The New Adventures of Carrot Top.

Chapters

June 25th
June 26th
June 28th
July 3rd
July 4th
July 4th (part 2)
July 4th (part 3)
July 4th (part 4)

June 25th

The day of the move went about as smoothly as it could have possibly gone. Mom cried and Pop gave me some of his advice on what to be careful for ("Now you watch out for any pickpockets and you make sure to watch out for any of those ... strange ponies."). Little Sis squirmed about and hugged Mom's legs and then Pop's and then mine, sobbing the whole time. Once the wagon was all hooked up Hay Seed (That's our family friend ... wait, I know that, why'd I write it down?) gave me a gentle nudge and told me he'd finished. I gave them all a big hug and then took my first step onto the road to a new life.

I'll miss the big fields and the way the sun bounced off of them just right and I'll miss the smell of the rotten old barns (Okay, maybe I won't miss those), but the feeling in my heart told me that at the end of the road there were even better things waiting just for me! Mom and Pop don't really understand why I wanted to move. It never occurred to them that maybe that education I got changed some of the views I had on home life. I didn't want to live at home anymore. I wanted more; I wanted to start my own life. Make my own way in life, find a job and maybe settle down with some kind and exceptionally handsome stallion. Staying on the farm would have meant taking up all the duties when it came time for Mom and Pop to retire. I can't explain it fully, but I ... I guess I just wanted a change of scenery is what it really boils down to. I can still hear them trying to convince me to stay, telling me that a pony such as myself has no need to move (any other person would of gotten a face full of hoof for saying that) and that I have everything I could want right at home on the family farm. They couldn't understand what I could see in moving away, but I guess that's why I'm leaving home and they aren't.

I guess I should introduce myself now, though why I feel like I should is beyond me. My name is Carrot Top, but seeing as you're my (new) diary, shouldn't you already know that? As a final goodbye present Sis gave you to me to write in. She's always been emotional and she's always kept one of you around so I imagine she just wants me to have some connection with her. I hope she doesn't think that just because I'm moving away means that things will be different between us. She's such a worrier, but I wouldn't have her any other way.

But you're not here to read about my sister, (or maybe you are. You are MY diary, remember) you would probably like to know where I'm moving. Well, I've decided to leave and move to Ponyville. I know, I know, before you get yourself all confused let me explain. I know I said I wanted to move somewhere with more hustle and bustle and more ponies and I know Ponyville is almost the exact opposite of that, but the city is just ... well I don't like it. That's all. On the farm we used to hear all sorts of horror stories about ponies living in cities. Ponies who'd get mugged, mocked, get drunk and all sorts of other things. That and all the snooty, high-end, good for nothing diva's and their pompous boyfriends made the cities a ... less than pleasant place to stay. I'd heard that Ponyville was nice, so I decided to try my luck there. Saw some pictures of it on a brochure we got a couple years back in a load of apple sauce from a place called Sweet Apple Acres. The place looked so beautiful and serene that there wasn't a doubt in my mind that it was the kind of place I could live in for the rest of my life.

You're kind of a pain to write in diary (no offense, but with no magic or anything, writing by hoof or mouth can be trying at best) so I'm going to stop now. Maybe I'll write some more in you tomorrow ...

June 26th

June 26th (Actually it is June 27th)

Yes, I forgot to write in you yesterday, but I think you can forgive me, seeing as I was unpacking the whole day. By the time the final nick-knack was un-boxed, checked off the list, and shelved it was almost ten at night, two whole hours past my normal time! I was a little surprised that no one came to greet me yesterday. I was expecting at least a few people but no one seemed to notice the lonely mare unpacking all her things and buckling under the strain of the heavy boxes (woe is me!). Maybe later today I'll go out and introduce myself to my two neighbors. Right now, though, I think I will just sit here in my (newly unpacked) chair and lift my (newly unpacked) cup of (newly unpacked) coffee to my lips to drink it in celebration of

Well Buck. Sorry Diary, I tried to save you as best as I could, but it seems that my "newly unpacked coffee" has ended up all over you. I can't even read what I wrote after in celebration of! Someday, when I'm old and feeble and i'm reading these notes again I'll see "in celebration of" and then the coffee stain, and i'll say to myself 'what was I trying to say?' Then all the worrying will cause me have some horrible heart failure and I'll end up dying because I couldn't handle my coffee alright.

