony except you. What kind of egghead are you!? What’d you do, overload your brain with all those books!?”

Twilight couldn’t keep a blush from creeping onto her face as she glanced away from her friend. The insult, she decided, could stand to be ignored – it wasn’t like Rainbow didn’t have a point, after all. “You don’t think it’ll work?” She whispered, trying to keep the quaver from her voice.

“Like I said, it’s the dumbest plan ever.” The Pegasus landed and took a step closer to her, bending to look Twilight in the eyes once more. “So yeah, it’ll probably work. I mean, it’s Pinkie. You’re not gonna win her back by being all serious and saying stuff. She won’t believe you – she’ll pretend to, but she won’t. It’s a stupid plan – and yeah, I think it’ll work. Sometimes stupid’s all you can do, right?”

She tried to smile, but all that came out was a sob. And then Rainbow was hugging her, and whispering in her ear. “Trust me, Twi. It’s gonna work out. You’ve got me helping you.”

Twilight couldn’t help but snort. “You can’t fail, huh?”

The Pegasus pulled back and shot her a little grin. “Well, yeah, there’s that too. But what I mean is – I wouldn’t be helping you with this if I didn’t think you deserved her. And I definitely wouldn’t be helping you if I thought it’d hurt her more.”

“Then –“

“Shut up a sec. I know you love Pinkie. If I didn’t, I’d have kicked your flanks an hour ago – and you know it too. And deep down, so does she. Try to hold onto that. Because this isn’t gonna come close to easy.”

“I know.” She said, finally managing a little smile. “Thank you. So much.”

“Yeah yeah. A mare’s gotta do what a mare’s gotta do, I guess. Now hurry up and get back in your box-thing and get going. You’ve got a moment to save. I’ll make sure everything’s ready.”

“Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”

Dash rolled her eyes and shoved the unicorn backwards, into the time machine. “Nope,” She agreed casually, “But I sure as heck know what it means to Pinkie.”

And then she was gone, and Twilight was on her was to make things right.

Survival

As she lay on the little black cloud staring out over the sea of grey beneath her, eyes half closed and head resting on her forelegs, Rainbow Dash let out a low sigh and scowled. Scowling was good. If she scowled enough nopony would be dumb enough to come near her. Nopony would come and ask if she was alright, if she was sorry, if she knew that what she was done was wrong or any of the other stupid, pointless questions stupid pointless ponies asked. Only one pony was allowed to ask her those questions. Only one pony could see her sad and talk to her and maybe not get yelled at. Because she knew that when she did, she meant it. She cared. At least, Dash had thought she did.

As the Pegasus realised that her face was growing wet, her scowl deepened. She wasn’t crying. She didn’t cry. Especially not for stupid yellow traitor ponies who’d ditched her to go to some hole filled with bears – not even sky bears, just dumb normal bears – and snakes and those…little things. The ones that were like bats, but didn’t have wings. Whatever they were called. She didn’t care. Just like she didn’t care about dumb ponies who didn’t know a good thing when they had it. Her dumb parents. Buttershy. They didn’t matter, and she wasn’t going to waste tears on them. She didn’t need them. She didn’t need anypony.

The cloud was leaking, that was all. Stupid cloud. Couldn’t just do what it was supposed to and be there for her one damn time. It had to turn against her. Make things harder for her. Let her think she had just one friend in the world then turn her around and kick her in face when she least expected it. Then leave her alone, with nopony to lean on and nowhere to go.

She was vaguely aware that she wasn’t thinking about clouds anymore.

Well…that was okay, right? She was allowed to be upset. She was allowed to be angry and want to punch things and hurt things and get all her anger out, just as long as she didn’t hurt anypony. That’s what ‘Shy had told her – it was important not to keep things bottled up. ‘Cause the world had lots of cool stuff, and she shouldn’t be afraid to let that in. She had rolled her eyes and jabbed ‘Shy in the side for that one. She wasn’t afraid. She was never afraid. She just wasn’t dumb either. Not like Stupidshy and her dumb little animals.

“Dash?” And there she was. The stupid sap who’d been sent after her to drag her back kicking and screaming. And of course it had to be her. It wasn’t enough that they’d yelled at her in front of the whole class, they had to send Gilda to come get her. Normally it would’ve made her mad. Normally, she would’ve told the griffon to beat it. Today… today she didn’t care enough. Today she just wanted to…wanted to…

Ugh. This, she told herself, was what happened when you cared too much. You stopped caring. Like she’d promised herself she never would again.

“I know you’re up there, dweeb. I can see your lame mane from here.” The griffon spoke easily, no edge in her voice, from not far below where Dash herself was. Dash’s eyes widened a little – that meant she’d managed to sneak up on her. Somepony had managed to get the drop on her. Not that she cared. It didn’t matter. It was only once. She’d hear the moron coming next time, and she’d make her pay for it. It didn’t mean anything if it was just once. She was still totally the best.

Heck, maybe losing Shy’d be good for her – hanging out with the other Pegasus had clearly made her stop paying attention to what was going on around her. Stupid ‘Shy.

“So what if I am?” She called down, barely noticing the edge in her voice, “What are you gonna do about it? Gonna drag me back and try to make me say sorry?”

Gilda chuckled, and when she spoke again she almost sounded….admiring? Yeah. That was it.

“Sorry? No way, dude! That was awesome! I think you broke his nose!”

She had what? Oh horseapples. That wasn’t good. That was like…the opposite of good. “So!? He deserved it! He shouldn’t have called me a liar!”

“Hey, I hear you. Respect don’t come easy. Sometimes you gotta earn it. I’d watch your flanks, though – his loser friends were talking ‘bout comin’ to find you.”

“Ugh. Great. Just what I need! More bruises.” She rolled her eyes. Not that she was worried. There were only what? Four of ‘em? She could take ‘em. She could take ‘em in her sleep. “I’ll just have to break their noses too!”

Dash couldn’t see the griffon’s face. But she didn’t need to. When Gilda spoke again, Dash could hear the vicious grin in her voice. Part of her wanted to kick the griffon again just on instinct. The rest of her held that part back when she heard what she had to say.

“Maybe I can help you out. Think I might’ve had you figured all wrong – tell you what, I help you with this and you help me get back at Cloud Chaser.”

“…What’d she do?” She had to ask.

“None of your business,” came the easy reply.

Dash hesitated, for just a moment. And then she was off the cloud, glaring into the griffons face. “Fine. But this is a one time thing, you got it? This doesn’t make us friends!”

Gilda grinned. “Whatever you say, dude. Doesn’t matter to me.”

A wave of doubt swept over the Pegasus, but she shook her head to chase it away. There wasn’t time for doubt. She was alone again. Just like she always had been. And when you were alone you did whatever you had to do to make sure people knew you weren’t a target.

She was Rainbow Danger Dash, and she owned the skies. All she had to do was make sure everypony else knew it too.

From Ashes

It started with a whisper. A single quiet word that somehow carried out over the throngs of assembled ponies, causing them to fall silent when all else had failed. She watched as, almost as one, the crowd turned in silence to gaze at the stage. She saw the fury in their eyes dim, just a little – and she saw the desperate, hidden fear that replaced it. And she knew, beyond all doubt, that if she could see it then the Pegasus standing atop the stage with her head held high, gazing down on all of them without a trace of fear, could see it too.

Fluttershy didn’t shout, as Rainbow Dash had. She didn’t try to reassure them, to tell them things would be okay and that they could rebuild like Applejack. She didn’t plead with them like Pinkie had, trying in vain to tell them that what they were doing was wrong and that they needed to be united, not divided. Fluttershy’s voice was a whisper, but it rang clearly over the square with a strength she had never heard in it.

“I know you’re all angry. I know you’re afraid, and lost, and you don’t know what to do. And that’s okay – you should be angry. You should be scared. You have every right to be. All of you have lost something. Each and every one of us has. The earth ponies have lost their connection to the earth – that special bond that guides them, shapes them, tells them they belong. The Pegasi have lost their home. Their heritage. Their connection to the clouds. Some have lost…” Here her voice hitched for the first time, but after a shuddering breath she continued firmly, “When Cloudsdale fell, some of you lost your children. And nothing will ever make that alright. Nothing will ever fix that. You have every right to be angry.” She paused, just for a moment, and her eyes narrowed. “But you have no right to blame Twilight Sparkle.”

The crowd erupted at once, roaring and calling for blood. Calling for her blood. She could feel them, all around her, pressing in on her. She could feel their hatred, their rage – and she knew they were right. It was her fault. All of it was her fault. Magic – all magic – was gone because of her. Lives had been destroyed, ponies had died, Cloudsdale had crumbled…and it was all her fault. No matter what Fluttershy or any of the others said, she knew that. But it didn’t stop her wanting to ascend the stage and stand tall with her friends.

“That’s enough!” Came another voice. A voice Twilight hadn’t heard in…days? Weeks? Too long. A voice she had last heard screaming her name, hate filled and tearful. A voice she had never been expecting to hear again.

Rarity climbed the stairs slowly, wincing in pain as she did so and leaning heavily on one of the pegasi guards that flanked her on either side. For the first time Twilight Sparkle saw what the extent of what she had done to her friend. The other unicorns formerly elegant mane was a tangled, limply hanging mess. With every step she took she shuddered violently, and Twilight could almost feel the agony radiating from her – no doubt caused by the vicious burns that covered her body, scarring her beautiful coat and rendering her blind. At her side came Sweetie Belle, hovering close to her big sister and looking on the verge of tears.

As she reached the top of the stairs Rarity pushed away from guard and took a slow, faltering step towards Rainbow Dash, who moved forward immediately to wrap a wing around her and guide her to the stage. Twilight saw the Pegasus turn her face from the crowd, and knew she was hiding tears.

“All of you have come here today because you’ve lost something. Believe me when I say that I understand – like many of you, I have lost everything that made me who I was. My magic. My business. My sight. Everything – “ She paused and leaned almost imperceptibly closer to Rainbow Dash, reaching a hoof down to stroke Sweetie Belle’s mane as she did so, “Almost everything that I cared about. My life is in ruins. I have nothing left.” She lifted her head, and when she spoke again her voice was defiant, “But I am still here. You are still here. Equestria is still here. And it remains so for only one reason: Twilight Sparkle. You may all sneer and frown, you may call her a monster – but without her we would all be dead! And I, at least, am grateful. Twilight did her best – but she couldn’t save us all.”

“Twilight Sparkle is a hero. No matter what any of you think of her, no matter how history remembers her, that unicorn saved the world. Thanks to her, we can rebuild and create a new future. Without her, we would not have one at all.” Rarity turned her head, and her sightless eyes locked straight onto Twilight.

“And wherever Twilight Sparkle is hiding, I hope she hears this, and knows that her friends love her. Her friends know the truth. Wherever you are, Twilight, come home. Please. We need you.”

As the unicorn was guided away by her love and her sister, Twilight fought back tears.

Perhaps, a part of her whispered, she hadn’t lost everything after all.

Shine

Subtlety, Celestia reflected, was not her sisters strong point. The ballroom was a sea of colour, mostly dark blues and purples, and had been thoroughly festooned with balloons, streamers and a great many other decorations – she had so far counted at least a half dozen piñatas, and…was that a giant rubber spider, hidden on the ceiling? It seemed Luna was planning a prank - she had to smile at that, though it did nothing to ease the churning worry in her gut. Regardless, the party was set to be magnificent - even had she not known just whom Luna had enlisted to assist in the planning of her party, there was no doubt in her mind that she would have been able to guess without any great difficulty.

As it was she didn’t need to – she could see them from where she stood, huddled in the corner whispering to each other and occasionally pausing to shoot her what she assumed were supposed to be surreptitious glances simultaneously. Her sisters face was a somber mask, and she nodded gravely at every word pouring from the grinning pink pony’s mouth – she was, no doubt, taking the whole affair entirely too seriously. Every moment would be perfectly scripted – for the twenty seconds it took Luna to grow frustrated with the script and begin being herself, as which point the party would begin in earnest.

Slowly, clearing her throat so as to give them plenty of warning, Celestia approached the pair with a smile on her face. As she did she saw Pinkie Pie reach out and nudge Luna in the side, cutting her off mid-sentence. Luna glanced in her direction and her eyes grew wide. As Celestia drew closer her sister began to speak again, voice dripping with what she was quite sure was not at all feigned sincerity.

“As I was saying, my sister simply must be present on the stage with me! To have it otherwise would be doing her a great disservice, after all she has done for me, and I love her so, Pinkamena!”

“Huh?” Came the response from the party pony, “But weren’t you just saying that you’re kinda worried that the ponies will pretend to like you just bec –“ This time it was Luna who did the nudging, and the pink pony stopped, eyes darting back and forth between the two alicorns, before continuing, “-ause you’re a Princess, and not for who you are which really has nothing to do with Celestia so really you should probably just ignore me! I’m such a silly pony.”

Celestia stared at the two ponies as they shot her almost identical forced smiles, trying very hard not to giggle. When she finally had herself under control she feigned a sad sigh, and gave her sister her best regretful look.

“I was actually hoping to speak to you about that, dear sister. It seems that I will be unable to attend the party – the Griffon Ambassador has requested an urgent meeting with me and I simply must attend.”

Luna rolled her eyes, trying her best to look disappointed. “The Griffon Ambassador has a crush on thee! There is only one kind of liason he seeks with you, and you know it!”

Celestia really did laugh then – not a subtle giggle, but a bellowing, happy laugh that echoed through the room. “Perhaps so,” she managed eventually, “But it is my duty, and I have put him off for too long.”

And then, on impulse, she threw her forelegs around Luna and hugged her tightly. “I missed you, little sister. I missed this. I love you, and I promise you that our subjects will as well. You can do this.”

Luna was tense for a moment, but then she relaxed and hugged Celestia back just as tightly. “I love you too, Celestia. It is…good to be home.” Her voice was a whisper, and when she spoke again it faltered, just a little, and she pulled back to look Celestia straight in the eyes, “Dost thou truly believe I can do it? Even…even after…”

“You can.” Celestia spoke firmly, offering her sister a warm smile even as her stomach churned. This night was Luna’s first chance, her first attempt to win over the ponies that she feared hated her. She wanted to be there, to stand beside her sister…but she couldn’t. With her present, Luna’s ever present self-doubt and the love their subjects had for her subjects would lead to her being overshadowed, and the entire party would be pointless.

She knew Luna would succeed. She knew it. But the thought of not being there to see it made her a little sad.

“I believe in you, Luna. You are an amazing, wonderful pony and you have done much for Equestria. Think of Ponyville, dear sister, and know beyond doubt that the ponies there love you –“

“It’s true!” Pinkie piped in cheerfully, and Luna rewarded her with a small smile.

“- and that soon the rest of Equestria shall follow.” Celestia finished gently.

“Thank you.” Was all Luna said, before turning back to the party pony with a wide, genuine smile on her face.

Hours later, as Luna ascended the stage and began to speak, her eyes locked onto Celestia’s and she smiled. Celestia smiled back before turning without a word and making her exit. As the doors shut silently behind her, Celestia finally let the tears come and whispered, “I’m so proud of you, my sister.”

Fear

Smash.

The bright purple vase flew through the air and crashed into a bookshelf, breaking into a thousand little pieces which scattered across the ground and lay there, unmoving.

I really need to talk to you about something. Would you like to come to the park with me?

For an instant she felt guilty – it was strange that after all she’d done it took that to give her pause – but she chased the doubt away with a shake of her head. It was better this way. It had to be done. The library was Twilight’s. It was always going to be Twilight’s, even if it’d been left behind.

Another book tossed into the fire, pages already torn out and strewn about the room. She remembered that book. She knew that book – she had given it to the unicorn for her birthday just the year before, and Twilight had said she loved it.

Apparently Twilight Sparkle had said that about a lot of the things she’d abandoned.

I got a letter today. From the Princess.

Tears stung at her face as she spun and kicked out at a table, shattering the legs and leaving it broken on the ground.

She says that they need me. She…asked if I’d consider moving back to Canterlot.

Good. That was good. Not good enough – the table wasn’t gone. She couldn’t destroy it by herself. But she had done her best. She had tried. And maybe that was enough. And maybe if it wasn’t, he would forgive her. She had done her best, because she understood.

He was Twilight’s table. These were Twilight’s books. This was Twilight’s library.

Even if she was gone, none of it would ever belong to anypony else – none of it wanted to be held, or read, or loved by anypony else. Other ponies were plenty nice, but this wasn’t their place. It would never be their place. It was her place, and they didn’t belong in it.

And I’ve decided to go. This is a big opportunity for me.

She didn’t belong in it either. It wasn’t her place. But she knew, better than anypony, how they felt. She understood. She had to make it okay for them – she couldn’t just let them suffer, waiting alone forever. It wasn’t right. It was no different from abandoning them in the first place. Like she had.

Twilight Sparkle.

Liar. Promise-breaker. Traitor. Just like everypony else.

No. No, you can’t. I’m…I’m sorry, I really am. But we both know you wouldn’t be happy there.

As if her happiness mattered. As if Twilight were doing her a favour. But she knew the truth. She had seen it in the unicorn’s eyes, just like she’d seen it whenever anypony looked her all her life. The other pony wasn’t leaving for Celestia. She wasn’t leaving for her future, or her brother, or her stupid bully sister in law.

She was leaving because she hated her. Because when she looked at her, all she saw was a useless, stupid, frivolous pony who didn’t belong. Who didn’t deserve to be happy. Just like everypony else.

This was the best thing that ever happened to me. You are the best thing that ever happened to me.

She had tried. She had tried so hard. She had tried to be good, to make ponies happy, to fit in and smile and prove that maybe, just maybe, she deserved to be too. But she had failed. She always failed.

It wasn’t Twilight’s fault. She knew that. It was her. It was always her.

Clingy. Flighty. Obsessive. Impulsive. Pathetic.

She had smiled. She had put on her best smile and hugged the other unicorn and told her it was okay. That she understood. And she hadn’t been lying. She understood, alright. She understood just fine. And that was why she had to do this. She had ruined everything. It was her fault that the library would never have the pony it loved again. It was her fault, and she had to fix it. It was her fault. Just like it always had been.

I promise, this isn’t the last time we’ll see each other. I’ll come and visit.

She had bobbed her head and chirped happily and said what she had needed to to make sure Twilight believed it was okay. It didn’t really matter – by the time the unicorn arrived in Canterlot she’d have forgotten all about her promise. She’d already proven exactly what her promises were worth.

And if Twilight did come back? It wouldn’t matter. She’d be gone by then – off to whatever town would have her to try again. To make the world better, instead of worse. Just once. Just once would be enough. Was that too much to hope for?

Time and time again she’d learned that it was. But she kept trying. What else could she do?

I love you, no matter what. Please, don’t forget that.

She stood in the centre and looked out over the ruined remains of the library. The books were all gone, burned or torn up beyond recognition. The little things – vases and paintings, photographs, the engagement ring. Those she had destroyed. Nothing was left. The larger furniture stood broken – bookshelves smashed and dented, wardrobe doors hanging off their hinges. Their desk was smashed in two. Nopony would ever write at it again.

It wasn’t enough. Some of it could still be salvaged, still be stolen. She had failed. Like she always did. But she had tried. She had done her best. She could only hope that nopony else would come and take the things away. Take these little pieces of Twilight, and force them to be part of somepony else.

Twilight didn’t love her. She knew that. But she loved Twilight. But it wasn’t enough. Somepony would come. Somepony would take the library away. Take it over. Somepony would steal the last traces of Twilight that Ponyville had, and then she would be gone, forever.

Not that Twilight would care. She’d seen it on the unicorns face, in her eyes – the day she had left Ponyville behind, left her behind, had been the happiest day of Twilight’s life.

——-

Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, trying desperately to stay calm. To not panic. Panic was bad – panic would ruin everything. If everything wasn’t ruined already, which seemed like a distinct possibility given what she’d done to the pony she loved. She only hoped there was still time. There had to be, right? She’d only been gone a few days before realising that she’d made a mistake. Pinkie wouldn’t have forgotten her already – Pinkie Pie didn’t forget anypony.

Whether the other pony would forgive her was another thing entirely, but she couldn’t afford to worry about that right now – unless she wanted to end up a quivering wreck on her own doorstep and spend forever regretting being too afraid to fix things, and that didn’t really seem like her best option.

Twilight Sparkle pushed the door to the library open, and her heart stopped. It was gone. Everything was gone. Ruined, broken. Her books were in pieces, her furniture in slightly larger pieces – her eyes darted instinctively to above the fireplace, where she had hung the photos from she and Pinkie’s first anniversary, and she confirmed that those were gone too – or rather, they were torn in half. Only she herself stared back at her, with Pinkie’s smiling face no doubt strewn among the chaos.

And in the centre of it all stood Pinkie, staring at her with wide, frightened eyes and shaking like a leaf.

For a long time they stood there, staring at one another. Eventually it was Pinkie who broke the silence, her voice a choked whisper.

“Are you real?”

“I’m as real as you are, Pinkie.” She tried to keep her tone level, reassuring. She failed, her voice shaking as much as the pony before her. That was okay – it was perfectly understandable really.

Twilight Sparkle had never been more afraid.

The pink pony frowned and took a step closer, cocking her head slightly as she did. “But… you left. You went away.”

“I came back.” She spoke gently. She didn’t know what else to do. “Pinkie, why did you do this?”

Pinkie slowly turned in place and looked over what she had done. When she finished her tear-filled eyes locked onto Twilight’s own, and when she spoke she sounded terribly, terribly afraid. “I don’t know,” came the whisper, “I didn’t….I don’t…..please….”

All at once Twilight Sparkle found herself holding Pinkie Pie close against her chest, stroking her mane softly and whispering in her ear. It would be okay. Pinkie would be okay. The library could be rebuilt. Pinkie would be okay.

“I’m sorry,” Pinkie mumbled, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Pinkie.” She replied, knowing that it wasn’t. “I’m here now. I’m back. We can make this okay. We can get through this.”

Pinkie pulled away and stared straight at Twilight, a little frown on her tired, ragged face. “Together?”

“Together.” She promised simply, and Pinkie Pie smiled.

Those Left Behind

The little filly lay curled up in her bed, blankets pulled tightly around her - the tangled mess of pale blue that was her mane was just barely visible, sticking out from beneath them - and snoring quietly. And he guessed peacefully too, since she wasn’t rolling around or shaking or… doing whatever else it was kids did when they were scared. Cried? Wet themselves? Whatever – the point was that she didn’t seem to be having any more nightmares, and that had to be a good thing.

At least he hoped it did – he’d kinda been expecting the nightmares to be a long term thing. Maybe even the kind that didn’t ever really stop completely, after what’d happened to her parents – heck, he was pretty sure that if he tried to sleep he’d have nightmares about it, and she’d seen it happen. Worse than seen it happen.

What if –

A crash of thunder echoed through the clear night sky, cutting the thought short and winning a tired sigh from the dragon. And maybe a little bit of a smile too – as much as he hated to admit it, he’d always gotten a kick out of her drama thing. It was cool to see, even if she took it a little too far sometimes. A lot too far sometimes.

As slowly and quietly as he could, Spike lifted himself from the cavern floor and crept from the side chamber, pulling the door closed behind him. Ascending the carefully crafted stairs, past rows and rows of carefully organised bookshelves, he made his way back the massive central chamber and stood, staring expectantly at the enormous wooden doors leading outside.

Three.

Two.

One.

The enormous wooden doors leading into the cavern flared blue for an instant before exploding inwards, flying off their hinges and crashing to the floor with a thud. And then, storming in with a scowl on her face, eyes burning white with fury and lightning flashing with every step she took, came Luna. She kept coming until she stood before him and then, with a single flap of her powerful wings, rose to glare straight into his eyes.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?” Her voice was impossibly loud, eclipsing even the storm she’d dragged along with her – Spike had to admit, it was impressive. Not that he was scared, or anything – he was shaking because it was chilly all of a sudden. That was all. The noise was bad though: his eyes darted to the stairwell, searching for any sign that the sleeping filly had woken up. When he found none he looked back at Luna and offered his best smile.

“Oh, hey Princess. I was kinda wondering when you’d drop by. Feels like for –“

“DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DISTRACT ME WITH PLEASANTRIES! IS WHAT MY SISTER CLAIMS TRUE?”

“Uh…”

“ANSWER!”

“I…” He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t look her in the eyes, so he didn’t – instead he turned his massive head to stare at the ground and nodded silently.

The effect was instant, and it broke his heart. The anger faded from Luna’s eyes, her scowl giving way to shock as she drifted slowly back to the ground, landing heavily and turning away from him.

“I see.” Her voice was quieter now, though it still echoed throughout the cavern – the way it only did when she was wearing a mask to cover how she really felt. “You must be proud of yourself. But I hope you will forgive me if I do not join my sister in hailing you a hero.”

“Celestia thinks I’m a hero?” He couldn’t help but ask, cursing himself inwardly the second the second that the words escaped from his mouth. The alicorn nodded curtly.

“Oh yes. She has not stopped praising your virtue and nobility since you returned. A hero worthy of the name you bear, apparently. I myself cannot fathom why she didn’t know that already, but my dear sister does have a tendency treat others as though they are children.”

“Heh, I know what you mean – I’m pretty sure I’ll always just be a baby to – wait, you think I’m a hero?”

Luna ignored his question, instead turning her head to glare at him once more. “That is a tendency that you should be grateful for, by the way – she was quite insistent that I refrain from visiting you until I ‘had my temper under control.’ Apparently she is opposed to my throttling war heroes.” She paused, and when she spoke again her voice was like ice. “Even the ones who have apparently deemed themselves disposable.”

He sighed, trying not to let her words cut too deeply. Normally he would have gotten mad, tried to fight back – but what could he say? She was right. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“THERE IS ALWAYS – there is always a choice. Always.” She spun to face him, stomping a hoof into the ground as she did. “You made this one as you make all choices – for short sighted, foolish reasons!”

“Saving a life is not –“

“YOU DID NOT EVEN COME TO ME WITH THIS! YOU DID NOT EVEN CARE TO TELL ME YOURSELF!”

“I COULDN’T!” His own roar didn’t compare to Luna’s, but it was still enough to stop the Princess in her tracks. She stared at him, unspeaking, waiting for him to continue. “I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t face you. I can’t handle it. I can’t deal with the idea of you hating me, okay!?”

“You wished me not to hate you, so you did not bother telling me that you had cut your lifespan in half? CUT OUR TIME TOGETHER IN HALF? I – I believe there may be certain enormous, gaping holes in your logic!”

“I DIDN’T HAVE A CHOICE! I…I couldn’t just leave her! She was dying, Luna! They tore her open! She was bleeding out right in front of me, and I knew I could save her! What would you have done!?”

“I could have saved her without giving up two hundred years of my life,” Luna hissed quietly, “I could have saved her without cutting the heart out of my closest friend! I could have…you should have…you should have come to me! Bought her to me! I COULD HAVE SAVED HER! And you would…you would still be….”

“There wasn’t time.” He said simply, reaching out a clawed hand to draw the pony princess closer – she smacked it away with a hoof, glaring at him with tear filled eyes. “She already lost her memory, Princess! If I’d taken any longer she would have lost everything! If there had been any chance, I would have come to you. Before anyone else. You know that.”

“I do not care who you would have come to. I care that you did not! How did you even manage such a trade!?”

“Twilight. She got bored one day, and started researching ways to change what my fire could do. In the end she was able to make it heal ponies – but it takes a toll. Whatever I heal, it takes a chunk out of the time I’ve got left. She…she made me promise never to use it. Ever.” He offered a weak smile. “So that’s both my best friends I betrayed, huh?”

Luna was silent for a long time – and then slowly, gently, she reached up a hoof and stroked his nose gently. “You betrayed nopony,” she said at last. “What you have done hurts me terribly. I may never forgive you for it – but that is my failing, not yours. You did the right thing, Spike. Twilight Sparkle would be proud of you, as I am proud of you.”

“So…you don’t hate me?”

“I cannot say that. Not….not yet. It would be a cruel lie. Part of me hates you. But all of me loves you. Do not forget that, whatever happens.”

That hurt. But he had expected no better. He had, in fact, expected far worse. This time, when he pulled the alicorn into a hug, she did not resist. “I’m sorry, Princess.”

“As am I, Spike.” After a moment’s hesitation, she added “How long do you have?”

“Maybe…maybe twenty years. Or less.”

“I see,” Came the soft murmur as his dearest friend looked into his eyes. “Will you promise me something?”

“Anything.”

“Promise me that…no matter what happens, you will spend as much of that time as you can with me? I…I do not wish to let another friend die without knowing I made the most of the time we had.”

He smiled, genuinely this time. “I promise. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They were silent then, both having run out of things to say. It wasn’t until a pair of frightened green eyes appeared in the stairwell that either spoke again.

“Hello there, little one,” Said the Princess gently, taking a cautious step towards the filly and bending to look her in the eyes with a smile. “What is your name?”

The filly’s eyes flickered to Spike, and when he nodded she offered the Princess a small, shy smile. “I’m Luna,” she answered, and her voice was a whisper, “Who are you?”

Invincible

Rainbow Dash was old.

There was really no getting around that – the fact that even she’d stopped denying it a good twenty years ago was proof enough. Or maybe it was just proof that she’d gotten sick of ‘Shy’s grandkids snickering at her from behind their hooves when she said it. Whichever – point was it had to be…what, twenty years now? Twenty years since she’d stopped trying to be young and turned all her attention to being awesome.

And heck if she hadn’t done a better job of that than anypony could have imagined – Dash’d been awesome enough that Pinkie had admitted to being a little bit shocked. Pinkie, who’d thought Dash could do anything. Pinkie, who’d stood beside her grinning like an idiot every step of the way – right up until she couldn’t anymore. Dash could still hear her laugh, sometimes, echoing through her head like music. She remembered all her friends.

Fluttershy, whose smile she saw every time she looked at the kids she’d raised all those years ago. Twi, who she couldn’t open a book – something she did more and more these days – without thinking of. Rarity…well, of course she remembered Rarity. Some things were impossible to forget, especially the ones that hurt. AJ she remembered mostly for that dumb hat Wallflower’s husband toted around all the time – they’d all thought she was crying, when she first saw it, but they were as dumb as the hat. The dust on the stupid thing’d just gotten in her eyes, or something. Apples were for AJ, too, though it’d been a few years since she’d been able to eat one.

And Pinkie…no way she’d ever forget Pinkie. Nopony could forget Pinkie. It had been twelve years since Pinkie’d had a party and she still couldn’t go outside without making sure she wasn’t gonna be tackled the second she did.

Or being disappointed when it didn’t happen.

She let out a soft, quiet sigh as she lifted herself from the couch and moved slowly – way, way too slowly – to the window to stare up at the sky. A hundred years. A hundred years she’d been alive, and with each and every one she’d made the world a million times more awesome. She figured it had to be like, a gazillion times cooler than it had been before she’d been born by now. Like the orphanage.

Ponyville hadn’t had an orphanage, before her. Or before ‘Shy, really. But she’d helped. And when ‘Shy’d taken wing Dash’d taken over – and taken in ‘Shy’s kids too. She’d never really expecting that when she’d agreed to be godmother. She’d always figured she’d be the first of her friends to go. Not that she regretted it for a second – they were ‘Shy’s kids through and through, but Dash knew the other Pegasus wouldn’t begrudge her thinking of them as her own. ‘Shy never begrudged anything. But she’d especially not begrudge that.

Dash pushed the window open, letting the breeze hit her. It was probably pretty dumb – it was thunder and lightning and she was supposed to stay inside and all that stupid, boring stuff. But it was the closest she got to flying, anymore, and she wasn’t about to give that up. Not if all the stupid earth pony doctors in the world got together and passed a law against it, or something. Not if Princess Celestia told her she had to.

Not that the Princess would. Celestia was cool.

Dash felt her wings twitch, and spread them slowly but surely. It hurt. The wings hurt more than all the rest of whatever was left of her put together – and the rest of her hurt a lot. Not that she’d ever admit it, of course: she was Rainbow Dash. She’d been born invincible and she was gonna die invincible. The tears she bit back weren’t from the pain, though. She could handle pain.

Twenty years. Twenty years since she’d felt the wind in her face. Once upon a time, she’d owned the skies. Captain of the Wonderbolts, fastest flier in Equestria, living legend. Now she was just a broken down old pony, on a day that’d long since worn its welcome thin.

Pinkie would have yelled at her for that. AJ probably would have bucked her. Twi and Fluttershy would’ve been all lectures and reassurances. Rarity…Rarity would’ve told the truth. Rarity always told the truth.

And the truth was that, even if it hurt to think of all the stuff she wasn’t, it mattered more to her what she was. And she was all kinds of things: Element of Loyalty, matriarch-thingy of five little families, living legend, most badass grandmother ever, most badass aunt ever…and happy.

Rainbow Dash was old. But being old wasn’t so bad. What sucked was being tired. And…maybe kinda lonely. That sucked too, sometimes.

She pulled the window closed and made her slow, painful way over to the cloud bed that’d stood in ‘Shy’s cottage ever since she’d moved in, collapsing into it with another long sigh.

She just wanted to sleep. That was all. Just to sleep.

As her eyes flickered closed for the last time, Rainbow Dash was smiling.

——-

“Rainbow Dash?”

The soft voice cut through her dreams and her eyes snapped open, and in a flash she was up on her hooves and staring right into the wide blue eyes of a slightly shocked looking Fluttershy. For just a moment, her heart stopped – and then it was beating again, racing faster than she could ever remember it going. “Shy?”

It was a dumb question, but something in the back of her mind made her ask. As the other Pegasus nodded her head slowly, Dash shook her own in an attempt to chase away the remnants of whatever dream she’d been having.

“Of… course it’s me, Rainbow. Who else would it be?” Fluttershy tilted her head slightly as she spoke, and a moment later her eyes widened – it was barely noticeable, but Dash saw it. “Oh…were you expecting Rarity?”

The name knocked the wind out of her like hitting a mountain, and she struggled for words. She had to see her. She had to find her. She didn’t know why, or what she was going to do, but she had to. But she couldn’t speak – instead she just turned her eyes to Fluttershy, hoping desperately that her friend would understand.

“I…I know where she is, but you have to promise not to yell at her again okay? I know you’re mad, but she was really upset this morning an –“

She grabbed her friend by the shoulders and stared at her intently, a slight frown on her face. “I’m not mad. Please, Shy. Please. I gotta see her. I need her.”

It was true. Vaguely, she could remember being angry – being furious – at the unicorn. She remembered swearing she’d never speak to her again, she remembered the things she’d said – horrible things. And she knew she’d meant them. But somehow, today…today none of it mattered.

She didn’t know why. She just knew it was true.

And apparently ‘Shy did too, because as she spoke the Pegasus leaned forward to nuzzle her with a gentle smile on her face. “She went to visit Pinkie Pie, today – she said she could use some…you know, some cheering up.”

Dash didn’t answer. She just locked the other Pegasus in a bearhug before racing out the door – and stopping dead in her tracks.

There it was. The sky, stretching out before her endlessly. Calling to her. Welcoming her back.

It went on forever, and every inch of it belonged to her. For a long moment she just stood in awe, letting the aching need to fly flow through every inch of her. And then she smiled. Her wings twitched, and she was gone.

As Rainbow Dash tore through the sky, straight to where her girlfriend – her girlfriend – was hiding, she was grinning.

And maybe, just maybe - even though she’d never admit it, even though she didn’t really know why - she was crying too.

Monologue

Twilight Sparkle liked to talk. Everypony who knew her knew that – and it was cool, most of the time. Everypony liked blabbing to their friends, and that included Rainbow Dash. The problem wasn’t that Twi liked talking. It was just that, well…Twilight Sparkle was talking.

No, that wasn’t quite right. Twilight Sparkle was still talking. Only that didn’t really do it justice. This wasn’t talking, not really. Well, it was – it just wasn’t proper, real talking. The kind that involved more than one pony. This was more like a speech. And not the fun kind, where everypony was talking about how they were big heroes or the town parade was being planned or everyone was saying how Rainbow Dash was totally awesome.

This one was about history.

Dash forced her attention back onto the unicorn, and tried her best to care ab – to listen to what the egghead was saying. “…and that’s how the first true union of the three different pony kingdoms came about – the war was violent and terrible – “ Her ears perked up. That sounded interesting – there was no way war stories could be boring, even war stories about stupid ponies who were killing each other for no reason. “ – rse the wedding ceremony was absolutely lovely, and it was attended by the greatest unicorn wizard of all time: Star –“

Ugh. Yeah, leave it to Twi to skip over the good stuff and start babbling about…whatever the heck it was she was babbling about now. “ – Muffin, who had baked the most beautiful, delicious cake known to ponydom – yes, Pinkie, known to ponydom until today. The cake was topped with ruby statues of the three brides, each carved by Princess Platinum herself – “

Okay. So, Star Muffin the wizard-baker who used her powers to make cakes, or something. She didn’t need history to hear about super powerful unicorns baking. Pinkie never shut up about all the times she and Twi tried baking, and Dash’s tail was still a little singed from the last time. Sure it sounded like Star Muffin could actually boil water without starting a fire, but she’d never be as cool, radical, or awesome as Twi. She’d probably never been as boring as Twi could be either.

Dash wondered whether that was a point in her favour, or against her. I mean, she’d never be Twi. But at the same time, she’d probably know when to stop talking. Like Pinkie! Pinkie never shut up. Ever. Not unless you told her to. But if you did tell her to, she giggled and laughed and was quiet, just for you. That didn’t work with Twi. When you told her to be quiet she got grumpy, or upset, and you had to waste time explaining that no, you didn’t hate her and no, most of the time she wasn’t boring and heck, her eggheadedness was even kinda cute. Things she should know.

She’d tried to make that argument, once – that just cause she didn’t like her lectures much, didn’t mean she didn’t love Twi. Twi had smiled and told her that watching Dash practice was a little boring. That’d been kinda jerkish of her – Dash was pretty sure she’d said it just to hurt her feelings, so she hadn’t talked to her until she apologised. There was no way anypony didn’t think watching her was awesome. So she knew – beyond any doubt – that Twi wouldn’t listen to reason: you just couldn’t make dumb genius ponies use their big dumb genius brains. So she was just stuck sitting there, listening.

“- an ancient Pegasus war dance first performed by Private Pansy, and some kind of…it says here ‘unholy affront unto ponydom’… invented by Chancellor Puddinghead. Apparently Smart Cookie had to actually do it though – Puddinghead was officiating – “

She glanced over at Pinkie, hoping to catch the pink pony’s eye and…she didn’t know, play I spy or something. But that turned out to be a bust, just like always. Unlike her, Pinkie seemed to really enjoy Twi’s speeches. Emphasis on seemed to. She sat right in the front row of the little bunch of cushions that the unicorn’d rolled out – insisting they would need every last one for the ponyville history club. Or society. Or whatever Twi called it. Whatever it was, it consisted of Twi, Dash, Pinkie, and the two times that Dash’d convinced her to come along so she’d have somepony to be bored with, Scootaloo.

“- turned entirely into chocolate, but he was not happy. Legend says that when Discord looked upon the gift he shed a single tear, and was driven mad – “

So that left one pony who actually cared about history, the most awesome and most bored Pegasus in all of Equestria and…Pinkie. Pinkie, who was sat straight up in her front row seat with her eyes wide and a big smile on her cute pink face. Occasionally she’d pipe in with a question, which Twi would patiently answer. Pinkie was a good actress. But Dash saw the truth – the slight glaze in those bright blue eyes. The way the pink pony didn’t bounce even a little bit, the way she was actually sitting still for more than twenty seconds – Pinkie was doing exactly the same thing she was: drifting in just long enough to pretend she cared, then tuning out the rest.

Dash was tempted to call her out on it – it’d been Pinkie who’d made her join Twi’s dumb history thing, because ‘it would make her happy.’ But then she’d just upset them both, and neither of them would thank her. And by thank, she meant kiss. Not being kissed would suck – if there was one thing that got her through these days, it was knowing smooches were coming at the end of it.

“- and that’s the story of Equestria’s first three pony wedding! Obviously when we –“

She looked down at her hooves and slowly swept the left one across the ground, doodling little imaginary circles as she did. Twi. Her cutie mark. A cloud. Pinkie. Pinkie and Twi. Pinkie and Twi kissing. Tank. Tank again, but one that didn’t suck. Gummy dressed as Mare Do Well, riding Tank through the clouds.

Celestia, she was bored.

“ – and I was hoping that you girls might like to – “

Bored. Bored. Bored.

Vaguely, she wondered how long Twi was gonna keep talking. It’d already been hours. Though the clock on the wall said it’d only been twenty minutes. Dash didn’t like that clock. It lied. Nopony lied to Rainbow Dash. She’d show that clock.

“ – bow Dash – “

She was totally gonna change the time on the clock when she next pranked Twi. That’d confuse Twi and pay the clock back for its…what was that word Rarity liked….transgressions. Yeah, that sounded good.

Suddenly, a sharp sound as Pinkie tumbled backwards from her cushion with a loud ‘whoopsie!’

The signal! Uh…um…whoopsie meant say yes, right?

Dash snapped her head up, and as Pinkie climbed back to her hooves with a sheepish smile Dash shot Twi her best grin. “Oh yeah. Definitely.” She said easily.

Twilight Sparkle smiled, then. “It’s settled then! I’ll confirm the tour for tomorrow – normally the Canterlot History Museum isn’t open on Sunday’s, but I asked the Princess and she arranged it especially for us! I knew you’d love it!”

Rainbow Dash tried very hard to keep the smile on her face, and made a mental note to add Pinkie Pie to the list of ponies on her payback list.

Promises

Two ponies stood on the cliff top and looked out over their home.

“See? I told you the view from up here was awesome!”

“Yeah, you did – and you were right, too! But I think I kinda maybe prefer the view from down there.”

The Pegasus was quiet for a while, wing still draped over her Pinkie Pie as she thought that through.

“Why?” Came the eventual question.

“’Cause it seems like it’d be hard to see all the smiles, from up here.”

Another long pause.

“You’ll always be able to see my smile. Wherever we end up. I promise.”

Shelter

Noise, all around her. Assaulting her from all sides. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. She wanted to run, to hide, to be anywhere but here. Her heart beat quickened and her eyes darted from side to side, panic swirling through her like a thunderstorm. So many ponies, everywhere. Watching her. Judging her. Hating her. She had to escape, had to get away she had to breathe she couldn’t breath why couldn’t she—

“Breathe.” The whisper in her ear pierced through the terror as a pair of warm, familiar forelegs wrapped around her middle. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

And it was.

Unconditional

“Twilight?”

A familiar voice, if not one she really wanted to hear. She’d been dreading this. Not just for today, but every day for four years.

“Twilight, it’s me. Let me in, okay? I feel dumb talking to a door.”

Her horn flared, and the door creaked open.

“Please don’t hate me.” She whispered.

