Join The Party

A realm of silence, cold, and isolation. The ground was not connected to anything. It was basically an island floating in the middle of nowhere. The only sounds heard were to incoherent to comprehend. All the sounds seemed garbled to the point of sounding like an otherworldly creature. In the middle of all this, on the island, were six mares. Slowly, all regained consciousness, unaware of where they were.

"Where the hay are we?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea. Although, this place could use a bit of pampering up. I wish I had my fashion supplies right now, I could help this place look fabulous."

"Who cares how it looks? We gotta get back home, and stop 'im. Whoever he is," AppleJack said.

"He seemed charming, but then Pinkie saw through his disguise. Now he sent us here...wherever we are," Twilight recapped.

"I don't like it here. It's too dark and scary. He became mean and now we're not in a house," Fluttershy whimpered.

"Come on girls. We have to get back home. We need to make sure he's okay," Pinkie, seeing the confusion on her friends faces, realized she hadn't exactly told them who he was. Clarifying, she said, "The First, not...the Third."

"Pinkie, we know you love making new friends, but it kinda seems like you love your new friend," Rainbow Dash informed her.

Once more, Pinkie started blushing. "Now isn't the time to talk about this. Besides, I was going to tell you...eventually. Then I decided to wait to tell you. After all, you probably would have made a big deal about it," Pinkie said.

"Rainbow Dash is right. You could've told us you fancied him. We would understand," Rarity reassured her.

"Now is not the time to dwell on Pinkie and her crush. We still need to get out of here!" Twilight reminded them.

"I agree," said a familiar voice, "We wouldn't want to get lost in this place." The six mares looked in the direction they heard the voice. Standing on another island was the Third.

"You! Where are we? What did you do with the other?"

"What an ignorant little pegasus. You think yourself the best flier in Equestria. However, unbeknownst to your friends, deep down you are just trying to gain the approval of others, for you dislike the mare you see in the mirror everyday."

Rainbow Dash felt boiling rage deep within her. No way he could see inside a pony's thoughts. This had to be a trick. Nevertheless, he hadn't answered her questions, so she went flying towards him. In the blink of an eye, he vanished. More islands had appeared by now, and he was on the farthest one.

"What's wrong? Never seen an earth pony vanish before?" He may have been far away, but his voice sounded as if he was close. "Good luck getting out. There is no way out." With that, he vanished again. Rainbow Dash flew back to her friends, all of whom were as baffled as she was.

"How the hay did he do that?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"I have no idea. He don't have the powers of a unicorn. He's just a normal earth pony," AppleJack said, puzzled.

"That's because you're in here," another voice said. This voice sounded different. Not mean nor friendly. It had the tone of a crazy pony. All six mares turned to face the voice. They saw neither a unicorn nor an earth pony, but a pegasus.

A violet and orange mane, candy red coat, and a face shielded by a cotton white mask. The mask itself was also unique. It had a joyous expression, cherry red lips, sapphire blue cheeks, and caramel brown eyes looked through the holes. As with the other two, his cutie mark was a face of split expressions. His appearance made him seem insane, yet also trustworthy.

"What? Are you mares scared of me? Of course, we haven't met. You've met the others, that I know, but you've yet to know who I am," he said, crazily.

"Who are you? And don't play games! We had enough games with the Third," Rainbow Dash warned him.

"No games? That's the point! The point of the writing. You had to play a little game, to find out all our names. The others allow me to remain here. I enjoy it here. The rules of life are nothing more than a means of being boring. It's more fun to have no rules. One could choose to fall upwards if they desired, or maybe they wish for water to sing while it dances. This place has no limits."

"This pegasus is insane," Rainbow whispered to the others. They all nodded in agreement. In their eyes, this pegasus was another problem to worry about.

"What are you whispering over there? Wait! Don't tell me! I want to guess. Is it how the Third trapped you here? No, no...the First sent you here to get me? Princess Celestia needing my expertise? Or maybe... I got it! It was Daryl, the lonely leopard from Utah! He was always a barrel of fun."

"'Daryl'? 'Utah'? I think ya might be a few slices short of a pie. We need to get home, and we don't need nopony saying stuff that don't make a lick of sense," AppleJack said fiercely.

"Needing to get home you say? Well in that case, I'd be delighted to inform you... there is no way home. Well... no easy way. You have to convince all three of us to set you free."

"Great! Now we just need to find the First. Oh, and the Third."

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy. Finding anypony through this place is more difficult than making a frog tap dance. Oh wait. That is possible. Here at least. Anyway, you're on your own. Good luck."

"Wait. We still don't know where we are."

"Wrong! Actually, you do. Sort of. This is a place where dreams go to die. Where the line between normal and unstable collide. Laws of nature don't mean anything here, yet they made this place at the same time. We are in... the Dream Realm, sort of. This part of the realm was made when the First got his cutie mark. The First, the Third, and I basically live here. It changes depending on who is within it at the moment. It can also combine the ways of any two. Me and the Third made a place of fear, just to drive anypony who visits insane. Haven't had a visitor since the Third era. It's that time when the First met you six, mostly the pink one. Right now you are all asleep, and the First has to set you free."

"I thought you said all three of you had to allow us to leave?"

"Did I now? I guess I forgot. When you live in a place like this, your mind can get a little foggy."

"How is he supposed to know we're in here?"

"Oh he knows. You just need to be where he is. He is in a place where he feels safe," he told them. "You know where that is don't you?" he said addressing Pinkie.

"I do?" she asked, confused. Then, she remembered something he told her, when they were alone. You always asked me if you could go in my room. My response would constantly be 'no'. I gave you no reason, so now I will. I won't let you in there because sometimes I just want to be alone, when I feel safe. Now, I enjoy your company. Come on. I want to show you. Pinkie knew what his room was like. She concentrated on what it had looked like, to the best of her ability. The area around them started changing. A door appeared before them. A door labeled "Master bedroom". Pinkie knocked on the door. In a loud whisper, the door asked them a question: "What is more fragile than glass?"

Pinkie walked up towards the door to give it the answer. The answer the First told her when they entered.
"Sanity, my brother."

"Welcome home."