I should have known better than to write and drink at the same time (stupid lucky unicorns). Well, now that my chair and diary have been soiled (not so new anymore ...) I think it's time to go and greet the day. It seems to be shaping up to be a bright and wonderful day (read that last part dripping in sarcasm). I'll let you know how my neighbors are later. Bye!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh Celestia! Oh Celestia, what have I done!? Why is this happening to ME? Did I do something wrong? It's because I took the new jar of peanut butter with me before I left home, isn't it? Well this is A BIT overkill for something as small as that!

Everything was going fine. I'd decided to go check up on my neighbor to the left to start off with. The house was taller than mine and had a wonderful paint job of dark blue with white siding. As I approached I wondered who could have such a nice house. I imagined a handsome stallion and his wife lived there. Probably respectable ponies, to boot! I was starting to get excited about the prospect of living next to these (imagined) neighbors. I knocked on the door and waited but there was no response. My smile faded after a while and I knocked again. Once more there was no reply. I was about to leave when I heard a small noise from inside. I pressed my ear up to the door, blushing at how suspicious I probably looked. The sound was like nothing I had ever heard. I can only describe it as a metallic humming or a long unending beep. The sound sent shivers up my spine and I slowly backed away from the door, careful to keep my eyes on the suddenly untrustworthy house (who in their right mind would paint a house dark blue anyways? I can't believe I liked it at first!). With that done I turned back and went to go greet my neighbor to the right. I headed up the cool sidewalk and stopped in front of the iron black fence. Beyond the bars was an unkempt lawn filled with dead leaves and other junk. The paint was beginning to chip all over the house itself and the shutters attached to the windows looked ready to fall of entirely. The door was painted completely black.

Nope.

I turned around and headed back to the house. I'd tried to make contact with both neighbors and despite the fact that I hadn't meet either of them I felt strangely okay with that. Back inside a quick check of my cupboards revealed a sack of potatoes and a jar of peanut butter (yes, THAT jar of peanut butter). Deciding that perhaps potatoes and peanut butter would not make the best of meals I exited the house and made my way into town.

I'd chosen a house that was a little ways out of town so that I could escape from all the hustle and bustle that I'd so wanted in the first place. It wasn't far out and before I knew it I was in town and heading towards the market place. When I got there the area was busy and full of ponies buying food and other items. Not wanting to stick out as the new pony on the block I kept my head down and mixed into the crowd, busying myself with searching the booths for delicious foods. At every booth I was greeted kindly and at most of them I was drawn into long conversations by the owners, welcoming me to Ponyville and giving me bits of advice as well as free food.

After I was done I decided to take a different way back home in order to see more of Ponyville. That was where it began. That was the mistake that has now landed me in this unholy nightmare. At first it had been fun. I'd seen a lot of new places and made mental notes to go visit each of them later in the week. I was having so much fun I barely noticed that it was getting late.

Really, really late.

When I finally noticed all other ponies had returned home and I was left alone on the street. At first I was scared, (HA! Past self, you do not know fear as I do now!) but after a moment or two I leveled out and found the right street I was supposed to be on. The night air was chilly and I found myself shivering in the cold. It was then that I first heard it. The noise of ... hooves clacking against the cobbled ground. I whipped around and saw nothing. Another chilly gust blew past me and I muttered a curse under my breath about winter staying around far to long. I was about to dismiss the sound as my imagination when I heard it again. This time, however, it was louder. It sounded faster too and I strained my eyes to see what the noise was.

From out of the darkness came a pony, bolting towards me as fast as possible. I stepped backwards at the sheer unthinkable speed the pink blur displayed. The hairs on my neck prickled and I wondered why she was running so fast. Then I saw it. The smile. The unholy smile stretched wide over her face and the wide unblinking eyes penetrating my very soul. My heart stopped and the words of Hay Seed's stories floated back to me from out of the past.

"It's all true, Carrot! Those city ponies are an odd bunch. You might think it's strange, but I swear it's true! They can't hold all the crazies in the hospitals, on account of a lack of beds, so they sometimes let 'em free. Sometimes they let the really bad ones go on accident. Y'know, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some sort of cannibal ponies running around up there, just waiting to pounce on some poor pony."

Terror flooded over me as I realized that Hay Seed had been so right. My instincts kicked in. My groceries fell from out of my saddle bags and I turned heel, sprinting faster than I ever had. The wind rushed past me, screaming in my ears for me to run faster. I could still hear the sound of her uneven panting as she came closer and closer.