A hoof on her shoulder, and then she was being held close. “Heh. Pinkie said you’d gotten yourself all worked up about that. Thought I’d better come set you straight.”

“You…aren’t mad?”

“Nah. You make her happy. That’s what matters. Just…look after her, yeah?”

“I will.”

Hope

She tasted blood.

As she lay on the ground, huddled in a ball, she saw a dozen pair of hooves move past without a sound. Without caring. Let them.

She didn’t need them. She didn’t need anypony.

Dimly, she was aware that she was going to die. It seemed like that should make her mad. Like she should want to hurt something. But she was just too tired. All she did was fight and struggle and fall.

She just wanted to rest.

Somewhere, far away, a voice.

“Oh dear. Oh…oh dear. Come on, up you get. I can help.”

Hope.

A Good Plan

With a quick flap of her wings she hovered up to admire her handy work.

The ramp was set up perfectly – she’d zip along, build up momentum with the help of her wings, and take the scooter straight through Sweetie’s open window. The unicorn’d be so impressed she’d fall for her on the spot, and she wouldn’t have to do anything lame and mushy like say she loved her or something. Which she did – but saying it was totally uncool.

Scootaloo was grinning as she landed. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Together

It wasn’t easy, for either of them. Ditzy had always gotten stares, wherever she went, and while it was hard for her it was much worse for Fluttershy. It wasn’t easy, but it didn’t matter.

They sat in the park together, Fluttershy cuddled up against her eyes closed and smiling that small, perfect smile. Ditzy talked. Told stories. And Fluttershy listened. Sometimes, just sometimes, Fluttershy told stories too. It was nice.

It was hard, sometimes, to get ponies to listen. For both of them.

But as they sat together, oblivious to everyone around them, it didn’t matter.

Life was good.

Drawing a Crowd

“Will you keep your voice down!?” Rarity roared, white coat tinged with pink and eyes wide and horrified, “Everypony can hear you!”

“The GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE does not care if the LESSER PONY CRETINS hear her words! She has once again been left COMPLETELY UNSATISFIED by the clumsy fumblings of her VASTLY INFERIOR LOVER! Truly, there is nopony is all of Equestria WORTHY of THE MAGNIFICENT AND SENSUOUS TRIXIE!”

Rarity slammed a hoof into the picnic table and narrowed her eyes threateningly. “If the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t shut her mouth, she will be sleeping on the floor!”

Meant To Be

Gummy stared out across his kingdom from where he sat, high atop his throne. Said throne was perched atop the head of the strange, bouncing pink pony that had been his first sight. His strange, bouncing pink pony.

It was a large place – vast beyond comprehension, and practically begging him to venture forth and explore its darkest mysteries. To conquer the wild places, and prove himself the hero he was born to be. Slowly, his lips curled up into a smile.

He had, it seemed, chosen his pony wisely.

As Gummy stared around Pinkie’s bedroom, he knew he was home.

Secrets

It was raining. That didn’t matter, so much. She’d been rained on before, and even if she didn’t like it there wasn’t a whole lot she could really do. Granny Pie had always told her that there was no sense in letting the things you couldn’t change get you down, and Granny Pie was usually right about stuff.

The pink pony let out a quiet, humourless giggle with her face still buried in her forelegs. If she’d just accepted that a whole lot earlier she probably wouldn’t be stuck, like she was. She’d be back on the rock farm, stuck in all kinds of different ways instead. But at least she’d be dry, and warm, and have her sisters.

At least she’d have somepony to talk to.

Rocky was good company, of course, but it wasn’t like the little pile was gonna spring to life and start talking to her.

She couldn’t help herself – she raised her head, just a little, and peaked out with one tear filled eye at her oldest friend, waiting. Hoping.

Nothing. That wasn’t new.

“What did I do wrong?” She whispered quietly. Rocky might not be able to talk, but he was a great listener, “I tried. I tried really, really hard. I was nice, I made jokes, I helped…and they all got mad at me. Was I not friendly enough?”

She paused for a moment, but no answer was forthcoming.

“I mean…I guess they got mad because I frightened that Pegasus. But I didn’t mean to! I was just saying hi, and I’d never seen a Pegasus before and she got all scared and I tried to make it better and…”

Another sob wracked her body, and then she was crying again in earnest.

“And I ruined everything. Just like I always do. It’s no wonder they hate me.”

“Um…I don’t hate you.”

Her head snapped up, and for a moment she stared at Rocky in awe. Slowly, cautiously, she reached out a hoof to tap her gently on the head. “Wh…what did you just say?”

“Oh…I…I’m…not…I’m over here.” The voice, faltering and uncertain, wasn’t coming from Rocky – it was coming from…

She pushed herself up onto her hooves with a great effort, doing her best not to fall, and turned slowly to face the voice – she recognised it now, though last time she’d heard it the owner hadn’t been anywhere close to as calm.

“And um…I said that I don’t hate you. And I really don’t think everyone could possibly hate you – m..most of them probably haven’t even met you yet .” The pegasus didn’t meet her eyes, staring resolutely at the ground between them. Pinkie tried to speak, tried to answer – but she couldn’t. For all the talking she wanted to do, really talking was hard.

The Pegasus eyes moved slowly to Pinkie’s scattered belongings – Rocky, a tattered old blanket, and a pair of apples. Then, finally, they did turn up towards the pony herself – they fixed themselves on Pinkie’s own, and stole her breath away. There was no anger, in those eyes. No hate. There was only…fear?

“Have you been living out here in the rain all week?” The Pegasus asked.

“I’m sorry I scared you.” Pinkie blurted at the same time, and then after a moment she nodded. “Yeah.”

“…I see. Well, that just won’t do at all – if you want to, you can gather up your things and spend the night at my house. It’s not much, but I have a fire and plenty of room.”

Pinkie opened her mouth to object, but the Pegasus cut her off. “Um…I insist, actually. You don’t look well, and I’m not just going to leave you out here. I’m sorry.”

When the strange, scared pony put a hoof on her shoulder and began slowly guiding her away there wasn’t much that Pinkie could do besides follow.

——-

Fluttershy giggled. It wasn’t a big laugh, like her own – it was a quiet, gentle thing – more like a whisper than a shout. But it was for her. All for her – she had seen her new friend sad and she had cheered her up. All by herself.

As the seal continued to juggle, she felt her own smile growing wider. She lived for laughter. She lived for bringing joy to other ponies. She always had – but she’d never been good at it. It was different, now.

As Shy gazed around at all the different animals doing all their different tricks, just for her, she was smiling. She was smiling because of Pinkie. And Pinkie never, ever wanted her to stop.

“This must be how having a friend feels.”

She didn’t say the words, but she thought them. And that, combined with Shy’s perfect smile, was enough. She knew she belonged now. She knew she had a home.

Somewhere she could stay forever.

——-

“GET OUT!”

Fluttershy’s voice cut through the air, and Pinkie Pie faltered.

For a moment she stared at her friend in shock, not knowing what to do. And then, with a slow step forward, she spoke gently. “But…is something wrong, Fluttershy? What’s the matter?”

The Pegasus narrowed her eyes, and there was nothing in them but fury. “You’re the matter!” She snapped, “All you do is talk talk talk all the time! You can’t shut up for five minutes, and you never leave me alone. I can’t take it!”

Pinkie took a step back, trying hard to fight back tears. “I…I thought…I thought we….”

“I don’t care! “ The Pegasus turned away from her with a scowl, “Just…go away. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

When she glanced back a moment later, Pinkie Pie was already gone.

——

She sat huddled under the tree, shaking violently. It was raining.

That didn’t matter, so much. She’d lost feeling in her legs about an hour ago anyway. Probably from sitting in the mud. It didn’t matter. She belonged in the mud. It was all she deserved.

“I thought we were friends.” She whispered softly.

Rocky didn’t answer, gave no sign that she had even heard. Rocky didn’t care. Nopony cared.

And she’d been stupid to think otherwise.

On impulse she swung a hoof straight into the little pile of rocks, breaking it apart as the rocks sailed off in different directions. She didn’t need fake friends. Not anymore. And it was becoming apparent that she’d never had real ones. Would never have real ones.

“…ie Pie?”

She could hear the calls, of course. She’d been able to hear them for an hour now. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going back, ever. Fluttershy would give up soon, stop pretending she cared, and when the morning came Pinkie would be gone.

Maybe then Fluttershy would be able to smile again.

——-

“This is your ‘wonderful friend?’”

Rainbow Dash was staring at her, scowling intently. When Pinkie Pie looked up at her and tried to smile, the scowl only deepened. “Seems kinda dumb to me. What kind of friend runs off in a thunderstorm and makes you chase after her?”

Pinkie turned her eyes downwards and squeezed them shut, only to feel a pair of forelegs wrap around her soaking body and hug her close.

“She’s not dumb, Rainbow Dash! I told you, she…she left because I lost my temper. It wasn’t her fault.”

Pinkie offered Fluttershy a small smile, and leaned in closer. Maybe they weren’t friends. Maybe Fluttershy didn’t care. But at least she didn’t hate her. “It’s not your fault.” She mumbled softly.

Rainbow Dash only snorted. “Yeah, cause you’re always losing your temper for stupid reasons. Right. I completely forgot.”

Fluttershy didn’t say a word, shooting the other Pegasus a silent glare.

Pinkie didn’t really understand that. It wasn’t like Rainbow Dash was wrong. Mean, maybe. But not wrong.

Slowly, her body still wracked with spasms and her eyes still wet with tears, Pinkie drifted off to sleep.

——-

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

She sat beside her first and only friend, holding one of her hooves and talking gently to her.

“I tried to save you. I tried so hard. But I wasn’t fast enough and now you’re dying and it’s all my fault.” She faltered, for just an instant, “I’ll take care of them. The animals, I mean – until you’re better. Because you’re gonna get better, Flutters. I promise. I’ll be there to help, and so will Rainbow Dash, and….and…”

A sob wracked her body.

“You gotta wake up. Please? I need…I need to tell you. I need to say it so you can hear it instead of just while you’re sleeping. I love you, Flutters. I…I wish you could hear me.”

“Get out.” Came a hoarse, angry voice from the door way behind her. Rainbow Dash.

“But…she asked…she said…”

“I don’t care what she said. She was half dead and delirious because of you.” The Pegasus moved to loom over her, glaring down with fire in her eyes.

“Get out. You only get one warning.”

Slowly, painfully, the pink pony raised herself from the ground, still leaning heavily on her crutch, and limped out the door.

——-

Three ponies sat together in the bakery of Sugarcube corner, laughing and talking and enjoying the day.

Fluttershy cleared her throat, and looked at her two closest friends with a smile. “Um…I just wanted to thank you. Both of you. I…I never would’ve gotten better if you girls hadn’t..you know. I never even would have had the chance.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged, trying to stay casual. “Don’t sweat it, ‘Shy. You’d have done the same for us. Right Pinks?”

Pinkie nodded, shooting a reassuring grin at both her friends. “Mmm-hm. Not a doubt about it – you’re the bravest pony ever!” She hesitated for just a moment, “But I gotta ask…what made you bring it up? You haven’t mentioned it in years.”

Fluttershy blushed crimson and looked away, stuttering. Immediately Dash was at her side, forelegs around her and whispering in her ear. “’S okay, ‘Shy. It’s Pinkie. She’s not gonna think you’re dumb.”

As Fluttershy leaned up and kissed Rainbow Dash gently on the cheek, Pinkie’s heart froze in her chest.

“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.” She whispered gently, with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Saying things can be hard, sometimes.”

The shy Pegasus just smiled and shook her head, “You know I don’t have any secrets from you, Pinkie.”

Pinkie smiled wider, guilt eating away at her just a little more.

It Gets Better As We Go

The screaming, roaring crowd below came alive as the Pegasus spun through the air, moving this way and that faster than any of them could ever dream of. Dozens and dozens of ponies, some she knew and some she didn’t, all absolutely captivated, and all of them calling her name. Their eyes were fixed on her, adoration shining in each and every face – almost. She saw her, and her heart skipped a beat. She stood right in the centre, face set in a smirk and eyes burning with pride. As their gazes locked Rainbow Dash nodded, just once. Just once, but it was enough. She had done it. She had succeeded, and made them all proud. She had made Dash proud.

As she alighted to the ground, the roars of the crowd echoing in her ears, Scootaloo was grinning.

For a moment she just stood there, feeling the soft grass on her hooves and letting the soft breeze roll over her. She breathed deeply, and took in the familiar smell of home. A hundred days. A hundred days since she had smelled that smell, felt that breeze. A hundred days since she’d left to find her destiny.

She opened her eyes, and the crowd was gone. Her grin didn’t falter, though – not for a second. The cheers would’ve been cool and all, but they couldn’t match the sight before her: Ponyville. Boring, stupid, unchanging Ponyville, looking just the way it had the day she’d left it. For a moment she just stood there and stared, as if she’d never seen it before. Sure felt like a lifetime since she had. And then she started walking – not running, or dashing, or racing. Just walking.

It was strange. Like she’d forgotten how. And maybe she had – in the three months since she’d left she’d barely stopped to rest. Racing on the tracks in Las Pegasus, trekking through the desert, fighting Griffons in the sky way out beyond the borders. She’d even paid a visit to Trottingham and said hi to Pip – the look on his face had been priceless, partly from shock and partly from the fresh scars across her face from the whole Griffon thing. And even before she’d gone she hadn’t slowed down for a second: her cutie mark was for awesome, and she intended to live up to it.

So walking was weird. But it was kinda nice, too. Ponies waved to her as she passed with smiles, some called out to her – the Cake twins ran right up and flung their arms around her as a pair, laughing and hugging her tight. She kissed him on the head and tried not to cry and made them promise not to spoil the surprise – it’d been months in the making, after all, and she didn’t want it ruined before it ever got off the ground.

There were the other ponies too, of course. The ones that glared at her or rolled their eyes. A few that immediately turned and started in the other direction. It hurt, but she couldn’t blame them – she hadn’t exactly been the least destructive pony in town before she’d left. Or now, for that matter – but at least she wasn’t going to be accidentally wrecking buildings or anything anymore.

And there it was: Sugarcube Corner, where she’d spent so much time huddled up with her friends scheming schemes, plotting plots, and dreaming about leaning over the table and planting a kiss on Sweetie Belle.

Or maybe that last one’d just been her. Whatever – just cause they were friends didn’t mean they had to share everything. Although…

She shook her head to clear that particular stray, meddlesome thought from it – or at least file it away for later. There were better things to think about right now… or at least more important ones.

Her heart beat a little faster as her legs moved to match. As the corner grew closer the smell of freshly baked deliciousness washed over her and her grin grew a little wider – Pinkie’s cooking wasn’t the main reason she was making a beeline for the bakery, but it didn’t hurt. She raced up the stairs, raised a hoof to push the door open, and froze.

What if they didn’t want to see her? She hadn’t exactly left on a high note…for just a moment she considered spinning on a hoof, taking to the skies and never looking back – and then she grinned. She hadn’t become the pony she was by thinking twice, even when it was a good idea, and in this case turning tail would be about the least cool thing possible. For her, and for her to do. And if she was nothing else, she was pure coolness embodied in pony form.

The door swung open easily, and she stepped inside. At a table not far from the door sat a pair of ponies, blabbing away at each other – with the way the pink one leapt up as she came in, eyes wide and shock on her face, she almost thought she’d interrupted something. And then Rainbow Dash turned, looking a little confused, and their eyes met.

For a moment, tension hung in the air between them. Their eyes met and she saw Dash’s narrow just a bit, a flash of anger in them and a small frown forming on her face. Neither said a word. And then, just as suddenly as it had come, the dark look was gone and Dash was up on her hooves grinning at her warmly. A second later, she was grinning back.

“Hey, squirt.” The older mare said casually.

“Hey.” Scootaloo replied, and after a moments hesitation added , “Hey, listen –”

“It’s cool,” Dash cut her off before she could even get the words out, “Don’t worry about it.”

And that was it. Weeks of worrying, hours of trying to figure out exactly what to say, all for nothing. She breathed a sigh of relief – right before the wind was knocked out of her by a bright pink blur.

“So how’d it go huh huh huh did you find what you were looking for I mean I bet you did because I haven’t seen you smile like that in a real long time and that’s the smile of a pony who knows she belongs and I know because I remember when I didn’t belong and –“

“Pinks, don’t you think we should wait for her friends to get here before she tells the story?” Dash’s voice was gentle and amused as she pulled the earth pony off of Scootaloo, nuzzling her softly as she did. “And besides – Apple Bloom might want those ribs intact so she can break ‘em with her hug. You can’t be selfish with stuff like that, you know.”

The pink pony giggled and nodded, “Yeah, I guess you’re right – what do you say Apple Bloom?”

Scootaloo snapped her head toward the door and found herself staring up at the amused smirk of her old friend. Without missing a beat the earth pony answered, “I reckon Scootaloo ain’t broken her habit of fallin’ on her butt quite yet.”

“Hey!” Scootaloo shot back, “The way I remember it you fell on your butt just as often!”

“Only on account of I was tryin’ to catch you.”

“Maybe I didn’t wanna be caught!”

“If you didn’t wanna be caught, why’d you drag me along with you all those times, huh? Just for the company?”

“I dunno, maybe I thought it’d all be a blast to do together!”

“Nah, I don’t think that’s it at all. I think maybe you were scared.”

“I was not scared! I’m never scared!”

“I think you were. I think you’re just a big ol’ chicken!”

“Shut up! I’m not a chicken!”

“Are too!”

Scootaloo grinned, her eyes darting towards Applebloom’s flank. “I think you’re just sore ‘cause your cutie mark got you stuck hanging out with ‘em all day. You got chickens on the brain.”

Apple Bloom grinned back, eyes narrowing just a touch. “At least my cutie mark ain’t for being dumb!”

The two were circling each other by now, and Dash and Pinkie were trying to fight back laughter.

“It’s not for being dumb! It’s for being awesome!”

“You got it by jumpin’ off a building!”

“Awesomely! I didn’t get a scratch!”

“That don’t mean it ain’t dumb!”

“She’s right, I’m afraid,” Sweetie Belle chimed in from the doorway, “The fact it worked out well doesn’t really mean it was a clever thing to do.”

Apple Bloom snorted as she said it, and Scootaloo let out a laugh. “Okay, yeah – it was totally dumb. But you know it was kinda awesome, too.”

The other two nodded in sync, with a “mmhmm” from both of them.

For a moment, the three grinned at each other. As Scootaloo stared at Sweetie, her heart beat a little faster. But she pushed that aside, for now – there’d be time later. She was home, and she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

“So,” Dash interrupted casually, “You gonna tell us this story, or shall I kick your flanks in a race first?”

“Story first,” insisted Sweetie softly, “the two of you can compete later – and besides, with Scootaloo tired from her trip, you’d have the edge.”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo agreed, smirking to hide her relief, “You’re just trying to cheat me ‘cause you know you’ll lose this time!”

“Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that kiddo. And well you’re at it, tell us the story already – before I get bored and go home.”

With a quick glance around the room and a smile, Scootaloo sauntered up to the table, slammed her hooves down onto it and began to speak.

“It all started a hundred days ago, with a pair of awesome Pegasi and a little town in the middle of nowhere….”

Good Advice

Rarity was stunned.

Fluttershy hovered in the air before her, forelegs folded across her chest as she glared down with a small, determined frown on her face. Her wings were flittering irritably, and the look in her eyes was one the unicorn had rarely seen – it had been pointed at dragons, basilisks, her chickens, bears, Sweetie Belle and occasionally Pinkie Pie. But it had never been pointed at her. She was, she found, more than a little intimidated.

“Now,” The Pegasus spoke sharply, “What have we learned?”

The unicorn hesitated, just for the briefest of moments, and those terrible teal eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Keep control of the situation,” she blurted quickly, and as her friend nodded she continued, “Be direct, but not too direct – subtlety would be wasted, but aggression will be viewed as a challenge or worse a joke. Smile! Look her in the eyes. Be concise – more than a few moments and she’ll lose interest completely and race off.”

“Wonderful!” Fluttershy’s smile grew wider, and she clapped her hooves together excitedly for a moment before catching herself. For a moment, she looked completely lost – and then her eyes widened for a moment, only to be replaced by that same serious, determined expression. “And the single most important thing of all?”

Rarity looked away, frowning, and didn’t say a word.

“Rarity?” There was a slight edge to that tone. A hint of steel that sent a chill through the unicorn. But she wasn’t going to back down. Not on this. She raised her head, stared straight into her friends eyes, stomped a hoof, and put on her best pout. “But it’s not fair! You can’t really expect me to –“

“Yes,” interrupted her flittering friend, “I can. And I do. And you should too.”

“But – “

“No buts!” Fluttershy landed and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder with a small, encouraging smile on her face. “I know it must be hard for you, but if you really want to impress her you have to do it. Otherwise she’ll get really upset – she doesn’t show it all that often, but she’s really very sensitive underneath it all.”

A brief pause as the Pegasus took in the look Rarity was now giving her, and Fluttershy’s face suddenly became a mask of panic. “Oh, not that it’s hard for you to be nice or anything – that’s not what I meant at all, please don’t think it is! You’re one of the nicest ponies I know, it’s just that you’re a bit…um…”

“A bit what, dear?” Her voice was like ice when she spoke.

“…A…all I mean is that you and her tend to not get along so well.” Came the squeak in response.

“…I see your point. But…she’s still going to be rude, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy nodded without hesitation, “Definitely. Now: what’s the most important thing?”

“No snarking.” Rarity mumbled with a scowl and a roll of her eyes. The Pegasus squealed in delight and hugged her, before pulling away and fixing her with that serious stare once more.

“Now, let’s try this one more time. I’m Rainbow Dash – ask me out.”

Rarity cleared her throat and put on her most charming smile, to which the Pegasus nodded approvingly. “Hello, Rainbow Dash! I was in the neighbourhood and it occurred to me that I am quite without good company for dinner this evening. I wracked my brain, and it occurred to me that you might provide a passable alternative to real conversation – “

“Rarity!” Fluttershy snapped, genuine anger creeping into her voice this time, “You’re not even trying! If you’re not going to take this seriously, I don’t think you should be doing it at all!”

“I am tryiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing,” Rarity argued sulkily, “But it’s haaaaaaaaaaaaaard!”

Fluttershy mumbled something that sounded rather a lot like ‘Celestia, you’re hopeless’ and then a smile reappeared on her face. “It’s okay. If you’re really serious about this we’ll just have to keep trying until we get it right. From the top, okay?”

Rarity nodded, offering her friend a small and grateful smile.

——

The two Pegasi sat on a cloud, awkward silence hanging in the air between them. They had been there for about an hour, with not a word said, and even Fluttershy was starting to get restless. Eventually, though, Rainbow Dash spoke. “Soooooooooooo,” she hazarded, “Rarity, huh?”

“Um…yes.” Fluttershy’s voice was barely audible.

“You uh…you could’ve mentioned that one, ‘Shy.”

“I um…I promised I wouldn’t tell anypony. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” Rainbow fell silent for a long moment, and when she spoke again her voice was cautious, “You uh…you didn’t tell her I was the one who told you all that stuff, did you?”

“Oh, of course not! I’d never do that, I promise.”

“Good. That’s…that’s good. Um…’Shy?”

“Yes, Rainbow?”

“Just…just so you know, asking me how to ask out a clueless pony too silly to realise she’s being hit on? That…that wasn’t funny.”

Fluttershy didn’t speak, trying to fight back a small smile.

“You didn’t mean it, right? Like, it was just a joke?”

Fluttershy turned to Dash and nodded solemnly, “If that’s what you want to believe, of course it was just a joke.”

Rainbow Dash stared at her for a moment in disbelief, and for a moment Fluttershy was afraid she’d said the wrong thing. And then slowly, ever so slowly, a smirk appeared on her friend’s face.

“Real funny, ‘Shy. Just wait ‘til the next time you come to me for advice.”

Fluttershy just smiled.

Step by Step

Soft music hung in the air, accompanied by the scents of a hundred different kinds of wildflower – so many that she couldn’t recognise them all, though she could pick out daisies and bluebottles and lavender and violets and…well, a lot really. A thousand flowers, all entwined together to create a beautiful intermingling of scents – and they were all arranged so beautifully, lining the walls and entwined gently with one another, swaying just ever so slightly in a breeze so light she couldn’t even feel it.

The meadow was alive, and it was dancing – dancing just for her, as though Equestria itself wanted to reach up and embrace her, to hold her tight and never, ever let go. Slowly, without even realising that she was doing it, she began to sway. To dance with them, to take in their joy and their calm and to repay it with her love. As her hooves carried her lightly through the flowers, ever so carefully, her eyes were closed and she was smiling a small, peaceful smile.

A pair of forelegs wrapped around her, and her smile grew wider. As the warmth from the other pony – her pony – flowed through her she could feel the sweet, gentle breath on her neck.

“Do you like it?” Came the whisper, soft and scared and excited all at once.

She didn’t answer with words. There weren’t enough in all the world to say what she wanted to, and she didn’t need them anyway. Instead she turned her head and lay a soft kiss on the honey-sweet lips of that perfect pony. And then she pulled away, holding onto her love’s hoof and spinning lightly. Her eyes were still closed, but that was alright – she could feel that loving grin as plainly as the grass beneath her hooves.

With a single step, she ceased simply swaying and began to dance in earnest, and a heartbeat later the other half of her danced with her. What started as a slow, calm thing became faster, wilder, more alive. Where once her steps had faltered, now they were sure and steady. Their steps grew faster, and so did her heartbeat. And with each step her smile grew wider and her heart grew lighter, little by little.

They danced for hours. Or maybe only minutes. She didn’t know, and she didn’t care – however long the moment lasted, it was perfect. And when it was done they stood together, right at the heart of the meadow. Just where they had started. She knew it, even though she couldn’t see it, because she knew that no matter what Pinkie Pie would always lead her home.

“I love you, Pinkie.” She whispered the words as she opened her eyes and smiled at her pink pony. The smile she received in kind was wide and blinding and beautiful, and the musical giggle that accompanied it made her heart skip a beat.

“I love you too, Fluttershy. More than anything.”

“Thank you.” she whispered as she spun on the spot, taking everything in one more time. The campfire, the single tent, the ever-dancing flowers and the pony, still perfect. “For this. For all of this.”

“You don’t gotta thank me,” that voice, the sweetest of music, filled the air again, “I like being here with you. I like seeing you smile – and I really liked dancing with you, too.”

Fluttershy nodded, just once, and leaned closer to the one she loved, letting the party pony’s heartbeat flow through her. She tried to speak, and faltered. Just once. A reassuring squeeze and the words came, slow and fumbling. “Um…if…if I asked, do you think maybe you’d stay with me? Forever and ever?”

She heard Pinkie’s breath catch, and felt the tears before she saw them. For a moment panic washed over her – and then the soft reply, brimming with more joy than Fluttershy had ever heard in it. “You..you want me to stay?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Forever and ever.”

The forelegs wrapped around her pulled her closer, and a face wet with tears pressed into her neck. That was okay. Tears were good, sometimes. “Forever and ever,” came the gentle answer, just a whisper in her ear with the strength of a thunderclap.

Fluttershy smiled, and snuggled closer to her pony. There was nothing more to say.

Consolation Prize

The two ponies stood glaring at each other from across the rooftop, covered in caramel and feathers with narrowed eyes and matching grins on their faces. Rainbow Dash took a step closer, wings fluttering anxiously, and Pinkie pounced. She sailed through the air, fully prepared to tackle Dashie off her hooves and declare herself bestest caramel-balloon-pillow-fighter in Ponyville, only to realise too late that she had already lost. Dashie’s grin grew wider and then, with one flick of her perfect hooves, she sprung her trap – the last balloon, hidden away a moment before behind the chimney, rose up to meet her. Pinkie’s heart stopped, for just a moment, as the perilous projectile slammed into her face and exploded all around her.

Pinkie Pie tasted defeat. Defeat and caramel. It was a bitter taste, but also kinda sweet and delicious but not as delicious as it usually would be because of the defeat making it not as nice and also maybe because she’d had a whole lot of caramel today but it didn’t matter - she wasn’t about to let anything as silly as the fact she’d lost get in the way of her winning. As she picked herself up off the tiles, Dash was smirking – her expression turned to horror as Pinkie charged towards her with a battle cry and a giggle.

The moment before the pink pony grabbed her Dash let out a quiet squeak, and then they were tumbling – falling through the air and headed straight towards the ground. As Dash struggled against Pinkie’s sticky embrace she let out a panicked cry of “Pinkie, let go! We’re gonna die!”

Pinkie just giggled and shook her head, “Nope! Trust me, Dashie - We’ll be okie dokie lokie!”

“Are you crazy!? We’re gonna – “ The Pegasus cut herself short with a frustrated cry and then, with a frustrated sigh, slammed her lips against Pinkie’s own. For a moment the party pony’s eyes were wide and shocked, and then she began to kiss back. Time seemed to stand still, their fall coming to a standstill as they kissed.

Part of that, Pinkie realised a moment later as a soft ‘ahem’ cut through the best moment of her whole life, was because their fall really HAD come to an abrupt halt. They floated there, suspended in an aura of light blue just as she’d known they would be, for the briefest of moments – still kissing, because really Pinkie had no intention of ever letting the kissing stop if she could help it – before being unceremoniously dropped to the ground.

Rarity stood over them, a tiny smile on her face. “It’s about time the two of you got that sorted out. I’m very happy for you.” And then the smile was gone, replaced with a glare the likes of which they had never seen from the unicorn, “But if I ever catch you playing this…whatever this disgusting game you’re playing is…on the roof of my boutique again, I am going to make you suffe – stop that!”

Pinkie wasn’t listening – she was much too busy kissing Dashie. It was only fair, after all – the Pegasus has already kissed her, and she had to repay the favour.

Blue Moon

“I simply cannot believe that you chose to save that…thing over saving me!”

Rarity’s voice cut through the silence that had been hanging between them, and Applejack had to bite back a sigh of relief. Rarity’s words weren’t exactly the ones she’d been hoping to hear, but the fact that the unicorn was talking to her at all had to be some kind of improvement. She hoped. It could also mean that things were about to get a whole lot messier.

“I told you, I did no such thing! I already knew you were safe, ‘cause Rainbow was already headed after you – right up ‘til then I was racin’ to catch you. But since you were safe I –”

“Oh yes! Because every girl wants nothing more than to be saved from certain doom by her ex while her girlfriend rushes to rescue her imperilled headwear! I must be the luckiest mare in Equestria. Truly.”

Applejack let out a snort somewhere between amusement and annoyance, only to immediately regret it as Rarity narrowed her beautiful, burning eyes and fixed her with a fierce glare.

“Certain doom nothing,” she tried with what she sincerely hoped was a charming smile, “It was just a little mud, hon. I’m sorry you fell in, but it ain’t like it hurt you any! You just need a bath is all.”

“I fell thirty feet!” The unicorn shouted indignantly, only to be interrupted by Apple Bloom speaking up confidently from behind them.

“Naw, it was more like five feet. Five feet to a soft landin’ ain’t nothin’ at all.”

As Rarity slowly turned a her glare towards her the tiny, mud-caked filly shrank back just a step before glaring sternly at Applejack, “But what were ya thinkin’, sis? You ought to have helped Rarity!”

Rarity didn’t turn her glare away, and now Applejack was glaring too. A moment later she hesitantly added, “I still think ya look real pretty, Rarity.”

Rarity’s glare did fade now, and slowly a smile replaced it. “Thank you, darling,” she spoke gently, “so do you.”

As they came to a stop outside the carousel boutique Apple Bloom smiled, and Applejack let out a soft chuckle – only to stop dead when Rarity’s glare came to rest on her again in full force. “What are you laughing at, hmm!?”

With a soft sigh and a shake of her head, Applejack took a step closer to the other mare and looked her in the eyes, “I just know you, is all.”

“Oh really? And what exactly is that you know?”

“I know you ain’t really mad at me about this, for one.” As Rarity tried to speak the earth pony held up a hoof to cut her off, and continued. “You’re upset because you’re worried I wouldn’t save you if you were in trouble. But you know I would. And I know I would. So there ain’t nothing to be afraid of, you hear?”

Rarity didn’t answer right away, and when she did her voice was frighteningly cheerful. “I am upset because I trudged out in the middle of the night to take darling Apple Bloom to the park after a rainstorm because I thought you would keep me from having to get too dirty. And then you pushed me in the mud!”

“I did no such thing!”

“It amounts to the same!” Rarity hissed the words, before turning her back on the pair and continuing calmly. “I am going to take a bath. You are going to go home. If, when I next see you, you are still wearing that ridiculous hat I am going to take it from you. I am going to burn it. And I am going to make you a new one. It will be pink. With sparkles. Do we understand one another?”

Applejack chuckled, “You can’t be serious, Rare.”

“I am completely serious, Applejack. This is your one and only warning. Goodnight. It was lovely to see you.”

Applejack was still chuckling with a smile on her face right up until the door to the Boutique closed with a slam – as soon as it did the smile was gone, and she spoke calmly. “She was serious, wasn’t she?”

“I reckon she was,” Apple Bloom answered simply.

Applejack gave a nod and, with a flip of her head, clenched the hat between her teeth and lowered it slowly onto her little sister’s head.

“She’s yours now, Apple Bloom. Keep her safe, and don’t let Sweetie Belle get a hold of her, ya hear?”

Apple Bloom stared up at her sister and nodded solemnly, expression grave. “I hear ya, big sis. You can count on me.”

Applejack smiled, and the two began the long walk home together.

Aflame

They couldn’t win.

The realisation came in a heartbeat, and she knew it was true.

She tried to lift herself to her hooves, and found her legs unwilling – as she collapsed back to the ground with a shriek of pain It was all she could do to raise her head. Through her blurred, tear stained eyes she could see her friends, broken on the ground around her – their coats were stained with scarlet and not one of them was moving.

She didn’t know if they were dead. As the dragon roared from the sky high above she almost hoped that they were – at least then they wouldn’t be dragged away, tortured like Rarity had been. Like she had almost been. But at the same time, she hoped desperately that they were alive. Perhaps if they were, they could get away. They were stronger than she was – each and every one of them – and the last of her friends was still fighting.

Slowly, agonisingly, she turned her head towards the darkening sky.

The dragon was huge – easily twice the size of any she had ever seen, and far stronger. If what it had said was true it had been the one to lead the assault on Canterlot, and cast the city down. Even as far above her as it was she could see it clearly. Great silver scales covered it from head to tail, though many were now scratched and broken from the battle, and it’s wings were immense and powerful - but it had never faced an enemy like them.

As the dragon let out another roar, a rainbow flashed across the sky – it was a technique Fluttershy recognised. One she had seen Dash use a thousand times against a thousand enemies, when they were younger, but never like this. Dash slammed hoof-first into the dragons throat, moving as fast as she ever had – the scream from the creature shook the earth, but by the time it swung again she was gone, back into the azure.

She couldn’t see Rainbow Dash’s face, but she didn’t need to. She could picture it clearly – the smug grin, designed to hide the fear flowing through her. The narrowed eyes, mocking her opponent, daring them to make a move, to make a mistake, to – as Dash had once put it – fight like Rainbow Dash…and the fire, the burning, all-consuming fury in her eyes. That same fire she had seen so many times – the same fire she’d seen when Dash had slammed her rear hooves into the dragon’s left eye, rendering it half blind, and taken to the sky with a mocking laugh. Lured it away from them, not even knowing if they could run.

The Rainbow flashed again, but this time the dragon was faster – she heard it roar triumphantly as its tail swung, and Dash screamed. She shouldn’t have been able to hear it – maybe she couldn’t and It was nothing more than an echo in her memory.

It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that now, without ever really realising it, she was soaring through the air towards her oldest friend. Towards her hero. Towards her love.

They couldn’t win. She knew it. But it didn’t matter.

As she snatched her pony up with a howl of pain and slowly began to fall back to earth, she could see them. Twilight struggling slowly to her feet, horn aflare – Twilight had that fire too. Twilight would save them, and together they would fight.

They were going to die. But not today.

They couldn’t win. She knew that. But it didn’t matter.

Because they were going to win anyway.

Pinkie Pie Style

The bakery was aflame. It stood silhouetted against the darkening sky, a glowing orange beacon casting smoke into the air as the fire danced ever higher. The citizens of Ponyville crowded the streets, wandering casually past the bakery and completely ignoring the impending disaster. The day before they would have done the same. A week before they may have paid attention. A month before would have seen them panicking, rushing the bakery to save those within. But it was not any of those days. It was the day it was, and that day marked the one hundred and twelfth time that the bakery had caught fire in the space of thirty one days.

Three ponies stood on the front step of the bakery – a Unicorn, a Pegasus and an earth pony. The Unicorn and the Pegasus stood close together, shame-faced and heads hung low, but the Earth pony was dancing, bouncing on her pink hooves. A part of this was because she was proud of her students. They had tried, given it their all, and they had almost succeeded. And they would keep trying – they were, as she was, natural born bakers - they just hadn’t quite convinced the food of that yet. But another, perhaps larger part of the reason was that her fluffy, bright pink tail was aflame.

Not that she was worried, or anything – she had the bestest fire putter-outing pony in all of Ponyville and probably anywhere else too on the case, after all. But, she thought as she pirouetted through the air with a smile, panic was expected and so panic there would be. Finally, at long last, just as she opened her mouth the scream out her best friend’s name and tell her to come help already, a crack of thunder echoed through the sky and the rain began to fall. Right on top of her, and into her open mouth.

For a moment she stood there in shock, drenched from the tippy top of her pretty pink head to the bottoms of her not quite as pretty but still a nice colour anyways pink hooves. And then, as Rainbow Dash began to laugh her loud, bellowing laugh, Pinkie took aim and shot a jet of water up and straight at her mirthful face. The sight of a rainbow falling gracelessly from a cloud, swearing and cackling, was a beautiful one in its own way – not any way that was actually beautiful, but it was still fun to see, so that was okay.

Pinkie smiled widely, and turned back to the waiting twins. They gazed at her with anxious eyes, and she had to resist the urge to sigh.

“So tell me,” she asked sternly, “what do we think went wrong?”

It was the Pegasus who answered, and Pound was his name. His voice was soft and gentle – unlike his hooves, which could break through Pinkie’s rock cake with no trouble at all, even when she made it with gemstones. “Uhm…we…we forgot to turn off the oven?”

Pinkie clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Nope, nope. That’s not it at all. Pumpkin?”

Pumpkin, the unicorn, thought for a moment before slapping a hoof against her forehead with a laugh. “Oh, duh! Everything caught fire!”

“Yes!” Pinkie chirped happily, “Exactly! And fire isn’t one of those things you wanna see when you’re baking! Fire is bad. Pretty, but bad. Do you understand?”

The twins nodded contritely a moment before they were swept into a tight hug, and Pinkie continued.

“Hey, turn those frowns upside down! You only started two fires today! That’s a whole six less than yesterday! It’s three more than the day before that, but still – I’m proud of you guys! And the cookies turned out perfect!”

The twins exchanged glances, and Pumpkin spoke again. “Pinks, you know we left those in the oven, right? The one that was on fire?”

Pinkie bobbed her head contentedly. “I know! You’re lucky I remembered to save ‘em, or they’d have been gone forever – and a good baker never leaves a crumb behind! Now, repeat after me: I am a baker, and today I have done myself proud!”

As the twins recited the oath under the falling rain, Pinkie Pie was grinning.

First Impressions

As she loaded the last crate of sweets onto the back of the wagon, Smart Cookie let out a soft, gentle sigh and paused for just a moment to glance around. All around her were starving ponies, barely getting by, struggling to survive – and here she was, along with her family, shipping off food that could’ve saved them to who knew where just because the government had demanded they do so. If her father was right, it was being shipped off to the mansion that new chancellor had just acquired on the edge of town, so she could stuff her hoity-toity guests full of treats while good, honest ponies starved. It didn’t feel right. But as the bag of bits at her waist jingled heavily and she thought of her little brothers cuddled up together in their crib, she knew that how she felt about it didn’t really come into it.

“Hey, brainiac, quit daydreaming! Dad says to get your butt upstairs and get ready – Chancellor what’s-her-face is swinging by to make sure we didn’t do somethin’ awful like give her cookies to the poor, and he wants us to pretty up!”

That was her elder sister, Cookie Crumble, rolling her eyes as she called out casually from the doorway. Normally Smart Cookie would’ve snarked right back, but today she found she just didn’t have the heart. Instead she just trudged slowly back into the bakery without a word, and climbed the stairs – as she passed her sister she saw a flicker of worry in her eyes, and then it was gone. That was bad. Meant she was letting her discontent show, and that wouldn’t do – her mother had always said that she was the future of the family, and she’d have to lead it. That meant she couldn’t rely on anypony.

Everypony loved a good baker – just as long as she kept her mouth shut and smiling, she’d go far.

As her door swung quietly shut behind her and she turned to look in the mirror, she realised just how much of a disappointment she’d have been to her mother if she’d still been around. Tired, lifeless blue eyes stared back at her from a dull pink face, and her bright pink mane, drenched with sweat, stuck out randomly. She could see her ribs – probably the result of how little she’d really been eating lately. But worst of all, the pony in the mirror wasn’t smiling. And no matter how hard she tried to make that pony smile, it came out looking…fake. And bakers, as her father was fond of telling her, were not fakers. Bakers were honest ponies, and the work they did bought smiles – it ought to be sold with smiles, too.

Honestly, she didn’t think the Chancellor would care too much. Just one sad face in a sea of dozens of others she didn’t give a whit about. Didn’t mean that she wasn’t a mess, though, and so she picked up the hairbrush and began the slow task of fixing herself up. Presentation was everything, after all.

She washed her face, scrubbed her coat and was struggling in vain to make her mane lie flat when a squealing, delighted voice cut through the air and made her jump a mile.

“There!” Came the triumphant cry, “That - it’s perfect! Just what we’ve been looking for all this time!”

As Smart Cookie picked herself up off the floor the shrill, bubbling voice continued just as loudly, but more casually. “And you said it’d be a waste of time to come down here! That’s why you’re just a scribe and not a Chancellor, you know. Chancellor’s get stuff done! What have you gotten done lately, huh?”

The Chancellor. She was here, and that meant there wasn’t a second to waste – she was out the door and down the stairs like lightening to stand at her sister’s side just outside the doorway – and what she saw stole her breath away.

The Chancellor, an orange earth pony with a light blonde mane currently styled into what Smart Cookie was pretty sure was meant to be a bunch of bananas, was perched on the head of an older brown earth pony with spectacles and wearinga strange pointed hat with a ridiculous white feather poking out of it, pointing triumphantly towards the sign atop the bakery with a grin like nothing she’d ever seen.

She didn’t take her eyes off the sign, even when her perch – and presumably scribe – opened his mouth to speak in a voice shaking with barely repressed fury. “With all due respect, my lady, I fail to see how a bakery sign is going to help us sort this mess you’ve started out.”