My heart was on the verge of exploding. Despite what you may think diary, living on a farm (oh Celestia I want to go home I miss my farm) doesn't necessarily build you up as an athlete, especially if the farm is a carrot farm. My breath came in shallow gasps as my hooves pounded against the ground. My house loomed out of the darkness and I thanked Celestia that I had left it unlocked. Without stopping I barreled into the door and rolled across the floor, turning a 180 and smashing the door closed again. My hooves fumbled with the lock and I heard it click. I slid down against it, panting out of sheer exhaustion. I smiled as tears came down my face. I was home. I was alive. I was alive and uneaten and safe and I was just fine. I was now completely safe.

A knock came on the door. Then there was silence. I turned my head and pressed my ear to the door. The sounds of muffled panting greeted me as my eyes slowly widened in realization of what was just outside on my doorstep.

That's not fair. That's just not fair.

Since then the poundings at my door have been nonstop. Here I sit, huddled in the middle of my living room under my (newly unpacked, har har har) coffee table. Instead of writing my last will and testament I decided to write in you, diary, so you should feel honored. I miss Mom and Pop and little Sis and I miss the family farm and I miss all those carrots and I even miss that moldy barn smell. I just want to go home. Maybe I

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carrot Top sniveled from under the coffee table as she wrote in her diary. The sounds of the front door being pounded against provided a background sound that almost muffled out her sobs. As she wrote she said the words aloud..

"Maybe I-" but before she could finish her thoughts were distracted by the calm silence that had pervaded the room without her knowing. Carrot looked around from underneath her coffee table and scrunched herself closer. The poundings had stopped. She peered out from underneath the table. Either the pink cannibal had decided to leave her alone or ...

A pink shape appeared in front of her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well hey there, silly! What're you doing under there?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miles away a small yellow filly with red hair woke with a start. Quietly she tip-hooved out of bed and down the stairs to the room of her big sister.

"A ... Applejack? Applejack? Are you awake?"

A long sleepy grunt was the response the filly got.

"Applejack, did you ... hear something? I though I heard a ... scream." The little pony said, shuddering.

"You were dreamin', Sugar cube," came the sleepy response. "Go back to bed."

"But ..."

"Sugar Cube, I love ya ta death, but if ya don't go back ta bed I'll beat ya senseless."

There was complete silence in the room. After a few seconds the sound of hooves scurrying out of the room signaled the little filly had gone back to bed, and fast. Applejack smiled as she settled down again and fell back into sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,

Buck you. Buck me. Buck every BUCKING (insert angry screaming).

The good news is that I'm still alive. I'm in a massive amount of pain, but I'm still alive. I remain uneaten by the pink cannibal who, turns out, is not actually a pink cannibal.

She's just a pink psychopath.

According to her, her name's Pinkie Pie and the reason she chased me and broke into my house was that she just wanted to say hello. Might I add here that with her speaking so fast and my aching head I'm not fully sure of anything she said. I had to ask her to repeat a lot, but even after that she still wouldn't slow down. Pinkie Pie, aka pink cannibal, informed me that it's her duty as everyone's friend to throw them a party when they come to town. She told me that she had been looking for me all day and was heading back to (Sugar tube Corner? Sugar dude corner? I didn't catch the name) her home when she saw me. She was coming over to say hello when I just turned and ran (because running from a grinning stranger is supposed to be my fault). She followed me back here with my groceries and found the door locked. After she tried to get my attention for awhile she assumed I was asleep and went through the cellar.

Oh, turns out I have a cellar. That's going to help me sleep better.

She was just going to drop them off on my table, but when she saw me under the table she "just had to say hello to the super cool new pony!" I questioned her about what she thought I was doing when I was hiding and screaming and she said I was probably just cleaning and that she had surprised me.

Yeah. Surprised. That's totally what I was.

After I eventually woke up she apologized for scaring me and had even cooked me a meal. At first I was going to be angry and scream at her, but that food was just so delicious (and my head hurt so much) I couldn't help but eat it all down. I couldn't yell at her after that, so wearily I told her I'd had a long day and that I'd really like some sleep. She bid me goodnight and I went off to bed.

I'm amazed that any pony could be that socially clue less or that happy (seriously, smiled the whole time. I probably could have told her I had burnt down an orphanage and she would have probably baked me a cake). So I sit here in bed finishing this entry. Hopefully tomorrow will be less painful and hopefully less terror-filled.

June 28th

So now I'm willing to bet Celestia hates me now. Either that or she enjoys my screams of terror. After last nights horrifying experience I just wanted a nice and quiet morning. Just me, a cup of coffee (far away from you, diary) with cream and sugar, and of course, a nice carrot breakfast muffin. As I came out of my room I noticed the first sign that something was horribly wrong. I remember sniffing the air and smelling the scent of coffee and baked goods. I shrugged it off and continued into the kitchen where I found a plate of pancakes and some other breakfast supplies ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carrot Top's eyes narrowed as she entered her kitchen. A ray of sunshine shone through her kitchen window and rested upon a plate of pancakes and a small empty glass. Next to the glass was one of the blue napkins her Mother had given her as a gift. Hesitantly she poked the napkin and it unrolled, exposing a fork and spoon. Carrot's eyes widened and she stepped back from the suspicious meal as she went over the facts as she saw them.

There appeared to be a meal that had been freshly cooked, but not by her. The meal was piping hot, meaning that the mysterious cook could not be to far away. Finally the knife was missing, meaning that the cook had forgotten to lay it out or there was some pony loose in her house with a knife.

Carrot walked slowly backwards into her living room when she heard a small click.

BOOM! The explosion of confetti and streamers sent her flying to the floor, rolling and screaming as she grasped at the rug underneath her to pull her towards the safety of the kitchen and away from the terror. A pink figure loomed above her and she gazed up at it, her fear being replaced with confusion.

"Hiya!"

Many expressions passed along the face of Carrot Top. Fear to confusion to fear again and then to rage. Carrot Top smacked her head against the wooden floor and gave out a muffled scream.

"You can't eat breakfast from down there, silly!" Pinkie told her cheerfully, picking her up and dragging her into the kitchen. Carrot was flopped onto a kitchen chair and Pinkie scooted her in towards the table. Carrot's mouth was still open in a silent scream.

Smiling the whole time Pinkie went to the sink and filled the empty cup with water. Once done she returned and splashed it at Carrot Top's face.

"Better now?"

"No, I am not better." Carrot growled. "How did you even get in to-"

"I went through the cellar~!"

"Of course you did" Carrot Top said, sighing and massaging her temples.

"I just felt sooooooo so so so bad for scaring you last night that I just had to come and make you breakfast!" Pinkie grinned after she had finished and trotted over to the refrigerator.

Carrot Top sat there for a moment and then smiled. Perhaps this mare was a little insane, but at least her heart was in the right place. Carrot Top felt the anger at being surprised leave her body. She smiled again and started to cut through the massive pile of pancakes with her fork. Carrot took a bite of pancake and was shocked to find she had to hold back tears at how delicious they were. Each bite felt like a beautiful fluffy dream. Perhaps she had misjudged this pony. She wasn't that creepy, she was just strange.

'To think I thought she was suspicious,' Carrot thought to herself. "I can't believe I thought she would try and eat me ..."

"Hey Carrot Top, do you want something to drink?" Pinkie said, turning from the fridge and holding something long and gleaming in her hoof. "How about some nice, lovely Carrot Juice?"

Carrot gasped and choked, falling from her chair and squirming on the floor in spasms of fear. Pinkie ran over, dropping the gleaming item and picking up Carrot to perform the Heimlich maneuver. When the lodged piece of food was out Pinkie scolded Carrot Top.

"Geeze, you should know better than to eat that fast. Aren't you older than a filly?" Pinkie walked back to the gleaming item and picked it up. Carrot's eyes fell on the long item and felt her headache come back as she realized what it was. A normal, average, produce peeler. She had almost choked to death on a pancake all because she got scared of a produce peeler.

Carrot groaned and pressed her hoof into her forehead. Judging by the throbbing headache and and the mountain of confetti in her front room, it was going to be a very long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... So yeah. Great. Peachy. Day 2 and I've been broken into twice and almost died three times. Maybe if I try real hard I can make it to ten near death experiences before the end of the week.

I still can't believe I thought Pinkie was going to try and juice me to death (sounds like a B-horror movie). I'm not sure my heart can take living near that natural disaster. I mean, she seems nice, and her cooking (I've never tasted anything better. I'm almost suspicious she sold her soul for such good cooking skills! That's the only possible way!) is fairly amazing, and her heart seems to be in the right place. If she could just get over scaring the bejeezus out of me that would be great. Or perhaps that is too much to ask?

After breakfast I asked her about my shifty neighbors. She laughed at my use of shifty (what can I say? They totally are!) and told me that they were actually pretty nice ponies. Turns out she knows every single pony in town (not surprised one bit) by name and is friends with all of them.

The neighbor to my left is a doctor or something like that. I can't really remember what his name is, but he and his room mate live in that big blue house, the one with the horrible screeching sounds coming from it.