“Of course you don’t! That’s because you’re not looking at it right – if you were as smart as I am you’d see it plain as day. Think about it…what’s your name again?”

“It’s C –“

“Whatever! Think about it, Scribey – I walk into town, and all the sad and hurting ponies look up and see their magnificent and inspiring Chancellor, as beautiful as ever – and there, atop her head, sits that!”

“…It’s a pudding cup, Chancellor. You would be a laughingstock.”

The Chancellor’s eyes narrowed and her smile grew wider and she lets out a quiet – and, Smart Cookie had to admit, somewhat terrifying – “Exactly.”

Then with one fluid movement she bounced off the scribe’s head and pointed imperiously at the bakery. “Go in and tell them I want it! It’s for official, super important Chancellor stuff they couldn’t possibly understand!”

Smart Cookie winced, and so did the scribe. Her mother had made that sign herself, and she wasn’t about to give it up without a fight. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she’d have to. The scribe bit his lip, slowly rose up and took a step toward the insane pony, glaring straight into her eyes. And then , quite simply, he said “No.”

The reaction was immediate and shocking – the Chancellor’s jaw dropped for a moment before she frowned and glared darkly, stomping a hoof of the ground. “Did you just question your Chancellor, scribe?”

“I did. I am afraid I simply do not understand why you think walking around with a pudding cup on your head is going to solve anything. I will follow you until the end of days – as soon as you begin acting in a manner befitting your station!”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhh,” She nodded before draping a foreleg around the scribe with a relaxed smile, “I see what’s going on here; you’re not understanding me. That’s not your fault – your brain is awfully tiny compared to mine and it’s gotta be hard to follow sometimes.”

“…Is that so? Then please, by all means, Chancellor A -”

The Chancellor shoved a hoof into his mouth and shook her head vehemently. “Nuh uh. It’s Puddinghead now. Chancellor Puddinghead though, because I’m still a Chancellor.”

The scribe’s eye twitched noticeably, and Smart Cookie could understand why. So she wasn’t terribly surprised when the scribe pulled away from the babbling pony and said, loud and clear, “I refuse.”

His boss sure seemed surprised, though – her eyes went wide, and her voice trembled. Smart Cookie wasn’t sure if it was genuine or a calculated act of manipulation, but it hurt to see. And somehow that made her angry.

“Refuse what?” Puddinghead asked quietly.

“All of this. Everything. I refuse to march in there and steal a sign from some paupers! That is absolutely unforgivable behaviour, and I will have no part of it!”

His voice grew louder with each word, and Puddinghead seemed to shrink into herself. Smart Cookie, however, was nodding along.

“And these sweets! You drag them out of this town, and for what? To feed your stupid little hobby? These supplies could be used where they’re actually needed, you stupid girl! And you mean to just throw them away? Look around you! How much food do you think these people have?”

The small, shaking joke of a Chancellor turned her gaze around, staring into the somber faces of the ponies around her with tears in her eyes. And then, slowly, she spoke. “…What do you think I should do, then?”

The Scribe spat at her. “Precisely what I’ve been telling you all along – give up this idiocy with the mansion. It will gain you nothing – nothing at all!”

“That’s not true! I –“

“It is a waste!” Hissed the scribe darkly, glaring at her with raw hate in his eyes. “You’re wasting our time and resources building your silly little orphanage when you could be sending more food to the pegasi, the unicorns – anyone who could help us! You’re an embarrassment!”

Smart Cookie’s breath caught in her throat as she processed what the scribe had said, and then everything began happening faster than she could follow – in less than a second the Chancellor was back on her feet and towering over the cowering scribe, eyes burning with a fire like the sun itself.

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m not the best at this Chancellor thing – but you know what? I’m better than you. Because unlike you, I’m not gonna let people die in the streets so that we can beg for help from a bunch of show-offs who’re just sitting by and letting it happen! It may not be a lot, but if I can make everypony just a little bit happier then at least I did something! Now gimme back my scribe hat and get out of my sight!”

As the ex-scribe turned and fled as fast as his treacherous little hooves would carry him, the crowd was silent. And then slowly, one by one, they began to clop their hooves against the dirt in an ovation. Puddinghead – Chancellor Puddinghead, blinked in surprise before sweeping into a low bow with a loud “Thank you, thank you! I know, I’m the best!”

And then she stopped, and her eyes were fixed firmly on Smart Cookie. She stared for a long moment, smile growing wider with each passing second. Smart Cookie took a hesitant step back, suddenly very afraid – and then her face was being clutched tightly and the Chancellor was staring straight into her eyes.

“You! Baker pony!”

“Uhm…yes, Chancellor Puddinghead?”

“Did you know that you’re pink?”Excitement dripped from every word she said, and her eyes were wide and gleaming. Smart Cookie swallowed with a hesitant nod. “Yes, Chancellor.”

“Do you know what this means?” The insane pony whispered conspiratorially, pressing her muzzle against Smart Cookie’s own. And then, without waiting for an answer, she leapt backwards and threw her forelegs in the air with a loud cry of “It means you’re perfect! The kids will love you! You gotta come with me right now, okay? I’ll pay you! Do you wanna come?”

As Smart Cookie stared at the beaming, insane, loud, childish, excitable, brilliant, kind hearted pony before her, all she could do was nod. “More than anything, Chancellor.”

And it was true.

When You're With Me

Dear Princess Sparkle,

I bet you always wanted to get a letter that started that way, didn’t you? Yeah you did. You totally did. When you were little I bet you used to dream about it and stuff. That’s cool – it’s good to have dreams. I know you will probably never be a Princess or whatever because of the whole not being royal thing, but I think that’s okay. You’re an awesome pony and you’ve done lots of stuff nopony else could dream of, so remember that.

Now you’re thinking ‘why the heck is she being so sentimental?’ Don’t pretend you’re not. I know it. I was just going to put Dear Princess Sparkle but Shy thought that you might think I was making fun of you and that I should make it obvious I wasn’t, and since this is kind of her letter that’s what I did. So yeah. That’s why and stuff.

If you hadn’t noticed I’m not really good at this letter thing. But Shy wanted to do one and I said I’d help her cause she’s not so comfortable with the whole writing thing. She does it fine, but she gets all embarrassed so I’m going to be writing down what she says. I forget what that’s called, but you know what I mean.

But first, tell Pinkie she sucks. She’s ruined bakeries for me now. All the bakeries here are stupid and don’t make cupcakes right. I can’t believe I used to steal buy these as a kid. Her awesome cupcakes ruined them, and now she has to make me some. I got her a big bag so that she can compare. Fluttershy also says I have to tell her she doesn’t really suck, which she knew anyway.

Okay. Fluttershy now. I’m just going to copy this down word for word, so bear with me yeah?

Hello Twilight. How are you? Oh, um. You can’t answer that. I’m sorry. I really hope that you and the other girls are doing well. Please give them my love, and tell them that I miss them very much. Oh, um. Not that I don’t miss you very much as well, because I do. I’m terribly sorry if I hurt your feelings. Rainbow Dash, who is totally sexy and amazing and the best pony ever, says that I didn’t hurt your feelings and not to worry, so I’m going to try and believe her.

The honeymoon has been just wonderful. I miss home, but I’d almost forgotten just how lovely Cloudsdale can be, especially in the fall. I hope Angel Bunny is not giving you too much trouble. Um. Not that I doubt that you can handle him or anything. I just hope that he’s behaving well. Please tell him I bought him a gift, and that he can have it just as soon as we get back. (DO NOT DO THIS! You do not want that thing tearing your house up looking for his present. Trust me. - Dash)

Rainbow Dash has been very romantic. Um. Yes. You do have to write that. I’m sorry. No, I’m sure they won’t laugh. Are you still writing? I think you’re still writing. Um, I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. She took me flying with the birds just yesterday, and it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. Afterwards she had all the birds sing me a special song. I’m still not certain how she managed that, but it was amazing. (Thanks, Twi. And thank Celestia, too. – Dash)

Afterwards she took me out to dinner, at the restaurant where we first met. Well, um. That’s not exactly right. It wasn’t a restaurant then, just a park . But it is a restaurant now. I think Rarity would like it, and I’m sure she’ll be terribly disappointed that she missed out on Dash trying to act like a proper gentlepony. She didn’t do a very good job, but that’s okay – she’s much, much nicer and more fun to be around than anypony else could ever be, and it was one of the best nights of my life.

Tomorrow it’s my turn to make her day special. I’m a little nervous, but I really do think that she’ll like what I have in mind. I’m sorry I can’t tell you what it is, but um. That would, you know. Spoil the surprise. Because Dash is the one writing all this down, and the surprise is for her. No, I won’t say even if you do promise not to read it. Sorry about that, but I promise that I’ll tell you all about it when we get back. Also, it will involve makeouts. Lots and lots of makeo –

——

Twilight blinked and looked up at the group of gathered ponies. “It trails off there. I think they might have been fighting over the pen?”

She shrugged, and continued reading.

——

Um. So anyways, I blush really cutely when I’m embarrassed. That wasn’t me, that was Rainbow. As if you didn’t already know that.

Okay, okay. Sorry. Shy again, now.

This isn’t really just a casual letter. You know that we were talking about maybe coming back to live in Cloudsdale, because we’re going to need a little more money and the orphanage asked me to work for them. We came to a decision on that, and I wanted to tell you. Rainbow wanted to surprise you when we got back, but I thought it was too important and she was nice enough to help me with it.

We’ve decided to stay in Ponyville. It’s our home, now. And I wanted to thank you for that, all of you – Ponyville is a lovely place, but it really is just a place. Our home, where we belong? That’s with you. All of you, really. We’re married now, and we have the rest of our lives together – but without all of you, it just wouldn’t be the same.

Dash and I. We, um. We kind of. We never really. You know. Had a home. Not before Ponyville. Not before you girls. This happened – us, I mean, Rainbow and I – because of you girls. Not entirely, of course, because the feelings were kind of already um well there. But you girls gave us something we never really had – and in doing that you helped me see what I’d been missing all along. I already had a home. With Rainbow Dash.

I can’t leave her behind. And even though it’s an entirely different thing, neither of us can leave you girls behind, either.

So really, thank you. I’m happy, now. Happier than I’ve ever been. Because of Rainbow, and because of you girls. I’ll never be able to tell you how much each and every one of you means to me – to both of us. We love you, girls. And we can’t wait to see you.

Fluttershy

PS – All that sappy stuff she said? Yeah, that. Goes for me too. Not too good at this whole shtick, but you all know you’re totally awesome. Or at least I hope you do. – Rainbow Dash, best pony ever.

Second Chances

She was just in time. Just in time to watch herself ruin everything, and just in time to do everything she could to make it right. To hopefully make it right. Maybe. If she was lucky. But luck was one thing that she possessed in abundance, though she had always been loath to admit it – the four years she had spent with that perilous, precious pink pony, holding her in the dark or being held by her, were proof enough of that.

She didn’t deserve Pinkie Pie - she knew it, just as well as she knew the Twenty-Three Maxims of Starswirl the Bearded or the recipe for dragon cough syrup. What she had said to that pony - that prancing pink paradox that had swept into her life and turned it completely upside down, who had put a smile on her face and helped her to achieve her life’s work – was unforgivable. She knew it, because she was watching it happen.

Peering through the library window, doing her best to stay out of sight, Twilight Sparkle watched herself make the biggest mistake of her life.

Twilight couldn’t hear her own words, from where she was. It didn’t matter – she remembered them. And she wouldn’t have heard them anyway – her attention was fully focused on Pinkie. On the way her smile dropped a little, with each passing second. On the way she stepped back, visibly trying to put distance between herself and Twilight. On the way that the smile became a frown, and the eyes became wet with tears. And then, as the tirade reached its end, she saw Pinkie’s head snap back up – the sadness and pain disappeared as quickly as it came, replaced with unimaginable fury that vanished as quickly as it came. Twilight Sparkle watched as the pony she loved buried her anger, and a mask of apathy replaced it.

She hadn’t understood, then – if she had, perhaps she could have fixed things right then, wrapped her forelegs around Pinkie and said exactly what needed to be said to make everything okay again. But she hadn’t understood. And that terrified her – because she still didn’t. She didn’t know why Pinkie turned her face away, hid her sadness from her, instead of sharing them. It didn’t make sense – nothing about her did. Nothing about her ever had. And that terrified Twilight. Because if she didn’t understand Pinkie, she couldn’t fix things. She didn’t have a chance.

But she had to try. Because if she understood nothing else, she understood that she needed Pinkie. More than anything else in all the world, she needed Pinkie – and even though Pinkie didn’t need her, she believed that Pinkie wanted her. Why else would she have put up with everything Twilight had done wrong over the course of the relationship? All the stupid, careless words she had said and the hurt she had caused – she had to believe that Pinkie forgave her for those, and she had to believe that she did it for the same reason Twilight forgave Pinkie: because she loved her.

As Pinkie spun on a hoof and stormed out of the library, Twilight waited. As the sound of a slamming door echoed through the air, Twilight watched. As Pinkie’s eyes widened in shock, taking in the small, meticulously prepared party that was waiting for her just outside the door, Twilight hoped.

Pinkie swallowed, and slowly turned her eyes towards her gathered friends. “Dashie?” She whispered quietly, voice shaking just a little, “What’s going on?”

Dash shrugged, doing her best to look casual, and pointed a hoof at Twilight as she answered, “I dunno, Pinks – why don’t you ask her? She’s the one who invited us all.”

Pinkie turned to face her, and pain flashed in her eyes. “But…why?”

She sounded lost. Afraid. It was all that Twilight could do not to embrace her – but she knew that Pinkie would never allow it. Not now.

“Because I love you,” she said instead, very carefully, “And because I’m sorry.”

Pinkie didn’t move. She didn’t tackle Twilight, or thank her, or pepper her with little kisses. She just stood there, with anger and hurt written all over her face, and very quietly said those beautiful, magical words. “I love you, too.”

It wasn’t a lot. But it was a start, and it was more than she deserved.

A Very Serious Story of Sadness, Heartbreak, Redemption and Make-Outs

One day Pinkie Pie was sad, and did not want to be sad anymore. She was sad because she was not being kissed often enough, and decided that she would like to have makeouts more often. Specifically with Fluttershy, because Fluttershy had many admirable qualities and would be nice to make out with.

What Pinkie did not know was that another of her friends, Rainbow Dash, was also sad. Rainbow Dash was sad because she knew that Pinkie did not want to make out with her, because she loved Pinkie and thought that making out with her would be pretty great.

Rainbow Dash knew that Pinkie very much wanted to make out with Fluttershy, and had decided that she should help her two friends be happy. She was filled with pain and sadness by this, but because she was a good friend she put her own desire for makeouts aside so that she could help her friends achieve the makeouts they both desired.

Fluttershy, however, did not wish to make out with either Pinkie or Dash - she wished to make out with both Pinkie and Dash simultaneously, as the higher number of ponies would doubtless lead to superior makeouts and also probably because she loved them both or something.

She had not yet achieved her goal of bringing these makeouts about, and was very sad about this. Her inner pain caused her much sadness.

Fluttershy decided that to increase the number of makeouts she was engaging in she needed help, and so she paid a visit to her good friend Rarity. When she told Rarity of her dilemma, the unicorn was saddened because she secretly wished to make out with both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash herself. But she did not say so, and instead suggested that Fluttershy visit Rainbow Dash and initiate makeouts, because Rainbow Dash would likely be receptive to makeout attempts.

Fluttershy, however, saw Rarity’s hidden desire for makeouts due to being very wise and perceptive. And she suggested that perhaps if Rarity came along, all three ponies could engage in makeouts at the same time. And perhaps, with careful planning, they could later increase that number to four.

Rainbow Dash was very surprised when Fluttershy and Rarity visited and expressed their desire to engage in makeouts, for she had not believed that she was worthy of their affection or their makeouts. Their desire to make out with her made her cry, but they were happy tears, and they led to kisses.

Many kisses.

At that same moment Pinkie Pie, who had been visiting her friend Twilight Sparkle for romantic advice, arrived with her friend Twilight Sparkle in tow. When she saw the pony she wished to make out with making out with ponies that were not her, she was very sad and angry.

Pinkie Pie believed that none of her friends could love her, for she was a silly pony who did not see her own value. Though all four ponies looked for her, it was Twilight Sparkle who found her. Twilight Sparkle was happy to see Pinkie, and listened as the earth pony explained that she felt she was not deserving of makeouts or love, and that this made her sad.

Twilight Sparkle was saddened, but also happy because she knew that she could cheer her friend up. She confessed her own long hidden desire to engage in makeouts with Pinkie Pie, and the fact that she had loved her for a long time, but had surpressed the fact for fear that Pinkie could not work. This had made her very sad, and the sharing of her burden relieved much of her deep inner pain.

Pinkie and Twilight made out for some time, until Twilight Sparkle realised that their friends were probably being made sad with worry. She also realised that their makeouts would be all the more satisfying if they involved five ponies, instead of two. Pinkie Pie smiled, because she liked this idea and it made her happy.

So it was that all five ponies coincidentally met in a clearing a few moments later, despite having not run into one another in the many hours before this. Pinkie explained the reason for her sadness, and the other ponies were sad. But then they were happy, for their shared pain was nullified by the shared desire for makeouts. As they expressed this sentiment, they each grew happier and attempted to initiate makeouts.

But the wise and beautiful Rarity, who had wisely realised that if five of their circle of friends desired to make out with each other then it was possible that they would be able to find one more addition and engage in the longsought - by all of them, though they had not realised - six pony makeouts.

Applejack was not a sad pony. She did not have deep inner pain, though she sometimes felt sad that she was not able to engage in makeouts with her best friend Rarity. She had much to be happy about in life, and was therefore the least sad of all the ponies. But that did not mean that there was no room for her to be happier, and she believed that the way to make it so was to locate Rarity and request make outs.

She was saddened when she discovered that Rarity was not at home, and though she did not have deep inner pain she still came close to tears. Then suddenly her five friends, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity appeared before her. They expressed that they had been engaging in makeouts, and all wished to make out with her very much.

Applejack considered this and, though she had not thought of anypony but Rarity previously, realised that she did indeed wish to engage in makeouts with all of her friends.

And so the six ponies made out, completely cured of their inner pain and destined to be happy and possess makeouts in abundance forever more.

Smile

Sometimes, just sometimes, she wondered if it would ever stop hurting. If she would ever be able to hear that sweet, melodious laughter without feeling that pang of dull, aching emptiness deep in her stomach or watch her friends race past her, giggling and smiling and happy, without having to fight back tears. Sometimes she wondered, and in those moments she hoped, more than anything else, that the pain would stop. It was a horrible thing - small and selfish and hateful, just like her – but she couldn’t help but think it would be easier, that way. For them, and for her.

No, that was a lie. A white lie, designed to ease the hurt and stop her shaking, but still a lie – it wouldn’t be any easier for them. How could it be? They didn’t care. They couldn’t care, because they didn’t know. They’d never know, not while she had any say in the matter – they didn’t deserve that pain, that burden. It was better, kinder, to let them believe that it didn’t break her heart every time she saw them together.

Besides, it wasn’t a difficult problem to solve. All she had to do was stop loving her, stop caring about her, stop seeing her – it should have been the easiest thing in the world. She had done it before, after all, all those years ago. Except… except that she hadn’t, had she? Not really. She’d buried the feelings, locked them away and tried to keep them gone because it was easier for her – but she’d known, right from the start, that she’d never really be rid of them.

She’d felt it in the way her heart skipped a beat every time her eyes fell upon that agonising, hurtful, obnoxious, wonderful, perfect pink pony. In the way that she’d woken up every morning with tearstains on her pillow, surrounded by nothing but cold, empty silence. In the way she hadn’t been able to talk to her, or think of her, without wanting to cry. In the way she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. But she had told herself that no, she didn’t love Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie hurt her, drove her insane, made her into the monster she tried so hard every day never to become. Pinkie was dangerous, and fragile, and every bit as hurt by Fluttershy as Fluttershy was by her.

And it was true, for the most part. The only lie she had told, the one thing she would never forgive herself for, was the first – because she did love Pinkie. She loved her more than anything or anyone else in all the world, and despite it all – all the hurt, all the tears and fear and doubts – she would have given anything to have her back. But it was too late. Too late for her, and too late for them. Pinkie Pie didn’t love her anymore.

In the time that Fluttershy had spent pushing her away, the long months she had spent hurting them both so terribly, Pinkie had moved on. Found somepony else. Somepony who wasn’t afraid of her, who would never abandon her, or hurt her so badly, or break her heart. Somepony who was made for her. Pinkie had found Rainbow Dash, and in doing so she had found the happiness she deserved so much – the smile on her face as she rushed around the park, giggling and jumping to try and catch Dash’s tail between her teeth, was the widest and happiest that Fluttershy had ever seen there.

She still remembered the day she had found out. She still remembered the speech she had prepared, asking – begging – Pinkie to give her another chance. She still remembered the smile on Dash’s face, and the way she had so casually kissed Pinkie. So casually broken Fluttershy’s heart. She remembered every moment, and she’d never forget it. But they didn’t need her. Pinkie didn’t need her.

Pinkie Pie had found Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash had found Pinkie. In all the years that they’d known one another, Fluttershy had never once doubted that Rainbow was an amazing pony. Brave. Loyal. Strong. Clever. Rash, sometimes, but even back when she’d had nothing to gain and everything to lose, she’d been willing to throw everything away for the sake of anypony who needed it. For the sake of a scared little filly who couldn’t even fly. Dash had always been amazing – but she’d never really been happy, in the beginning. In her own way, Rainbow had been every bit as frightened as Fluttershy was – the difference was that Dash was strong, and she was weak.

And over the years, things had changed. Time, and friendship, had worn down Dash’s defences and allowed her to see herself how Fluttershy saw her – at least a little. She had become the hero she had really always been, and little by little she’d found her happiness. And then she had found Pinkie. And with Pinkie, she shined.

Dash had always been an amazing pony – perhaps the most amazing pony of all – but with Pinkie she shined: brighter, louder, faster and more alive than she had ever been.

They were made for each other, to brighten each other’s worlds and share their lives together - and that broke Fluttershy’s heart. But as she across the grass, watching as Pinkie finally caught Dash and pulled her down into a loving embrace, she was smiling. She smiled, because they were happy. She smiled, because they deserved it so much more than she did. She smiled, because there was nothing else that she could do.

Fowl Magic

Twilight Sparkle was a patient pony. She was a calm, focused, difficult to distract mare with a talent for studying that far transcended the noise and chaos that surrounded her. She was not distracted. Not by the loud, bellowing song, or the inexplicable instrumental accompaniment that was originating from absolutely nowhere, or even the constant prodding in the side. She would remain unfazed by the mysterious clucking noises or the excited babbling that could not possibly be accompanying the song.

She would remain focused. She was a wizard. Maybe not officially, since official wizards only existed in story books for children, but in her heart she knew – she was a wizard, and she was going to do herself proud. And even if she wasn’t a wizard, she was a girlfriend. And as a girlfriend she had made a promise. And breaking that promise would mean she didn’t get to make o – would mean that she was a bad girlfriend! And if there was one thing Twilight Sparkle would never be willing to be, it was a bad girlfriend.

So it was that, as she stood beneath the stars with her eyes closed and the mare she loved beside her - and apparently behind her, on her other side, somewhere off in front of her and standing on her head as well – she retained absolute, complete focus on the tiny pile of rocks that sat before her. It was only simple transformation magic. It would be easy. All she had to do was help Pinkie Pie achieve her bizarre goal of…what had she called it? Giving her oldest friend a body of her own? It made no sense, either way – but she supposed she could see Pinkie having a pet rock as a child.

Sure, there had initially been maybe a few, very slight concerns about whether turning a pile of rocks into a living creature was entirely ethical – but Pinkie had put those to rest by assuring her that a puppet body was just perfect. And really, she didn’t see the harm. She always talked to herself this much when performing dangerously unstable magical spells for no reason other than because a perplexingly pretty pony had batted her eyelashes.

She really, really wished that chicken would be quiet.

With a long, shuddering sigh she let the magic flow through her, focused completely on the pile of chickens. Rocks. The pile of rocks. Not the chicken. And not the soft, sweet smelling hoof the had just begun to trace its way across her face, tickling her nostrils and…and not distracting her from the rocks. Because the rocks were what mattered. To Pinkie. And to her. Because they mattered to Pinkie.

As the magic flared in her horn, she took aim – only for a soft pair of lips to meet her own at exactly the wrong moment. Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw pink. And then she saw brown. There, perched atop Pinkie’s head, was a chicken – it stared down at her with its dark eyes, and as much as she tried to divide her attention equally between safely disposing of her incredibly dangerous spell and engaging in sweet, sweet makeouts – though not in that order – all she could think of was the chicken.

Pinkie pulled her closer, and she felt pleasure flow through her – pleasure, and highly unstable transformation magic.

——

Rarity was not often awoken in the middle of the night. This was largely because most of the population in Ponyville valued their lives, or at least their peace of mind. Very, very few ponies wanted to be on the bad side of an angry Rarity – and of the two that were willing to take the risk, she knew for a fact that Sweetie Belle was tucked up and pretending to sleep soundly in the next room.

So it was that when she opened the door to the boutique, cutting short the loud, hammering knocking that had woken her, she was not at all surprised to find herself face to face with…

A chicken. Okay, admittedly that was a little surprising. But the fact that the chicken was being waved in her face by Pinkie Pie somehow killed what little shock she might have been able to otherwise muster. Still, the crazed babbling from the Pink Pony had a different feel, this particular night – Pinkie wasn’t excited or happy or laughing or worse just dropping by. She was frightened.

“Twilight! Chicken! Magic! You gotta help! Fix it! Fix her!” Pinkie pointed the chicken at her, nodding frantically, and Rarity let out a tired sigh.

“She turned herself into a chicken, this time?”

The pink pony nodded, wordlessly.

“Pinkie, do you recall the conversation we had about not distracting her? At all?”

The pink pony nodded again.

“I see. And are you ever going to bother listening to me when I offer you good advice?”

Pinkie Pie shook her head slowly, face unchanging, and Rarity nodded.

“Right then. Run over to the library and fetch Spike – I don’t have the magic for this, we’ll need Celestia. I’ll take Twilight and make sure she doesn’t get herself in trouble. You remember what happened last time, with the snakes.”

The pink pony was gone before she finished, and the door swung shut slowly. As she levitated the chicken into the ever-waiting pen and slumped slowly over her kitchen table with a dramatic sigh, Rarity was doing her very best not to laugh.

Love Letters

Dear Scootaloo,

Applejack once told me that being honest is easy, but I think she might have been wrong. Or maybe it is easy, but only for some ponies. I’m not really sure. When I asked her she told me that telling lies and keeping secrets isn’t the same thing at all, sometimes, but that doesn’t make any sense. If you know a secret about someone, isn’t not telling them dishonest? Well I guess you know why I’m writing this either way, huh?

Actually, you might not since you went off to follow Rainbow Dash instead of coming to school today. Yeah, I know where you went – you’ve been excited about Dash’s try out for weeks. I think Miss Cheerilee knows, too, but when she asked I lied and said I didn’t. I don’t think she believed me, on account of she gave us a big lecture all about the importance of honesty. Sweetie Belle says I’m just being paranoid, but I think Sweetie Belle misses stuff sometimes. It was her who told me I should write this though, so I guess sometimes she sees stuff, too. She said I shouldn’t keep my feelings hidden away, which honestly surprised me a bit. I would never have expected her to want this out in the open.

I wonder if you put this thing down yet? I’m kind of hoping you will. You aren’t much for reading, and I figure that the more things I say and the more big words I use, the more likely you’ll get bored. It’s munipulitive manipulative of me and that’s probably dishonest too, but it’s a whole lot less scary than saying what I want to say. Anyways, Miss Cheerilee said we all had to tell one secret we’ve been keeping to a pony we trust, because keeping secrets only ends in hurt.

Rarity called that a ‘gross oversimplification’ but I don’t really see what’s gross about it. It isn’t really all that simple, either. But anyways. Here goes.

Or maybe not quite yet. I’m sorry. I’m just kind of afraid that this is going to change things forever. You’re my friend, Scootaloo, and I don’t want that to change no matter what. But I guess keeping secrets from you is no way to keep us friends. So here goes. I hope you can believe me when I say I’m sorry.

Sweetie Belle is in love with you. She told me so just the other day, and I’ve wanted to tell you real bad – I know you love her too, but she asked me to keep it a secret and apologised a whole lot. Then she asked if I was mad at her for ‘wanting my girlfriend.’ That seems kind of silly – you’re both my girlfriends, and I want you to be just as happy as you can. She said you were the most awesome, cutest and most fun pony in the world, and that you always make her happy no matter what. So I think she really likes you.

I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Please don’t be mad. I know you wouldn’t have told if she’d asked you either – you’re a good friend, Scootaloo. Assuming that you still want to be my friend, and all.

Anyways, I have to go to bed now. Granny Smith says so. See you tomorrow! Or now, I guess, on account of I’ll be giving this to you then.

Yours,

Apple Bloom

Worth Fighting For

Scootaloo’d never really been any good at the whole ‘feelings’ thing. She was good at having feelings, and really, really good at acting on ‘em without taking the time to think things through – but that was kinda the problem. She’d always run off her feelings, but she’d never really gotten the hang of dealing with them. Charge head-first into a bunch of Griffons that were raiding a town ‘cause they were jerks and she wanted to stop ‘em? Yep, she could do that. She might even win.

Maybe. If she got lucky. But probably not - she sure hadn’t last time. But the point was she’d do it, she’d do it awesomely, and everyone would be totally impressed and call her brave and a hero and stuff – that was just how things worked. Everypony knew that. But if they asked her afterwards why she’d done it, what she’d been thinking – or worse, if the Griffons said sorry and turned out to be cool? The best she’d ever been able to manage was a blank stare and some half-assed mumbling.

And most of the time that was okay. She wasn’t a thoughts and hugs kind of pony, and she accepted that – she was the one you called when you needed some butts kicked, or a building demolished just right, or just wanted to hang out with the most awesome Pegasus in all of Equestria. It was a good life, even if not a lot of ponies had really bothered to take her up on that last bit yet. But, like everything good just had to, it had a few downsides – and one of ‘em was staring her in the face, tears in her eyes and angrier than Scootaloo had ever seen her.

Sweetie Belle was crying, and yelling, and really kinda the opposite of what Scootaloo had been hoping she’d be doing – smiling, laughing, being happy - and she didn’t have a clue how to fix it. The pony she loved was muzzle to muzzle with her, glaring up at her, demanding an answer, an excuse, an explanation. Anything, really, as long as it made things like they used to be when they were kids again. Sweetie Belle was furious with her, hated her – and the only thing she could think of doing was how awesome it’d be to kiss those soft white lips.

Sometimes, Scootaloo wondered if she was a bad pony. But now wasn’t one of those times – she wouldn’t let it be one of ‘em. She had to say something or do something to make it okay. To make Sweetie okay. Because her best friend was hurting, and it was her fault. Even she wasn’t dumb enough to miss that.

“Well?” Sweetie demanded again, her voice just a little higher than it really should’ve been – her ‘why did you jump off that building’ voice that always, always meant that Scootaloo had done something really, really stupid.

“I…I dunno.” She stammered the words, and as soon as she had she regretted them. Just like her, to say exactly the wrong thing. And sure enough, Sweetie’s eyes only narrowed further as she took a step back and turned away.

“Oh, how silly of me. Of course you don’t know. You just woke up one day and decided to disappear for three months without telling us. Without telling me. Just like you always do. Some friend you are.”

It hurt. It hurt a lot, and immediately she wanted to yell – to deny it and say it wasn’t true, because that made her a jerk and she totally wasn’t a jerk. But she didn’t. She fought the urge down with some difficulty and took a step closer, reaching out a hoof to rest on her friend’s shoulder.

“Sweetie –“ She began, but was cut off almost immediately.

“Don’t touch me. You’re not allowed. You’re a buttface.” The words were sullen, mumbled – and completely serious. If it had been anypony else, Scootaloo would’ve laughed. But it wasn’t anypony else, it was Sweetie – and that made them the most important words in the world. She lowered her hoof, and wracked her brain in a desperate attempt to get her head in order. It didn’t work. It never worked. So she did what she always did: she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

“I couldn’t take it anymore,” she began, and found that as hard as starting to say things was, stopping was even harder, “You two, I mean. Seeing you together. I know how dumb that is, and I know I’m a bad pony, but it hurt – knowing I’d never be good enough.”

She turned her head away and Sweetie Belle glanced over at her, suddenly not really sure if she could handle the anger in them anymore. Didn’t mean she couldn’t hear the soft, pitying voice though – Celestia, she hated it. She didn’t need pity. Not from Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie, or Apple Bloom. But especially not from Sweetie Belle.

“Good enough for what?”

She didn’t want to answer. She had to, anyway.

“For you. No, not just for you. For anyone. All anyone ever saw when they looked at me was her. When I got my cutie mark, I was so happy – but all anypony could say was ‘oh, she’s just like Rainbow Dash!’ But I’m not! I’m not her! I don’t want to be her!”

“I never thought of you like that.” The words were simple, gentle – she could still hear anger in them, but it was weaker now. She heard the words, and she knew they were true – she’d always known that.

“I know,” she said softly as she turned again to face Sweetie Belle, “I never thought you did. You…you saw me for exactly who I was. Who I am. And…ugh, it sounds so dumb now. You were the only pony besides Bloom to see me for who I was... I couldn’t handle it.”

“I’m so –“

“No. Don’t be sorry. You didn’t do anything. I was just so angry, and I didn’t know what to do. I needed help. So I went to Dash.”

Her frown deepened as she remembered the exchange, the things she had said to the pony who’d always be her hero – and the things that had been thrown right back. She opened her mouth to continue, only to be cut off as Sweetie Belle pulled her into a hug.

“I take it it didn’t go very well?” Sweetie’s voice was a whisper, and the question won a chuckle from Scootaloo.

“I bucked her in the face. Pretty sure I broke something. She didn’t even fight back – just got up, told me I needed to get my head on straight or get lost, and flew off. I…I’m not sure what happened after that. I just knew I had to leave.”

“But you came back.”

“I always knew I’d do that, too. Wasn’t sure if I’d stay, but you girls mean the world to me. I could never have just ditched you.”

She felt Sweetie nod, and then heard her mumble, “I still don’t forgive you. You’re still a buttface.”

“Yeah,” she agreed casually, “I know. But I hope you’ll forgive me one day.”

Sweetie snorted into her shoulder, and when she spoke again she sounded better. A little.

“Of course I will, dodo. But first you have to tell me what happened to your face.”

That seemed fair. But it could wait, at least for a little while, well she let those last words sink in.

Life, she reflected, was pretty good.

Among The Stars

The night was beautiful, just as it had always been. A sea of gleaming, shimmering stars shining against the night sky, and each one a spark – fuel for the memories that burned like fire in her mind, consuming everything she was and stealing her every stray thought. Fuel for the fires that would never fade, never die – they flickered and blazed, waxed and waned like the moon itself, but they burned ever on. Just as they always had, and just as they always would.

The night was beautiful, just as it had always been. The same as it had always been. Static. Unmoving. Unchanging. A thousand times a thousand perfect, gleaming stars, frozen in time for all eternity. Just as they had always been. Just as they were meant to be.

The night had always been unchanging, unyielding – a stark contrast to the swirling, ever changing days, as wild and unpredictable as anything the world had to offer. One day could bring gentle, beautifully swirling clouds, or a sky lit aflame by the gentle warmth of the sun, while the next bought stifling heat and the next cold, frightening grey.

Scholars had said that if the day was full of life, passion, love, the night was dark and empty. Hollow, and uncaring. And they were right. Because the day was alive. Every day she stood tall and guided her people alone as best she could was proof of that – the day was alive, and it was guided by her whims as surely as the sun itself. The day was alive, and the night was dead. An empty husk, stripped of the spark that had made it what it was.

Sometimes, Celestia wondered what her ponies would say if she told them. If she spoke of how once, the stars had danced. How every night had been different, changing, shifting and fading – how each had been crafted with a burning passion and love she could never have hoped to match, the work of a master with an infinite tapestry. Would they believe it? It seemed unlikely. It had been a thousand years since the stars had danced, swaying and shifting, stepping into line to the tune of a song only Luna had been able to hear. A thousand years since the last time she had seen some trace of the sister she loved so dearly.

A thousand years since the last time she had sealed her away.

As she stood on the balcony, staring up at the mare in the moon – that foul, dark thing that had once been her sister, she remembered. Remembered how the seal had broken, again and again. How she had found herself once more faced with a power she could barely comprehend, barely bring herself to face. How she had tried, a dozen times, to call out to her sister and free her from what had enslaved her. How she had failed.

She remembered the hatred, burning in those eyes – the anger, and fury and shame. She remembered raising her head, preparing to make the killing blow and release her sister from the prison that had been forced upon her once and for all, and faltering.

Not once, but a dozen times. A dozen battles fought and won, a dozen chances to end the curse that she had struggled for so long to break. A dozen failures that still ate away at her, reminding her every day and every night that she was weak.

Twelve thousand years, since she had held her sister close and told her that she loved her.

It had to end. For her, and for Luna. For whatever was left of Luna. It had to end, and she wasn’t strong enough. She had never been strong enough, but now – with the elements of harmony forever lost to her, claimed by their rightful bearers – she doubted that she even had the strength to fight.

But perhaps…perhaps she didn’t need to be strong, this time. Perhaps this time – the last time, whichever way things went – she didn’t need to fight. All she had to do was set the field, and ensure that all the pieces were in play. All she had to do was send six of her loyal, faithful subjects – six ponies with no idea of the power they had or the dangers they faced – against a power they couldn’t possibly imagine.

All she had to do was risk six ponies, to save the world. All she had to do was risk Twilight Sparkle, to save the world.

And she wasn’t strong enough. She couldn’t do it.

But, as she felt the gentle night breeze on her face and remembered those burning, accusing, terrified eyes, she knew she had no choice.

She would send the Elements of Harmony to the field, and they would fight. They would die, or they would kill Nightmare Moon. And then it would be over. Whatever happened, Luna would be free. Whatever happened, Celestia would die a little more.

And if she were to fall, die beneath the hooves of the sister she had betrayed a dozen times…that was alright. Perhaps then, she could dance among the stars with Luna one last time.

Basically Cannon

“Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash asked hesitantly “Not that I don’t trust you or anything but…are you sure you know what you’re doing? I mean, no offense! It’s just you don’t, you know, really seem like the type.”

To her surprise, Pinkie didn’t seem at all offended – rather than pouting that adorable, offended pout of hers and getting into a huff like she normally did when she thought someone didn’t believe in her, the pink mare just snorted happily and let out a little giggle before nodding her head. “Of course I am, silly! I mean, I can’t think of a single pony in all of Equestria better qualified, can you?”

Dash considered that, and she had to admit that Pinkie had a point. It wasn’t a good point, or a point in her favour, but it was definitely a point. And it was even relevant. Well, almost relevant. Pretty close. On the whole, it was a good argument. Or at least it was one of those arguments that you couldn’t really argue with – and that was like a good argument. Sort of. Probably.

The point was, it was the kind of argument that Dash normally would’ve accepted from her friend without bothering to argue the point, if only so she didn’t have to bother trying to argue a point with Pinkie – because really, her chances of winning any argument she did get into with the crazy pink pony were about the same as her chances of winning the most talented unicorn contest. But today was different – today was important.

Today, she had to match wits with Pinkie Pie. Or at least, throw her wits at Pinkie Pie’s big, impenetrable wall of…impenetrable not-logic stuff and hope they came out of it the same as they went in.

She didn’t want to do it.

She had no choice.

With a nervous chuckle she turned to look into Pinkie’s wide, gorgeous blue eyes and her heart skipped a beat. Their eyes met, and Pinkie tilted her head a little as her smile – that amazing, heartstoppingly brilliant grin, grew a little wider. Dash felt her cheeks grow warm, and fought the urge to run away and come back after she’d calmed down – but she pressed on. She had to. She opened her mouth, and began to speak.

“Well…no, I guess I can’t. But I kinda can’t think of a pony less qualified either – and there are lots of ponies who might know more about this kind of thing than –“

“You have really pretty eyes,” the pink pony cut her off cheerfully, still beaming, and she found herself struggling to remember what she had been saying.

“I…I do?” Whatever it had been, she was pretty sure it wasn’t that. She was also pretty sure that she’d sounded more like Fluttershy than herself when she’d said it, and that she’d just lost any coolness points she might’ve had to spare.

And if she’d been blushing before, now she had to be glowing bright red. Celestia, she felt stupid.

“Yeah, you do! They’re kinda a little like Gummy’s, but less empty and terrifying and more really pretty and sparkly! I kind of wanna kiss ‘em, sometimes.”

“….You wanna what!?” She felt herself taking a step back, away from her completely insane girlfriend, and wished desperately that she could think of something to say that wasn’t really, really stupid.

“Kiss ‘em. What’s the matter? Don’t you like when I kiss your eyes?”

“I…it…I…I like it just fine, I guess? It just sounds weird when you – hold it! You’re just trying to distract me so I’ll let you do whatever you want, aren’t you!?”

The pink pony giggled and bobbed her head up and down rapidly. “Yep, I sure am – it almost worked, too! I bet it would’ve worked if you weren’t such a smarty smart Pegasus pants. I bet there’s not a Pegasus in all of Ponyville – no, all of Equestria – who’s as clever and pretty as you! What’d you think, Dashie?”

Dash grinned, and waved a hoof to dismiss Pinkie’s totally true words. “Nah, I’m sure there are probably lots of Pegasus who’re almost as –“ She caught herself, and let her head sink into her hooves with a groan. “Stop doing that! I’m not letting you shoot stormclouds out of the cannon!”

Pinkie’s smile vanished at once, and she stomped a hoof against the basket of the balloon. “But…but…but you said yourself that all your weatherponies are sick! You wanted help with the storm!”

“Yeah, I did – and I do. But there are a couple of holes in your brilliant plan: first, you can’t even move clouds, you’re an earth pony!”

“That’s not fair! Don’t be mean!”

“Second, stormclouds are dangerous. Really dangerous! You could get hurt!”

“I’ll be careful – I know what I’m doing! I have a doctorate in firing stuff out of cannons!”

Dash let out a sigh, and stepped forward to place a gentle hoof on the shoulder of the pony she loved. “Pinkie, a piece of paper with ‘Doctorate in Cannonology’ written on it – in crayon – isn’t a real doctorate. Did you really think you were gonna fool me with that?”

Pinkie’s face fell, and she looked away. Quietly, sullenly, she mumbled, “It totally would’ve if you’d given me more time to forge it.”

Dash bit her tongue, to keep from laughing, and nodded solemnly. “I know. Trust me, I know.”