To the right is ... well I still don't know. Pinkie refuses to tell me who lives in that house. She just shook her head when I asked and quickly changed the subject, telling me I should stop by Sugar Cube Corner next time I came into town...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie got up from her chair and with grabbed the tablecloth. With one swoop she gathered all the dishes into the tablecloth and dumped them into the sink. Satisfied, she turned back to Carrot.

"I'm sure every pony is just super duper excited to meet you! If you see any of my friends be sure and say hi to them, they'll be especially happy to see you!"

"Didn't you say that all the ponies in town were your friends?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Then wouldn't ... never mind," Carrot sighed, rolling her eyes. She looked down at her kitchen table to see a small pink envelope addressed to her. Curious, she picked it up and tore of the top with her teeth. A small little explosion of confetti caused her to drop her parcel in surprise. Another pink piece of paper was stuck inside the envelope. The paper read:

YOU ARE INVITED TO THE HOUSE WARMING PARTY OF CARROT TOP AT SUGAR CUBE CORNER!
BE THERE TO CONGRATULATE PONYVILLE'S NEWEST MEMBER TO THE HERD! THE PART IS AT 6:00 ON JULY 4th!

I hope to see you there!
-Pinkie

"Pinkie, I really don't want a-," Carrot looked up to find Pinkie Pie missing. Grumbling, Carrot went back to her bedroom to put the reminder by her bed and gather her coat. It was time she went and explored more of the town she would be calling home.

July 3rd

So I'm guessing you're trying to figure out why I haven't been writing in this lately. Well, even though I don't owe you an explanation, seeing as you're not real, I'll give you one (save your thanks). First, I've been looking for employment. It isn't easy to get employed when your only talent is "carrots". Seriously, that is what my talent is supposed to be. Growing carrots, that is the extent of my super special talent. I have the ability to grow fairly good carrots.

Anyways, I can't find a job and starting another rant about my Cutie mark won't help. Furthermore, on the walks I've been taking through Ponyville I noticed something very odd. For every one stallion there are like ten mares. I just don't get it, where are all the stallions? Are there no males in this town? The only explanations I can find for this are that Ponyville is home to an all-mare cult that sacrifices all the resident stallions to appease the demon goddess they secretly worship, or I just have tremendously bad luck.

Pinkie is getting more and more excited about the party, despite my agony...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Please, I really don't need a party. I'd rather not have one. You know what sounds a lot more fun? Sitting at home. Doesn't that sound nice? Me ... alone ... by myself ... no one there ... sleeping?"

"No, it doesn't," Pinkie said, looking at Carrot Top with in a confused sort of way. "Parties are a lot of fun and a great new way to meet friends! I've met all my friends at parties ... except for the ones I haven't met at parties ... like Twilight, and Fluttershy, and Spike, and Steve, and mayor Mare, and ..." Pinkie continued on through the list of ponies she hadn't met at parties while Carrot Top looked out the window of Sugar Cube Corner. When Pinkie was in a mood like this nothing could stop her.

"... And there was also you! I didn't meet you a party!" Pinkie said, grinning at Carrot Top. "Trust me, you'll really enjoy it! I'm so excited for you to meet everyone and make friends and you'll have a great time."

Despite the feelings of negativity she had towards the party Carrot smiled and nodded. Perhaps she would have a good time after all...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across town the sounds of tinkering and whirring could be heard in the small, darkened basement of an inconspicuous looking house. Occasionally a small burst of fire or a shower of sparks would give off just enough light to illuminate some of the equipment in the makeshift laboratory. Boxes labeled "gunpowder" and "colorful fizzy stuff" lined the walls and disposed sticks and matches littered the the floor.

A solitary pony sat at the work bench, huddled over her invention as she silently adding finishing touches to the masterpiece.

"It's almost done," she whispered. "Soon all of Ponyville shall witness what I have created and they will finally understand that they're real!" A small spark shot off from the end of the gizmo she held.

"SQEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE omigosh this is gonna be so awesome~!"

July 4th

When I woke up this morning it was scorching outside. I was so hot I got back into bed and tried to go to sleep, but I kept getting stuck to the sheets so I got back up and made coffee. A small part of me wished and hoped that Pinkie would cancel the party on account of it being as hot as Tartarus (or a carrot farm), but I knew better than to give in to wishful thinking. Glancing at the clock I noticed the party was not for another several hours, which made me smile in relief.

Breakfast this morning was a small can of Tomato soup mixed with chopped carrots (Yes, carrots. It's actually really good, shut up!). After that I decided to trust Pinkie's words about my next door neighbor and go visit him. Before I went over I quickly checked myself in the mirror and fixed my hair with a flick of my head (thank goodness I have curly hair. Mother Nature’s perfect mess). After I finished I opened the door and stepped outside.