Pinkie didn’t answer, instead just staring up at her with those sad, tear filled eyes, and Dash let out a low sigh, before offering her girlfriend a weak grin. “Pinks, would it make you feel better if I shot some stormclouds outta the cannon?”

Pinkie’s delighted grin, and the squeal of joy that accompanied it, was all the answer she needed.

Acceptance

Applejack was tired.

No, that didn’t quite do justice to how exhausted she really was: Applejack was dead on her hooves. That wasn’t really any surprise to her, though – it was harvest time, and expecting harvest time to be easy was like expecting Pinkie Pie to shut her yap for more than five seconds while you tried to fall asleep slumped up against the kitchen table. That was, it seemed possible at first but as soon as you actually tried it you realised there’d never been a chance in the first place.

As Pinkie continued yammering away about…something - something to do with cake, probably, or parties; those were usually a safe bet, and she was sure she’d heard some talk about candles in there somewhere - Applejack lifted her head from the table and rested it gently on her forelegs with a sigh, watching her girlfriend move around the kitchen with a smile on her face.

Pinkie was beautiful. There was no denying that, and there never had been – but the fact that Pinkie glowed even now, after they’d been out in the fields all day bucking apples like their lives depended on it and up all night, making a start on some things that’d waited a little too long besides, amazed her no end. Pinkie was beautiful, and she noticed things, too. Like Applejack staring at her with a dopey little smile on her face.

“Sorry,” the pink pony cut herself off with a sheepish smile, “was I talking too much again? It’s totally okay if you want me to be quiet ‘cause I can do that – don’t laugh at me! I can too – if you wanna sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready!”

Applejack stopped chuckling and shook her head slowly. “Nah, that ain’t it. I mean, sure – you make more noise than a rooster at dawn, but I kinda got used to it. It’s nice. Relaxin’.”

As she said the words the pink pony turned a darker shade of red, and her smile grew wider and wider – then, as Applejack finished, Pinkie launched herself through the air and tackled her to the ground, hugging her just as tight as anypony ever had and peppering her face with little kisses. Those were nice, even if she was tired. And when the kisses became longer, deeper, more insistent, maybe that was nice too.

But none of it was sweeter than the smile on Pinkie’s face when she finally pulled away, gazing down at Applejack with bright, shining eyes. “I… I don’t think anypony ever said they liked hearing me talk before. Do you mean it?”

Looking into Pinkie’s eyes was like watching a sunrise – a sea of brilliant blue with a spark, hidden away behind everything, ready bathe the world in light. Sure, maybe Pinkie’s light flickered a bit, and maybe it didn’t burn too bright sometimes – but it was one of the most brilliant things she’d ever seen. Wherever Pinkie went, she made ponies happy. Even when she had to break them first. Like she had with Applejack.

“Yeah,” she said simply, the only thing she could think to say at all, “you bet I do, Pinkie. And…I wanted to thank you.”

The pink pony tilted her head, and her smile faded just a little. “For what? Helping with the harvest? It’s okay, it’s a lot of fun and –“

“Nah, not that. Or not just that. For…for being here, you know? For helping me see…that what happened did.”

Pinkie nodded simply, expression completely serious. “I… I know what it’s like. To live in denial. It’s easy. Really easy. But it’s not good – I couldn’t just let you go through that like I did, back when my sisters…when they died. I wouldn’t.”

Applejack let out a long, shuddering breath and pulled the pink pony closer to her. “I know you wouldn’t, sugarcube. I know it. And ‘Bloom and Big Mac…they wouldn’t have wanted me to either. So thank y – “

“Don’t. Don’t thank me for that. Not ever. Please don’t.”

Something in Pinkie’s tone made her stop, and hold Pinkie just a little closer. Neither of them spoke, but Applejack felt her coat growing damp from Pinkie’s tears. And as she let a hoof glide through her girlfriend’s soft pink mane, she began to cry too.

That was alright. Crying was alright, sometimes – and she they were together. It was easier, to cry together. Knowing that there would always be somepony there, to help chase the pain away.

Forever Free

Discord was dying. He had to be. They had thrown everything they had at him, used almost every trick and every bit of power they had at their disposal – the battle had waged for weeks. Three armies had fallen to Discord already, thousands of ponies broken, killed, or worse. And still he stood there, smiling as calmly as he ever had, mocking her. The last defender of a nation – nay, many nations – that had stood together to face the one who had created them. To face their inevitable destruction, and overcome it.

Discord was dying. He had to be. Scars and gaping wounds covered his body, one of his wings had been torn in two, and his coat was stained dark with blood. His breaths came, slow and heavy, and one of his forelegs hung useless and broken at his side. And yet his smile had never faltered. Not as they had rained down blow after blow against him, eliciting grunts of pain she knew could not be false, not as her horn had found purchase in his belly, and not as he had lifted her by the head and tossed her effortlessly into the trunk of a nearby tree.

It hadn’t been there, before. She was sure of it. Just as sure as she was that her back was broken, and she couldn’t move. There was, at the very least, no pain. But the smile on Discord’s face promised her that there would be. Discord was dying, and so was she.

Discord was dying, and it wouldn’t be enough. They had failed. They had lead their people in pursuit of a legend, a chance, and they had found it – the Elements of Harmony. Months spend attuning themselves to the baubles, trying desperately to connect themselves to the power they contained- and they had succeeded. But it hadn’t been enough.

The power of the elements had weakened Discord, left him unable to change himself with his magic. Unable to repair his wounds, or become some enormous, lumbering beast. Unable to alter their entire army with a wave of his paw. But it hadn’t been enough. They had bought to bear every power at their disposal, the greatest power the world had ever known…and it hadn’t been enough.

Luna had never come.

He stood over her now, and finally his smile faded. With a single motion he snatched her up, talon clenched around her throat, and slammed her against the enormous tree. Once, twice, three times.

A dozen.

She was suddenly very glad that her body was numb. It didn’t prevent the tears from coming – but that was an entirely different kind of pain. And by the way he tilted his head and let out a soft chuckle, Discord knew it.

“Oh, Celestia, you look so very unhappy. Whatever’s the matter?” His words dripped with mock sympathy, and his expression was one of concern. She didn’t believe it. Not for a moment. Nor did she give an answer – wouldn’t have, even if she could have spoken with the demon’s claws crushing against her throat.

“You ought to be happy, my dear daughter. I’m so very proud of you, you know- and little Luna, too. Do you have any idea of how long it usually takes for anypony to get this close to defeating me? No?” He offered a sympathetic smile, and sighed. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to tell you, won’t I? It wouldn’t do for you to die not knowing just how spectacular your utter failure really is.”

He leaned closer, his voice a low, brutal hiss. “Centuries. Eons. Long enough that not a single living creature has to remember a time I wasn’t already here. Can you imagine that, Celestia? Not having that memory to cling to? Not knowing that once, things were wrong? And they were wrong – don’t ever doubt that. This little… ordered society thing you ponies try to do is adorable and all, but it just isn’t natural. If you’d only been born a few hundred years later, you’d see that. And then… well, perhaps I wouldn’t have to kill you quite so soon.”

Then he smiled again, and tightened his grip. She couldn’t breathe. She was going to die.

“So be proud, my dear – you achieved in twenty years what most ponies can’t in two hundred. And you almost won, too. If only that sister of yours had bothered to show up for the battle, you might just have beaten me. But look on the bright side – at least she doesn’t have to watch you die. And don’t worry – I’ll make her suffer, just for you.”

Celestia tried to laugh, to throw Discord’s words back in his face, and found that she couldn’t - her vision was darkening, and her mind was fading away. But she was smiling, as her eyes drifted around the forest that had sprung up from Discord’s spilled blood – as though it had always been there. As her eyes meet those of her sister, behind Discord in the clearing with her blade in her jaws and her head held high, she was happy.

Discord saw her smile, and chuckled quietly. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I think I’m going to name it after you, my dear. But what should I call it? Failure forest? Abandoned sister woods? No, no…I have it. Everfree. Just like your little rebellion. Amazing how true it turned out to be. Maybe you should’ve called it the everbreathing rebellion? Food for tho –“

He cut himself off with a howl of agony as Luna’s blade was driven through his chest, and released Celestia to swing his claws wildly at the new threat – she jumped nimbly backwards, slamming a hoof into his jaw, and smiled coldly.

“Thou thinkest we would abandon our own sister, churl? We knew that thine brain was as twisted and hideous as thine face, but we knew not that it was as oafish.”

Discord snarled, and lunged forward – Luna sidestepped easily, only to be caught by a swing from the fiend’s tail and knocked to the ground. Her smile didn’t fade, and she didn’t stop speaking.

“Perhaps thou art too feebleminded to understand that when my sister and myself took up the Elements of Harmony, loyalty was given to me?”

Discord laughed, then, loudly and mocking. “And what good has it done you, really? Your army is dead, your sister soon will be and you….you’re going to suffer for a very, very long time.”

Luna’s smile faltered, just a little – but then she glanced at her sister, and her resolved hardened. So too did Celestia’s own. The sight of her sister, fighting not to save Equestria but to save her warmed her – and there was something else, too. Building up inside her.

Rage. Discord had stolen everything from her. From both of them. But he would not take her sister. He would not take Luna. Nothing would ever take her sister from her – they would stand together, or they would die together. Just as they always had.

She felt power not her own flowing through her, mending her, and lifted herself slowly and torturously to her hooves. She knew what it was, though she had felt only snatches of it before – harmony. True harmony, rather than the faint echoes they had believed to be all there was.

And as she gazed at her sister, eyes burning white with a fire she could barely contain, she knew that Luna felt it too.

The two sisters stood, united again, and the battle began in earnest.

Full Speed Ahead

For a long time, Daring Do had been running. Sometimes physically, sometimes mentally. Sometimes she ran to get what she wanted, sometimes she ran just to stay ahead, and sometimes she ran just because she didn’t feel like slowing down. And that was cool – there wasn’t anything wrong with running, when you had good reason, and a lot of the time she did: for a long time, there’d been nothing in the world that had made her feel as alive as the thrill of being first.

First to navigate an old tomb, first to recover an ancient artifact, first of her family to settle on the ground, first of her family to inadvertently found a town; it really hadn’t mattered what it was, as long as she was the best at it. Sure, it was a stupid, selfish ambition – she had known that even then – but it had made her happy, and she’d helped a lot of ponies doing it. So even if running, charging ahead and never looking back wasn’t the smartest or nicest thing she could’ve done it was good enough. Always had been.

But then things had changed. She could see that now, even if she couldn’t then. At some point she’d stopped running ahead and started running away. From her responsibilities, from her memories, from the stupid little hopes and dreams she’d thrown everything away to chase after – but most of all from the pain, and the guilt. Running hadn’t made her quite so happy, then – it’d just become a way to make herself numb, uncaring. And when she hadn’t been running, she’d been angry. All the time.

And she’d just kept running, because she didn’t know what else to do. Because she’d been hoping that one day she’d slip, or misstep, or fall, and then she wouldn’t have to run anymore. Because running was easy, and stopping wasn’t.

For a long time, Daring Do had been running. And as she lay on her back in the grass, staring at the clouds high above, she couldn’t really remember why. It felt good, just lying there without moving, the light breeze blowing over her and the sweet smell of cupcakes teasing her nostrils. She was…happy. It felt like it’d been a long time since she’d been happy. So as she let her eyes drift closed and reached into the basket that sat beside her for another cupcake, Daring Do smiled.

It felt good.

And it tasted good, too. But then, Pinkie’s baking always did – she said it was cause it was made with smiles and love, but Daring was pretty convinced that Pinkie was just a really awesome baker. Still, it didn’t matter. The smiles and love thing was sweet, and cute. Like the way the pink pony scrunched her nose up, sometimes, or laughed that dopey laugh. As her thoughts drifted to Pinkie, Daring’s smile grew a little wider.

She wasn’t quite sure when she fell asleep, but when she finally opened her eyes it seemed pretty obvious that she had. The sky was growing darker, and it had gotten kind of cold. But if she had to pick just one thing that seemed different, she’d have picked the bunny. She was pretty sure – not a hundred percent sure, but pretty sure – that Angel Bunny hadn’t been standing on her chest, glaring down at her impatiently when she drifted off to sleep.

Also, she remembered having cupcakes left which, judging by the crumbs around Angel’s scowling mouth, she no longer did. Whatever – there were always more cupcakes, and she wasn’t dumb enough to pick a fight with Angel. She’d totally win, but she didn’t really wanna upset Fluttershy again.

“Daring?” The voice was soft, and hesitant. Just like it always had been, really. The only difference was that Daring didn’t immediately feel herself tense up and want to hit stuff. No, that wasn’t the only difference – it wasn’t even the biggest difference.

Because hearing that voice made Daring happier. Just a little. She wasn’t angry, to hear the voice of the one who’d rejected her – she was happy, to hear the voice of a friend. And when her cupcake thief gave a startled squeak and leapt away as she rolled over onto her belly to look up at Fluttershy, maybe she was happy about that too.

The look on Fluttershy’s face, though, quickly killed any urge she’d had to laugh. ‘Shy’s mane was disheveled and unkempt, and there were bags under her eyes. She obviously hadn’t slept, and Daring was pretty sure she’d been crying – and that just wouldn’t do. With one easy movement she lifted herself to her hooves and moved closer, not letting her smile fade for a second.

“What’s up, Shy?” Her tone was casual – she made it stay that way, and she asked the question even though she kind of already knew the answer.

“I…” Fluttershy faltered, glanced away, and then met her eyes again. She was afraid – it was written all over her face – but she was also determined to say her piece. It was nice, to see. ‘Shy hadn’t always been that strong. She hadn’t been that strong when she was with Daring. Or at least, she hadn’t known she was – Daring had, but that wasn’t quite the same thing.

“I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. To explain…you know, why.” Fluttershy was speaking clearly now, and she didn’t flinch away even once. Daring couldn’t help but feel a little proud, even as she felt a distant but familiar ache somewhere in her belly. “What I did hurt you, terribly – and I’m sorry. I left without telling you… without even telling you why.”

A long time ago, Daring would have seized those words. Twisted them, and used them as a weapon. A small part of her still wanted to, just a little – but she wouldn’t. She wasn’t that pony anymore. She was better, and she’d keep getting better. And besides, ‘Shy had already said all this before. Twice? Three times? It didn’t matter.

“You know,” Daring answered with a smile, resting a reassuring hoof on the other pegasus’ shoulder, “I heard you the first time you said all this. Didn’t mean a whole lot then, ‘cause I was still kind of in crazytown, but I remember.”

“You…you heard all that?” Fluttershy’s voice was a whisper now, and she stared at Daring with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“Every word. And you don’t gotta say it again – I forgive you, Shy. You made a mistake, yeah. But I made plenty too. Question is, can you can forgive me?”

“I…I forgave you a long time ago. But what I did to you was –“

“Bad. Yeah, it was. But it wasn’t worse than what I did to you. I hated you, ‘Shy. And I never let you forget it. You didn’t deserve that.”

“I did! I –“

“No. You didn’t. And sure, I didn’t deserve what you did to me either – but it’s okay. I forgive you – and if you can forgive me too, I’d like if we were friends.” She laughed lightly, as she said the words, and added “Maybe we can manage it if we both try really hard to avoid being stupid, this time.”

And then Fluttershy was giggling, too, and she knew that everything was going to be alright. And when Fluttershy hugged her and said yes, just a moment later, she felt that ache fade just a little more.

And later as the two sat, just talking under the stars, Daring wasn’t thinking of Fluttershy – of old wounds and new friends. She was thinking of a certain pink pony, the scent of cupcakes, and that maybe, just maybe, it was time for her to move on.

Til The Very End

All throughout Equestria, Hearth’s Warming Eve was a time of celebration. A time to remember the ones you loved, the ones you held dear – a time to cast aside your burdens and come together as one beneath the banner of love. There were very, very few ponies in Equestria who didn’t anticipate the day, be it for the company of friends and loved ones, for the respite it offered from day to day life, the history behind it or – in perhaps too many cases – merely the gifts it promised.

Whatever their reasons, and whatever their motives, there were few ponies in Equestria who could truly say that they hated Hearth’s Warming Eve. She herself had received more than a hundred good wishes, and she had responded to as many as she could with a practised smile and a cheerful tone that didn’t quite ring true in her ears.

Celestia allowed a quiet sigh to escape her as she stared down at the stage from high above, and her sister shot her a sympathetic glance. There were few ponies in Equestria who could truly say that they hated Hearth’s Warming Eve – and it would not do to dampen the spirit of the day and the smiles on the faces of her subjects by revealing that she herself could be counted among them.

It was the same every year. She would rise, as she always rose, with the sun that was now forever a part of her. Or perhaps it rose with her. It was difficult to say, any longer – and they had been together for so long that there was no difference, anymore. She would forego breakfast, and instead make the long, solitary trip to the cave, high in the mountains and long since sealed, that only she would ever be able to open.

She would spend as much time there as she could – never long enough – just speaking to them and hoping they could hear her. Telling them how she missed them. How she had always missed them, and always would. Whispering soft words, crying tears long sealed away. And then she would rise, and walk away for another year. Another long, empty year without the ponies she had loved. Without the ponies she was destined to never see again.

And then there was the play. She hated the play most of all. She had hated it since the day she had helped to pen it, huddled with the others around the bed of Clover the Clever in her last days. A legacy, they had called it – a reminder of what they had learned, and what would befall the world should ponies become again as they had once been. A reminder, that selfishness and war had no place in Equestria. A bastardization, twisting the ponies she had loved into the vicious caricatures they would be remembered as for eternity for the sake of teaching a lesson.

An insult to the most amazing ponies she had ever known – the ponies she still dreamed of every night, and still cried for when she was lost. The ponies whose love had saved her from death in the snow, and transformed her into a being with power over the sun itself.

Clover the Clever, smart and quick witted – a mind that had burned brighter than perhaps any before or since, but also so much more. Beautiful. Wise. Giving. Arrogant. Insufferable. Wonderful. Her flaws had been stripped away – all mention of the fact that it had been she who inadvertently caused the conflict between the three nations lost forever, to portray a perfect ideal.

Clover had been her teacher, her guide, the first she had fallen in love with.

Commander Hurricane, who had forged their new nation in a land that sought to annihilate them. Brash, bad tempered, compassionate, loving, merciful and…and invincible, or so they had all thought. She who had faced down a full grown dragon alone and left it slain to defend the ponies she loved best – and to defend their new land.

She who had died soon after, holding Celestia close and whispering reassurances in her ears.

She, who Celestia had helped to reduce to a violent blowhard.

Puddinghead, unsound of mind yet possessed of more heart than anypony she had known. Puddinghead, who had spoken to the warring masses and won their support with soft words and warm laughter. Puddinghead, who had forged an alliance with the Griffon tribes that endured to this day. Puddinghead, who defied description, reason and sense.

Puddinghead, who had predicted Discord’s return and left Celestia prepared. Puddinghead, the slow witted clown who the people saw parade around like a buffoon, inciting wars and insulting the only pony of them who had ever really understood her.

Pansy, their chosen leader, the pony who had met her death leading an ill-advised war against the dragons to avenge the pony the play claimed she hated, reduced to a cowardly fool incapable of anything but love.

Platinum. Smart Cookie. Humble, incredible ponies of completely different stations and one mind. They who had worked together to ensure that the ponies of Equestria would always be fed, and happy. Platinum, the most generous of all ponies, who had taken her own life in one single selfish moment to reunite with her beloved Clover. Smart Cookie, who had spent her remaining days farming rocks at the behest of a madpony.

All reduced to insulting mockeries of who they were. The heroes who had founded a nation, ruled it, seen it prosper, and passed it on to her. The ponies who would never be forgotten, but who not even Luna had ever known.

Slowly, she rose to her hooves and turned away. It was the same every year. She had never seen the play through, until the end.

But this year, she had done all she could to honour them. She had cast the greatest ponies she had known in a dozen generations to play them. It was a small thing. But even if she would never see them again, she knew they were watching. And perhaps, just perhaps, they knew that she would love them until the end of time.

'Zecora Can Be Spiteful' Totally Counts As A Lesson

Five days. For five days Iron Will had knelt before the door, unmoving. Unspeaking. Waiting. For five days she had ignored Iron Will completely. She hadn’t even glanced at Iron Will when the door’d opened that first morning – just walked right past Iron Will, without a word. Iron Will had known it was coming, though. She’d all but told Iron Will.

If my affection you seek to earn, patience is a virtue that you must learn.

And she was worth the wait. Anyone who could crack out slogans like she did was someone worth knowing. So Iron Will had waited. And waited. Annnnnnnnnd waited. It had been really, really boring. There’d been no fighting. No music. Noone telling Iron Will how great Iron Will was. And the stupid goats had run off after just a few hours, apparently for pizza. But they hadn’t bought Iron Will any pizza – that made Iron Will mad. And also sad. But mostly it made Iron Will hungry.

It didn’t help that the zebra had been cookin’ up something delicious at least four times a day. Or that he hadn’t really thought to bring any food. Apparently the zebra’s idea of patience wasn’t quite what his was – he had been expecting to wait like, five minutes tops. But he had said he’d wait, and Iron Will was a minotaur of his word – and that word today was patience.

Because if somepony’s being impatient, they’d just have to … be … patient …

Okay. That had been awful. That was okay. That was why he was here. To woo the zebra, and get someone with an actual talent for catch phrases on his side. And she was good at lots of other stuff too. He’d been watching. She could make potions, she was good with kids, she sang like an angel and she could rhyme better than he could ever have imagined. He had only spoken to her once, but he knew all there was to know about that zebra.

And he knew they were meant to be.

“You there, minotaur so proud!” Her voice echoed through the silence, and he spun to face her. There she stood, eyes narrowed and frowning. She was beautiful. “Are you unaware that you are speaking aloud?”

Iron Will stared back, for a moment, as he tried to think of an answer – then, when he couldn’t, he plastered a grin on his face and flexed his arms. “So, you’ve finally decided to talk to Iron Will! That’s fantastic! You should date Iron Will – he guarantees you a real thrill!”

The zebra rolled her eyes, then fixed him with a smile. “It seems that I have won a bet – but to be certain tell me, have you learned your lesson yet?”

“Uh…lesson? Patience, you mean? Yeah! Iron Will waited days. Just for you! That’s how patient Iron Will is!”

“Ahhhh,” she shook her head slowly, “That is not the lesson I wished to impart – it seems you misunderstood me from the start.”

He blinked, shocked. “Not…not the lesson? Then what was!? Iron Will can learn!”

“The lesson is simple, in the end. The unicorn named Rarity – she is my dear friend. You threw her in the dirt, and for that you had to be hurt.”

And then she was gone, the door to the hut slamming shut behind her with an air of finality.

For a moment, Iron Will stared after her. Then he shrugged, got up, and wandered off to buy pizza. Because really – it had been kind of a jerkish thing to do, and nopony would ever say Iron Will didn’t try to learn from his mistakes.

Because those who didn’t try to improve will always, always lose.

With a sigh, he shook his head. The first step, he decided, was coming up with just one good catchphrase.

Thread By Thread

It was, without question, just a baby. She could tell from the way it kept…drooling. And shrieking. It seemed to quite like shrieking, on the whole – not quite so much as dribbling, or soiling itself, but still. She supposed that was acceptable – everypony needed a hobby, and there were so few things one could do as a baby. It was reasonable that developing disgusting habits could have somehow made it to the very top of the list.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t gross. And it also didn’t mean that she had to like it. It was a distraction, a nuisance. It kept…cooing at her, while she was trying to concentrate on designing dresses, or dropping food all over her nice clean carpet. And she always had to change its diapers. And her mother never had time to admire her designs anymore. Truly, the past weeks had been the single most grueling time of her life.

It gurgled, from behind her, and she tried very politely to ignore it. She was not about to be baited into yet another pointless confrontation with the filthy little creature. They only ever ended badly for her – her parents simply hadn’t understood that the baby had smeared pudding in her mane. They had blamed her, for taking away its food. As though she were to blame for the fact the baby preferred projectile weapons to decent meals.

A hiss of irritation escaped her as she remembered the hours she had struggled to cleanse her mane of the disgusting, sticky mess. Even then it had positively reeked for days – her father assured her that it had been her imagination, but she knew! She was a fashionista, and she knew flaws when she saw them. Or smelt them. Or otherwise encountered them!

The baby sniffled and she winced, steeling herself for the inevitable assault against her hearing and her dignity – but it didn’t come. She shot a careful glance over her shoulder at it, just to be sure it hadn’t done itself some harm, and found that it was staring at her again. Those brilliant green eyes were fixed on her, following her every movement, and the baby was grinning. She offered a careful smile in turn – it wouldn’t do to upset it, after all. That would be simply unacceptable.

It would cry. And then she’d have to deal with it, because her parents had once again wandered off and left it in her care. And she might do something wrong, and make things worse like she always seemed to. No, better to appease her and let her know that yes, her big sister was still nearby. Yes, she had wonderful taste in objects of admiration.

Then Rarity wouldn’t have to touch her, and she could stay cooing and giggling and happy for as long as she pleased.

Besides, there were more important things to worry about. As the last stitch was made and the tell-tale snip echoed through the air, the fashionista grinned. It was complete – the first garment she had had the time or the inspiration to complete since the baby had ruined everything, and it was complete.

Elegant. Soft. Gentle purple decorated with radiant dashes of soft pink, ending in a heart pattern at the very centre. It was, she had to congratulate herself, the absolute perfect welcoming gift for a brand new little sister. But of course it was. She had made it, after all.

And then, at long last, it came – a shrill cry that tore through the silence and sent a jolt of fear through her. In a heartbeat she was across the room and holding Sweetie Belle close in her forelegs, rocking her softly and whispering reassurances.

She might not be the best sister in the world – perhaps she made too many mistakes, or complained too much, or didn’t really think that drool covered babies were as cute as everypony else claimed – but she was still going to be the best sister she could be.

And when the tears finally stopped, and Sweetie Belle pressed a tiny hoof to her muzzle, Rarity smiled. Then, being very careful to find a spot not damp with drool or tears, she kissed her little sister gently on the forehead and whispered, “I love you, my little sweetheart. Would you like to see what your big sister made for you?”

Sweetie Belle just smiled, and let out a delighted giggle.

When They Cry

She was staring at him again - he could feel it. Feel her eyes glaring out from the corner of the library she had set herself up in, cold and unblinking. Watching him. Just like she always was now. For a moment he stood frozen, heart pounding in his chest as he tried to decide what to do, before he slowly reached up with a single claw and slowly, hesitantly slid the book out of place. The mumbling didn’t stop, didn’t falter. It almost never did, anymore.

He had tried to help. Tried to be there for her, and make it okay. He had fed her, and helped her with her research and tried to ignore the dark looks she shot him or the way she sometimes seemed so...empty. And when she had pushed him away, told him she was fine, he had tried to believe it, to push it away and move on - but things had only gotten worse.

There was something terribly, terribly wrong with Twilight Sparkle.

It had started not long after their last trip into the Everfree forest - he had woken in the night to find her standing over him, face blank and eyes narrowed. He had tried to get up, to ask her what was wrong, but...

He could still feel the weight of her hoof on his chest, pinning him down. Still feel her gently stroking his cheek as she smiled that strange, frightening smile. She had, she had lied, heard him tossing and turning and been worried - so she had checked on him. The words had almost been right. Almost.

“After all, Spike,” she had whispered, voice soft and cold – like nothing he had ever heard from her before, “You’re my number one assistant. It’s my job to take care of you. Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

He turned his head downwards to look at the book in his hands, only for panic to course through him as it was engulfed by the familiar glow of purple magic – as the book tore through the air towards the muttering unicorn, Spike felt himself lifted from the ladder. A moment later he hit the ground, hard and painfully. For a moment, he just lay there in shock. It had been years since she had been careless enough to drop him, let herself be carried away by her excitement – and, he realised as he slowly raised his head to stare back at the unicorn he’d thought was his best friend, it still was.

Twilight Sparkle stood smirking at him, amusement burning in those strange, burning purple eyes. She had done it on purpose.

Before he could run – before he could even think to run – he was lifted into the air again and she took a step closer. Another. And another. Soon, they were muzzle to muzzle. Spike was terrified.

“Twilight, what are you…what are you doing?” His voice sounded wrong. Frightened. Angry. Twilight’s smile grew wider, and she let out a quiet giggle.

“Did you know that Fluttershy is missing, Spike? We can’t find her. We looked everywhere. Where do you think she went?” Twilight didn’t sound worried, or afraid. She sounded…happy. He felt his stomach twist, as terror filled him. Fluttershy was gone. The only pony who might have helped him.

“How the heck should I know!?” He roared in her face – he had to get free. Had to find her. Fluttershy was his friend. Fluttershy had been helping him – helping him try to fix Twilight. He had to find her.

“I know you were visiting her, Spike.” Twilight’s smile disappeared, and there was nothing behind it – just cold, dead eyes and the aura that was pressing ever more tightly against his throat. “I know why you were visiting her. She came here. And she told me. And now she’s gone. Don’t you think that’s odd?”

“I – “

“Shhhhhh. She said something, when she was here. About parasites. Do you know what a parasite is, Spike?”

His head jerked back and forth on its own, forced to do as her magic compelled him. He was frightened – terribly so. But he was angry, too. Twilight had hurt Fluttershy – maybe killed her. And as the knife slowly floated into view, he knew she was going to do the same to him.

He wouldn’t let it happen.

A jet of flame burst forth from his mouth and into Twilight's face, sending her reeling back with a scream and dropping him heavily to the floor. As he lifted himself from the ground his heart hammered in his chest and all there was was anger.

His claws slid out as he approached his still screaming friend - and as he glared down at her, the screaming became something else entirely. Her eyes widened, and she tried to scurry away - but as Spike's claws wrapped around her throat, Twilight Sparkle was laughing.

Perfect Disharmony

Two ponies sat in the dimly lit and empty parlour of Sugarcube Corner, glaring at one another from across the table. The first was a Pegasus, coat a faded, greying yellow, who sat smirking with narrowed eyes at her formerly pink companion. As the Pegasus’ eyes took in the earth pony her sneer grew wider, and the Earth Pony scowled back. Eventually, Pinkie Pie broke the heavy silence.

“So what are you doing here, anyway? You don’t usually come to visit.” Her eyes narrowed further and she leaned closer over the table, scrutinizing the Pegasus closely. “You better not be here to laugh at me, again! I’ll throw you out if you are! I can do that! I’m in charge, here!”

“Oh, no – that’s not it at all,” Fluttershy assured, her soft voice carrying a strong hint of mockery, “Why would anypony want to laugh at you? You’re not even a little bit funny. I just thought you might need to talk, that’s all.”

Pinkie nodded her head seriously, apparently satisfied with her ‘friend’s’ response, and reached out a hoof towards the cupcakes that Fluttershy had bought for her. “Talk about what? And why would I wanna talk to you?”

“Oh, you can’t eat those. They’re not for you.”

Pinkie froze, and shot a questioning look at the Pegasus. “Why not?”

“Because those are for ponies who are good at what they do. I made them just for you girls – and then I remembered that not one of you deserves them.” Fluttershy’s tone was sympathetic, gently – but with a trace of laughter in it that matched her sneer. “Rarity’s as selfish and conceited as they come, Rainbow Dash abandoned us all – and you’re all stupid if you didn’t see that coming, she was always that way. Applejack’s just as useful and dependable as ever – which is to say not at all – and Twilight couldn’t beat Discord when she had the most powerful relics in Equestria handed to her on a platter! You’re all pathetic. It’s kind of sad, really.”

Pinkie lowered her hooves back to the floor, rage burning in her eyes. “Oh, so you came here to insult ponies behind their backs! That’s just like you. That’s just like all of you! You can’t bear to say things to each other’s faces so you all just stab me in the back! I mean, each other in the back! You’re horrible!”

“Oh, I’m horrible? I don’t think so. Not really – I think I’m kind. Nopony wants to know what you really think of them. They all just want to be coddled, and told it’s alright. Well I’m done being nice. It’s not kind to let somepony believe they’re better than they are – you’re all hopeless, and there’s no reason to pretend otherwise!”

“Fine!” Pinkie hissed, “ Then what about me, huh!? What do you really think of me?”

“You?” Fluttershy let out a quiet giggle. “You’re a joke. When was the last time you made anypony smile at all? You can’t even make yourself smile most days, anymore. It’s kind of pathetic, really - but it’s okay. We’ll keep pretending we don’t all just feel sorry for you so you can keep pretending you’re not worthless.”

“I don’t care about that anymore! Why would I wanna make you smile!? You’re just like everypony else! You just wanna laugh at me and take me for granted! There’s no point! Nopony ever really cares - and neither do I anymore! Let them be sad - I am, so why shouldn’t they be!? Why shouldn’t you be!?”

“Oh please.” Fluttershy smirked, “You’re telling me you’ve been trying to upset me all this time? That’s so sad - you can’t even make ponies miserable properly. Because you know what?”

“…What?”

“I’m never unhappy around you! Not even a little bit! Every second we’re together you make me want to grin like a moron - like Rainbow Crash when she’s not busy whining!”

“You take that BACK!”

“No! You make my heart hammer in my ears I’m so happy! It’s like looking at a sunrise, except instead of wanting to hurt it I wanna hug it instead! You do that!”

“SHUT UP! I DO NOT!”

“You do! I wake up every single morning and you’re the first thing I think of! How much I want to see you! How much I miss the way you smile! It’s infuriating just how happy being around you makes me! Heck, if you asked me to I’d probably kiss you!”

With each word the Pegasus took a step around the table, closer to Pinkie. With each step her eyes narrowed further and her mocking grin grew wider. With each passing moment her voice rose a little bit more, going from a soft whisper to an angry shout.

“You would not! DON’T LIE!” Pinkie roared the words, and a moment later the Pegasus grabbed her, and kissed her deeply and forcefully. For a moment, Pinkie was furious – and then she pulled Fluttershy closer, and the Pegasus let out a soft groan.

Minutes passed – maybe hours – before Fluttershy shoved Pinkie to the ground with a mocking smirk. “What was it you were saying? I couldn’t hear you over how stupid you are!”

Pinkie lifted herself to her hooves, glaring intently before her scowl gave way to a look of wide eyed shock.

“Um…Fluttershy?”

“What?”

“Can you…can you show me again how much I suck at making you sad?”

Treasures

Derpy Hooves sat right where she was, gazing at the night sky with a smile on her face and an empty hole in her belly. It was troubling, that hole. It was, she couldn’t help but feel, a wholly unacceptable state of affairs. Her belly was empty, and it wanted very much to be full. But she had promised she would stay, still and quiet, until the other weather pegasi called for her. Because, of course, she had a habit of breaking things. And things that were broken, even clouds, didn’t tend to do what they should – which was, of course, a very rude thing to do when what you should do was rain.

But she had been waiting an awfully long time. And it was chilly. It was rather an unpleasant thing, to be waiting endlessly when you were cold and hungry. But it was a part of being a weather pony. For her, at least. The other weather ponies tended to spend somewhat more time in the air than on the ground, but everypony had their place. And if she were being entirely truthful with herself, there was no place she wanted to be that she wasn’t. In fact, the only place she wanted to be was right where she was – sitting in a field, gazing at the night sky with a frown on her face, an empty hole in her belly, and the most wonderful pony in Equestria by her side.

Fluttershy was a Pegasus. But much more than that, Fluttershy was a Fluttershy. And Fluttershy’s were quiet, gentle, soft spoken, soft, kind and perhaps a little bit yellow. They were also entirely one of a kind. Fluttershy was the only Fluttershy she knew, and to Derpy she was perfect. It had been more than five months now, since the perfect Pegasus had first made her careful way into the field, and set down a picnic basket between them without a word. More than five months since Fluttershy had unfurled the blanket and lined it with treats, nosing them towards Derpy in silence, but she remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday. A small part of that was likely because just the same thing had happened yesterday – but she chose to believe that she would have remembered it anyway, because it was important. Important things were not things she tended to forget, even if they sometimes got lost for a little while.

It seemed silly, now, but she had been afraid then - afraid that this new, treat bringing wonderpony would speak to her. Because if the other pony spoke, she would have to answer. And if she had to answer, she would be disobeying the captain of the weather team. That would somehow lead to things breaking, or falling down – but not answering the other pony would be bad manners, and that was even worse. If Dinky were to learn bad manners, it would not be from her – there were worse things than being a clumsy, silly pony and one of them was being a mean pony.

But Fluttershy hadn’t spoken. Not that day, or the next, or any of those following for almost two weeks. And then, quite suddenly, she had said “Hello.”

It had been like a gift, frightening but beloved, flowing into her and stealing her carefully guarded words quite away. But that was okay – she hadn’t needed them, because Fluttershy understood. And Fluttershy told her so, and told her that if she wanted they could go back to Fluttershy’s cottage after her shift and talk. And Derpy had wanted, and so she had gone and they had talked. But the problem with starting to do a thing was that sometimes it was hard to stop, and Derpy had found that if talking was one of those things, visiting was another, much larger one.

And so their days passed. Long hours sitting silently in the meadow staring at the sky or at each other with smiles on their faces, sometimes full but never empty, and long evenings spent talking or singing or playing in the garden with Dinky and the animals. The days were quiet and soft, like Fluttershy. And the nights were warm and loving, like Fluttershy. All things considered, Derpy Hooves had never been happier.

But this moment, Derpy decided, was different. There were things more important than manners, and there were things more important than not breaking things. Unless those things were hearts, but she very sincerely hoped that no hearts would be broken. Slowly, hesitantly, she leaned across and she spoke. Just three words, never said before between them and yet true beyond all measure.

Fluttershy smiled, eyes sparkling, before leaning in to kiss her on the muzzle. Three words became seven, and the two lapsed into silence once more.

Everything Is Good & Noone Dies

Life was good. Not that that was news to her – Applejack’d learned a long time ago that she really, really liked being alive. Like, a whole lot. As she stood on the hill overlooking Sweet Apple Acres, watching her little sister run and laugh and play with her little friends, Applejack grinned. Yep. There was nothing better than being alive – if she wasn’t alive, she wouldn’t have been able to bring all her various other living family members – including her ma and pa, who were visiting from Cloudsdale – up to watch the glorious, glorious sunrise.

As her beautiful girlfriends Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle and a second Rarity snuggled closer to her Applejack smiled wider, thinking of the many makeouts that would surely follow. Especially with Rarity. Because there were two Rarity’s, not because she loved Rarity more – she loved all of her girlfriends exactly the same amount, and she loved them exactly as much as she loved life. And she really, really loved life.

Suddenly a thought occurred to her, and she wondered why she hadn’t thought of it before. “Girls,” she said loudly and clearly, “Let’s get married. All seven of us, to each other. How does that sound?”

“But…but some of us aren’t romantically compatible, Applejack,” A small voice squeaked, “Like um…me and Twilight. No offense Twilight.”

“None taken!” Smiled the beautiful unicorn with a smile, “You’re quite right after all. Inarguably so, in fact.”

Applejack had been expecting that, and she nodded wisely. “Ah, but you see girls – you may not be compatible by yourselves, but with all six of us and Rarity number two all of those problems are solved miraculously. Let me explain…”

And so she explained, and her explanation was perfect and full of the same life that she herself was full of and would, she was certain, continue to be full of for a very long time to come. It was also full of the immeasurable quantity of love that she felt for all the ponies around her. And when she was done, all seven of those beautiful mares nodded. Especially Rarity, who nodded twice. And then there was cake, because Pinkie Pie had a wonderful tendency to magically produce cakes. It was one of the myriad things that Applejack loved about her, along with how pretty and funny and full of life she was.

Really, Pinkie Pie was probably the best pony of them in pretty much every way. She loved all her friends just the same, but Pinkie Pie was undoubtedly a gift upon the world itself.

“It’s settled then. We can get married, and I’ll retire as Captain of the Wonderbolts because I’ve realised all I really wanted was for ponies to love me.”

“Good idea, Fluttershy!” Chimed in Rainbow Dash, snuggling closer to the other Pegasus with a wide smile, “You can come live with us again!”

Applejack smiled, thinking of how wonderful the wedding would be and how wonderful her life in general was. And then she realised that she was probably running that line of thought into the ground a little bit, and rose slowly to her hooves.

“Apple Bloom!” She called, and Apple Bloom raced up and hugged her. “I love you, big sis!”

“I love you too, Apple Bloom!” She said with a wide, happy grin, “And I have a present for you, too!”

“You do!? Is it sisterly love?”

“There’s that too, o’ course! But nah, I thought you might want my hat. Do you want my hat, Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom’s jaw dropped and she stared at her sister in awe. “But I thought you loved your hat!”

“I do! But it’s tradition in our family that when you get married you pass it on to your little sibling. That’s why when Big Mac got married he passed it on to me!”

“Oh! That makes sense! Sure, big sis! I’d love your hat! But not as much as I love you!”

Applejack chuckled and watched her sister gallop happily away, to the friends she was destined to – when she was older – fall in love with. She knew the hat would be passed on, one day. Thought they would need babies for that. Fortunately, she was marrying and there would be many babies.

Applejack smiled. Life was good. It strained belief, really, just how good her life was. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Recipe for Success

In her life, Pinkie Pie had faced many challenges. She had faced hydras and ants and parasprites and housefires and fire ants and parahydras. She had bourn scorn and spite and hatred and ponies who couldn't decide exactly how much frosting they wanted on their cupcakes even though they were just going to eat the frosting anyway and it didn't really matter. What really mattered was the strawberry on the cupcake. The strawberry was the heart of the cupcake – the soul – but some ponies just couldn't see the strawberry for the frosting.

Vaguely, she was aware that she was getting distracted. More pressingly, she was aware that she really, really wanted cupcakes. For a long moment, she pondered. Would she do her job, or fill her stomach? It was never an easy choice, but today it was even harder because today was important. Today was the day that she – of course.

She didn't need to decide. Today was one of those rare, perfect days – the kind that just didn't happen too often these days. Today, she could fill her belly, replenish her smile, and perform her super-duper important duties all at once!

Pinkie Pie grinned. She had never faced a challenge quite like this one – but she had faced lots of other challenges and done okay, and they had almost all been less likely to produce delicious treats for her, if only by a little – except for that adventure in the candy mountains, but those had been dark days. Dark days she preferred not to remember.

Not like today. Today was a bright day, in large part because of the flames periodically erupting from the various pots and pans precariously positioned all around her. Pots and pans that housed simmering, delicious hope. Hope for the future. The next generation – a generation shaped by her. Not literally, like Rocky or Mr. Cookie, but in spirit, like Granny Pie and the Cakes had helped to shape her.

Like the Cakes would never be able to shape their own children. But that wasn't the kind of thinking she needed to be doing today. Her thoughts needed to be happy and clever and focused and all those other things! She wasn't entirely sure she was capable of most of those things, but she figured that if she made up for the cleverness and focus and not having any clue where to start with happiness and enthusiasm things couldn't possibly go wrong.

She spun on her hooves, taking in the chaotic kitchen all around her. In the corner Pound was huddled over a huge pot, stirring some sort of mystery concoction that she was pretty sure had started out as a batch of cookies but was now some kind of soup. Her grin grew wider as the perfect little pegasus cast a nervous glance at her, and she gave a nod of encouragement. He was so inventive – and really, that was the mark of a good baker. Talent could be learned, or stolen, or bought or baked or obtained in questionable deals made in the dead of night with passing unicorns on the outskirts of a tiny rock farm...well, there were lots of ways to get good at baking.

On the other side of the kitchen, whistling quietly to herself as she worked, was Pumpkin – ingredients danced through the air, moving in time to the music. There were radishes and pickles and a month old banana and the leftovers from the pie Pinkie had gotten from Applejack the day before, all topped with lemon and tomato spread. Pinkie wasn't quite sure what Pumpkin was making – the unicorn had insisted it was a secret – but she was pretty sure that it couldn't possibly be as disgusting as it looked or smelt, and that could only be a good thing!

She let her eyes drift closed, taking in the aromas of the questionably baked goods around her, and she was happy. For the first time since the Cakes had died, the twins seemed content. They weren't bakers yet – they weren't even close to bakers yet – but that was okay, because they were smiling – little, hesitant smiles, but real ones.
And with her as their teacher, they would become great – they would become bakers, or anything else they wanted to be, and they would be proud of themselves just like she was proud of them. Like their parents had been proud of them. Like their parents had been proud of her.

Today they were bakers, and she was their teacher. But more importantly, today they were a family. And it was enough. For the first time since she had become the guardian of the two perfect ponies, Pinkie Pie felt sure she had done a good job.

Today, she had done herself proud.

Stalemate

They stared at one another across the chessboard, both calm, confident, and completely unwilling to back down. It was impressive, the way that those serious purple eyes never faltered, never glanced away – there were few who would be willing to stare down a Princess, and fewer still capable of doing so while holding their own so well. Impressive. Infuriating. But not at all surprising. The long years they had been friends ensured that Luna was not often surprised by Twilight Sparkle.

Click.

A rook loomed forward, conquering Luna’s knight and leaving itself open to the trap the Princess had set. She allowed herself a smile as she levitated her Princess, a tiny wooden replica of herself, lovingly carved, and prepared to strike – only for that calm, tired voice to cut through the silence, and wipe the smile off her face.

“What if you’re wrong?” The question was soft, probing, and direct – it was exactly the sort of question that the unicorn had asked her a thousand times before. The sort of question designed to throw her off, make her question herself – to make her reconsider. It shouldn’t have surprised her, and yet it did. It was only centuries of practice that allowed her to keep her expression calm, and her tone level.

“I rarely am.” She responded simply, and it was truth.

Click.

The smaller Luna rushed forth from hiding, and the castle crumbled. Luna returned her gaze to her opponent, studying her carefully. The unicorn was older than she had been, that much was certain – though nopony looking at her would ever have guessed how much. Faint lines had formed around her eyes, as well as deep bags beneath them, and her mane was a little lighter than it had once been, but otherwise she looked almost just as she had when Luna had first set eyes upon her some two hundred years earlier. Except for her eyes. Those cold, empty eyes staring back at her – unshakable, unblinking, and unafraid. Those were not the eyes of the young mare she had known so long ago.

Click.

A bishop she had failed to notice slunk out from behind her own lines and struck, bringing the tiny Princess to her knees. Twilight Sparkle had not even looked at the board. Her expression didn’t change. “Rarely doesn’t mean never. You’ve made mistakes before, Princess – what makes you so sure this is different?”

Click.

A pawn moved into place, and Princess Luna arose from the ashes – just as she had planned. “In truth?” She hesitated, and glanced away before answering. She had been dreading this question since that day, two years ago. “In truth, I am not certain. But nor do I need to be – what you are proposing is impossible, Twilight Sparkle. I believe this. And even if it is not, it is reprehensible.”

Click.

The battlefield grew quiet, for a moment, as Celestia stepped forward to challenge her sister – the two stood at opposite ends of the field, each the head of a broken army. The battle was winding to a close.

“I really don’t see what’s so wrong about it. She gave her life for Equestria – she gave our life for Equestria. If I can give that back to her – if Equestria can give that back to her – why is that wrong?”

Click.

Luna charged toward her sister, tackling her to the ground and trampling her beneath her hooves – only to immediately be struck down by a pawn. She hadn’t even had time to place her piece down. For a long moment, she didn’t say a word. When she did, she couldn’t quite keep the edge from her voice.

“I know better than anypony what you are feeling, Twilight. Believe me. But this would solve nothing. Such a spell would destroy all of Equestria – and if you did get her back, she would not be the same as she was! Are you really willing to risk everything on the foolish hope that you know more about dark magic than me?”

They stared at one another across the chessboard, both calm, confident, and completely unwilling to back down. Neither spoke. After a long moment, Twilight Sparkle rose, and turned away – they were deadlocked, and the game was over. They both knew it. Just as Luna knew that when Twilight Sparkle found her answer, it would be the right one.

Unless…

Unless she was wrong.

Movie Night 2: In The Dark

The thing that used to be a pony lurched out of the darkness, hissing like a spooked rattlesnake, and loomed over the cornered colt. He tried to scramble away, to escape, but there was nowhere for him to run to – the windows were too far up and the door’d been blocked when the ceiling caved in. Slowly, the thing gained on him – and then it began to change, wings sprouting from its back as its neck grew longer. It was time for the -

“That’s not scientifically possible! Science can’t do that! It doesn’t make sense!”

It was time for the monster to feed. The screen cut to one last shot of the sobbing colt, and then as the creature struck it faded to black. The screaming didn’t stop, though – that went on for quite a bit longer.

“How is he still screaming when it ate him head first? Vocal cords don’t work that way! Or are they going to claim that was ‘magical radiation’ too!?”

Applejack sighed, and turned to shoot a flat look at her friend. “Twi, that ain’t the point – it doesn’t matter if it makes sense or not, it’s just supposed to be scary. It’s like a ghost story: we know ghosts ain’t real, but the stories are still fun!”

Twilight turned to glare back at her, still stroking the scaly purple head that was buried in her chest, sobbing loudly, “That’s not the same thing! There’s no scientific evidence that ghosts don’t exist – they don’t make sense, but they haven’t been disproven. We know magic can’t transform ponies by mistake – at least not into monsters like this! This isn’t just wrong, it’s…it’s….”

The Unicorn’s voice dropped to a whisper and her scowl deepened. “It’s misleading! These ponies are going to go away thinking this is how science works! Do you have any idea how terrible that is!?”

The Earth Pony shook her head, trying hard not to laugh at her friend’s overreaction. “No, I can’t say I do – you’re worrying too much, hon. Nopony takes these movies seriously, and I can almost guarantee you that nopony came here to learn more about science -”

“That’s why I’m here!” Twilight objected sharply, and for a moment Applejack just stared at her. Then, very quietly, she began to chuckle. She tried to stop, but she couldn’t – and soon she was laughing loudly as her friend sat glaring at her. Somehow, that just made it funnier – unlike the looks she was getting from the ponies around her who were actually trying to watch the movie.

When she finally regained control of herself, she forced her smile down and looked as seriously she could at Twilight. “Sorry, Sugarcube – I don’t mean to laugh at you. It’s just that I ain’t never met a pony who’d come to a movie to do more work before. You’re supposed to be having fun – can’t you relax a little?”

“Fun?” Twilight’s eye twitched, just a little, “Fun!? How do you expect me to have fun when these ponies couldn’t be bothered to get their facts right? Do you know what would be fun? If the movie knew what it was talking about!”

“Uh…Twi?”

“I mean it’s not even that hard – an intentionally cast spell could easily have caused this! There are certain potions that could do something close! But no! They couldn’t be bothered to do their research and now the entire movie makes no sense! These ponies came here to learn, Applejack!”

Applejack opened her mouth to answer, only to be cut off by somepony clearing their throat behind her. She turned slowly, and found herself face to face with a scowling usher.

As the three of them were escorted from the theater, Applejack couldn’t help but scowl. This was all Rainbow’s fault – if she hadn’t suggested that the six of them split up, she’d have been enjoying her evening in peace. But no. Instead she’d been dragged to The Sciencening by Professor Science herself, and now she was being thrown out into the street.

Rainbow Dash was going to pay.

Movie Night 3 : Old Shame

“So, uh…you’re still not talking to me, huh?” Rainbow Dash’s voice carried through the theater, but since there was nopony else in the theater besides them – a fact for which she would be sure to thank the Princesses later – it didn’t really matter. Not like the ‘hmph’ Pinkie let out, or the way she turned away from her. Those were important. And bad.

She let out a chuckle and tried again, “Look, I really didn’t mean to upset you – but you can’t just spring stuff like this on me without asking! It’s not fair!”

The Pink Pony turned to face her and cocked an eyebrow. “Not fair, huh? You mean like convincing everypony not to come to my movie party? Or lying to them and sending them to watch movies you know they’ll hate? Or do you mean not fair like lying to me and trying to tell me they didn’t come on their own?”

Dash frowned at that. She couldn’t help it – what Pinkie was saying wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t like she’d done it for no reason. “No, not fair like inviting everypony to watch me make an idiot of myself onscreen without warning me! You knew I didn’t want ponies seeing these stupid things, and you invited them anyway! What was I supposed to do!?”

“I wanted to show them our movie! I tried telling Rarity I’d been in movies and she didn’t believe me and I couldn’t find a copy but then it came on here for just tonight and I was like ‘ohmygoshIcantotallyproveit’ and I could’ve and then maybe she would’ve stopped laughing at me when I told her! But then you sent her off to watch whatever it is you sent her to watch! You’re a jerkface!”

“You invited them because you didn’t want them to laugh at you? I hate to tell you this, Pinks, but these movies are stupid! Heck, I wanna laugh at us for them! The only reason I ever did them was ‘cause I needed the money – don’t tell me you’re actually proud of them!?”

“Of course not! Those movies are terrible! But I’m not ashamed of them either! And our friends deserve to know – I mean, we wouldn’t laugh at Rarity if we found out she used to be in soap operas under the name Shining Diamond, and that that’s why she’s so dramatic all the time! We’d laugh with her! And that’s how it should be!”

Dash blinked, and shook her head slowly. “So…what you’re saying is that you wanted them to laugh at us?”

“Yes! Exactly!”

“…Why?”

“Because then you’d know that it’s okay! That you don’t have to pretend it never happened, that nopony’s going to hate you for it! But then you went and ruined it! I was trying to help you!”

The screen flickered into life, and Rainbow Dash appeared on it. She twirled on the spot, showing off her ‘lovely’ new scarf, and let out a delighted and cringe inducing trill. “Why Pinkie, darling! Isn’t it the most darling little scarf you’ve ever seen? And it’s rainbow coloured darling! Rainbow coloured!”

At her side, Pinkie Pie nodded seriously “It really suits you, Rainbow Dash! Minty has the best taste in presents – I was going to get you one in pink, but she insisted on rainbows!”

“Oh, darling, I’m sure the pink one was absolutely darling too, but you know how I feel about rainbows! They’re just the most darling thing in the world!”

Pinkie and Dash stared at the screen, watching in horror as they watched the scene play out. Slowly, very slowly, Pinkie Pie siddled closer to Dash. As she leaned closer, she whispered, “Okay, Dashie. You were totally right – we can never, ever let anypony see this. It’s even worse than I remember!”

Dash nodded wordlessly, and Pinkie frowned. “Um. So…can we go now? I don’t really wanna watch this.”

After a moment, Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly. “Naw. You can go it you want, but…I kinda forgot how cute you look with your mane like that. I’m gonna stay a little bit longer.”

The Earth Pony snorted, and slowly erupted into gales of loud, giggling laughter. Dash didn’t pay any attention, forcing herself not to laugh as she pretended to be entirely focused on the movie. Then she felt soft breath in her ear, and a shiver ran down her spine.

“It is rather darling, isn’t it Dashie? I bet the girls would get a real kick out of seeing how darling that scarf is, too…”

Rainbow Dash was on her hooves in a flash, one leg draped around her girlfriend as the two wandered towards the exit.

Some things, she had decided long ago, would go to her grave with her.

True Friends

“Rainbow Dash, are you absolutely certain this is necessary?” Rarity asked for like the millionth time, giving the Pegasus that look that she was pretty sure by this point meant 'this is the part where you say 'nope, it's a dumb idea and you were totally right.'' Rainbow Dash knew exactly what she had to do – ignore it. She was totally right. She was always right. She just had to explain it in a way Rarity would get.

Or possibly lie through her teeth. Whichever worked. Either way, she shot her friend an annoyed glance and sighed. “For the billionth time, yes! We gotta do this! We both know Fluttershy's not gonna do it for herself, and I dunno about you but I'm pretty sure Pinkie Pie isn't gonna pick up on all this stuff herself. We gotta kick her flank now so she doesn't hurt Shy later! What's the big deal!?”

“The 'big deal' is that when dear Fluttershy told us about her relationship with Pinkie she did ask us quite clearly not to get involved – and not to reveal that she had done so. I'm quite happy to traipse around town after them erm...you know...”

“Yeah, spying. I know.”

“It is not spying! I do not spy! We were merely observing them from a distance so that we could help to smooth over any unfortunate incidents that occurred. Spying indeed – why, we were doing our duty as their friends!”

Dash shrugged, biting back a snicker at the indignant expression on Rarity's face. “Okay, so you were doing that and I was spying. Whatever. Get to the point.”

The Unicorn's blue eyes narrowed, and Dash felt her heart beat just a little bit faster – she couldn't help but shoot Rarity a grin, the teasing kind she pretended to hate so much, just to see that adorable little pout appear on her face. She'd pay for it later, of course – but it'd be worth it.

“The point,” Rarity said eventually, “Is that if we march in there and start throwing demands and questions at poor Pinkie Pie, she's going to catch on. She may be a little strange, but she's hardly unintelligent.”

“So? We'll ask her not to tell Shy we talked. She's not gonna snitch on us – it's not like we're gonna be mean to her or anything.”

It was Rarity's turn to sigh, and Dash felt a flicker of annoyance when she did. They were wasting time – time she could be using to make sure her two friends'd be happy instead of spending the whole time stupiding at each other and being miserable. Still, Rarity was her friend too, maybe more than that, and there was no arguing that she was better at the whole 'thinking things through' thing than Dash was. So she'd listen – even though she was totally right.

“Whether Pinkie tells Fluttershy is hardly the point, although I doubt that she'd even be capable of avoiding such – the poor dear has enough trouble not ruining her own surprise parties. What I am saying is that we'd be betraying Fluttershy! And not only that, we would be demonstrating that we don't trust her.”

“What? That's stupid! How do you figure that!?”

“The dear girl explicitly told us that she wanted to handle this herself. That her relationship with Pinkie is hers, and she wants to make it work on her own. She told us that because we're her friends, and she trusts us despite the fact that both of us have a – entirely undeserved, in my case – reputation for not being able to stay out of anypony else's business! Do you understand what I'm saying, Rainbow Dash?”

She had to admit, Rarity had a point. She didn't want to admit it, because that meant admitting she was wrong. Or at least not totally right. And it also meant not helping her friends when she could do it so easily. And both of those things – especially the second, but not by much – sucked. Almost as much as losing sucked – and losing sucked almost as much as losing to Rarity.

But losing to Rarity wasn't as bad as hurting Fluttershy, or Pinkie. Nothing was as bad as that. So reluctantly, she nodded her head. “Yeah. Yeah, I get it. You're right – we gotta butt out. At least for now. But if either of 'em hurt each other, I'm gonna kick both their flanks, and you're not stopping me!”

Rarity giggled that dumb, perfect giggle she always giggled when she won. Dash hated that giggle – it hardly annoyed her at all, and it kinda made her want to lose things sometimes. It wasn't fair. That giggle sucked. But the kiss Rarity leaned over and planted gently on her cheek a second later didn't, and neither did the whispered promise that followed it.

“Darling, if that day should ever come I shall be right there beside you. I doubt I'm quite as skilled at kicking things as you, but I am quite good at scoldings. Until then, however... thank you. I appreciate you listening to reason.”

Dash rolled her eyes, trying to keep herself from blushing and failing miserably. “Yeah yeah. I'm awesome. I know it. And um...” she coughed, quietly, “thanks. For talking me out of it.”

“Think nothing of it dear. You know that I thoroughly enjoy proving you wrong.”

The flat look Rainbow Dash shot the giggling Unicorn didn't seem to discourage her at all, so she decided to try something else instead. “So what are we gonna do tonight, then?”

“Why, exactly what we were going to do all along! We're going to go and visit dear Pinkie Pie! After all, there's always the chance that she has some secret she wants to tell us. And it would be just awful of us to leave her with that weighing on her.”

“...So we're gonna go visit Pinkie because you're hoping she'll tell you stuff without you asking?”

Rarity just smiled at her, and turned to wander away. A moment later, with a sigh and a shake of her head, Rainbow Dash followed.

One Sided

I’m not in love. I know they all think I am – they all think they’re being subtle, but they’re not. Fluttershy keeps giving me these weird little smiles, then giggling like an idiot whenever I look at her. Twilight keeps trying to make me read those cheap romance novels – she totally thinks I don’t know what I’m doing. Me. I’m like, a bazillion times better than she is at all this mushy junk, and she thinks she has to give me advice.

Then there’s Applejack. Ugh. She dragged me down to the orchard and gave me this big talk about how her apples are really special to her, and she cares a lot about all of them. That if anypony ever hurt her apples she’d have to make sure it didn’t happen again – it was the most awkward conversation ever. The look on her face when I told her I don’t even like apples that much was totally worth it, but really – like I’d ever hurt one of my friends. Or my friend’s apples. Stupid Applejack.

What? Oh. Yeah. Her. She baked a ‘Congratulations on finding a special somepony’ cake. And threw a surprise party. But she only invited like, five ponies – she was really proud of herself, too. Really proud. She kept trying to be cryptic, too. I can’t tell if she was serious or just messing with me – I mean, normally I’d go with prank but… I dunno. I swear she was crying, a little bit. Pinkie never cries. Not like that, anyways.

Wait, really? Nah. Nah, Pinkie loves Shy. Well…yeah, I mean I guess it’s possible but – no. No way. Pinkie could never keep something like that secret – and there’s no way she didn’t notice me drooling over her half of last year.

…Well okay, yeah. I guess with Pinkie anything’s possible. The point is, her and Shy are happy – right? Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

What do you mean, ‘get to the point?’ This is the point – you asked me what was wrong. I – no. That’s not what I meant! Of course I like seeing you. I like this… whatever we are… a lot, and there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than hanging out with you. It’s just frustrating, y’know? I mean…I don’t want all this to change. I don’t like them trying to make it change. It’s awesome like this – just you and me, doing whatever we want whenever we want to do it. And it’s easier, if it stays like this.

No, don’t cry! I didn’t mean it like – ugh, I’m terrible at this! Come here. It’s okay. I promise. I’m not going anywhere. All I mean is that this way, when you…y’know, get sick of me, you can just walk away. No regrets, no pressure, no awkward ‘this is the way it has to be’ junk.

Yeah, I know. I know you say that now – and I know you believe it, too. But that’s what everypony else said, too. Mum, when she walked out. Dad, when he dumped me off on Grandma. Grandma when she dumped me on the street. Fluttershy, when she walked away. Gilda…well, you know about Gilda. And it’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s that I do, and that scares the hay outta me. You…deserve better. Better than me. I – OW! What the heck was that for!?

Oh. Oh. Um. Okay. Sorry.

No, I’m not leaving. That’s…not why I came. I don’t really know why I came. I just…wanted to see you. And I thought maybe you might want to see me too. So I got to thinking, and I thought…I thought maybe you might wanna…

This is stupid. Listen up – I came here because even if I dunno whether I love you yet, I wanna find out. I’m sick of being afraid, every day, that I’m gonna lose you. I’m sick of worrying you’ll find someone better. So I guess what I came to ask is…

You wanna be my girlfriend, Rarity?

Coming Home

There were few sights in Equestria that could compare with a Cloudsdale sunset. She had been told so all her life, but it was only now – seeing it with her own eyes – that she truly believed it. The light set the clouds aflame, creating a rippling cascade of colours that quite took her breath away. There was absolutely no doubt that it was a wonderous thing, but she had to wonder: was it as beautiful as it was merely on its own merits, or was its beauty enhanced by the fact that she had, in truth, never expected to see another sunset?

Whatever the reason, as Rarity stood atop the balcony of the Cloudsdale Colloseum looking out over the city, she was glad to be alive. Though perhaps, she had to admit, not quite as glad as her companion was – she shot a glance to her side to take in just a little more of the smile on Rainbow Dash’s face. It had been perhaps ten minutes since the Pegasus had finished her point by point retelling of her afternoon with the Wonderbolts, and neither of them had spoken a word since. But that smile hadn’t faltered. It was an unusual thing – most days her friend couldn’t bear to sit still for ten seconds, but today…today she seemed content. Calm.

It was not the first time that Rainbow Dash had surprised her that day.

Slowly, hesitantly, she cleared her throat and broke the silence. “I…suppose I should explain why I asked you up here. You must be wondering by now.”

The pegasus shook her head slowly, never taking her eyes off the city below. “Nah. It’s pretty obvious – you wanted to thank me for being totally awesome and saving your butt, right?”

“Well, yes. But that’s only part of it – I also wanted to apologise.” It was difficult for her to say. She didn’t like apologising – apologising meant admitting that she’d made a mistake, and making a mistake meant she had failed.

“You did that already,” Rainbow pointed out easily, “It’s cool. Don’t worry about it: you got a big head. It happens – to me more than just about anypony – and it all worked out. Even if it hadn’t, I’d rather have lost the competition than lost a friend.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she wasn’t entirely sure why. “But I completely ruined your homecoming - I stole the spotlight, made an idiot of both of us, and then you had to save me from my own incompetence! How can you just brush that off!?”

For the first time the Pegasus turned to look at her, eyes sparkling with amusement, and her smile faltered a little – suddenly, Rainbow Dash looked very, very tired indeed. Yet when she spoke her voice was gentle, almost…contemplative. “First off, you’d have ruined my day a heck of a lot more if you’d hit the ground – when it’s time for use to go, I plan on going first. So no dying before me, or I’ll have to kick your flank. Second… there was nothing to ruin. This isn’t my home. Never was.”

She scrambled for words, and found nothing. All there was was halting, useless questions. “But you grew up here, didn’t you?”

“Nah. Not here. This was always the dream – the place I’d break into to watch all the big, important ponies do their stuff. The place where my heroes sometimes stopped by. Sometimes it was a place to sleep, too. But it was never home. I didn’t have a home, back then – unless you count ‘wherever Fluttershy happened to be’, I guess.”

Dash spun on a hoof to gaze back into the Colloseum, a chuckle escaping from her lips. “It’s funny. I always swore I’d come back here one day, and show ‘em I was better than they all thought. That I could be special too – that nopony, nowhere, would ever be better than Rainbow Dash. I kinda thought this’d be the first step, y’know? But that’s not how it feels.”

“What do you mean, dear?”

“I dunno. Not really, anyways. I just know this doesn’t feel like I expected. It doesn’t feel like coming home and wowing everypony who mattered. It feels like making an impact, but not like I wanted.”

“You’ll forgive me for saying that you don’t seem terribly disappointed.”

“I’m not,” The pegasus’ voice cracked as she spoked, just a little, “Not even a little. You know why?”

“Enlighten me?”

As her friend turned to face her, outlined against the setting sun and looking more peaceful than she’d ever been, Rarity couldn’t help but notice that Dash had tears in her eyes.

“Coming back here didn’t feel like coming home. But leaving Ponyville without you girls? That felt like leaving home. I’ve…never felt that before. Not really. Think I could get used to it, though.”

There were no words, and she didn’t need them – all she needed to do, all she could do, was throw her forelegs around her friend and hug her tightly to let her know that she would always, always have a home.

A Rare Treasure

Dear Rarity,

I just realised that if I add those together, I get Dearity! So now I'm gonna call you Dearity, okay? Okay! Dearity, this is totally not a party invitation! I figure I should say that because I know you sometimes throw out my party invitations and I don't want you to throw this out because it's not a party invitation and it's important. So don't throw it away, okay? Pinkie promise me 'cause it means a whole lot and I worked really hard on it! Probably, anyway. I mean I haven't actually written it yet because I'm writing it now but I mean I'm already stalling so I can tell this isn't gonna be easy to say. I think I should thank you for putting up with it. Thank you! I'll thank you here in case you get bored and stop reading because you read this far and that means you deserve to be thanked.

I bet you're super surprised to get a letter from me, huh? I mean, we've known each other for a whole lot of years now and I don't think I ever wrote anypony a real letter before except for Princess Celestia. Unless you count the little notes to Fluttershy and Dashie, but I don't think those count and I kind of doubt that you want to hear about them. But anyways, I'm surprised too – I'm not very good at letters or writing things. My thoughts tend to run away and go places they were never meant to and then the things I say make no sense and ponies get confused so usually I just don't do it unless I'm right there to explain, but I had to make an exception this time.

We're getting old, Dearity. We're getting old and soon we're gonna die. And that's okay – I mean I don't wanna die but I've had like the bestest life ever with you and the girls and all our friends and it's not like I have anything to regret, right? So I'm not so sad about dying. Kind of scared, though. That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I know you're not doing so well yourself and it's hard for you to make long trips sometimes, but I was really hoping you could come visit me in the hospital. I'm not very good with faces anymore, and they say I'm probably not going to be around much longer so I want to make sure I remember yours.

I was kinda hoping you might hold my hooves, like you used to when I was sick. But it's okay if you don't. I understand. I don't think I could visit me knowing it might be the last time either. Last times are scary. Change is scary. But whether you do or don't, I love you. You're one of my bestest friends, and when you get to whereever we're going I'll be waiting with cakes and treats and drinks and whatever else I can get my hooves on, cause we're in this together. And the girls will be there too. I bet they'll be really happy to see you. I think they miss us. I hear them sometimes. Did I ever tell you that?

Anyways, there are a couple of reasons I wrote this. At first I was just gonna ask you to come, but then I realised that you might not come. I know you're still mad at me for forgetting them, but I swear I didn't mean to. I loved them, I swear. I was just sick too. I kind of miss being sick. Remembering is hard. So there's something I want to tell you. I should have told you a really long time ago, but I was scared because I think when I tell you you'll think I'm crazy. But it's important, and it needs to be said.

It's about my Granny Pie. I think we've talked about her, a couple of times, but I know I never really told you much so I want to do that now. She wasn't really my Granny, that was just what she called herself. I met her once when mum and dad took me and my sisters into town. I was mad at them, and a little sad too, so I wandered away by myself. And there she was, sitting all by herself on a bench under a big tree, smiling the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. She was real old. Older than us. But she was beautiful. She was a unicorn, with the prettiest blue eyes and the biggest, silliest hat I'd ever seen. And she knew my name. She knew my name before I knew my name. She was the first pony to call me Pinkie, before I even wanted to be a Pinkie.

She called me over, and she sat me down, and she talked. She asked me all about myself, and whether I was happy, and I told her I wasn't and asked her things too. And she answered, kind of. She told me that she had come from a place called Ponyville, very far away, and that a very dear friend of hers had died there. She said her friend had told her all about me, and loved me very much, and that if I ever needed somewhere to go, or felt like I didn't belong, I could go there – but not yet. She told me I had to wait 'til I was old enough, because it would hurt my parents a whole lot if I left before then. She said that there would be friends there. Amazing friends, who would love me just the way I was. And then she told me about her friend.

She told me all about how her friend had taught her that sometimes she didn't have to change the world. Sometimes it was enough to make things better for just one pony, for a little while, and sometimes it was enough to be there. That her friend had taught her to appreciate the little moments in life, rather than always worrying about being perfect – because thanks to her friend, she already knew she was perfect, even if she wasn't. I remember every word, and I don't think I'll ever forget them. I'll never forget the song she sang me when I told her I was lost, either. I think you probably remember it too. She sat with me and waited until my parents found me, and then she disappeared.

I don't know where she went, but I never saw her again. Except that I think maybe that I did. 'Cause even though for a while I thought I must just be as crazy as everypony thinks I am, I'm becoming more and more convinced I was right. Ever since I first met you, I've had this feeling that I knew you. And as you've gotten older I've become more and more convinced I was right. And if I am right, then I owe you more than I could ever tell you in a bazillion years. My friends. My home. My happiness. It's all because of you.

That's why I need you to come. Please. I need to see you, so I can say thank you. So I can tell you how much I love you and how perfect you are.

I understand if you don't. But if you don't, please remember that I'll never forget you. You're my best friend, and the most amazing pony I know. Thank you, Rarity. For being you, and for being my Granny Pie.

Love,

Pinkie Pie.

Tradition

Dear Elements of Harmony,

It’s funny what tradition can do, isn’t it? I don’t mean ha ha funny either, though it’s definitely a joke. Tradition shapes everything about our world, and our society. Given enough time it can change history, erase mistakes, move mountains and become so ingrained in us that we follow it and believe it unthinkingly. Tradition is the stepping stone upon which society is built and failures are buried. It’s what lets us survive as a society. What let us survive as a society. And it’s what made me write this letter.

After all, I’ve never missed writing a Hearthswarming letter before – even after I figured out you probably weren’t quite what the stories made you out to be, I still wrote them. It made Grandpa happy, Star Swirl loved it and I liked it too. Kind of a little tribute to my heroes, you know? The only thing I could do to let you know that I hadn’t forgotten you. Then they came, and everything went bad. Canterlot’s gone. The Princess is dead. Luna too. And Grandpa wasn’t around to save us this time. So we ran, Star Swirl and I – right where Grandpa and Luna always told us to if it happened. Only we didn’t. I did.

Star Swirl didn’t make it. You know that, I think. Maybe she’s up there with you? If she is, tell her I’m sorry. She was the best little sister in the world, and I couldn’t keep her safe. Some hero I am, huh? But I don’t really want to dwell on that. This letter isn’t about me. It’s about you. All of you.

Your library is amazing, Twilight. Grandpa always said that he’d kept it safe for you, and he did. The rest of Ponyville is in ruins, now. Swallowed up by the Everfree Forest, where nopony could find it. It shouldn’t be this way. But I guess this is how Princess Celestia wanted it. I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been here. About magic, mostly – it’s been almost a year now, and I’m getting stronger every day. Maybe soon I’ll be strong enough to try your spell. I hope so. I hope I can fix things. I guess it’s okay if not though. There’s noone to let down but myself.

But I’ve also learned a lot about history. Not from books. I hope you don’t mind, but I found your letters. And I read them. I’m really sorry. I know I shouldn’t have, but it was so quiet, and I was scared and, well, you’re my heroes. All of you. I bet you all would have done the same, if you’d found letters from the other Star Swirl, or the Wonderbolts, or cute little forest animals. So yeah. I read your letters, and I realised just why none of the stories ever mention how you all died. History props you up as these amazing, infallible heroes who never faltered, and tradition says you all joined with your elements to watch over ponies everywhere. Because history needs you to be perfect, so that you can inspire future generations.

Ponies could never be allowed to know that the plague that stripped three generations of their magic was caused by Twilight Sparkle. Heroes don’t do things like that, not even by accident. Not even when it’s the only way to save the world. Only monsters do things that way. We’re all told that nopony ever found out what caused it. Nopony knows that you – all of you – gave up everything to save the world. We just know you did it. So yeah. We got our magic back. If you didn’t know. Spike says that we’re much more powerful than most Unicorns in your time were, and Cloudsdale is thriving. Or it was. And we were.

We don’t talk about Rarity, and how she died of internal damage from the burns she got saving Twilight. Or how she was probably happier that way, given what her injuries cost her. Nopony knows that Rainbow Dash lost it after that, and started drinking all the time – Celestia forbid anypony ever find out that the Element of Loyalty was killed in a barfight, broken from losing the pony she loved. Or how Sweet Apple Acres fell into ruin once the Earth ponies lost their magic, and Applejack spent her last days doing everything she could to keep her family secure and safe.

And then there’s Fluttershy. I guess you know why we don’t talk about Fluttershy. But we should. We should talk about these things, because they’re part of who you are. It’s easy to look up to an ideal – I did it my whole life. But these things don’t make you less amazing. They make you more amazing. You were ponies. Real ones, with hopes and dreams and flaws and fears. And sometimes you failed. But you never once gave up. You saved us all, so many times. No matter the cost.

What happened to you doesn’t make you not heroes. I hope you know that, even if history doesn’t. If anything, it makes you more heroic. It’s easy for a legend to stare death in the face. But it’s hell for a pony. So I just wanted you all to know, no matter what, you are the greatest heroes Equestria ever knew.

I’m going to try the spell tonight. If it works, I guess I’ll see you – meet you – soon. If not…maybe you’ll find my corpse. I don’t know. If not that, Grandpa always said you were watching over us. Give him a hug for me, okay?

With greatest love and respect from your number one fan,

Luna

Dance With The Devil

Two figures stood on the rooftop, draped in shadow and radiating pure awesome. Or at least one of them was raditating pure awesome. The other one was only outputting about eighty percent awesomeness and twenty percent pain in the flanks, but the point was that they looked freaking sweet – not that she was even a little bit surprised. She always looked righteous, and that meant the whole righteous justice thing was like, fifty percent guaranteed for her before she even tried the superhero part. Not that she was worried about that – excited, maybe, but not worried.

On the whole, Vinyl Scratch felt good about tonight.

Her companion didn’t share her enthusiasm – as she flexed her muscles and struck the most heroic pose she could think of that soft, caramel smooth baritone rumbled out from behind her, condescension dripping from every word. “This is stupid. You know this is stupid, because you’re not stupid. Reckless? Yeah. Unpredictable? Yes. Thoughtless? Definitely. But stupid…?” The voice trailed off for a second, and she turned to glare at the other pony – not that it made a difference, since she couldn’t see anything behind that impassive, badass purple mask.

Mare Do Well shrugged. “Okay. Maybe you’re stupid. But not this stupid.”

Vinyl narrowed her eyes further, just to make sure that her killjoy of a partner got the message, then let out a long, patient sigh. “Look, newbie – I know you think you’ve got a real good handle on this stuff, and I’m sure back in whatever little town you came from you were top dog -”

“Newbie?” The masked mare hissed in disbelief, “You listen to me, you little idiot -”

Vinyl ignored her and kept talking. Annoying Mare Do Well was fun, and besides - superheroes didn’t take orders from their sidekicks, and she wasn’t about to start now. She might set a precident, and she was kind of hoping that Mare Do Well would start talking less, not more. Although she had to admit, that voice… it sent a shiver down her spine. “- but you’re in my town now, and we deal with stuff here you can’t even imagine back in Ponytown or wherever you came up from.”

Mare Do Well’s eye twitched. She couldn’t see it, ‘cause of the mask, but she could tell – she’d always been good at reading ponies, and she was even better at annoying them. Plus, the pained, furious tone in the would be super hero’s voice made it kinda obvious.

“Ponyville. It’s Ponyville. You know it is. You’re from there too! And what are you babbling about ‘back in Ponytown!?’ This is Ponyville! We never left! I can’t tell if you’re stupid or you’re just trying to make me angry!”

Vinyl grinned and shot her partner a wink as she held up a hoof. “Ah, but we’ve already established that I’m stupid, remember? And you know what they say about not mistaking stupidity for malice or whatever all that jazz is.”

“I know neither should be encouraged,” Mare Do Well snapped as she glanced away, “And both should be answered with bludgeoning. Lots and lots of bludgeoning.”

Vinyl snorted, and shook her head. “You’re grumpy today - even more than usual, I mean. What’s up? Talk to Auntie Vinyl.”

“Auntie Vinyl? That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever -” the masked mare stopped and turned her gaze towards the emblem shining on Vinyl’s chest, a spinning record emblazened with the letters DS, before finishing. “That’s the second stupidest name I’ve ever heard.”

The unicorn rolled her eyes lazily, trying to stop her grin growing wider. “You don’t like the name. So you keep saying. I get it! Sorry I don’t have your gift for words, Lame Do Well.”

As soon as she said the words, she knew they had been a mistake. Her smile faltered, and for a long moment the two of them just stared at one another in silence – and then it happened. Mare Do Well burst out laughing, doubling over as the sound escaped her in loud, desperate bursts.

“Lame Do Well?” She managed when she was at last out of breath, “You’ve had two months to come up with something and that’s really the best you’ve got? That’s….that’s really sad, Vinyl.”

“Shut up!” Vinyl snapped back with a mock scowl, “You didn’t even come up with your name! Twilight did - Pinkie told me so! You’re just borrowing it!”

“Maybe,” came the easy, smug agreement, “But I make it look better than she ever did.”

There really was no arguing that - Mare Do Well did look damn good in the suit – so she didn’t bother. Instead she just cleared her throat and started from…well, scratch. “Okay, enough joking around – this is serious. Doctor Octavepuss has taken over the Ponyville Town Hall, and if she’s not stopped she might infect all the ponies in town with bad taste, so – what?”

The last word was directed at the hoof Mare Do Well had casually raised in the air. “Doctor Octavepuss. Really? That’s…that’s really the best you could come up with?”

“That’s not the point! The point is that she’s doing bad stuff and we gotta kick her butt!”

“Yeah yeah,” Mare Do Well waved a hoof casually, “I know the story – Octavia booked the show you wanted and now you want to prank her. But not onstage, because you don’t want to ruin it for her, right? You’ve got way too much of a crush on her for that.”

“I – no! That’s not…I don’t…” She trailed off and then asked, more meekly, “How’d you know?”

“Pinkie told me. And if she hadn’t, Rainbow would’ve. Or anypony I asked really. This is my town, kiddo, you’re just playing in it.”

Vinyl didn’t say a word, and after a moment Mare Do Well patted her gently on the head, “Don’t worry about it – it’s fun having you around. Just remember, after this you’re gonna help me with some pranks of my own. This town’ll never be the same.”

And then she was gone, over the edge and into the night – and after a moment, after lowering her goggles onto her face and replacing her grin, Doc Scratch followed her.

Tonight was going to be a good night. She could feel it.

Author's Note

Author's notes? What sorcery is this?

Let's see if I'm doing this properly...

The prompt: Vinyl Scratch takes on a partner, and Ponyville is never the same again.
Special rule: Vinyl’s partner is not Octavia.

Blowing Off Steam

There were a lot of things that Rainbow Dash was really, really good at, and a few she was pretty convinced she was the best in the world at. She could fly rings around anypony in Equestria, wipe the floor with anything that decided to pick a fight with her – or that looked like it wanted to pick a fight with her when she was in a fighting mood – drink like a champion and ballroom dance with enough grace and savoir faire to make Rarity sit down and take notes. She was a consumate prankster, a brilliant tactician, the best friend anypony could ever ask for and, if 'Shy were the one telling the story, totally awesome at making out.

But for all the things that Rainbow Dash was, there were two very important things she needed to be tonight that she really, really wasn't – sober, and good at weddings. Not that the being drunk thing was that important: it was her party, after all, and everypony else was drunk too. Well, almost. Rarity and AJ were having some sort of drunken argument in the corner, punctuated with lots and lots of kissing. She had been gonna intervene, earlier, but the kissing had convinced her otherwise. Twilight was book drunk – she was seated right where she had been since the drinking started, completely absorbed in the huge pile of books in front of her and not paying any attention to Pinkie.

Pinkie was very drunk. Probably. It was always hard to tell with Pinkie – Dash knew for a fact that the party pony had had more than her, but it never showed with her. One second the pink pony'd be babbling as happily as ever, then she'd down her thirtieth shot of whatever the heck that bubbling, hissing stuff she drank was and pass out on the spot. And Fluttershy...Fluttershy was cuddled up to Dash, head resting on her back and snoring gently. Shy was drunk, too, and that meant it was okay for her to be, right? There was no way 'Shy'd get drunk the night before her wedding – their wedding – if it wasn't okay...

Their wedding. The thought made her itch. Not in a bad way, like that time Pinkie'd tried to cover her with itching powder and accidentally used hot sauce, but not in a good way either. Not that she didn't want to marry 'Shy – she did, more than anything, and that was the problem. She was excited. Really excited. And that always made her want to fight. Ever since she was little, she'd blown off steam – good or bad – by finding something bigger n' stronger than her and beating it up. Of course, she'd only ever gotten in fights that both sides wanted. At least after meeting 'Shy.

So here she was, a huge ball of nervous, irritable angry angryness itching for a fight and ready to blow up at a moments notice, and there was nopony in Ponyville that was dumb enough to fight her. For a second she considered getting up and pushing Applejack over anyway, just to see what the other pony would do, but she bit back the impulse.

The problem was that by the time the wedding actually happened tomorrow, she was gonna be acting like a complete, insufferable jerkass. She knew it, and she was pretty sure – judging by the nervous questions and glances the pegasus had been shooting at her earlier - that 'Shy knew it too. The wedding hadn't even happened yet and they both already knew she was gonna ruin it. Except that she wasn't.

Because Rainbow Dash had been thinking, and she was a very good thinker. She had a plan, and it would make everything just perfect – she'd blow off steam, totally impress 'Shy, and maybe even get some old grudges all worked out. All she needed was some paper, a favour from the Princess, a word with her thankfully not yet unconscious best friend and Spike.

Gilda hadn't made it as far as she had in her life by being tricked by every idiot that crawled out from under a rock and tried to make nice. And she hadn't earned her reputation by being easy to fool, or easy to catch off guard. So when she'd gotten a letter in the middle of the night telling her that she should 'totally come to the wedding because it'd be the best wedding ever and it wouldn't be the same without her', she'd been expecting a trap.

But she hadn't been expecting this. The instant she'd walked in she'd been greeted by her. That bouncing pink moron who'd completely ruined everything between her and Dash, bouncing right up to her grinning like a...well, a moron, and wearing a stupid tuxedo thing that Gilda might've thought was kinda cute if it'd been on somepony else. She'd greeted her, and led her over to a big table set apart from all the others, right next to the dance floor and in front of a huge case of what appeared to be ceremonial pegasus weapons.

She'd briefly wondered why the heck there was a giant case of weapons in the middle of the royal gardens, and why that big black pony was leaning against it menacingly, narrowing her eyes and snapping at anyone who came close in between yawns. Then her attention had been torn away by the pink pony, and a moment later by the open bar.

The Griffon was trying to play nice. It was Dash's wedding, after all, and she was honestly surprised she'd been invited at all – but she'd quickly realised that with Pinkie Pie rambling at her not stop and the only other guest at their table – some pegasus named Lightning something or another – glaring at her silently, the only options she had were to snap and attack somepony, or get very drunk very fast.