The sun baked down onto my back, instantly causing me to break out into sweat. Not even the birds were chirping. A small leaf fell from a nearby tree and landed gently on the ground before bursting into fire and crumbling away into ashes. All thoughts of leaving left my mind and I stumbled back inside to find my fan and try and go back to sleep.

I found it on the side of one of my bookcases, and was about to go and find myself a nice glass of (not carrot) juice when something else caught my eye...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What in the hay," Carrot Top muttered as her eyes fell onto the small space of open wall next to the bookcase. Looking closer she found that there was a small line running along the wall. Carrot raised her hoof and poked at it. When nothing happened she poked it again and then knocked on it. A hollow sound came from behind the wall and carrot took a step back.

"This ... this can't be the cellar, right?"

Carrot poked at the square again and then ran her hoof along the seam that made up the outline of the small door. There didn't seem to be a way to open the door from the side carrot Top was on and she grumbled as she tried once more to push against the door unsuccessfully. As she pushed she noticed another tiny line leading behind the bookcase. Without hesitation she took hold of the bookcase and began to pull it away from the wall. The tall piece of furniture weighed a ton and she had to stop multiple times to get her breath back. After a couple of minutes there was a space just big enough for her to squeeze one of her hooves back behind it.

Carrot pressed against the bookcase and stretched her hoof as far as she could, feeling against the wall for some sort of lever or button. Her hoof rested on something round and smooth and as she pressed it there was a click. The door trembled, but remained still, as if something was holding it closed from the other side. Carrot frowned and kicked the small door. She'd have to talk to Pinkie about getting the cellar open. She must know how it works, seeing as she used it more often than she used the front door. With nothing else to do Carrot left the door be, returning back to her fan. After a couple of minutes she had completely forgotten the small, strange door hidden beside the bookcase...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary, perhaps I should make a small correction to something I wrote earlier. I was going back over what I wrote when I reread the part about me fixing my hair.

If anyone ever read that then they might get the idea that I don't care about my personal hygiene or about how I look. I actually do care about how I look, but I just didn't want to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. My hair is naturally curly, so I take advantage of it and don't brush it. People just assume that it looks like that on purpose.

I really do care, though. It’s not like I'm trying to make anyone attracted to me or anything. Well, that would be nice I guess but ... wait a moment. Why am I trying to rationalize what I do to a piece of paper? This is just stupid; I don't need to defend myself about something like this! I like how I look and if anyone doesn't that is there problem. Stupid Journal...

Anyways, it's almost time for pinkie's party. She came over to remind me that it was still today (dashing all my hopes with just a single grin) and that it was still at 6:00. Well, I suppose I had better head over to the party now. I'll let you know how it was when I get back.

-Carrot Top

..... Why did I just sign my name?

July 4th (part 2)

Carrot Top pushed her way through the mass of ponies, grumbling silently under her breath. She had known Pinkie had a lot of friends, but when she had said that everyone in town was her friend Carrot had dismissed it as a huge over exaggeration.

"How many bucking friends does one pony need?" Carrot Top asked no one in particular.

After what seemed like an hour of pushing and shoving and stepping on other ponies hooves, Carrot made it to Sugar Cube corner. Multicolored lights shone from the windows and the ground rumbled with the vibrations of music. Carrot had felt it blocks away, but the sheer ear splitting volume of it all still shocked her into silence. Pony after pony filed into Sugar Cube corner, while some stayed outside to talk and party. A fast movement caught her eye and she looked up to see a drunken pony hanging off the top of Sugar Cube Corner.

The stallion was hollering at the top of his lungs and taking slugs of cider in between. Then, with a final howl of drunken excitement, he jumped off the building and into the soft grass below. He laid there for a few seconds unmoving before he groggily stood back up and bowed at the applause the crowd was giving him.

"Oh, buck. Nope, not doing this," Carrot told herself. She turned to leave the crowded party, but before she could a massive wave of ponies charged forwards and into the house, carrying the screaming Carrot Top with them.

Once inside Carrot managed to get free from the crowd and ran as fast as she could to the nearest safe thing she could find, not minding that she was bumping ponies over as she went. She reached the table of drinks and let a small sigh of relief escape her lips. Suddenly the music got very quiet, and Carrot Top watched as a familiar Pink Pony climbed up onto a table and cleared her throat. A light flashed and a spotlight appeared around her.