And it had worked, for a while. And then the Pegasus had opened her mouth, and started to badmouth Dash. At Dash's wedding. Noone but her badmouthed Dash, and noone was gonna ruin Dash's wedding and get away with it.

As Gilda let out a roar and launched herself over the table at the rude little loser pony, she failed to notice Pinkie Pie slip away.

A roar echoed through the gardens, followed a second later by the sound of splintering wood, and Rainbow Dash smirked. She caught a glimpse of Pinkie, and the party pony tipped her hat with a wink before turning to comfort Fluttershy. Good. That was good. 'Shy was in good hooves, and it was time for Dash to play the hero, blow off some steam and look good doing it.

As she launched herself into the air with a snap of her wings and a cry of 'Don't worry, 'Shy, I'll stop 'em!', Dash felt her heart beating in her ears and let her grin grow wider. She had, she decided, been wrong the night before.

She wasn't just good at weddings. She was the best at weddings. And this?

This was shaping up to be the best wedding ever.

Author's Note

The Prompt: The very last dance

Disaster Awakening

There was something wrong with Pinkie Pie.

No, that really wasn’t enough. It wasn’t strong enough, or new enough – since the first day she had come to Ponyville, back when she had been a reticent and unfriendly outsider eager to be in and out as quickly as she could, she had found herself thinking exactly that a hundred times. A thousand. More. There was something wrong with Pinkie Pie, but everypony knew that already. It was common knowledge, and that was the problem. This wasn’t common. It wasn’t even common for Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie was behaving strangely. Which was to say strangely for Pinkie Pie. And Twilight Sparkle was worried. It had been subtle at first – Pinkie had had a little less energy in her tone, a little less spring in her step. Little things, easy enough to ignore as the effects of tiredness or a the stress of the task they’d been given. But from there things had only escalated. The party pony sat across from her now, staring into space with a slight frown on her face, and Twilight couldn’t help but notice the deep bags under her eyes or the way they were no longer sparkling.

“Pinkie?” She ventured, breaking the long silence that had hung between them. Pinkie didn’t answer. Didn’t react. So Twilight cleared her throat and spoke again. “Pinkie, are you listening?”

The pink pony blinked, and her eyes darted around – for just a moment she looked terribly, terribly lost and afraid. Then she smiled. It was a beautiful thing, bright and wide and beaming, and her eyes lit up to match it. When Pinkie tilted her head and let out a quiet giggle, Twilight could almost believe that nothing was wrong. Almost.

“Hmmm. That’s a tough one, Twilight – I thought I was listening and I was trying really hard to listen cause you said it was important but then I got distracted listening to other things and I didn’t hear what you said and I’m really sorry about that! But I guess the answer is kind of yes because I was listening but I wasn’t listening to you. What was it you were saying?”

“I asked you if -” The unicorn cut herself off and frowned. “Wait, there’s nopony else here – if you weren’t listening to me, what were you listening to?”

“Oh, it’s nothing important. I just thought I heard something but I was wrong and that’s good because I was really really hoping I didn’t hear anything because – well, nevermind, it really doesn’t matter. What did you ask me? Unless that was what you asked me which would be kinda neat and kinda scary because I hadn’t told you I was listening to somepony else yet!”

And then it happened. For just a moment Pinkie’s smile faltered, and then it was back. When the pink pony spoke again, there was something off in her tone. A hint of desperation. Like she had seen something she wanted – needed – but couldn’t quite get at. Twilight didn’t know why, but it sent a chill down her spine.

“Is that what you asked me, Twilight? Huh?”

She shook her head slowly, never taking her eyes of the pink pony’s smiling face, and saw the glimmer in them dim, just a little.

“No, Pinkie. I asked you what’s wrong. I’ve never seen you like this.” She tried hard to keep the worry out of her voice. She failed miserably, but if Pinkie noticed she didn’t react.

“Oh, I’m fine! I guess I’m just a little nervous is all. It’s not every day you go up against a monster that can turn back time, after all!”

“Pinkie, I’ve seen you before a big fight. I saw you laugh at Nightmare Moon, I saw you put off fighting Discord so that you could drink chocolate milk! We’ve gone up against things a hundred times worse than this, and I’ve never once seen you this afraid. Please. I’m your friend. I want to help you. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong! Those times were different, ‘cause I already knew we were gonna win and if you know you’re gonna win you’ve got nothing to be afraid of so why would I be afraid right? But this time -”

Pinkie’s smile disappeared, and this time it didn’t reappear. For a moment the pink pony just sat, her eyes fixed on Twilight’s own. Some part of Twilight wondered how she had never noticed just how empty those eyes really were.

“It doesn’t matter, okay? You wouldnt believe me even if I told you. You never do.”

“Pinkie, please! I -”

Pinkie cut her off then, not with words but with a kiss. Deep, wonderful and all too brief. When the other mare pulled away, Twilight found herself treated to a small, real smile.

“I know you don’t remember, but you asked me to give you one of those and I promised I would. So now we’re even, okay? Well, no. We’re not even. Not even close.”

“What do you mean?” Of the thousand questions that had risen in her mind, that seemed by far the easiest. So she grabbed it and clung to it. Questions were easy, even if the answers weren’t.

Pinkie just shook her head, that beaming smile sliding onto her face once more. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I’m sure we’ll win this time and then it’ll all be okay and we can kiss a whole lot more and maybe I’ll throw a party. Or maybe…maybe we can just talk? Talking is nice too. I kinda miss being able to really talk to you girls. But don’t worry – if we lose this time, I’ll keep trying. I promise. I’ll never give up on you.”

And then Pinkie was gone, out the tent flap and away, leaving Twilight to stare after her and wonder why.

Author's Note

The Prompt: I resolve to break out of loops.

Alternate Prompt: I resolve to break out of loops.

Kind Lies

Fluttershy was a happy pony.

She had always been happy, as far back as she could remember – from her earliest memories of silently trailing behind her father as he worked his way carefully through the clouds, searching for songbirds, to the first few days she had spent on the ground, surrounded for the first time by all the wonders and beauty she would devote her life to, to right now.

Fluttershy was a happy pony.

She liked the feel of Daring's wing wrapped around her shoulders, and the warmth of the other mare's touch. She liked the way Daring's mouth was curled up in a content, untroubled smile as they lay on their backs staring at the sky and the way she whispered soft, loving words meant only for Fluttershy. It wasn't a side of her many ponies got to see – Daring Do, the Daring Do everyone knew, was loud and brash, always charging from one adventure to the next without a care in the world, unwilling to stop or slow for anypony. And sometimes, just sometimes, that was true of the Daring she knew, too.

She didn't mind it – that fire, that passion was what had drawn her to the adventure pony in the first place. That burning love of life that ignited everything around it, consuming all it could and paying it back with warmth and strength and laughter – it was beautiful. She was beautiful. And so was Daring Do.

Fluttershy was a happy pony.

She knew that, in her heart. She knew that she loved rising in the morning and watching the sun rise over the lake as a chorus of birds rose to greet it. She knew that very few things would ever compare to the sweet scent of wildflowers that tickled her nostrils if she allowed herself to wander off into the forest, just a very short way. She knew other things, too. That she always felt a surge of delight when she woke up to find herself wrapped in somepony's embrace. That, for only the second time in her life, she had found somepony who loved her and cared for her unconditionally. That if she rested her head on Daring's chest and closed her eyes, sometimes she could convince herself – just for a little while – that it was Rainbow Dash's heartbeat she could hear mingling with her own.

Fluttershy was a happy pony.

But she was not a good pony. She had known that for a long time, too. How could she be, when she was as selfish as she was? All her life ponies had gone out of their way to make her feel welcome, to help her be normal – her parents, her teachers, Rainbow Dash. They had all tried to push her – to help her overcome her fears so that she could be...normal. But she hadn't. They had patted her on the back and told her they were proud of her for trying and that they believed in her...but she hadn't really tried at all. She hadn't even wanted to. And she had resented them for it. It had been her fault – she knew that now – but back then she had thought such terrible things about them. The kinds of things she still sometimes found herself thinking about Daring.

Daring Do was a good pony, most of the time. She wasn't perfect – nopony was – but she tried her best. She always did, whether she was adventuring to find some lost relic, risking her life to life a curse from some poor village or trying as hard as she could to make Fluttershy breakfast in bed without somehow managing to set fire to the lettuce. And she was kind. She would sit with Fluttershy for hours, just watching the clouds or reading quietly to her or trying not to show how frightened she was by some of her girlfriend's larger, more temperamental friends. Just because it made the pony she loved happy. And Fluttershy was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, it made Daring happy too.

And that was good - Daring deserved to be happy, ever so much more than she did. Daring was a good pony, a loving pony. A pony who didn't tell ponies she loved them only to realise months later that it was a lie. Unlike Fluttershy.

And Daring was happy. Truly, genuinely happy for what Fluttershy thought – judging from the stories she had heard about the other pony's life – might just be the first time. Because of her. Because of them. And Fluttershy was happy, too. It didn't matter that some nights she couldn't get to sleep because of that whisper in the back of her mind reminding her that she was a liar, that what she was doing couldn't possibly be right. It didn't matter if sometimes she felt like crying because she couldn't make herself to feel what Daring did. And it didn't matter if sometimes – just sometimes – she had to force the smile onto her face.

Daring was happy, and if a few kind lies were all it took for Daring to stay happy she was more than willing to tell them. It was better than hurting her. It had to be. And it wasn't like she didn't like her life. She was happy.

The wing wrapped around her shoulders pulled her closer, and a hoof traced its way gently through her mane. “Love you, 'Shy.”

“I love you, too.” She whispered quietly as she closed her eyes and buried her face in the other pony's chest. It was a lie, of course, and it hurt her to tell it – but she had learned long ago that sometimes, when you repeated a lie often enough, it could become true.

Fluttershy was a happy pony. And Daring Do deserved to be a happy pony, too.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Kill them with kindness

So apparently I'm back. Hi!

Unchanging

His name was Pouty. It hadn't always been – once upon a time, not so very long ago, he hadn't had a name at all. But of course, things changed - inevitably and ceaselessly - and by his very nature he changed more often than most. Still, Pouty couldn't help but wonder what that nameless, heartless thing he had been in the long ago would say if it could see him now, sitting in the middle of Fluttershy's garden with a cup of tea set in front of him, surrounded by laughing, smiling ponies.

A cynical voice in the back of his head chimed in that it'd be very likely to congratulate him on successfully passing himself off as a pony and earning their trust. And to be fair, he truly had done an absolutely marvelous job of it, and fully deserved all the praise and adoration his former self would have offered up – but he knew also that it would never have been able to imagine his true motives. Or motive, as the case was.

She sat across from him now, her pink coat sparkling in the midday sun and the smile on her face easing the tense, fluttering panic he felt in his hearts just ever so slightly. She had been laughing, a moment before – something that Rainbow Dash had said that left Applejack fuming, and perhaps a touch pinker herself, while Rarity pretended to try and hide a giggle behind her hoof. The unicorn was, Pouty had noticed, an exceptionally skilled actress – playing a part was hard enough, but pretending to be a bad actress pretending to be trying to maintain composure was almost impossible.

But he was getting distracted. Where a moment before Pinkie had been gracing the air with the sweet sound of her laughter she now sat silent, blindingly beautiful blue eyes staring steadily straight ahead. Directly at him. She was waiting. Waiting for him to keep his promise. But as he glanced around him at the friends he had made – that she had helped him to make – in his months in Ponyville, he knew he couldn't keep it. Not today.

Or the day before. Or the day before that. Or any of the close to a dozen times he had tried.

They all knew him, of course - the strange little unicorn who had stumbled into their lives by way of Pinkie Pie such a short time ago. They knew him from the bottom of his hooves to the tip of his immaculate mane. Part time actor, full time boyfriend. Loving, awkward, and perhaps just a touch too prone to sulking over little things that didn't really matter all that much. But though all of that was who he was, none of it was who he was.

The real Pouty was that hideous, frightening, soulless abomination that had crawled out of the ground alongside a thousand just like it to lay seige to the city of Canterlot. The thing that had tried to tear apart these very ponies in the name of its Queen only to be stopped dead by its first, fateful encounter with that perfect, perilous pink pony – and shortly after a purple pony slash projectile weapon. The real Pouty was the one that lurked below the surface, watching everypony around it. Studying them. Learning their behaviours and their patterns, so that it could manipulate them all and continue to feed.

The real Pouty was the Pouty that he no longer wanted to be. He didn't want to look at his friends and have to stop himself from seeing a meal. He didn't want to look at the pony he loved and wonder, for a single fleeting moment, if he only loved her for the endless source of delicious love she gave him. He didn't want to dream of draining every last drop of love from the town and seeing these ponies crumble to dust before him. But he did. And she knew it.

She knew it, and still she held him when he woke in tears and loved him beyond reason. Still she believed he was good. And maybe she was right. The hunger, the cruelty – it was getting less, every day. If he kept trying, maybe one day he could change the real Pouty into the Pouty he wished he was. Or maybe not. But she believed in him, and that made it worth trying.

He reached a hoof across the table and rested it on her own with a small, apologetic smile. He couldn't change today. Not before he himself knew he wasn't a monster. But one day he would, and they would all see him as he was.

All he had to do was keep believing that was a good thing.

Author's Note

The Prompt: I need to change, but I don’t think that I can.

Why does every comedy I try to write turn into a poorly written existential crisis?

A Long And Rocky Road

Once, not so long ago, the barn had been alive. Bright and colourful and shining and full of smiles and laughter, just for one single night. She still remembered it perfectly, even though it had been almost two whole years since then. She had been much smaller then – smaller, and sadder too. At least most of the time. Just a tiny little filly who knew she didn’t belong, but didn’t really know why. But she knew now. Kind of. She had an idea, anyway, and that felt like it was enough to start. And it was a good idea, too, fueled by the one thing she did know: that she wasn’t going to find her answers sitting around a dusty old rock farm waiting for them to come to her.

Answers didn’t do that. They didn’t come looking for ponies. The wisest pony she knew had told her so, and she had listened. Answers were like smiles – they came only to the ponies who really tried to find them, and if you forced them they just didn’t fit quite right. So she was going to try. She wanted answers, and as she sat on her rump and stared at the barn ceiling, chewing idly on an old cupcake, she knew that the time had come for her to go out and find them. But first…

First she had to say goodbye to somebody. Not to her family – they’d only try to stop her, convince her she was making a mistake. They always did, no matter how hard she tried to explain or fight or help them see. They always told her she was doing wrong. Sometimes they told her she was wrong. Except her sister. But her sister would tell her parents, and her parents would stop her, and that was what notes were for anyway.

No, there was only one somebody she could tell the truth to. One somebody who had always been there for her, and who always would be. So she had come to visit – intruded into her friend’s little corner of the barn for the first time in forever. And Rocky had been waiting. Rocky always waited.

The little pile of rocks sat patiently atop her stage – an overturned crate with some old curtains to cover the back of it – peering out at her in comfortable silence, waiting for her to speak. But she found that, as much as she wanted to, she really couldn’t. And maybe it didn’t matter.

Rocky wasn’t alive, after all. She knew that much. She’d known that much ever since the day she’d fallen silent forever. Since the day Pinkie had left. Even before then, she’d suspected – every time she was upset or sad or lonely or angry, Pinkie would guide her quietly into the barn and then… disappear. Then Rocky would come out – Rockamina Snuggleton Pie, if she was feeling fancy, but she very rarely was. And they would talk. Or she would talk, and Rocky would listen. And she would feel better.

Even after Pinkie had gone, she’d kept coming to visit Rocky for a very long time, but it hadn’t been the same. No matter how much she loved her, Rocky wasn’t Pinkie. Nopony could ever be Pinkie.

Pinkie, who had shown her in a single moment the difference between happiness and misery. Pinkie, who had given her the gift of her first smile and made her realise she didn’t belong here. Her older sister by two minutes and twenty three seconds, who had taken care of her her entire life. Who had embraced her with tears in her eyes on the day their parents had sent her away, and told her to live for herself and find her smile.

Pinkie, who’d been shining like a sunrise just a few weeks back, when she’d come to visit. Pinkie, who had found her place. Just like she was going to. But still, she couldn’t quite say goodbye. And maybe she didn’t need to.

Slowly, she rose to her hooves and opened her saddlebag, gently placing the small rock pile inside and kissing it fondly. Her first stop, she decided, would be Ponyville, and it wouldn’t do to visit her sister without a gift.

With a smile on her face and tears in her eyes, she turned and walked out of the barn.

Her name was Amethyst Claire Pie, and she was going to find her smile - just like the most amazing pony in the world had told her she should.

Author's Note

The Prompt: “I’ve been afraid of changing, ‘cause I built my life around you. But time makes you bolder—even children get older—and I’m getting older too.”

Vital Princess Business

As Ponyville’s head librarian, Twilight Sparkle had a number of very important duties. In addition to monitoring the lending and return of books, she was responsible for referencing, reshelving, restocking, acquisitions, evaluating each and every new acquisition, hiring, firing, employee evaluations, book repair, budgeting, specialist research on request, operating as head of the Ponyville Historical Society, maintaining an efficient schedule, scheduling maintaining an efficient schedule and – a relatively recent revision resulting from some complaints from disgruntled citizens – ensuring somewhat consistent opening hours that did not involve leaving whenever she wanted to go see her friends.

What that really meant was that, as Ponyville’s head librarian, Twilight Sparkle got to spend a large part of every day surrounded by, buying, caring for, reading books, or completely absorbed in books. And also that sometimes she had to stop and give Spike – her assistant and the only one she trusted to help her in carting for the library as opposed to, say, using it as a crash landing pad or inviting squirrels to live ir - a pat on the head and a ‘good job’ for all his hard work helping her out.

It was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect job. It honestly baffled her that nopony had snapped up the position before her. But unfortunately, her duties to the library were no longer the only duties she had.

As Ponyville’s premiere Princess, Twilight Sparkle had a number of very important duties. All of which she was presently ignoring.

She shouldn’t have been at the library. She should have been having dinner with the Griffon Ambassador, who had ostensibly travelled to Ponyville to apologise for the actions of his wayward daughter Gilda. Even though Gilda hadn’t really done anything to the town. Over a year after she left. Shortly after Ponyville conveniently became host to a newly coronated Princess relatively unversed in ruling. Oh, and – while he was here – he wondered if she wouldn’t mind signing this form granting him a payrise?

She should also have been meeting with Mayor Mare to inform her for the sixteenth time that no, she did not need a statue of herself erected in the town square. She did not need a plaque, or a palace, or a monthly tribute. No, she was not interested in taking over the Mayoral duties or overriding her except when she was wrong. Yes, the Mayor was wrong fairly often. No, she did not have any tips for wooing Applejack and even if she did she was not going to help ponies seduce her friends.

There were a dozen other places that she should have been on ‘vital Princess business’, but Twilight Sparkle was coming to learn that more often than not – at least for her – ‘vital business’ involved ponies sucking up to her and trying to buy her authority with presents and nicities. And although, logically, she understood that there would always be ponies – or griffons – doing exactly that and that she would have to get used to them, she also understood that, right now, she really didn’t care.

So instead she was sitting behind the desk of Golden Oak’s library, pretending to pore over the latest Daring Do book – Daring Do and the Perilous Perils of the Perilous Pink Paradox – while instead staring intently at the door, waiting for the bell to ring. And ring it would – Rainbow Dash never, ever failed to visit the library as soon as she found out that a new Daring Do had been released, and Twilight Sparkle never failed to send her a polite note informing her it was there so that she could be the first to read it. Some might have called letting Rainbow check out the books before they were properly shelved an abuse of power, and maybe they were right – but if it meant she could make one of her best friend’s happy without hurting anypony else, maybe that was okay.

As if on cue, the bell rang and the door swung open. And as Dash sauntered into the library with an excited grin, Twilight Sparkle felt the weight on her shoulders become just a little lighter.

Author's Note

The Prompt: A Time of Renewal

Fun fact: This story was originally gonna be all Twilight and Dash lazing around and just hanging out, as a way for Twilight to relax and unwind. Then I made the mistake of starting it with Twilight musing, and any chance of getting to that point within half an hour faded away like dust in the wind. And that's why the story has kind of a rushed, hamfisted ending.

I think it still turned out pretty okay, though. Snarky Twi is always fun.

Lover Dearest

Most ponies hated it, but Rarity had long held the belief that there were very few problems that could not be solved by applying the right amount of drama in just the right way. Sometimes, that meant crying on the right pony’s shoulders at just the right moment. Sometimes it meant stomping her hooves on the ground, abandoning all pretense of dignity, and screaming at everyone in the vicinity until she got her way. And sometimes it meant pretending to be angrier than you were so that the pony who had made you angry in the first place would give you chocolates and backrubs and then you could pretend that you were only pretending to be as angry as you were pretending to be and were not, in fact, prone to genuine and silly overreaction.

It was a belief that had served her well all her life – drama was a wonderous tool, and it made life ever so much more fun than it would otherwise be. The problem was that it was also a very dangerous tool, and one that could – in the hands of those ponies less naturally gifted and less practised than herself – cause a tremendous amount of harm. And, as sad as it was, the number of ponies who could match her knack for drama could be counted on one hoof – herself.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were fighting again. They hadn’t said as much, but as she sat across the table from them, taking note of their every gesture and expression, it was easy to tell. They were, after all, both extremely dramatic ponies – though of remarkably different stripes. Pinkie was a pony of deliberate drama. She reveled in it, seeking it out deliberately by way of dramatic entrances, explosions and whatever other loud and exclamatory things she could get her hands on. But though she was naturally inclined to drama, she was not naturally dramatic. And the way she was acting at that moment was the perfect example.

Pinkie was smiling as she ran a hoof through Fluttershy’s mane – not the huge, beaming grin that was usually afixed to her face like some kind of animate welcome mat, but a small timid thing. Every now and again she would glance around, and the few times Rarity had caught her eyes they had been sad and frightened. But apart from her expression and the words she kept whispering to her beloved Pegasus, Ponyville’s beloved party pony had been at the top of her game all night. Drinks were topped up, dances were danced, songs were sang and hearts were gladdened – but not Pinkie’s heart, which Rarity had been watching sink farther and farther as the hours wore on, the crowd thinned out, and the pink pony finally realised she had done something very wrong.

It was a subtle thing, but to the ponies that knew her it spoke volumes. And if Pinkie’s behaviour had been a warning sign, Fluttershy’s was a siren screaming out to all in earshot that something was wrong. She sat, tense and straight, with her back to Pinkie and her head lowered to stare at the ground. Her face was set in a worried, weary frown, and her eyes were half closed. Whenever Pinkie removed a hoof, however briefly, she would loosen up and let out a soft sigh – then freeze again as soon as it came back. If Pinkie Pie was a subtle pony who loved drama, Fluttershy was a dramatic pony who absolutely detested drama – but who simply didn’t have the ability to hide the emotions Pinkie Pie evoked in her, and ended up wearing them on her sleeve.

In many cases, Rarity would have thought that best. But Pinkie was perhaps the one pony in Equestria who could look at a stick of dynamite and not notice that the fuse had been lit. Fluttershy had once told Rarity that she hated Pinkie for that – almost as much as she loved her for never giving up.

Pinkie leaned close, and whispered something else in Fluttershy’s ear – perhaps an apology, or sweet nothings. Whatever it was, it bought Fluttershy to her hooves and sent her stomping slowly towards the door, leaving Pinkie to blink in stunned silent before chasing after her. Rarity almost wanted to stop her – to tell her that Fluttershy needed time, and forgiveness would come. But in truth, she was getting less sure each time this happened that it would. Or that it should. And Fluttershy had asked her not to interfere.

As the door slammed shut behind Pinkie Pie, Rarity sighed and lifted her drink to her lips. A drink would, perhaps, take the edge off. And if not, Applejack would be around somewhere – she was sure the other pony would forgive her, if she decided that she needed to get in a fight. Eventually.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Forgiveness is never easy.

Special rules (Choose either A or B. You do not have to do both, but you do have to do one.):

A: Your story must be completely devoid of dialogue and monologue.

B: What needs to be forgiven cannot be mentioned in the story at all.

Hollow

It was really, really hard to be mad at Fluttershy. Part of it was because you couldn’t be mad at her without her fussing, and worrying, and assuming that you’d never, ever want to talk to her again – it was kinda like being mad at a puppy, except that instead of nuzzling you or giving you that stupid big eyed ‘I’m adorable and you’re a jerk for making me sad’ look from the other side of the room, Fluttershy would apologise every five seconds and make it as clear as she could that whatever you thought of her, she thought like a million times worse. But most of it was the fact that she was always – she’d apologise immediately, and she’d mean it every single time.

The thing was that when you were dealing with Fluttershy, being sorry and being sorry were two totally different things: sure, she’d apologise after dropping a cup and breaking it, but she wasn’t sorry your cup got broken – she was sorry she did something stupid, because you probably hated her now and would never ever want to be her friend. So she apologised. And apologised. And apologised. In the hopes that you’d be willing to overlook her terribleness long enough for her to remind you what an amazing friend you are for putting up with her. She’d forget about the cup in a few minutes – but she’d tiptoe around you for days.

It had taken Rainbow Dash a long time to notice it. Too long, really – all the years they’d spent together and she’d only really realised it a little while before they’d ended up in Ponyville. She supposed she shouldn’t really be mad at the others for not noticing it yet, but part of her still kind of was – they were smarter than she was, and they were better friends too. They should’ve noticed – should have known – but they didn’t. But she was only a little mad at them – she was trying to be a lot mad at Fluttershy, and she was a whole lot madder than that at herself.

She sat outside Fluttershy’s room, staring at the same door she’d been staring at for about an hour and trying to think of something new to say – something to make ‘Shy understand that no, Rarity probably didn’t hate her for accidentally ripping that new dress when she’d fallen over. She’d just been angry and said something dumb. Like Dash had said something dumb when she’d heard about it and called Rarity about six different variations of ‘buttface’ without thinking that maybe that would just make ‘Shy sadder and maybe kind of angry. She’d just been trying to help. She’d just wanted to make ‘Shy feel better. But she’d blown it, because she was an idiot and ruining stuff was just what she did.

Nothing came. Nothing ever did. Apologies were hard. Being mad at ‘Shy was hard. And being mad at herself was easy. But sometimes she got a little tired of it. She knew that she’d forgive Rarity pretty soon. She knew she’d pretend she’d been mad at Shy so she could pretend to forgive her as soon as Shy poked her head out, so that she’d feel better. And she knew she’d forgive their friends for not picking up on this stuff sooner. But she’d gotten used to the idea that she’d never forgive herself for missing it for so long – and she kinda figured that Shy’d never get around to figuring out that she didn’t have to be forgiven for who she was. Which meant that they’d probably be doing this forever.

It was a sad thought. She didn’t like it. But that just meant she wouldn’t ever give up on showing Fluttershy just how worthwhile she was – even if it never came to anything, ‘Shy was worth it. And maybe ‘Shy made her feel worth it too.

Slowly, with a heavy sigh and a roll of her eyes, Dash pushed the door open and wandered inside.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Forgiveness is never easy.

Special rules (Choose either A or B. You do not have to do both, but you do have to do one.):

A: Your story must be completely devoid of dialogue and monologue.

B: What needs to be forgiven cannot be mentioned in the story at all.

Drowning

You love her. But sometimes you wish you didn’t.

As you make your way slowly through the crowd, eyes clamped shut and head bowed, you can’t help but think about how much easier it would be, if only you didn’t. You wouldn’t be here, then, stumbling blindly through the dark, too afraid to let yourself see – to let in those horrible flashing lights in and that endless sea of ponies. You can hear them all around you, droning voices and whispered words assaulting you from all sides, pressing in on you, hammering into your mind and leaving no room for you in it. If you didn’t love her, you could be at home. Maybe you’d be tucked up in bed, hugging the soft warmth of your blankets and letting them wrap you up in your own little world. Or maybe you’d be outside, in your garden, listening to the gentle trill of birdsong.

You hate her. You hate all of them. The thought flashes through your mind and you feel your lips twist into a scowl in the instant before it vanishes, buried beneath a fresh wave of guilt. It’s not true, of course; it can’t be true – they’re good ponies, and they’ve done nothing wrong. It’s not their fault that they’re not afraid to look each other in the eye, or laugh together, or dance. It’s not their fault they’re braver than you. You can’t hate them. You don’t hate them – that was a terrible thing to think, and you have to bite your lip to keep from crying. Sometimes, you’re a bad pony. Maybe most of the time. After all, only a terrible pony would think such terrible things, and you’ve found yourself doing it more and more lately.

You’re shaking. You don’t know when you started, but you know you can’t stop – with each step you take your heart beats a little faster and your legs become more and more unsteady. Far away, somepony laughs, cold and harsh and mocking, and you know instantly that it’s you they’re laughing at, even as you know that that can’t possibly be true. Tears sting at your eyes, and you choke back a sob that escapes anyway as a low whine. You shouldn’t be here. You should be at home, happy and safe and stewing in your anger and waiting for an apology that will never come. That you don’t deserve.

The look on her face when you started screaming flashes into your mind again, and your knees buckle beneath you – as you stumble and catch yourself, your eyes snap open and you find yourself staring into an unending sea of bodies. Distantly, you are aware that you can’t move. The sounds around you blend together until all you can hear is the sound of your heart trying to force it’s way out of your chest. But you have to keep going. You have to see her, to hold her, to say those words. Again.

Parties aren’t stupid. She isn’t stupid. Or selfish, or annoying, or… or any of the horrible things you called her. You don’t remember them all. You never do. But you remember her face, and you remember how desperately you wanted to stop when all you could do was keep screaming. All she had wanted was for you to go with her. Like you had promised you would. Like you had pretended you wanted to, so that she wouldn’t be disappointed in you. She should have known better, of course – should have known that her paradise was, in a lot of ways, your worst nightmare. But you should have known too; she is who she is, and there are some things she will never be able to understand about you.

At least she tries. Unlike you. Sight and sound snap back into focus, and you force yourself forward one step, and then another. And another.

You can see her now, dancing in the centre of the crowd with a smile on her face and carefully hidden tears hiding in her eyes. She’s beautiful as she sways back and forth, never stopping for a moment. It’s as though she’s part of the music, and the crowd is an extension of her, moving not to the music but to the rhythm that is Pinkie Pie. Your rhythm. And then her eyes finally meet yours, and her smile becomes so wide it must be agony, and suddenly none of it matters.

Your heart skips a beat, and you find yourself grinning back as the droning of the crowd fades to a low hum, and your body lightens. You’re not quite sure how you ended up in her arms, but you know you never want to leave. As you open your mouth to whisper those words, only to have them stolen with a kiss, you know beyond doubt that you don’t deserve her. But she wants you anyway, and maybe, for now, that’s enough.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Write a story in the second person in which the perspective character (i.e. “you”) is one of the Mane Six or Spike.

So, I've done... slightly more than 100 of these now, actually, since not all of them ended up actually being posted here. But for the purposes of this collection, 100. I'll be honest, I never really expected to write quite this many of these - that's not a complaint, I just assumed people would get sick of reading them, or I'd lose the inspiration to write them, but then I never did and - assuming the people reading these have some kind of interest in them - you folks never did either.

And I wanted to say thanks for that. I write because writing makes me happy. And your encouragement and niceness has helped me be that little bit happier. So thanks.

I was trying to think of something special to do for #100, but in the end nothing came to me. So instead you get my first foray into second person. And because I once promised TwiDerp at or around #100, let me just reassure you it will come - just, when I'm not sick and can focus on it better. ^^'

Chocolate Chips

Pinkie Pie lay on her side with a frown on her face and her forelegs wrapped tight around a tiny, sobbing Pegasus. That wasn’t really new, or anything – it had been happening more and more and really that was the problem because if it was happening more that meant it wasn’t happening less and that meant that Pound was still having nightmares and that meant that she hadn’t been able to make them go away. And that didn’t make sense. She’d always been good at getting rid of nightmares – she’d been giggling at ghosties and sending them running with their tails between their legs, or maybe not their tails because not all ghosties had tails and it was kinda mean to just pretend they did but they all had something like tails or stingers or claws or pumpkins, but most of them had tails and not pumpkins so – she was getting distracted. That was bad – not always, but right now there were super duper important things to think about and she had to focus.

The point was that she’d been chasing ghosties away just about every single night for her whole entire life, and she’d only met a handful she couldn’t beat. But she’d tried everything she knew how, and none of it was helping poor Pound. She’d sung and danced and told stories and laughed and sung some more. She’d even tried telling him that ghosties weren’t real and couldn’t hurt him, even though she’d felt guilty for days after – she’d always promised herself that she wouldn’t lie to the twins no matter what, and then she had. And it hadn’t even helped! Pound had just looked at her like she was crazy – like she would’ve looked at anypony who’d tried to tell her cupcakes weren’t real! He was a smart cookie. Or maybe a smart Pegasus, since she was pretty sure he wasn’t actually a cookie at all. If he was, he’d probably have been chocolate chip – all sweet and tough and filled with the delicious, chocolatey chips of terror.

And she couldn’t even pick out the chips. Not that anypony would ever want to pick the chips out of chocolate chip cookies – they were totally the best part, and that meant cookies were a terrible metaphor for ponies, which she’d kind of known but never known why and now she did and she was getting distracted again. Probably because she was tired. Or maybe it was just how she was, and all the ponies who’d told her she was too weird or too dumb to look after kids had been right. But thinking like that wouldn’t get her anywhere – except maybe down to Applejack’s for some cider, and as tempting as that was it wouldn’t help Pound. And helping Pound was more important than cider. She just wished she knew how to do it. But all she could really do was hug the little guy tighter – and when she did that, he lifted his head from her chest and peered up at her with big sad puppy dog eyes. Kinda like Rainbow Dash when the weather was really super duper bad and Pinkie asked her not to go out in case she died, except with less wheedling. Rainbow Dash was a really good wheedler.

“Pinkie?” Pound sobbed loudly, in what Pinkie assumed was intended to be a whisper, “How come you can be so happy all the time? Don’t you miss them?”

Pinkie’s first thought was of her own parents, and she had to shake the thought away – it was selfish, and selfish ponies didn’t get smiles. They got frowns. And sad friends. And fewer parties. Besides, Pound had never met her parents – but he had met his own, and he still missed them very much. Maybe that was why he had nightmares? She didn’t know – it wasn’t like his nightmares were about his parents, they were about being lost or alone or being eaten by big scary monsters or once about fire but now he was kind of used to fire and that was good because every baker had to be prepared for fires at all times! But Twilight had said something about bad dreams having a root cause, like a tree but a really mean tree that grew bad dreams and sent them off after ponies, and had roots made of bad memories. So really not like a tree at all. The point was that if she tried talking to Pound and didn;t mess it up this time, maybe it would really help. So she smiled, and rested one hoof on the kid’s head.

“Of course I miss ‘em – I miss them every day, and sometimes it hurts a whole lot, but being sad all the time won’t bring them back. And they wouldn’t want me to be sad – whenever I was sad, or you were sad, or Pumpkin was sad, they used to drop everything just to make it better! They wanted ponies to be happy, and they made my life a whole lot better – they’d want me to smile. And they’d want me to try and make you smile, too. But only if you mean it.”

“But how do you mean it? How can you keep going knowing you’ll never see them again?”

Pinkie paused before she answered. She wasn’t good with words, and she was even worse at voicing her thoughts.

“I always kinda thought life was like a story. Or a song. Maybe both? It doesn’t really matter which – songs are just stories with music anyways. And all stories have an ending – and the ending’s important, but it’s not what makes the story great. That’s what happens in between. All the adventures you have and the friends you make and the stuff you learn; it’s all part of your story, and you just gotta keep going and hope it’ll be a happy one. But the thing with stories is that sometimes they don’t go quite the way you want. Sometimes they get really sad, and things don’t get better. And sometimes they end sooner than you want them to, like your mum and dad’s did. But that doesn’t make the story less beautiful – and it doesn’t mean you can’t be glad you got to share in it.”

“Oh.” Pound was quiet for a long time, and Pinkie couldn’t help worrying that she had said the wrong thing again. Then, quiet as a mouse, he whispered, “Will you maybe tell me their story, sometime?”

Pinkie smiled wider and nodded her head before kissing the little Pegasus on the forehead. “Of course! But not tonight, okay? You need to get some rest. And I think your sister might want to hear this too.”

Pound beamed back at her for a moment before burying his face in her fur again. Soon, his snores echoed through the room, and, as Pinkie began to drift off to sleep, she couldn’t help but feel just a little bit proud of both of them.

Author's Note

The prompt:

“Darlin’, don’t you lay yourself down.

We live in a fable.

We live in a make-believe town,

All cardboard and dust …”

(“Lay Yourself Down,” The Bangles)

This one is in continuity with Pinkie Pie Style and Recipe for Success. Probably between them chronologically.

Broken Record

“Being a hero sucked, sometimes.

Most of the time it was a pretty sweet deal – kick some flank, drop some bad guys, give a kickass speech – complete with anti embarassment goggles that somehow disguised your identity perfectly, in case you screwed it up – get a whole bunch of adoring fans and look totally awesome doing it. When stuff was going well, there wasn’t a feeling in the world that could compare. And when you were as awesome as she was, stuff tended to go well pretty much all the time. Except when it didn’t.

Like tonight. As she glared dourly out over the city from her perch atop one of the giant cupcakes that adorned Sugarcube Corner, Vinyl Scratch – AKA Doc Scratch, super awesome super hero, AKA Captain Badass – couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Something about perching on a really big cupcake made the whole ‘perching and brooding’ thing seem less fearsome, somehow. She had to admit, she felt kinda dumb. But there had been no choice. Only Sugarcube did the cookies she liked with the little music notes on them and they were really filling, and it was only when she’d alreadt chomped them all down and was set to explode that she’d realised that the town hall, her usual brooding place, was kinda far away. The journey had seemed risky, and as a superhero she knew only to take risks when it was absolutely necessary or would make you look even more amazingly awesome than usual.

And, much to her surprise, she found she wasn’t really in the mood to bother trying to look amazingly awesome. Not that she needed to try – some ponies it just came naturally to. And some ponies – like Ponyville’s other, not as awesome resident super hero Mare Do -”

“You’re self narrating, again.” That honey smooth rumble cut through the silence behind her, and she couldn’t help but sigh at the unwelcome company. “It was kinda funny at first, but I thought I should probably stop you before you got to the part where I had to kick your flanks.”

“I s’pose I should thank you. Must’ve taken a lot for you not to just jump me from behind the way you do all your other enemies.”

“Well, you know. It’s only really worth ambusing ponies who are actually any kind of threat to me. Since I already know you couldn’t get close to me if you tried I figured why waste the energy?”

“Funny. The way I remember it the last time we fought I knocked you out cold in less than five minutes.”

“By accident. We were supposed to be on the same side, remember? You wanted help pranking your girlfriend?”

“My supervillain. Doctor Octavepuss.”

“Yeah, that. Whatever. The point is kicking me in the face while you’re trying to kick down a door doesn’t really count.”

“Says you. You’re just sore ‘cause I beat you.”

“Nah. Not anymore, anyway – it stopped hurting after about a week.” The response came easily, and Vinyl couldn’t help but snort. She did her best to turn it into a growl, but from the way Mare Do Well moved to sit beside her she could tell she’d failed. So in lieu of getting rid of her hated foe, she decided on conversation – it couldn’t really hurt. She hoped.

“So, what’re you doing here anyway? Come to gloat?”

“I am offended. I only gloat when I’m being especially amazing.”

“Please. You always gloat.”

“Exactly. But no, I’m not here for that. This time. I’m here because somepony told me that one of my friends was sad, and needed cheering up.”

“You have friends?”

“Just one.”

Vinyl wasn’t quite sure why that annoyed her so much.

“So what, you thought you’d swoop in and make everything better just like you always do? Thought you’d save the day ‘cause Vinyl’s too dumb to do it herself.”

“Ah.”

“Ah? What the heck does that mean!?”

“I get it now. You’re finally realising that dressing up in a suit and cape doesn’t make you a hero. Especially when all you do is run around playing pranks on ponies. Well, pony.”

“…That’s it? No scathing comment or insult this time?”

“Nah. You look like you’re beating yourself up enough. What happened?”

“…She kicked me out.”

“Was it the exploding pie? I warned you about the exploding pie.”

“No. I…decided that the pie was stupid. On my own. Not because of you. She said I was being stupid, refusing to grow up – that all I do is go on about helping ponies and then play dumb jokes that make people mad.”

“Well, she has a point.”

“Gee. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Vinyl turned a glare on Mare Do Well, who smirked back at her. She assumed so, anyway – it was hard to tell, with the mask.

“And I suppose you’re a real hero?”

“Me? Hm.” The other pony hesitated for a second, then shook her head. “I don’t think so. All I really do well is beat up the bad guys and hurt the ponies I care about. There’s more to being a hero than that.”

“Can’t say I was expecting that.”

Mare Do Well shrugged. “I wouldn’t be very mysterious if I were easy to predict. And don’t get cocky – I’m still way more of a hero than you are.”

There was a long pause before Vinyl spoke again. “Yeah. I guess you are. So…”

“So….?”

“Will you teach me?” She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the well deserved mockery.

“I don’t see why not.”

Vinyl blinked in surprise as Mare Do Well nodded, and struggled to think of something to say. When she couldn’t she just nodded, and turned back to stare out over the city with her best, most annoying friend at her side.

Author's Note

The Prompt: So you want to be a hero?

Year One: Best Hero Ever

So it had started off as a prank, a stupid joke designed to teach her a lesson. So what? She knew pranks better than anypony in town except maybe Pinkie Pie, and she knew good pranks better than anypony in town. And the thing about a really good prank was that sometimes it kept going in ways you hadn’t really expected ‘em to when you planned them. And a lot of the time that sucked – like when she’d gotten carried away when Rarity’d fallen into the pit she dug for Pinkie and ended up shaving her bald. They’d all been really mad, then – like it was her fault that Rarity’d stumbled into the stupid thing!

But sometimes it was awesome. Like, really awesome. And thinking back on it she was pretty sure that that’s where the last year of her life, her first year as that super mysterious badass extraordi-mare – she cringed at her own joke, another reminder to work on her one liners – Mare Do Well, had ended up. She had saved a few lives, kicked some serious flank, gotten a whole bunch of super dramatic landing practice in, as well as some crash landing practice; heck, she’d even stopped a crime. Sure, littering wasn’t really that big of a deal, but Ponyville was a pretty nice place and the chance to stop even a little actual crime had just been too much to pass up. Just like tonight, except not as dumb,

On the whole, she was pretty proud of herself. But as she stared up from the ground at the pony with the bat, head still spinning from the impact of it against her skull, she couldn’t help but feel like her friends were still gonna be really mad at her. Not that it really seemed like it was gonna matter, now, what with the whole ‘probably gonna be dead pretty soon’ thing, but it still made her kinda mad. She’d just wanted to help out. And the whole superhero thing’d been their idea.

As the dumb earth pony and his two stupid friends advanced towards her, she lifted herself to her feet and weighed her options. She could run, but they were earth ponies and that meant they were probably in better shape on land than she was. Also they hadn’t just been hit in the head with a bat and probably weren’t having trouble just standing without throwing up. Though they did look like they’d been drinking, and she had caught them just as they finished robbing the bar, so that might not have been a safe bet.

She could try flying, but if running when she felt this way was a bad plan trying to fly this way was probably a worse one. Sure, she might make it as far as a nearby roof, but then she’d just collapse and fall off again. Or not. Probably not. Chances were she could get to safety if she took to the skies but… to be honest, she didn’t really want to. Maybe it was the whack in the head talking, or maybe it was wounded pride. Heck, knowing her it could even have just been plain old stupidity.

Whatever it was, it made her grin beneath her mask – and a moment later, she was barreling towards her attackers at top speed, shouting a war cry and feeling more alive than she had all night.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Mare Do Well: Year One.

Year One: Who's Laughing Now?

Dashie had once told her that Ponyville was hungry for justice, and maybe that was right – she didn’t really know, since she wasn’t a town and she didn’t really know what towns ate, but if she were a town she was pretty sure she’d want cupcakes except it’d have to be a whole lot of cupcakes because cupcakes were really small and towns were really big even when they were only little towns like Ponyville except baking a lot of cupcake would take a long time so maybe baking one really really big cupcake would be better and it’d be fun too because everybody loved cupcakes and bigger was better and that meant everybody would really really really love a giant cupcake, especially her because she’d be the one eating it.

But she was kind of getting off topic. The point was, apparently Ponyville was hungry for justice. And since she was Mare Do Well now, that meant she kinda was justice, at least according to those comic books Scootaloo’d started drawing and those were really neat! But she had to admit, the idea of being justice in a town that wanted to eat her made her just a teensy bit nervous. Sometimes, as she stalked through the alleys and over the rooftops looking for super sneaky bad ponies doing dastardly deeds, she worried about what would happen if Ponyville got really hungry. Not that she didn’t trust the town – she totally did – but she trusted herself too, and she knew that sometimes when she got really hungry she’d eat a snack a whole bunch of snacks without really thinking about it, and that was okay because she ate candy, but the town ate justice and right now that was her.

She knew that was silly, of course – towns didn’t eat ponies, no matter how big they were. Twilight had told her so, back at the start of the year, and she’d spent weeks making Tw- helping Twilight to research it just to be sure. So she knew it couldn’t happen. But that didn’t stop it being really scary sometimes - and on those nights, she was always glad when she was teamed up with Dashie. Although she wasn’t so sure it really counted as teaming up when Dashie didn’t know she was there. She kind of thought that felt a little bit more like stalking, but Twilight had said that they had to do it because Dashie would never have accepted their help and didn’t even think they knew she was Mare Do Well and Pinkie would have felt really super bad if they’d ruined Dashie’s game but they had to keep her safe and that meant this was the only way!

She was starting to get a little worried though – she’d lost track of Dashie a little while back when she might possibly have ducked into Sugarcube Corner for a slice of cake and an impromptu musical number, and she was having a little bit of trouble finding her again. Not that it really mattered – Dashie was much better at the whole taking care of herself thing than she was, and Ponyville wasn’t really all that dangerous any -

The sound of Rainbow Dash screaming cut through the air, and Pinkie felt her heart stop for just an instant. Then she was moving, barreling towards the sound as fast as she could move, hoping beyond hope she could make it in time. She had to. Nothing could happen to Dashie. Nothing was allowed to happen to Dashie. She had to get there – she had to stop it she had to help.

She rounded the final corner at top speed, and found herself face to face with her worst nightmare – Dash was slouched against the wall, mask half torn and grinning that really scary grin she got when she was super duper angry. At her hooves lay a really big earth pony, and between her legs lay a bat. As Pinkie drew closer, so did the other two mean looking ponies advancing on Rainbow Dash – and as they did, Dashie started to laugh.

Without even thinking about it, Pinkie slammed at top speed into one of the two buttface’s trying to hurt her friend before spinning and jumping on the other one with a growl that she wasn’t really sure she liked coming out of her mouth. As she moved, she heard Dash’s laughter cut short. And for the first time in a really long time, she was relieved that somepony wasn’t laughing.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Mare Do Well: Year One

Year One: Two Of A Kind

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie glared at each other, and that felt wrong. Not that Rainbow glaring at Pinkie was all that uncommon – Rainbow Dash did a lot of glaring, especially when she was annoyed, and there weren’t all that many ponies in Ponyville who were as… well, annoying, as Pinkie Pie could be.

She bit her lip and let out a quiet sigh. That had been a terrible thing to think, and she was almost certain that she hadn’t meant it to be as mean as it had sounded – it was just that Pinkie got a little overenthusiastic sometimes, and Rainbow wasn’t quite as patient as she could have been. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course; it was just her way, and the fact that it was so very different from how Fluttershy liked to handle things didn’t mean it was wrong.

But as common as it was for Rainbow to glare at Pinkie, Fluttershy couldn’t remember ever seeing Pinkie glare at Rainbow. It was a scary thing, seeing her happiest friend’s mouth twisted into a scowl, and it made Fluttershy want to leave the room. To go to bed, and let the two sort out their disagreement on their own. But she couldn’t do that – it wouldn’t be right. And besides, she was a part of this too.

She had known about the Mare Do Wells, of course. Both Rainbow Dash, and the trio that Twilight had assembled in order to keep Rainbow Dash from getting hurt – and, Fluttershy suspected, because it made her feel good to be able to help the town without really drawing attention to herself. Not that she was one of them – she hadn’t even really wanted to join in when they had all first disguised themselves to teach Rainbow a lesson. It had felt awfully mean, but if anybody knew that sometimes you had to be mean to help a pony, it was Fluttershy.

But she was the only one of her group of friends with any knowledge of medicine, and that made her their first stop when something went badly wrong – for Dash, and for the others. She didn’t like the job, not really – she had tried to talk them all out of it time and time and time again, but in the end they hadn’t been willing to listen. And they needed her. They trusted her. What kind of friend would she be if she’d broken that trust?

If she were honest, Fluttershy had allowed herself to believe that she would never actually have to do anything – in just a few minutes, an entire year would have passed since Rainbow had first come to her, explained what she was doing, and asked her for help. Barely less time had passed since Twilight and others had come. And since then… nothing. Nopony had ever gotten hurt well they were being Mare Do Well, and she’d allowed herself to believe nopony ever would.

Then Pinkie had shown up at her door, dragged a half concious Rainbow into her living room, and collapsed herself. That had been a few hours ago now, and she couldn’t remember ever being so afraid. She had tended their wounds, and checked to make sure there was no permanent damage – there wasn’t, though it would be a few weeks until Dash would be allowed to do anything strenuous. Which of course meant she would be trying to do sonic rainbooms the next morning, and it would be Fluttershy’s job to talk her out of it. Not that she minded, or anything. It was like taking care of children.

She bit down harder, trying to think of a nicer way to word that particular thought, but was cut off by Dash, her words slightly slurred.

“So, what? You’ve been following me around the whole time? Just… stalking me, and hoping I wouldn’t notice.”

It was an improvement from the hissed insults Dash had been throwing around earlier, but not by much. Pinkie just nodded and said a single word. “Yeah.”

The room was silent, then, and Fluttershy felt her heart beat faster. Then, with a shrug and a grin, Dash spoke again. “Whatever. Thanks for saving my flank – that was a heck of kick!”

And then Pinkie was grinning too, and Fluttershy found herself thinking that maybe everything would be alright.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Mare Do Well: Year One

Memories Of You

Twilight Sparkle sighed softly as she snuggled deeper into the warmth of her lover’s chest, struggling to keep her eyes open as she started up into the clear, blue sky.

Memories danced to the forefront on her mind unbidden, and she let herself drift along with them. Letting her mind chase chase whatever fragment of thought it wanted was as natural to her as breathing, and a moment later she was flying – a streak of colour tore through the sky ahead of her, and shouts of delight and encouragement rang in her ears. She remembered flying so high up she could barely remember the world below and just… stopping. Coming to rest on a cloud next to the pegasus she loved so much, feeling a wing drape over her, and watching the sun rise over Ponyville, just the two of them in a world all their own.

The sunlight made her sneeze, and she found that she was on the ground again, soft grass beneath her hooves and flowers blooming through the clearing that was just for them, encircled by towering trees. Birdsong bursting forth from all around as her companion pressed closely against her, holding her like she’d never let go. She felt soft, hesitant kisses dance across her cheek, and when they reached her lips she felt her partner begin to sway. A moment later those lips pulled away, and then they were dancing – clumsily, awkwardly, terribly, and shamelessly, both of them forgetting for an instant to fear what the world thought of them.

A cannon fired and she fell, heart hammering in her chest. Laughter rang out from all around her, and for an instant she felt like crying. She lifted herself from the ground and turned to glare at her companion, only to be stopped short by a snort of her own laughter at the sight of the red and white mess rolling around on her back in the grass, coat covered with caramel and confetti as she her joy rang out for all to hear. And then she was laughing too, tears streaming down her face as she realised for the first time how ridiculous the two of them must look. She raised a hoof to wipe away a tear, only for a pair of sticky legs to reach down and pull her into tight hug as the sweet smell of her love washed over her.

The scent of her was intoxicating, and couldn’t help but grin as she watched her love rush about the boutique, snatching up bottles and bolts of fabric, her eyes sparkling like diamonds as idea after idea filled her mind. She thought aloud, and her voice was like ambrosia as she worked – piece after piece was applied and discarded, those excited whispers never ceasing for a moment. And then the mirror was in front of her, and she was shining, more beautiful than she ever thought she could be. But it wasn’t what she saw in the mirror that bought tears to her eyes – it was the apology that came a heartbeat later, the realisation that her companion had been unable to make her as beautiful to everypony else as she was to her, and the promise that followed.

The earth pony would keep her secret. She knew it even as she saw the pain flash through her friends eyes, and found herself wishing she had just been able to lie to her, like she had the others. But they both knew that, between them, it couldn’t be that way. And when she smiled that smile, with tears shining in her eyes and soft, whispered reassurances on her lips, she knew she was home and that she never, ever wanted to leave it. Her love wouldn’t forget her. None of them would. As the tears spilled down her face and she felt herself pulled into a warm embrace, Twilight whispered the words she had always wanted to say.

“I love you.”

The words cut through her memories, and she felt tears drop onto her face from above. The pony holding her whispered something she couldn’t quite hear, and pulled her closer, squeezing her gently. Twilight let out a soft giggle that sounded tired and broken, even to her. One year. It had seemed like such a good deal at the time. One more year to spend with her friends, to say the things she had never dared say. And yet at the end of it, she didn’t want to say goodbye.

But they would remember her, and she would never forget them. They were united, by the memories they had shared and the unbreakable bond between them. And as Twilight’s eyes flickered closed for the last time, she knew she was smiling.

Author's Note

The Prompt: “How do you measure a year in the life? … How do you measure the life of a woman or a man? In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried, in bridges he burned, or the way that she died …” (“Seasons of Love,” from Rent)

Story itself inspired partly by Memories of You from Persona 3, and the ridiculous emotional impact it has on me.

Ghosts and Ashes

Something felt wrong, even beyond the obvious. It was a subtle feeling – a slight tingling in the back of her mind, demanding her attention. She tried to focus on it, tried to figure out what it was, and she almost succeeded. But as her chariot finally pierced the thick veil of dark, choking smoke that hung over the town, her thoughts, and her breath, were stolen away by the sight before her.

Ponyville was in ruins. She had known that, of course – the Princess herself had briefed her on what she could expect to find when she’d been assigned to the task – but knowing something to be true and seeing it for herself were two distinctly different things. Everywhere she looked there was destruction. The crumbling remains of houses that she was sure had once been full of smiling, happy ponies hung stood like tombstones over the the cracked, dead earth. Vines and other plantlife clung to the husks, weaving their way through the town as though trying to drag it back into the Everfree Forest. Somewhere in the distance, source still obscured from her by the haze, she could see a glimmer of light, as if from a fire.

It was difficult to imagine what had happened to the town. Princess Celestia hadn’t told her, and she hadn’t been able to find out on her own. It had started on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration, one year ago – a plea for help had arrived from Ponyville, and Celestia had gone to their aid. Alone. According to official reports, dark magic had overtaken the town and it had already been a ruin by the time Celestia had arrived. She had managed to dispell the dark magic with no issue, but by the time she arrived the town had already been destroyed.

There weren’t many things that Twilight Sparkle doubted, when it came to Princess Celestia. But she had seen the Princess, that night. Had heard her break down into sobs and apologise over and over and over. Had seen the fresh cuts that littered her body. Very few other ponies had. Sometimes she almost wish she hadn’t. She still had nightmares.

The chariot landed, and her armed escort turned to her with a bow as she stepped onto the cracked ground. She turned to face them, opened her mouth, and a sharp gasp cut through the air, sending a chill down her spine. She whirled, trying to find the source of the sound, and that buzzing at the back of her mind grew louder.

Too late.

She didn’t know where the thought came from, or what it meant. Whatever it was, she didn’t have time to deal with it right now – she had a job to do, and she meant to make the Princess proud. It seemed simple enough. Go to Ponyville. She was to make her way through the Everfree Forest, being mindful of any dangers, until she reached the ruins of an old castle. Sealed away inside were the Elements of Harmony, powerful magical artifacts that had been lost for almost a thousand years.

Honesty. Loyalty. Kindness. Generosity. Laughter.

Laughter.

The word stuck in her head, and for an instant she felt like screaming. Something was wrong. There were pictures, dancing in her head. Claws. Screaming. That cold, terrible laughter that had haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember. And a flash of purple light so bright that even the memory of it made her head throb and her eyes burn. Something was wrong, and she didn’t know what.

She forced herself to stay standing, and shook her head to banish the strange haze that clouded it. Then, frowning, she turned to face her two companions – who, she noted, were gazing at her with undisguised worry. She smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile and ordered them to fall into step behind her before spinning on a hoof and beginning the slow, long trek into Ponyville, doing all that she could to ignore the terror that echoed from her memories.

Author's Note

The prompt: One year too late.

Special rule: No antagonists from the show may appear in your story.

Crisitunity

“One year ago, on this day, I saved Equestria. Heck, probably not even just Equestria. Probably like, the whole world. Yeah, definitely the whole world.

A lot’ve ponies’ll tell you that I didn’t do it alone, and I guess I can see where they’re coming from. I mean, it was Twilight who found out Nightmare Moon was comin’, and I guess Pinkie’s song helped the others from crying like babies – I mean, I wasn’t scared or nothin’ but they were terrified. And ‘Shy stopped a manticore, which was totally awesome. I mean, I could’ve done it myself any day, but having to protect Rarity was kinda slowing me down. So, y’know. That helped.

Oh, and AJ got credit for me n’ Shy saving Twilight. I mean yeah, catching her was great but it was kind’ve us who stopped her, y’know, plummeting to her death? Not that anyone thanked us or anything. I guess they were too busy praising Applejack or something? Whatever. Oh, and Rarity was there too. She didn’t really do anything. But she was good moral support.

Me? I fought a Manticore. By myself. Rarity totally didn’t help at all. And then this group of totally awesome stunt ponies called the Shadowbolts were all like ‘Sweet Celestia, it’s Rainbow Dash! She’s so awesome and sexy and wicked sweet! Miss Dash, please won’t you betray your friends and join us?’ and I was all ‘Nah, I don’t need adoring fans. I’m as humble as they come. Besides, there’s no way I could betray Rarity. Have you seen her new winter line? She needs my help to redesign it!”

Rarity didn’t even have to turn around to know full well that Rainbow Dash wasn’t even looking at Sweetie Belle, any more, though she imagined the treacherous little snake was still gazing up at the pegasus with some kind of awe, believing every filthy lie she told. The image of Dash’s smug grin was almost enough to make her snap. Almost enough to make her shout and scream and chase Rainbow Dash from her boutique. But she had sworn that she wouldn’t speak to her again until Dash made up for laying waste to her latest design. It had taken her weeks to perfect it. And then the clumsy brute had torn it apart the space of moments. Sure, Rarity had been wearing it at the time, and she did seem to recall requesting that Rainbow Dash do exactly that, but she was a mare of her word!

Besides, if Rainbow Dash could enjoy being petty then so could she!

“Really doesn’t look like she’s gonna say anything, huh?”

“I’m afraid it really doesn’t.”

“Perfect. Hey, did Rarity ever tell you about the time she ruined the Best Young Flier’s contest?”

“No? I… don’t think so?”

“Well, I think it’s about time you heard about it. But you gotta promise you’ll listen close, ‘cause this one’s important. It’s about the most amazing, beautiful, talented pony in the world. And I’m in there somewhere too. But mostly? Mostly, it’s about the day I fell head over hooves. Literally, a couple of times.”

Rarity felt her heart skip a beat, and a light blush coloured her cheeks. Dash had never said quite what she felt for Rarity before, and to hear it expressed – even in such a tactless, clumsy manner – bought a smile to her face.

“Head over hooves?” Sweetie asked, sounding puzzled.

“Yep,” Dash nodded sagely – she couldn’t see it but she knew, “Means falling in love.”

Before Rarity could notice the slight shaking in the Pegasus’ voice, or register the gasp of excitement from Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash was gone – the boutique doors flew open with a loud bang, and all Rarity saw as she spun to face them was Rainbow, blushing bright crimson and moving faster than Rarity had ever seen.

Author's Note

The prompt: The circumstances leading to, following, or surrounding someone beginning a speech with, “One year ago, on this day…”

Edgar Allen Ponies

“Look, Twi – I get what you’re saying. The books are old and they’re important and stuff, but that doesn’t mean they’re not stupid. I mean, how hard is it to write normally? All this rhyming stuff and and fancy words just makes it hard to read! What’s the point of a story if noone can understand it?”

Twilight Sparkle frowned, eyes narrowing ever so slightly and prettily as she answered.

“There are a lot of ponies who have no trouble at all dealing with rhyming verse! It can be very entertaining and rewarding just to read, and writing it is a good was to make yourself think and express yourself in ways you normally wouldn’t. You may not enjoy it, but you can’t argue that it has merit!”

“I guess, but that doesn’t mean it’s not boring! And seriously, nopony talks like this! How long does it take to write something like this? Why can’t you just go ‘there was a bird on the statue of the guy and he was kind a jerk?”

“But it isn’t boring! You should try it - I know at least two ponies who enjoy it a great deal, and it really is a lot of fun. As for length, it really depends on who you ask – it takes me much longer than ordinary writing does, but some ponies can do it at the drop of a hat.”

“Oh yeah? Name one!”

Twilight Sparkle smiled and turned her eyes to Pinkie Pie, who sat watching them with a grin of her own. As Dash muttered ‘here we go’ with a roll of her eyes, Pinkie cleared her throat and began to speak.

“The day began a deepest black, as my heart began to crack
As I felt it split in two, I longed to begin anew
But some mistakes cannot be undone, though making them is never fun
I watched as cupcake tumbled, wishing that I hadn’t fumbled
For if I had never stumbled perhaps the treat would not have crumbled
And crashed into the kitchen floor.

As I snatched it from the floor my empty gut began to roar
Did I not deserve a treat, a gift so sweetly there to eat?
Coated now with dirt and grime - eating it would be a crime
Drawing courage from my core I swore
I would devour the cupcake nevermore.

Misery in my heart swelling, on delights untasted dwelling
Did I set about the baking, a cheery demeanour faking
Though my hunger cried for slaking I was hired for my caking
Carefully this time, fearfully shaking, into the oven they did go
And the day began to flow

Hours passed in but a flash, my woeful heart no longer brash
When suddenly I heard a crash, a summons from dear Rainbow Dash
And as it came my heart did soar, for lying there sprawled ‘pon the floor
Having collided with the door was one of two whom I adore
And suddenly my day was brightened, thought my Dashie was quite frightened
That I rather would abhor the mess she had made of the door

Even as my Dashie clamoured to her hooves she stammered
As in my chest my heart it hammered, but as she glanced and saw my frown
She noticed that I had not yammered and did not act the clown
An instant passed ‘fore wings around me, and her warmth did ground me
In a moment all that pain and suffering did rise again
But as I stood and wept, into her embrace I was quickly swept

She held me tightly as I cried, and laughed lightly as I tried
To tell her of my dear friend’s fate – a broken cupcake unfit for a plate
I called her rude, her manner crude; she told me he was simply food
Smiling she gazed into tear stained eyes, tilted her head and said ‘let’s go to Twi’s’
As I nodded, mood lightened, her expression brightened and quickly she took to the skies

And here we all are, together at last, though the journey was not very far
As I recount my day I hope Dashie will say that there’s merit to be found in rhyme
Although I fear mine are lacking, in practice I’m slacking so if not that is hardly a crime
Besides,” Pinkie finished with a grin, “your smiles mean I have not wasted my time.”

As Rainbow Dash burst out laughing and Twlight stared at her with undisguised adoration, Pinkie couldn’t help but think that the day had turned out to be pretty good after all.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Once upon a rhyme

Pieracy

Applejack watched with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth as Rarity was struck down, her shrill cry of pain cut short the moment before she hit the deck with a loud thud. Ungraceful. Clumsy. No way for Rarity to go. She watched, heart hammering in her chest and angrier than a rattlesnake ready to strike, as the traitor turned away from the body to look straight at her, mouth curved into a lazy, mocking grin. It was an expression she was used to seeing on Rainbow Dash’s face, and it wasn’t the first time Applejack’d wanted to wipe it off her face – but it was the first time it’d sent a chill down her spine, or left her certain she was going to die.

Dash stood in the center of the ship, surrounded by the fallen shapes of so many friends. Twilight’d gone down first, of course – Rainbow wasn’t gonna win any awards for intelligence, but she knew all about taking the biggest threats by surprise and making sure they weren’t anymore. At least Twilight was still breathing, though with how hard Dash’d kicked her she’d have a heck of a headache whenever she opened her eyes. Rarity, though… she wasn’t sure if Rarity was alive or not. She hoped so.

“Oh, come on AJ – don’t gimme that look.” Dash spoke, laughter in her voice as she sauntered across the ship, that grin never leaving her face and her one visible eye sparkling with excitement. Applejack had to admit, she’d been right about the eyepatch making her more intimidating. “You have to have seen this coming. I mean, I’ve been talking about it all trip! ‘Oh boy Twilight, I hope somebody mutinies! I’ve really been itching for a fight!’ ‘Enjoy giving order while you can, cap’n, cause I’ll be in charge soon!’ ‘Hey AJ, switch beds with me and I won’t make you walk the plank when I take over the ship and take all the candy for myself.’”

“Well gee, Rainbow Dash, I guess I thought you were just jokin’ around, bein’ the element of loyalty an’ all. I mean, I knew you still had two eyes, but I didn’t think you had two faces to match.” She hissed the words, leaning forward until she was nose to nose with her treacherous former friend. It wasn’t easy to do, tied up the way she was, but she managed it. It was a small act of defiance, but she could tell Dash was surprised. And impressed.

“Why my dear Applejack,” Dash gasped, doing her best impression of Rarity,”Are you suggesting that I’m lacking in loyalty?”

“Oh no, o’ course not. Blindsidin’ your friends and stealing the shipment they’re s’posed to be guarding is obviously what loyalty and friendship are all about. My mistake.”

Rainbow Dash let out a snort, and nodded her head. “Okay, okay. I get it. I really do – from where you’re sitting it probably does look like I’ve stabbed you in the back. But the thing is, for that to work I’d have to have been on your side in the first place. And I’m pretty sure I was never actually a part of this little group you and Twi got going here. You sll just kind’ve assumed I was in on it. That’s not my fault.”

“Well, excuse usfor thinkin’ that our best friend – my girlfriend – who was hangin’ out with us and sailin’ with us just like part of our crew was actually part of our crew.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I mean, it was kind of annoying, but it made my job like a million times easier. Do you know how weird it’d have looked if I just suddenly decided to come along for this one trip so I could get my hands on all the candy? I’d have had to sign papers, and work – my name might actually have been on the work roster. Can you even -‘

“Shut up.”

“Ouch! Y’know what? I’m in such a good mood I’m gonna let that one slide. This was way easier than I thought it would be. I was all like ‘woah, Pinkie, there’s no way this is gonna work – I mean, with anybody else sure but our friends? They’re like, the most badass sailors ever. No way I can get the jump on all of them! Even I’m not that amazing!”

“Hold on! Pinkie put you up to this!? But it’s her candy we’re delivering!”

“Oh, yeah, about that – turns out she’s kiiiiinda been spending all her money on parties and cakes and didn’t really have enough left to pay people to deliver the stuff or buy any more ingredients. So she started doing this thing where she pretends to send shipments and then has ‘em stolen by pirates – she still gets paid, ‘cause buyer’s risk, and as a bonus she doesn’t have to actually pay the guards she hires. She just pays me, and I take the candy back to her after dumping all of you in the ocean.”

“Uh huh. So uh, tell me – if she ain’t got the money to pay us, where’d she get the money to pay you? You charge as much as the rest of us put together!”

Dash blinked, and her expression morphed into a concerned frown. “Huh. That’s a good point. You don’t think she’s planning to double cross me or anything, do you? Nah. Nah, that’s dumb. She wouldn’t do that – this is Pinkie.”

Applejack rolled her eyes as Dash grinned at her and spun around – only to find herself face to face with Fluttershy, who stood staring at her down the barrel of her rifle. Dash’s face fell, and Applejack could see the fear in her eyes.

“Uh…Shy? What are you doing? We’re on the same side here.”

“Um..well, you see…that is…there’s…a funny thing about loyalty. It um…kind of requires us to be on the same side. And I know you thought we were, and I’m really really sorry about that but…um…Pinkie said that once you were done I should…you know…make sure you didn’t come back?”

Fluttershy pulled the trigger as Rainbow Dash began to swear.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Rainbow Dash on the seas.

Dissonance

Octavia had always dreamt of playing on stage. Ponies always told her so.

As she sat staring at the wall across from her – an endless pulse of purple singing out over the palace, like a vast, all consuming cacophony of colours that all happened to be purple – she herself wasn’t sure. She didn’t think it was wrong to say that she had always dreamt of playing, but maybe the order was wrong. She had never once dreamt of music, but the things she saw in her dreams often became music. Words, ideas, images. She didn’t understand them, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make them into music. Everything was music. Even the other ponies.

There were a lot of other ponies, all around. She didn’t know who most of them were, especially herself, but she could hear their music. In the hum of this conversation – due next week I’m so nervous – and that conversation – as if they really defeated Nightmare Moon, that’s just a foals tale. In the pacing of their hooves and their heavy, shallow breaths. It was all around, overwhelming. It would be a good song. It frightened her. It made her itch, and she could feel her heart beating faster even if she didn’t know why. She wanted to play, fast and deep and desperate, to force that feeling out of her so she wouldn’t have to try and understand it anymore. But she couldn’t. Not yet. The clock said so. Not until she was on stage.

Being on stage was a strange thing. Sharing your secrets and thoughts and emotions with so many ponies. Like an orgy, but with feelings instead of sex. It made her uncomfortable to think about. A whole swarm of ponies she didn’t know peering into her deepest places, seeing every beat and reading every note, all thinking they saw and heard the same songs she did. They didn’t. Nopony ever did, no matter how hard she tried. It was kind of like playing with fire; it seemed like a good idea, because fire was pretty and warm, but in the end it only left you hurting and alone, tasting ashes.

She thought that she probably always felt this way, before a show. It might be different when she was actually on stage, but it was hard to say. There was no time for new feelings, then. She had to get too lost in old ones, new and different and beautiful and just as confusing every time she heard them again. It was the same no matter where she played, and that was why she didn’t really mind playing on stage if it was what she was supposed to do. It meant she got bits, and bits meant food, and warmth, and a nice quiet room with a big window where she could watch the sky and write down the music of her own thoughts.

So she would bear it. The strange tightening in her stomach and the urge to throw up. The shortness of breath, and that hollow feeling that filled her when she stepped onto the stage and saw a crowd full of ponies who would not understand. The way she sometimes woke up to find her pillow damp, and the way she couldn’t cry no matter how much she tried to. It was for the best.

And as she closed her eyes and started to play, Octavia was happy.

Author's Note

The prompt: http://thirtyminuteponies.tumblr.com/post/60950824973/prompt-469-sensuality

Punchlines

'Fluttershy, that's enough!'

Pinkie Pie's voice was loud and shrill, piercing the strange silence of the cottage and causing the other pony, one eyebrow raised high and a smirk on her face, to turn toward her. For a moment the two simply stood, staring at one another, and Pinkie couldn't help but tremble as her eyes took in the faded, dull yellow of her friend's coat and the vicious amusement in those eyes. And then her back leg kicked out again, her hoof snapping back into Twilight's face with a crack that chilled Pinkie to the bone.

'Stop!' She screamed it this time, and without thinking she found she had taken a few quick steps towards the Pegasus. Fluttershy's smirk grew wider, those cruel eyes narrowing, and she tutted as she took a measured step back and casually lowered a hoof onto Twilight's throat. Pinkie saw her unconscious friend's breathing grow faster, more pained, and stopped herself, stepping backwards for good measure. Fluttershy didn't move her hoof, but she nodded her head.

'There, you see? It's not really very difficult to follow simple instructions. Even an idiot like you can do it, as long as there's somebody with half a brain around to remind you every now and again. But if I were you, I'd be very careful about forgetting again – this is delicate work, and I'm so very easily frightened. Who knows what might happen if you make me nervous?'

'I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to. I just – you're already hurting her. I know you're not yourself right now, so maybe you can't see that. The Fluttershy I know wouldn't -'

'The Fluttershy you know is a weak willed little coward who'd rather hide under her bed and bob her stupid, empty head than actually stand up for herself when it really matters. Not that any of you are any better.'

'She is not! She's the sweetest, bravest, most super amazing pony ever, and she's better than you!'

'Oh really? And what makes you say that? The fact she loves her animals? Because she doesn't, you know. And even if you don't, I do. She doesn't care about them – she just wants to feel needed. To be somebody's hero without having to actually listen to all the pointless garbage all you other ponies spew out. Not that you ever had the decency to shut up and leave her alone for five seconds.'

'That's not true! Fluttershy loves - you love your friends! Angel, and Hummingway, and Barry, and all the others! And me too! You told me so!'

'I did, didn't I? It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Three little words to make you stop blubbering and crying all over the floor. Do you have any idea how pathetic you looked? And it didn't even work. You just kept whining and whining and whining about how everybody laughs at you, and they all hate you, and all those other things everypony with eyes already knows. No wonder they were laughing. Your entire life's just one big joke, with you as the punchline.'

'I...you didn't...you didn't mean it? But – no! No! That doesn't matter right now! This isn't about us, it's about Twilight! You're hurting her, Fluttershy! You're gonna kill her!'

'Oh please. I already told you, I know what I'm doing. You don't spend as much time helping stupid little animals and pathetic ponies as I have without knowing how not to kill somepony. She'll be just fine. I haven't even broken any bones yet.'

'You won't. I know you won't. You won't right? Because I don't really think you have that in you but... but I didn't think you had this in you either! Why are you doing this!? You said you just wanted to talk to her!'

'I did want to talk to her. And I did, but unfortunately the poor dear didn't really answer my questions terribly well. You'd think a Princess would be able to explain herself better. Or at least that she'd be ready for a kick to the head. It's kind of sad, really – I wonder if it'd be this easy to take out Luna?'

'It's not her fault! She trusts you! We all trust you! That's why you've gotta stop! Whatever's wrong with you, whatever happened, we can fix it! I'll help! So will Dashie, and even Twilight if you let her! You just have to stop!'

'Why? So I can go back to playing friendship with a two bit Princess who only got the job by stumbling on the answer to a problem that was her fault in the first place? She could have killed us, you know. She already changed our memories – our destinies. How do we even know she put those back right? For all we know she duped us, just like she duped the Princess into believing she knows what she's doing. And I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to take that chance.'

'She's our friend! She wouldn't do that! She loves us! And you love her! You just gotta trust me, Flutters. Please. You...you can't do this.'

'Of course I can. Unless you think you're going to stop me.'

This time, Pinkie's lunge across the room was no accident. And this time, as Fluttershy's smirk became a grin and she lowered herself to meet Pinkie's charge, Pinkie couldn't keep the tears from flowing.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Quiet Me - A drabble about one character trying to calm another down.

It turned out to not be a drabble. It also turned out to be awful, but I hope you enjoy it anyways.

Hoofprints In The Fireplace

'There has to be some other explanation. There has to be. Anything would make more sense than this.’

Twilight Sparkle’s attention was fixed on the notes levitating in front of her, narrowed eyes darting from one page to another as she did her best to find some shred of evidence, some hole in their story that disproved it. It was there, she knew it was. She just had to find it. A few steps behind her, Rarity cleared her throat.

'Princess, with all due respect we have been looking into the matter for going on a week now, and we’ve disproven every theory you’ve come up with. It wasn’t a fault in the mail system or a mistake by dear Derpy, it wasn’t any kind of memory alteration performed on the town at large, nor even an especially generous if ethically questionable visitor.’

Rainbow Dash snorted, and Twilight could almost hear her rolling her eyes. ‘Yeah, nopony new’s come to town to stay all week, and even if they had there’s no way they could’ve dragged all that with ‘em. I’d say you were stretching it with that but that doesn’t even come close to the changeling thing.’

Twilight felt her face turn red as she finally tore her face away from the notes, turning to pou – to glare at Rainbow Dash. ‘It could have been changelings! They’ve proven many times throughout history that they’re both willing and able to use both subtle kindness and emotional manipulation to increase the flow of - ‘

'Yeah, sure, whatever. Let's say the changeling thing wasn’t really stupid, it totally wasn’t even the worst idea you had! What was that last thing you suggested again?’

'Spontaneous gift manifestation, darling.'

'Yeah, that! Thanks, Rare. Presents just appearing out of nowhere in pony’s houses!? I mean, I know I’m not the great detective here, but even I know that’s impossible!’

'It's no less impossible than this! Sufficiently powerful magic could easily make it appear as though gifts had been left in ponies houses during the night, and to cover the entire area between here and Canterlot would only require a sufficiently powerful -'

'If this is the part where you try to tell us Discord did it again, let me save you the trouble – you and Rarity looked into that too, remember? He said it wasn’t him!’

'And you believed - ‘

'Princess Celestia did confirm that this is completely unlike anything Discord has caused before, and it would agree that it seems a tad… mundane. Not to mention harmless – why, these gifts are some of the most considerate I have ever received!'

Twilight opened her mouth to retort, then bit her tongue and sighed. They were right. Even if all of her ‘ridiculous’ explanations made more sense than… whatever this was, they’d all been proven incorrect. And that meant it had to be true.

Slowly, she turned fully to face the two ponies who had been aiding her investigation, and when she spoke she could barely keep the irritation out of her voice.

'So what you're telling me is that, in the week we've been trying to figure out who keeps somehow breaking into every house in Ponyville and Canterlot on Hearthswarming Eve every year, the best theory we’ve come up with is Pinkie Pie?’

‘And 'Shy,' Rainbow interjected, and Twilight let out another sigh.

'…Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.’

'That… would appear to be correct, yes. Fluttershy did confess, after all, and she was terribly apologetic. Not to mention Pinkie Pie breaking into the library and left you those ‘please forgive me’ gifts.’

'Yeah. 'Shy even signed the card.'

'I thought they were kidding! There’s no way a pegasus and an earth pony could ever pull off something like that in a single night! There’s far too much ground to cover and -‘

'Darling – Princess. I don't mean to be rude, but have you perhaps forgotten that we're discussing Pinkie Pie?’

Twilight blinked. She opened her mouth. Closed it again. Then she sighed and nodded her head. ‘Fine, fine. I suppose we’d better go talk to them. They should probably know that they’re considered a legend now, and that Celestia wants us to offer them funding for this… whatever it is they’re doing.’

Author's Note

The Prompt: "[W]hen you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth …”

This is one of those stories I really don't like. I'm out of practice and ill at the moment, and it really shows. However, I am very fond of the idea of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy becoming Equestrian Santa.

A Rock In A Hard Place

There was a way these things were s’posed to be done. Shadowy figures decked out in killer suits, huddled around tables in smokey back rooms, makin’ plans in hushed voices and makin’ sure nothin’ in town happened without their say so. They didn’t have none o’ that. Well, they had the smoke – billowin’ up from the kitchen below, probably smelling like candy or gumdrops or cake or somethin’ like that. She couldn’t really say, on account o’ not havin’ a nose an’ all. It wasn’t important anyways – the smoke by itself didn’t do a damn thing for the atmosphere. Besides the smoke, what they had was five chairs, three idiots, one drop dead gorgeous pile o’ rocks and a whole lot o’ noise.

Lintsalot an’ Turnip were at it again, screamin’ at each other from across the table about how they was right an’ the other was wrong. Turnip’d accuse Lintsalot o’ bein’ a day dreamer, an idiot who couldn’t see the truth if it rolled down and smacked ‘im in the face like a boulder. There was truth to that. Lintsalot’d gasp in horror, press one o’ those perfectly filed dust balls to his… dust ball… an’ ask what a backwater vegetable in a dented bucket knew ‘bout romance anyways. Then LeFlour’d cry, and they’d end up getting’ nowhere again, just like the time they’d tried to corner the local cider market or that time the yellow pony, Buttershy, had broken Pinkie’s heart.

She wasn’t gonna let it happen. Helpin’ Pinkie was their job, and they already screwed it up often enough.

She cleared her throat, and let her smallest rock drop to the table with a thud. Instantly, the room grew silent. Every bag, bucket and dustball turned to her, and she liked to imagine that if any of ‘em had eyes, they’d have been wide and attentive. Just like she liked to imagine that her own were narrowed in a kickass glare – though o’ course, even without the eyes she was tough enough to scare the hell outta any chump that got in her way.

'This ain't why we're here,' she began calmly, and held up a pebble when Turnip tried to cut her off. 'We ain't here to bicker amongst ourselves an' whine 'cause last night didn't go the way we wanted it too. I ain't happy about it either, but we can't change it now. So shut the hell up, an' let's get to business.'

'Business?' Turnip drawled, as the whispery voice of Madame LeFlour muttered something about how not all of 'em were unhappy with how it went. 'What business? Y’all ain’t even told us what we’re doin’ here. If it ain’t to talk about what happened, what is it?’

'Yes, darling, do enlighten dear Mister Turnip. I, of course, am already quite aware of the purpose of this little get together, but some of use spend entirely too much time polishing our buckets to keep up to date on current events.’

That was Lintsalot, o’ course. Quick as a whip and twice as eager to grind you down to gravel any chance he got.

'Oh yeah!? Well excuse me for wantin’ to keep my bucket clean! Not all of us got as good as you, y’know! Some of us are perishable!’

'Oh, and heaven forbid you be deprived your life. You are completely excused for your murder of innocent -‘

‘Quiet! Um… I… that is… c’est stupide, poney fou… I um… I was wondering if you could, um… please be quiet for a moment, so that Miss Rocky can tell us what this meeting is actually about? I’d be ever so grateful. Je vous deteste.’

Rocky inclined her head to Madame LeFlour an’ cleared her throat. It was always good to have backup, dealin’ with Turnip and Lintsalot, even if it came from a lady as terrifyin’ as LeFlour.

'Right. So, like I was sayin' before you two idiots cut me off… we all know what happened last night. Pinkie and her five stupid little friends got together for another party on account of it bein' a new pony year or somethin' – I dunno, stupid things go by so fast. They should just stick to centuries, like anybody with sense w – anyways, anyways. That's a whole other discussion. So: the white one got smashed and declared undyin' love to Pinks and kisses her. Then Buttershy got all mad and said no, Pinks is hers, it totally doesn't count that she broke up with her a month ago, and bam. Pinkie's torn between her love for Buttershy, her crush on the chump, and this new thing with What'sherface.'

'Um… if you don't mind.. we… we all already knew that. Why are we… what do we even have to have a meeting for? We all know that she and Fluttershy… it’s Fluttershy by the way… we all know that they’re meant to be. I mean, it’s -‘

'Oh, my dear, I know this must be difficult for you, but I'm afraid I simply cannot allow you to delude yourself like that. It’s quite apparent to everybody here that with the incomparable and radiant Miss Rarity as competition, darling Fluttershy doesn’t have a chance of being the one! I mean, would you take that timid little thing over that fabulousity that is Rarity?’

‘Um…yes? C’est inquiétant.’

'Oh please. Everybody knows you're just rooting for Rarity 'cause you wanna make that pretty white coat o' hers all dirty.'

'And? She'd love it! A mare of taste and elegance such as she could never -‘

'You forgotten what happened last time she caught a glimpse of ya? 'Cause as I recall she got her cat to drag you outta there.'

'A minor setback! Why, if I could speak to her just once more -‘

‘Enough. I already told you to cut it out. We ain’t here to argue ‘bout who we want to make out or who’s gonna win – though the chump’s got it in the bag. We’re here to talk about what’s best for Pinkie.’

'Precisely! And what's best for Pinkie is Rarity! They'd be so cute together!’

'Okay, first off: Pinks'd be cute with anypony she was with, and that's a fact. Anything in a ten mile radius of her is just way more adorable by default. But anyways, more importantly: this ain't about what's cutest, or what's most fun, or any o' that other crap. You guys know as well as I do that when Pinkie wakes up she's gonna come, an' she's gonna ask our advice. So we gotta be ready. We gotta decide what's best for her, so we can help her make the right choice when it comes to what happens next. You with me?'

As her three friends exchanged glances, nodding and muttering apologies, Rocky smiled. Or would have, anyways. Smiling was tough for a rock. But still – it was a start. And as she leaned in and the meeting began in earnest, she knew that the four of ‘em would do right by Pinkie, just like they always had.

Author's Note

The Prompt: Last night, two ponies kissed for the very first time. What happens today?

Happy New Year, folks.

The Best Day Ever

Hearts and Hooves day was a beautiful day. It was a day for ponies to come together. For brave ponies to tell the ponies they loved just how they felt, and to feel the joy and wonder that came from learning that they felt the same. A day for ponies who never thought they’d be noticed to be surprised, to be swept off their feet into an adventure they’d never forget. A day to snuggle with your special somepony and know beyond doubt that they were loved. Or, more likely, to be rejected. To find out that the pony you cared for so much, who you loved so strongly, didn’t feel the same way. It was an incredibly painful thing, even when it was handled very nicely – nopony’s fault, of course, but still painful.