"Hey, every pony! Thanks for coming to this super special party!" She yelled, receiving an equally loud yell from the whole crowd, minus one ginger pony. "So I know you ponies just wanna keep on partying, but before we all get back to the fun you've gotta meet the super special pony who this party is dedicated to!"

The hairs stood up on the back of Carrot's neck and a cold chill filled her body. She frantically looked for somewhere to hide as Pinkie continued to spell out the poor pony's doom.

"I just met her a few days ago, and let me tell you, she sure is super nice! At first she's all screamy and she passed out that one time, but hey! No ponies perfect!" The crowd roared in approval of this message while Carrot Top tried to squeeze underneath a particularly small coffee table.

"Put your hands together for my super good friend, CARROT TOP!"

The light whizzed around and landed on the backside of Carrot Top, who had managed to claw herself only halfway underneath the table before getting stuck. As the spotlight landed on her she froze, and the whole room fell silent as they stared at the backside of their new neighbor.

The silence was ended abruptly as Pinkie jumped into the limelight and grabbed Carrot Top by the tail, yanking her out from underneath her hiding place. She landed on her stomach with a thud, and Pinkie pushed her around to face the crowd of ponies.

"Say Hi!" Pinkie commanded in her usual cheery voice. Carrot Top didn't hear this, though. She couldn't hear anyone. She could only stare.

There are few things Carrot Top feared in life. She could handle storms, raging cattle, and once put down a bunny uprising single hoofedly. There were few things indeed that carrot Top was afraid of. Crowds, unfortunately, were one of them.

Pinkie nudged carrot with her hoof, bringing Carrot out of her fear induced comma. Thinking quickly, Pinkie made up an excuse.

"She's just sooooo excited to meet every pony that she can't think of what to say! Isn't that right, carrot?"

"Humina humina humina humina humina humina humina humina humina humina..." carrot top mumbled, her eyes still wide in fright. But at that moment a loud explosion distracted the room from carrot top.

"What in the hay was that?" Some pony from the crowd shrieked. Another pony ran to the window followed by a smaller crowd.

"Hey there are lights in the sky!"

"Lights!?"

"Yeah, fireworks!"

The crowd filed out of the building as quickly as they could, leaving Pinkie Pie and carrot top still inside. Carrot had regained some form of composure and sat next to Pinkie Pie, shaking slightly.

"What in the hay was that?" Carrot asked, turning to Pinkie for an answer. Carrot was surprised at the look on her friends face. Instead of the usual happy grin that she had come to know, Pinkie's eyes were now narrowed slightly in a look of confusion and suspicion.

"That's funny," Pinkie said aloud. "Those aren't my fireworks ..." Pinkie grabbed Carrot top and dragged her outside. She looked around a few times before turning back to carrot top.

"I've gotta go find some things, I'll be right back." With that she ran off into the crowd. Carrot Top looked around, trying to figure out if she had passed out and was still lying in Sugar Cube Corner. Seeing Pinkie act so serious was...

"What in the hay is going on? I know she can't act silly all the time, but that was ... I've never seen her act like that before!" Carrot Top knew that she had known Pinkie for only a short time, but it still surprised her that there was a side to her giggly friend that she didn't know.

Another trail of light shot into the air, exploding over the town and showering off red and green sparks. More fireworks exploded overhead and the crowd, thinking that they were Pinkie's, began to 'ooh' and 'aah' at the amazing light spectacle. Even carrot Top had to admit that they brilliant flashes of light were pretty.

From out of nowhere the ground began to shake and open up right in the middle of the square. Ponies gasped in shock and awe at the spectacle. From the hole music began to play, but carrot could not recognize the song. The next thing she saw pushed all thoughts of music from her mind.

Rising from out of the hole was a giant wooden scaffold adorned with flags that featured white stars on a blue background and red and white stripes. The music reached its climax and the scaffold came to a stand still. From the top of massive structure came a loud voice, and it was then that carrot Top noticed the mint green pony standing on two legs.

"GREETINGS PONIES OF PONYVILLE! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE FIREWORKS SHOW!"

The green pony that stood atop the scaffold looked around with a huge grin on her face. She wore a large red, white and blue top hat and a big white beard. She also wore a cloak that matched the colors of her hat. The magic that came from her horn was wrapped around the microphone that was just beneath her mouth.

"MANY CENTURIES AGO, ON THIS VERY NIGHT, OTHER CREATURE, NOT UNLIKE YOU AND I CELEBRATED THE NIGHT WITH FIREWORKS!"

Carrot top looked around at all the other ponies in the crowd. While some of them remained smiling, most of the ponies had confused looks on their faces and were whispering back and forth to each other.