And that was if they rejected you outright. There was always the possibility that things wouldn’t go that well. Not all ponies were nice, and not even the nicest ponies could be nice all the time – if you caught them at a bad time, or they were a bad pony, things could be much worse. They could laugh at you, or say mean things, or laugh at you and say mean things, like how you were a terrible flier who didn’t deserve to be called a pegasus and how no griffon would ever want to be seen with you, how you weren’t even good enough for other pegasi and how you should just curl up in a ball and die and -

And sure, it was nice for the shy ponies who did get noticed, if they wanted to be, but then there were all the ones who wanted to get noticed and didn’t, who wound up hurting and feeling alone. Or there were the ponies like her, who didn’t want to be noticed but always got noticed anyway – asked out on dates that the other pony never planned to turn up to, and surrounded by ponies who didn’t even know her shoving flowers in her face and yelling about how much they needed her, then getting mad when she froze up and couldn’t answer, treating her like it was her fault. Like they weren’t the ones putting her on the spot, forcing her to answer to – no, that wasn’t fair. They were probably perfectly nice ponies most of the time. It wasn’t right to be so mean about them after hurting their feelings so badly.

Hearts and Hooves day was a beautiful day. And Fluttershy hated it. From the large crowds of people to huge, public declarations of love to the tacky heart shaped candies – though, of course, there were plenty of people who liked all those things very much. And that was alright – it just meant that Fluttershy spent almost every Hearts and Hooves day locked away inside her cottage with her animal friends, cuddled up by the fire in peace. With the door triple bolted. Ignoring anybody who knocked unless it happened to be one of her closest, dearest friends. Although right now she wished she hadn’t made the exception.

It was a terrible thought, of course, but that wasn’t a surprise – she was a terrible pony, and as she made her slow way through the streets, all eyes on her as she walked with her eyes cast towards the ground, counting her steps and trying to ignore the fact that everypony was staring at her – judging her, laughing at her again. At her, not with her – nopony ever laughed with her and one step. Two. Three. Breath. She was okay. Well no, she wasn’t – she was terrible, and frightened, and shaking. She could feel the tears stinging at her eyes, and all she wanted to do was turn and race for home, to hide away and hope everypony was nice enough to only make fun of her behind her back.

But she couldn’t. Not after what had happened.

It had been lovely, of course. Pinkie had planned it just for her – from blowing down her door with the party cannon to singing an extremely loud and poorl – creative song about how wonderful Fluttershy was, blowing streamers and scaring the poor birds half to death. It had been awfully romantic, and Pinkie Pie couldn’t really be blamed if she’d expected Fluttershy’s reaction to be a little more… positive. Or existant. Really, anything would’ve been better than cowering under the table, shaking violently and begging to be left alone. But it had been all she could do. Even after Pinkie had stopped, eyes wide and tears falling as she stammered out apologies, Fluttershy hadn’t been able to answer her. Hadn’t been able to stop her as she ran away.

Pinkie Pie thought Fluttershy had rejected her. Pinkie Pie thought Fluttershy had rejected her. Her. The most beautiful, happiest, warmest most loving pony in all of Equestria. And she thought it because Fluttershy hadn’t been able to handle it when Pinkie had worked so hard to say the words Fluttershy had always dreamed of hearing from her, on the most beautiful, romantic day of the year. That wasn’t okay. And it was her fault. And that meant that she had to fix it.

Fluttershy stood staring at the door of Sugarcube Corner, doing her best to fight back the fear clawing at her, trying to drag her away, to convince her it was hopeless. Because… because it wasn’t hopeless. Pinkie had come to her, and that meant that Pinkie felt something for her too. She had said so, and she wasn’t a liar – she was the most honest pony Fluttershy knew. Except about food. And that meant there was a chance. She just had to fix things.

She reached up carefully and adjusted the clown nose tied to her snout, checked her wig one last time, took a deep breath, and knocked.

Author's Note

No prompt this time. Just Valentines Day stuff.

The Best Day Ever (Part II)

Pinkie Pie was crying.

She didn’t usually cry, but today was a special occasion – and not because it was Hearts and Hooves day, even though Hearts and Hooves day was totally a super special day ‘cause it was all about love and friendship and happiness and making ponies smile, kinda like candy except it was a day. And who’d cry about candy? Fluttershy hated her. That was probably why ponies gave each other candy on Hearts and Hooves – ‘cause you weren’t supposed to cry on Hearts and Hooves, and if you had candy there was no way you’d ever want to cry, right? Almost no way, anyway. Unless you managed to mess up your love confession so much that you left the pony who was never in a million years gonna be your special somepony crying under a table begging you to go away, and nopony besides Pinkie Pie was dumb enough to do that, right?

It’d be okay though. No it wouldn’t. Fluttershy was a really kind pony, and she’d always forgiven Pinkie before, even if she wouldn’t this time even when Pinkie maybe didn’t really deserve to be forgiven like that time she’d let Gummy play with Fluttershy’s rabbits and they’d all been super duper scared even though Gummy didn’t even have teerh and was really an absolute sweetheart and -

A loud knocking pierced through the air, echoing like the roars of an empty stomach. Ohhh, that was a good one. But it wasn’t really a loud knocking. More like a medium knocking, or a so quiet it was barely audible knocking that she still heard anyway because listening for hungry ponies was her responsibility as a baker especially on Hearts and Hooves day because really what would Hearts and Hooves day be without bakers? There’d be no candy, no chocolate – none made to order and prepared with all the love you wanted to show your special Fluttershy. But not in a weird way. Bakers didn’t make a habit of falling in love with people they baked for unless the people they baked for were even sweeter than the candy way and even then Pinkie usually just fell in love with the candy.

The point was, even a baker who couldn’t stop crying was probably better than no baker at all, especially when she was as good at pretending she wasn’t crying as Pinkie. She fixed a grin on her face, all bitey and uncomfortable like it didn’t even want to be there and not at all like a normal smile – still, it looked good enough in the mirror to fool just about anypony, so she put the spring back in her step and bounced down the stairs.

She swung the door open, put on her biggest grin, and started her ‘Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! You don’t have to knock, silly, we’re open!’ speech before realising that something was horribly, horribly wrong. Or maybe really right. The clown wig suited Fluttershy, and the shiny red nose was like the cherry on top of the Fluttershy cake. It was super cute, and the itty bitty tophat only made it better. The look on ‘Shy’s face kinda killed it though. And made Pinkie wanna hug her – ruffle her hair and turn that frown upside down. She didn’t though – it seemed like a bad plan after how she’d messed up last time.

So instead she did her best to keep grinning – she could tell her smile’d dulled from ‘wide and welcoming’ to ‘small and kinda sad’, which wasn’t a very good start – and managed ‘Oh, hey Fluttershy.’

'Knock knock,' came the response, as intense as anything she'd ever heard from the Pegasus, and Pinkie tilted her head in confusion.

'I already opened the door, Flutters! You don't gotta knock anymore. I'm already right here! See?'

'What?' Fluttershy blinked, her eyes darting left and right before she fixed them on the ground. 'Oh. I… um… no. I… I know that. You're supposed to… you're supposed to say who's there.'

'Ooooh, are we telling jokes!? I know jokes! What's the best way to carve wood? What'd the toothless alligator say to his dentist? Applejack's hat! Rarity told me that last one and I don't really get it, but -' Babbling. She was babbling. She always did it when she was nervous and she had to stop and think and Fluttershy looked like she was gonna cry again.

She took a deep breath, then another. ‘Sorry about that, Flutters. I’m super duper excited to see you. You go ahead, okay?’

'Fluttershy,' said Fluttershy, before shaking her head and stammering 'W-wait, no, I… I got confused because you were talking and I told it wrong and -'

'It's okay! I'm not mad, I promise. I bet it was really super funny, and I just didn't get it and… wanna try again?'

'Knock knock.'

'Who's there?'

'Fluttershy.'

'I know that, silly, I meant – oh! Fluttershy who?’

Fluttershy took a deep breath, raised her beautiful eyes from the ground and set them firmly on Pinkie’s, and whispered ‘Fluttershy who’s in love with you.’

Pinkie felt her heart stop, and the smile fade from her face. It couldn’t be true. It… it had to be a joke. But what if it wasn’t? What if it was true!? She… she had to ask, but she couldn’t – all she could dow was stand and stare. She watched as Fluttershy shuffled nervously, waiting for an answer. She watched as Fluttershy took a step towards her, watched her face draw closer… and then, as Pinkie leaned in to kiss her, she felt all the doubts fade away. At least for a while.

When they broke apart, Fluttershy was smiling and Pinkie couldn’t help but grin. Then she was snickering, and hugging Fluttershy tight. ‘I love you too, Flutters. And that was the corniest punchline I ever heard.’

Author's Note

It was pointed out to me that the previous part failed to contain makeouts, so I thought I should remedy that.

I really hate the ending to this one. Sorry about that.

Quiet

Fluttershy lay on her bed, staring into the lukewarm cup of tea before her and wishing it would rain. It didn't seem like too much to ask for. Pegasi were supposed to be in charge of weather, after all – why, if she really wanted to she could just fly up into the air and fetch herself a rain cloud and nopony would bat an eye. Except she couldn't do that, not really – it was very, very dark outside. And even besides that, the weather ponies needed every last rain cloud they had, and it would have been terribly inconsiderate to take even one and that meant that she had absolutely no choice but to stay inside where it was safe and bright and quiet.

She missed Angel Bunny. Everything from the thumping of his tiny feet and his adorable, ever present smile to the comforting sound of his breathing in the dark, and the knowledge that he was there to protect her if a monster should find it's way out from out of a corner, or under her bed. To cling to if she were to wake up and find something at her window, staring in at her. Waiting for her to fall asleep.

Her heart beat a little faster as she turned her eyes to the nearest window, staring intently out into the empty black and hoping desperately that it would stay empty. Because if it didn't, there was nothing she could do – not all alone, with nopony to help her. She could see it now, in the back of her mind, grinning at her. Waiting to be seen. When she looked up, it would grin even wider and press it's face against the glass. And then it would start to scratch.

It was out there. She knew it was, even though she knew for certain that it couldn't possibly be. Monsters like that didn't exist in the world – sure, there were all kinds of scary things, but most of them were just animals that people didn't really understand. There were no monsters. Nothing living under her bed or lurking outside her window, ready to gobble her up or carry her off. She knew that. But she also knew that, on very quiet nights when she was all alone, there were.

Fluttershy hated being alone. She hated the dark. She hated the quiet. But most off all she hated herself, for the way her mind would conjure up monsters. Every rustling of the leaves, every snapping twig, every creak and sound became a footstep, a warning, a sign to run and hide. And she couldn't do anything to stop it. She'd tried reading, only to find her mind wandering from the stories into dark places where things with sharp claws and wide grins crept up on little ponies with their noses buried in books and reached out slowly, slowly, their breathing growing heavier in her ears as chills ran down her spine and -

And tea. She'd tried that, too. It had been Rarity's idea, and sometimes it worked if she wasn't going to be alone for too long, and if it wasn't too quiet. But tonight it had just made the churning in her stomach and the spinning in her head worse. Singing, too. That had been her mother, when she was very small. It had never worked, of course – no doubt it'd been meant to be comforting, but it made no sense at all. If she sung, she wouldn't be able to hear them, wouldn't know when to run and hide. She'd be helpless, defenseless! Still... it had been her mother's advice, and so she'd tried it, clung to it for many years before realising that it only made things worse.

Holding in a sigh, she leaned over to blow out her candle and found her chest tightening and pricked her ears as darkness crept into the room. She hated it. Every instinct she had screamed for the candle to be relit, but she knew better – she hated the dark, but it kept her safe. Nothing staring in the window would see her, no creature creeping into her home would be drawn to the light. It was safer, better, and only a little more terrifying.

And with that there was nothing left to do but to curl up under her blankets and hope that morning would come soon.

Author's Note

Just a little thing I wrote because I felt like writing and nothing would come. Enjoy! Or don't! Whichever happens.

Statistical Improbability

The Prompt: The circumstances leading to, following, or surrounding somepony uttering the question, “How could Twilight Sparkle be so stupid?”

“How could Twilight Sparkle be so stupid? She’s supposed to be so clever – all those problems and spells and…and…” The Pegasus trailed off, halting her haphazard pacing around the table. She whirled on her friend, fire in her eyes and a scowl on her face, “Help me out here, Fluttershy! I’m running out of words!”

Fluttershy blinked up at her oldest friend, shrinking away from her just a little. When she spoke her voice was quavering, just a little. “Um….well….it might help if you’d stop drinking for a little while? Maybe then you’d be able to think of something?”

Rainbow Dash stared at her flatly for a long moment before she answered, sarcasm dripping from each word. “Yeah. Because drinking less of this non-alcoholic cider will definitely help me think more clearly. Great thinking, Fluttershy!” She pointed a hoof to Rarity, not even bothering to look at the unicorn. “You! Words, now!”

With a toss of her mane and a demure, restrained smile Rarity rose from the table and made her way over to the agitated Pegasus. She leaned against her slowly and, as her grin grew wider, slightly more manic, she began to speak.

“Personally I think it’s atrocious the way she threw poor Pinkie out like that. One would think that a pony so well versed in careful study would be something other than completely blind. Pinkie took her flowers, darlings! Did you know that? Honestly, flowers! Not chocolate flowers, or peppermint flowers, or squirting flowers! It was a big bouquet! I never get flowers!” Here she cast a pointed look over at Rainbow Dash, but the Pegasus had her eyes closed, nodding along in agreement.

“I know! Nopony ever gets me flowers either. Not that I want flowers!” She added quickly, glaring around the room , daring anypony to offer her flowers. “But come on! Pinkie wore a dress! A dress! And it wasn’t food stained or anything!” Dash snorted in disgust, “I mean I’m not exactly the smartest pony in the world but even I would’ve gotten that!”

“It is true that you’re not the the most brilliant diamond in the bunch.” Rarity mused, shooting a sideways glance and a smirk at Rainbow Dash. “But there are some things you’re better at than anypony else here. I never even would’ve guessed what she was up to but you spotted it a mile off! I just wish we’d followed her to a successful wooing.” The unicorn sighed, then suddenly stopped and turned to stare wide eyed at Fluttershy. “Not…not that we followed her or anything. We just so happened to be going the same way, that’s all and –“

The bakery door flew open and in trotted Applejack, face set in a stony expression and a slight frown on her face. She moved slowly to the table and collapsed down next to Fluttershy, burying her face in her forelegs with a sigh.

The other three ponies stared at her, waiting with baited breath. Applejack said nothing. This continued for several minutes before Fluttershy let out a pained whine. “What happened? It’s not nice to keep us all in suspense like this!”

“Three hours.” The earth pony sounded drained, exhausted. “Three. Hours. Three hours to explain to that darn egghead that maybe Pinkie Pie wasn’t prankin’ her. This time.” She raised her head, glaring at her friends. “Next time, y’all can march your flanks over there an’ argue romantic type stuff with the girl. I’ve heard enough about statistical impossibility to last me a lifetime.”

Then she grinned. “Last I saw, Twilight had a whole bunch o’ balloons tied to a cake – don’t worry, she didn’t make it – and was floating it over here. I reckon it might be nice if the rest of us were to skedaddle. Let her be the one to wake up sleepin’ beauty.”

Dash grinned, and threw her arms around Rarity, who had tears in her eyes. “Beautifully done, darling. I knew you had it in you.” Then she sniffed. “Somewhere. Deep within you.” This won a chuckle from Dash, which sounded ever so slightly choked – almost like she was fighting tears.

Fluttershy just smiled, glancing up at the door, to Pinkie’s room. It had opened, just a little – nopony else had noticed, but she had. “Come on girls.” She whispered gently. “Lets go – I think Pinkie deserves some time with her special somepony.” She giggled “No matter how stupid she is.”

Goodbye, Pinkie Pie.

Gummy didn’t understand. His Pinkie had left him. She had brought him out to the swamp to play in the water as she so often did, allowing him an hour or two to indulge the animal within - blissful time he usually spent meditating in silence, on the beauty and wonder of his life, or the delicious taste of swamp flies.

But this time there had been no games. No laughter. No kisses, tasting of chocolate and filling his kind and generous heart with delight. There had been only silence. And when he had tried to inquire, to ask what was wrong with his Pinkie so he could make it better he had only made things worse.

He had tried to latch onto her mane, and whisper comforts in her ears as he so often did - but she had cried out, and scolded him. Pushed him away. As she had removed the hair from between his teeth - those strange, pointy abominations he had never been allowed to have before - he had tasted her tears, sweet and delicious like Sarsaparilla, but oh so heart breaking.

And he had realised. Had known, right then - she didn’t love him anymore. He had done something, or said something, or eaten something that he shouldn’t have, and now his world, as bright and pink and fuzzy as she remained, was breaking apart before him. And as he stroked her mane, with the yellow one - he normally would have been saddened, at not remembering her name, but today he didn’t care - looked on, afraid and saddened, she hugged him. Just once. It was warm and cuddly and soft and safe, as it always had been, but it was also goodbye.

Because then she was gone. Without a word, and without a warning. And he was still there, wondering. Hadn’t he been a good Gummy? A clever Gummy? A kind Gummy? He had been a handsome Gummy, he knew, and a caring Gummy. But… it hadn’t been enough.

As surges of emotion - pain, and fear, sorrow and regret - flowed through him, filling him with an agony no lesser gator could comprehend, Gummy blinked back tears. Dimly, he was aware that he hadn’t moved from that spot in four days. For one such as him - so brimming with life and energy, never still - that was almost unthinkable.

Gummy did not care, for he was broken. Broken like a candy wrapper, sailing through the wind and filling it with the delicious scent of eclair, dancing on the breeze, twirling before his eyes, enticing him. Tempting him. Calling him. He darted forward, lunged for it, and found it to be real. And then, from atop her head - a reversal Gummy would never have believed possible a few short years ago - she stroked him.

“Heya, Gummy. I missed you, so I came to visit! I know Fluttershy said I probably shouldn’t, but…you missed me too, right?”

And suddenly, Gummy was whole again.

We Own The Skies

Prompt:
“We’re running just as fast as we can,
Holding on to one another’s hand,
Trying to get away into the night.
And then you put your arms around me
As we tumble to the ground,
And then you say,
‘I think we’re alone now.
There doesn’t seem to be anyone around …’”
Rules: No Romance. (Heresy! Heresy I say!)

“Come on, ‘Shy!” The blue bolt tore through the sky ahead of her, the desperate laughter in her voice echoing out behind her as she went. “They’re gonna catch us if we don’t pick up the pace!” There was urgency in her words – but there was also joy of the kind that was only ever there in these moments. That overwhelming, all consuming passion and love of life that was a part of everything that Rainbow Dash did – or at least everything Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash, the name Fluttershy had given to this side of her, did. Not, she thought with a quiet whimper, that there had been that much difference lately.

“Get back here, you dweebs!” Came the roar from behind her – right behind her – and she felt panic rise in her chest, her heart beating faster as the world slowed down. Her wings began to lock up, and she realised she was going to fall. She would freeze, and she would fall – miles and miles down until she fell into that dark and terrible nightmare. Or rather, fell onto it. Because when she hit the ground there wouldn’t really be much left of her to explore it and she would die and no one would miss her except Dash anyway but she didn’t want to die and she didn’t want to leave Dash alone and she certainly didn’t want to be eaten by a hungry griffon and…and…

Then Rainbow Dash was looking back over her shoulder, a grin on her face and her eyes, a fire in them like she had rarely seen, locked firmly onto Fluttershy’s own. Her grin faded, a little, and her eyes narrowed. Fluttershy knew what was coming next – they had done this a thousand time in practice, and it was almost instinctive. A moment passed, and she heard the flap of powerful wings in her ears. She kept flying. She heard the screech of the griffon, echoing all around her and rattling her to her core. She bit her lip, and fought back tears. She kept flying. She sensed the sharp, terrible talons reaching out for her and – there.

Rainbow Dash jerked her head to the left, and Fluttershy’s body moved on instinct – she veered to the side just as the griffons talons snapped closed, sending the griffon sailing past her, victory cry turning to one of frustration – and then she saw blue. The other Pegasus veered in the air and barreled at full speed into the griffon, knocking the wind out of her – as the griffon – Gilda – gasped in pain and swept a talon out towards her assailant, the tiny blue blur spun past her and slammed her rear hooves into the griffons face.

Fluttershy watched as Gilda fell, eyes wide and frightened, and crashed into a soft blanket of clouds – clouds that, according to the weather schedule, should never have been there. Rainbow Dash had planned this moment out, precisely and perfectly. It was the work of weeks, and now it was happening. Even as the guilt and shame of what they’d done rose up inside her she couldn’t help but feel a little thrill of victory too. They had done it. They had won. And she had been so brave – she hadn’t just let Gilda push her around.

A hoof tapping on her head brought her back from her thoughts and she turned her gaze to Rainbow Dash with a small smile – only to find that Rainbow Dash wasn’t smiling back. “Are you nuts?” Her friend cried, frowning a little, “Her friends are gonna catch up any minute! We gotta move, ‘Shy!”

Her friends. The other griffons. The ones who had beaten her up and called her names and insulted her for as long as she could remember. And she had forgotten them – for a moment, some part of her wanted to stay, to make sure they found their friend, but then she was being dragged through the sky at top speed by a rainbow.

For what felt like an age, they didn’t speak. They soared through the sky together, wearing matching smiles, until they finally set down on a high cloud – one they had hollowed out earlier, specifically. As they set down, Rainbow Dash turned to her, grinning and spoke. “That. Was. AWESOME! Did you see that!? We totally did it!”

Her smile faded, just a little, when Fluttershy looked away. And it disappeared when she spoke “They’re going to come after you now.”

She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but Dash’s laughter hadn’t been it. “Let ‘em!” The Pegasus said, eyes shining and a smirk on her face. “We’re not alone anymore, ‘Shy. We got each other – and between the two of us, there’s not a thing in the skies that can hurt us!”

Forgotten

The prompt: Pinkie Pie invites her four best friends to her birthday party.

Twilight Sparkle stood outside Sugarcube Corner, taking in the peeling paint and the scorch marks on the wall. The bakery had seen far, far better days. She remembered when the three lamps – designed to look like candles – had burned all through the day. Now two were broken, and the other hadn’t been lit for as long as she could remember. Sugarcube corner had been a wonder, once upon a time – but as time had moved on, the lovely couple who had run it, whose names Twilight couldn’t quite remember, had passed on and their children had moved on to bigger and arguably better things.

Care of the Corner had fallen to Pinkie – they had all been worried about that, at first, but to Twilights ever lessening surprise the crazy, random, unreliable party pony had proven them wrong time and time again. For years, Sugarcube hadn’t just existed – it had, quite literally, shined. To say the place was always spotless and never had a scratch would be doing Pinkie Pie a great injustice – between her and Rainbow Dash, the place had suffered at least a thousand small explosions and probably more fires than that. But the damage was always done when the bakery was empty and no one could be hurt, and for a very long time it had been repaired within short order.

But years took their toll, even on Pinkie Pie. Especially on Pinkie Pie. It wasn’t that her friend didn’t want to take care of the bakery anymore – the number of times Twilight had tried in vain to make her give it up were a testament to that. It was just that she couldn’t. She was too old, now, and in no state to keep the old place from falling apart. Sometimes, Twilight wondered if –

She was snapped out of her thoughts, right on schedule, by the sound of loud, cheerful music – polka music – starting to pour forth from within Sugarcube Corner. It was an old, old tune – one she knew far too well, and one that brought back more memories than she would have liked. As it washed over her she couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Applejack hadn’t come – the farmpony had promised she’d be there, but she wasn’t. It likely wasn’t a choice, on her part – more than once Applebloom had stepped in to stop her stubborn sister from endangering her own health, and the snowstorm that swirled all around her now…well, it was undeniably stupid even for her to be out in it.

A step to her right and the heartbreakingly predictable pink pony, having launched out of the bushes an instant before, tumbled past her and landed in a heap on the doorstep with a surprised cry that quickly became a giggle, and then a loud, echoing laugh. Long ago, Twilight might have joined in. But not anymore – in truth, when the party pony finally got herself under control and blinked those wide, beautiful, shining eyes up at her with a grin on her face in was all Twilight could do to fake a smile.

“Wow, Twilight, I’m impressed! I saw you just standing there waiting to be let in and I thought I’d get you for sure. How’d you know I was there, huh? Was I too loud? Do I need to be sneakier? I can totally be sneakier! Me and Dashie’ve been practising and I –” Twilight cut her friend off. She had to, or she’d ramble for hours.

“I think you’re just getting a little predictable.” She said the words, as she often did, without really thinking about them, and not for the first time she regretted it deeply as she saw the pain flash across Pinkie’s almost unchanged face. It was gone in a flash, but still – she resolved to consider her words more carefully the next time.

“Predictable, hmmmmm?” Pinkie’s eyes narrowed and her smile was replaced by a smirk that reminded Twilight more of a certain Pegasus than the baker – that was a smile that had always, always meant ‘I’m going to have to prove you wrong now, Twilight Sparkle’ no matter who had been wearing it. And then her friend was up on her hooves, embracing her in a hug and laughing. “Well, let’s hope Dashie and Fluttershy don’t predict their super –duper-welcome-home-surprise party because that wouldn’t be any fun at all, and I worked really really hard on it and it’s the best party I’ve ever thrown!”

Twilight ran a hoof through her friends mane with a small smile of her own. “I’m sure you’ve outdone yourself, Pinkie. You always do. And I bet they’d love it.”

“Well of course they will, silly filly – who wouldn’t!? We got games, and dancing, music and party food! Who doesn’t love party food!? I mean there’re cakes and pies and cider – I got the cider specially for Dashie – and those little…bun things, Fluttershy likes! You know the ones…uhmmm.” The party pony, hoof still draped over her shoulder, guided her through the door and into the main room.

“You know Pinkie, generally when you’ve been baking something for thirty years you can call it by its name.” She glanced around the room as she entered, barely noticing the decorations and party supplies that filled it. It was beautiful – but if she dwelt on it for too long, it would break her heart.

“Pfft,” Pinkie shot back, “Who needs names? Names are booooooooooooring. I memorise by taste n’ recipe and I never, ever forget! Ooooooh, you know what else we got? Doyadoyadoyadoya?”

“Crème Brulee.” Twilight answered, absently.

“Crème Br – Hey! How’d you know? Did you peek? Or are you just a super-smart-cutie-patootie-smarty pants today?” Pinkie stepped in front of her, and pressed her muzzle against Twilights own, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Twilight stared back, trying to keep from crying.

“Hmmmmmmmmmmm,” Hmm-ed Pinkie, before grinning at her, “Nope, no cheating there! Guess you’re just a smarty pants, huh? And you totally still have a cutie patootie, even if you got kinda old. You want something to drink? Of course you do! What do you want to drink? Punch? I’ve got punch!”

“Punch sounds lovely.” Keeping the cheer in her voice was getting harder, and she had a purpose here. Dragging it out wouldn’t help things, and so as she slumped down at one of the many tables filling the room she began. “I couldn’t help noticing you didn’t invite Rarity. Is something wrong?” She tried to keep the question casual, and she kept a close eye on Pinkie – saw the way the other pony froze, for just a second, body tense and a frown on her face. Saw the party pony force a smile onto her face. And it was impossible not to notice the way she pretended the question hadn’t been asked.

“Applejack couldn’t make it, huh? Well, I think the girls’ll understand – her hips are getting pretty bad and it’d do her no good at all to be walking through all this snow! We should totally take her some cake after though, if there’s any left when Dashie gets through with it anyway because –”

Twilight sighed, softly. Applejack would never have ‘walked’ through the snow. Applejack hadn’t walked anywhere in three years – Pinkie, who’d been there for the farmer every step of the way, should have known that better than anypony. The unicorn bit down on her lip to chase the tears away, before continuing steadily. “Pinkie, why didn’t you invite Rarity?”

“Oh, that.” The tone was light and breezy, dismissive – a tone Pinkie never, ever used for her friends. “I think she’s mad at me again. She hasn’t been around a whole lot recently, and when I went to visit her the other day she threw me out! That was really mean, so I decided ‘no parties for Miss Meanie Pants until she says sorry!’

“How DARE you!?” The Unicorn had roared, any hint of elegance dropping from her voice, “Do you think this is FUNNY!?”

“O…Of course not! Why would it be funny? That’s horrible! I just…I just don’t get why Dashie didn’t come – Fluttershy was her best friend, and she’s too much of a meanie to even show up at her funeral?”

“Pinkie, I put up with a lot from you – but my best friend is dead, and you have the nerve to stand here in the middle of her funeral and make jokes about Rainbow Dash!? You were supposed to be HER best friend!”

“Jokes? Please…please I’m not…I’m not joking I –”

“Don’t play dumb! She’s DEAD, Pinkie Pie. She’s not here because she’s DEAD! They BOTH ARE!”

“No! No. Dashie….she’s…she’s not! You’re LYING! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT!?”

The tears were coming now, and Twilight couldn’t stop them. She knew she should answer Pinkie, knew she should tell her the truth – but she couldn’t. She’d broken Pinkie’s heart so many times now, and each time it got harder. It was easier just to let the party pony hug her, to bury her face in her friend’s neck and cry until she couldn’t anymore.

“You miss them too, huh?” Pinkie whispered gently. Twilight just nodded, not saying a word.

“I know. It’s been…I don’t even remember. Too long. But it’s okay! They’ll be here soon! I threw them a party, and Dashie’d never miss one of my parties. She Pinkie promised!”

The Little Differences

Fluttershy stood atop the roof of the enormous ruined cloud mansion, gazing down on the ponies soaring through the sky below her. They weaved around each other, laughing and giggling, feeling the wind on their faces and through their manes. Fluttershy couldn’t help but think that it must be heavenly, to fly. To soar wherever you wanted – to be able to soar away from your worries and your fears with no effort at all. It looked so wonderful. But even as she watched, the aching in her heart and the sick feeling in her stomach grew worse. It hurt, not being able to join them. Not being able to fly with them and talk to them and laugh with them. It hurt, and it made her angry.

“Dad?” She whispered softly, not taking her eyes off the ponies for even a second, “Why won’t you let me go flying with them?”

Her father let out a low grunt, and hauled himself up from where he lay basking in the sun with one swift, powerful movement. Slowly, placing one powerful leg in front of the other as he stretched his mighty wings, Harry made his way over to his daughter and placed a massive paw atop her head, stroking her mane softly.

She pulled away and turned to gaze up at him with wide, sad eyes. “That’s what you always say! But I can’t just not worry! I have to learn how one day!”

Harry wrinkled his nose and lowered his enormous, fluffy head to bunt his nose against her own, letting out a loving, contented sound and gesturing to his back with a shrug.

“You’ve said that before too! Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I…I know I’m not like them. That you’re not like them. Not every pony is lucky enough to be raised by a bear.” She was interrupted by a soft growl, and quickly corrected herself. “A sky bear. I’m terribly sorry. But…um…I really don’t understand why not. You have wings, just like me. Why can’t you teach me?”

Harry was silent for a long moment, gazing down at her with huge brown eyes, before he pulled her into a tight hug and spoke in his reassuringly Trottingham-esque accented voice, soft and whispery like a summer breeze. “It’s because I have to keep you safe, sweetie. I can’t just let you trot off willy nilly and go flying with anyone after what happened last time!”

“Oh, but…that um…that was a one time thing. I promise I’ll be more careful next time!” This was a battle Fluttershy wasn’t planning to let go, if she had her way.

“Careful or not kiddo that girl almost died. You could’ve been hurt! If that silly little blue one hadn’t found her there would have been a lot of trouble. Do you want that? Do you want us to be driven out of here? That’s not what your parents wanted for you. They wanted you to be happy. They said so, you know.”

“They…they said that?” She whispered in awe.

“Oh yes. Their very last words were ‘Dear Equestria, keep it away from the baby! Don’t let it get the baby!’ They wanted you to be safe and happy. I should know. I was there.”

Fluttershy lowered her eyes and sighed. “I know. I understand.”

“There’s a good girl. I promise, when I wake up I’ll teach you how to hunt. You’ll be eating love and changing shape again in no time at all. But just for the winter, you’ll have to survive off what I can give you, got it? Ponies don’t like Changelings.”

Fluttershy nodded, wondering again why she couldn’t have been born a pony. “I get it.”

“Good. Now let’s enjoy our last day together okay?” Harry smiled at her, and Shy smiled back. Soon, Harry would hibernate. And then…well, she was sick of being alone. There was a Pegasus she had seen around. A blue one, with the most beautiful mane. While her father slept, she planned to make a friend.

“Okay.” The changeling said gently as she cuddled into her father.

Little Wonders

Six ponies sat together beneath the stars. Six ponies sat with smiles on their faces, and happiness in their hearts. Six ponies sat, gazing upon one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Five ponies sat, and looked at the stars. One pony did not.

One pony had her eyes set on another, and knew that nothing in the world could compare. One pony had her eyes set on another, and knew she was the luckiest mare in the world. One pony moved, ever so slightly. Five ponies remained unaware.

Softly she crept, closer and closer and inch by inch, to where that most perfect of ponies sat with eyes wide and smile shining. Softly she crept, little by little, and with each step closer her heart grew lighter and her fear grew less.

One pony reached another, and lay her head on her shoulder. Another turned her eyes from the sky above, and graced her with a smile - wide and bright and perfect. That perfect pony moved closer and closer, inch by inch, so very, very slowly. Beneath the stars, one pony kissed another. Just a little thing, light and fleeting. Beneath the stars one pony smiled, for she knew the truth.

The stars would endure forever, far above and twinkling. But each kiss was a special thing, a gift. Each kiss lasted only a moment, and then it was gone forever. Two ponies had shared one hundred kisses, and knew them each by heart. Two ponies looked at one another, smiles on their faces and happiness in their hearts.

Two ponies sat, gazing upon the most beautiful sight in all the world.

Reckoning

“Come on, Rarity! I said sorry! You gotta forgive me!”

Rarity turned to her with a glare. “Oh no. I’m afraid it’s not going to be that simple - If my dresses are so hideous…”

“That’s not what I meant! I like the dress, okay?”

Rarity’s lips curled up into a terrifying grin, fabric and needle floating up to hover ominously behind her.

“Oh no.” The unicorn said, almost giggling with delight. “I’m afraid words aren’t enough, this time. If you want to make it up to me, you’re going to model every last dress.”

Rainbow Dash could only nod.

Broken

No. It wasn’t possible. It didn’t make any sense. None of it did, not even a little bit. They were her friends – they wouldn’t do that to her. Nopony would ever do that to a friend if they really cared at all. She was just imagining things. Just being paranoid again. That seemed so much more likely – it made everything okay again and she’d still have her friends and It wouldn’t hurt so much and maybe she wouldn’t wanna cry quite so much and soon Rainbow Dash would come and make everything better just like she always did.

Except…except that didn’t really work sometimes, did it? It had worked just fine when her friends had just been acting a bit off – all she’d had to do was remind herself that she’d jumped to conclusions like that before. But when she’d seen it for herself it was kinda a lot harder to put away. Even if the things she saw weren’t really there, sometimes.

Rainbow Dash leaned closer to the other trembling Pegasus, the smirk on her face matching the others perfectly. Slowly, ever so slowly, she leaned down and pressed her lips against Fluttershy’s own. As a light blue hoof began to trail slowly down her body the other Pegasus threw her forelegs around Rainbow Dash’s neck and…and…

Again. Again, when they had promised.

Pinkie Pie was dimly aware, as she hauled her heavy, tired body from the ground, that she had just thrown up. “I thought they were my friends,” she said cheerfully, to nopony in particular. Nopony would listen anyway. Nopony would care. “I thought Dashie loved me. Joke’s on me, huh? Pin the knife on the pony, double points if you get in her back!”

Slowly, for the first time in…she didn’t really know, she turned her head to take in her surroundings – and as she did a low, frenzied giggle escaped her. She’d run right back to where she’d first met Fluttershy. That same tree, her little cave still burrowed beneath it. The same river, where she kinda wished she’d left her – no, that wasn’t true. But she wanted it to be true. Just for a teensy tiny little second.

Of course she did. She was a bad pony.

She collapsed into the dirt, no longer willing or able to keep going. That was bad. They’d find her here. If they even wanted to, of course. It’d been a stupid place to run, but she was a stupid pony so maybe that wasn’t really a surprise.

If they didn’t come, somepony would. Somepony would drag her back and make her pretend everything was okay and that she could forgive and she’d smile and pretend to be happy and everypony else would pretend to believe she was happy just like they always did because they didn’t wanna have to deal with anything else.

But for now, she could just lay there. She could just lay there, and cry until she was empty. Until she couldn’t hurt anymore.

And cry she did.

Movie Night I : Scripted

The movie – and that was indeed the title it deserved, being completely unworthy of being called a film - was, to put it as politely as she possibly could, an affront to every good movie that had come before it.

No, she amended, that wasn’t entirely true – it was in fact an affront to every movie that managed even mediocrity. The acting was terrible, the plot entirely incomprehensible, and the characters as unlikable as the actors - and there wasn’t even any eye candy to distract her. Or at least, none on the screen.

Keeping her ever more forced smile firmly in place she slowly turned to her companion, and for a moment she almost forgot her irritation. Fluttershy was beautiful. She had known that already, of course – anypony could see it – but it never ceased to amaze her how that smile, and those sparkling, excited eyes could make even the most unbearable of tortures somehow wonderful. Really, she would have sat through any number of abominations any number of times if it meant making Fluttershy happy, meant she would smile. It wasn’t like she needed her brain cells all that much – and they’d grow back. She could sacrifice a few, for the mare she loved.

“Oh, Butterscotch,” the stallion on screen said in a faltering, stilted tone that fully matched his expression, “I’m so fortunate that you were there to stop those frogs from burning down my film studio – the very film studio left to me by my parents, so long ago! If you hadn’t somehow used magic to turn them back into ponies despite the fact that you’re clearly a Pegasus, I would be ruined!”

The other stallion turned back to what’s-his-face with a smile, before frowning, before smiling again, before looking away shyly. “Oh.” He said dully, “Um. Elusive. Er. That is to say that. I um.”

The first one – Elusive, that was it – stepped forward and placed a hoof on Butterscotch’s cheek. “It will all be okay, Butterscotch. You can tell me anything.”

“Well. Um. Er. I um. If you er. If you um insist um. You see…” Butterscotch spun on a hoof, rose to his forelegs and…

Rarity let out a soft sigh and rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help it.

A horn materialised on his forehead – not even a well made horn, either. It was clearly plastic and she could see the wires and ugh. Then the Pegasus that wasn’t apparently cried to the heavens “I AM AN ALICORN!”

Elusive gasped, and so did Fluttershy.

She would, she decided, be having a very long and very serious talk with Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the advice the Pegasus had given her – she’d never have known that her girlfriend wanted to see this trash otherwise – but fair was fair. And fair meant that Rainbow Dash was going to hear every single tiny detail. And furthermore, she was going to gush.

She was very, very good at gushing.

It was a terrible movie.

Well, no – maybe that wasn’t fair of her to say. She was sure that the ponies making it had tried their very best, and it wasn’t as though she had ever made a movie, so she really couldn’t judge. Not to mention that it might hurt their feelings, and she was sure they were lovely ponies even if they hadn’t made the best choices when they made this one movie.

It wasn’t a great movie. That was better. Nicer. It wasn’t a great movie, and she really had no idea what was going on anymore – the characters seemed to change backstories and motivation at random, and now that Butterscotch pony was an alicorn as well as Elusive secretly being an Alicorn and it was all very confusing. But she was having fun.

Not because of the movie – although there were almost certainly ponies who would have loved it, and it wasn’t anypony’s fault that it didn’t quite suit her tastes. Really it was probably her fault for not being open minded enough. But that wasn’t the point – the point was that she was having a good time, because she was with Rarity. And so she smiled. It was a real smile, even if she’d had to force it to be there after Rarity started shooting her concerned glances every few seconds. She couldn’t let on that she didn’t like the movie – not when Rarity had wanted to see it so badly.

And Rarity really did seem to be having a good time – her smile hadn’t faltered, even once, and that was enough for Fluttershy. Well, almost enough.

Slowly, daringly, with her heart beating in her ears, she leaned across and rested her head on Rarity’s shoulder, snuggling close to the mare she loved. As Rarity leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead, Fluttershy’s smile grew a little wider.

This had been a wonderful idea, and a wonderful evening – she would have to remember to thank Rainbow for telling her Rarity wanted to see the gar – movie. She would never have guessed, on her own.

Hearthswarming Wishes

Dear Elements of Harmony,

I have been a very good girl this year. I have been very nice to my new sister and let her play with all my toys even though she is very loud and likes to throw things and she broke lots of them, and I have tried my best to make a lot of ponies happy. It is hard work so you must all be really amazing to do it properly.

My sister has been a good girl too. Grandpa says that she only throws things because she is a baby and does not know any better, so please do not think that she is naughty and please bring her lots of toys. She deserves them because she is good and cute and she always smiles when she sees me. I love her very much and I am going to be the best sister ever. Grandpa says that I should tell you that we are both just like apple pie. I do not think we are though. There are lots of things about babies that mean they would not taste good, but Grandpa says that Rarity will not like if I mention them because they are gross. He says that Rainbow Dash would ruffle my hair though. I think I would like that, but I think he was crying so I gave him a hug and I think it made it okay. I do not think I would taste good either.

This year for Hearthswarming I would like a book. It is a hard book and Grandpa says it I am not ready yet but I think he is wrong and Auntie Luna says I should ask you because ‘the lecture would be like nothing the world has ever seen’ and also because you would get it for me. It is called The True History of The Elements of Harmony, and I think you probably know about it because if somepony wrote a story about me I would read it to make sure they did not tell any lies.

Bundt Cake tells lies. She told me that you do not exist and that you are a story parents tell to kids to make us be good. Then she said lots of mean things that I will not repeat because I am a good girl but she called Rainbow Dash a butt and I told her Rainbow Dash is the best because it is true but you are all the best.

I know that you are real, and that you saved Equestria a lot of times. Grandpa tells me stories sometimes, but not a lot because they always make him cry. Auntie Luna says that is because he was very good friends with you and that he was like Twilight Sparkle’s brother, but I think she might be joking because she does that sometimes. She tells me stories all about you though and how you once rescued her from Nightmare Moon so I know you are real.

Grandpa says that I have to finish this letter so he can send it, so I want to say thank you for saving Auntie Luna and for being friends with my Grandpa. I hope I will be like you some day.

Love,

Luna (But not Princess Luna)

PS. If you want to bring me toys as well that is okay I am sure I will like them too.

PPS. I feel kind of silly adding to this thing, cause I know you’re not actually gonna get it. But I know if there’s any way for all of you to be reading this, you are. So I wanted to say that I love you all, and I miss you. I’m doing my best to keep Equestria safe, and I take good care of the library. Luna really loves you girls too. You’re her heroes. And you were mine too.

I think I’ll be joining you soon, wherever you are. Promise me you’ll be waiting?

Love,

Spike.