"I OF COURSE TALK OF THE MIGHTY HUMAN BEINGS! THE CREATURES OF LORE THAT HELD THE WORLD IN THEIR MIGHTY GRIP!"

"Dude, is that what this is all about?"

Carrot top turned to see a young pony with bright yellow fur and a black mane staring up at the monument with a large smile. The pony hiccuped and then continued.

"You're buckin' stupid! Humans are made up, n' stuff!"

The green pony frowned and then yelled into the microphone, causing every pony to clutch at their ears as her screams pierced through the night.

"SHUT UP! THEY ARE SO TOO REAL, AND WHEN YOU FIND OUT HOW REAL THEY ARE YOU’RE GONNA BE SORRY YOU.... YOU'RE STUPID!" The green pony clicked a button on the microphone and fireworks shot out from behind her and into the sky.

"Humans lived long ago and they ruled the whole world and stuff like that, but when they died out Celestia and Luna hid all the stuff about them and made them into mythology. THEY ARE NOT MYTHOLOGY!"

The green pony took a deep breath to calm herself and continued on. This time she sounded more calm, but there was an underlying power that could be felt in the voice.

"Every Fourth of July human families would worship their holy leader, President Uncle Sam, of their great continent, the OOSA, by lighting off fireworks and sacrificing dogs that they found attractive ... I'm not really sure about that last part, though."

The whole crowd was dead silent. Not even the wind seemed to be blowing. The green pony shuffled her hooves and coughed, wobbling slightly.

"Humans helped us become what we are today! Most of the things you take for granted are ... are ... oh buck." A look of terror was now visible in the features of the green unicorn as she stared at one point in particular. The crowd shuffled away to reveal a very angry looking cream colored mare.

"Hey, Bon-Bon. How are you ... um ... doing?" The green Mare looked away, chuckling awkwardly.

The cream colored mare looked up at the other one without saying a word. A few seconds passed and then she spoke.

"When I’m done with you they’ll never find your body."

"Hey, wait, don't be mad!"

"MAD? WHY WOULD I BE MAD? IS IT BECAUSE I LEFT TOWN FOR ONE DAY AND I COME BACK TO FIND A GIANT MONUMENT IN TOWN SQUARE? WHY WOULD THAT MAKE ME MAD?"

The ponies that were closest to the cream colored mare edged away from her slowly. No pony wanted to be as close to the raging inferno as they had to be. The green mare frowned and started to yell back, waving her microphone around recklessly.

"Well, I'm sorry, Bon-Bon, but the ponies of Ponyville need to learn about Humans! This conspiracy has gone on long enough, they-," her rant was interrupted by a loud crack. The audience's gaze went to the source of the sound. The small microphone the unicorn was holding had completely cracked in half and was now beeping sporadically as electricity crackled around it. Lights began to flash all around the green unicorn high atop the scaffold.

"Mother b-"

Fireworks spewed from the enormous scaffold, flying in all directions. They crashed into nearby houses with deafening explosions that rocked through the village. Ponies screamed and ran left and right as the fireworks whizzed by overhead, exploding at random intervals. Some went straight into the ground, leaving huge craters in the cobblestone. The smell of fire broke Carrot Top's concentration from dodging the incoming missiles and she turned to see a firework smash into Sugar Cube Corner, lighting the building on fire with a sudden whoosh of flame.

All around her were the sounds of screams and yells, only broken up by the sound of explosions. There was a sudden groaning sound and Carrot Top glanced back just in time to see the enormous scaffold, now on fire, splintering and plummeting to the ground.

As Carrot Top stood there, gazing around at the unholy destruction occurring around her, she could only manage to utter a few words.

"Oh buck."

July 4th (part 3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carrot’s hooves pounded against the cobbled ground beneath her as she raced towards anywhere that seemed safe. No matter where she went there was fire. Everything was burning and the smell of smoke clogged the air. Carrot Top coughed and got lower, looking around. She could see ponies of all shapes and sizes running a muck through the town. A flash of pink caught her attention and she was just able to glimpse Pinkie Pie run around a corner with a group of other ponies. Carrot coughed and got up, running after her, but before she could reach the place where pinkie had disappeared a group of startled ponies stampeded by, pulling her into their ranks and dragging her along with them.

Carrot struggled through the crowd as she was pushed along and managed to break free, tumbling and landing next to an apple cart. The cart was on fire, and the apples were cooking and burning inside. Carrot sniffed the air and found she liked the smell.

“Oh … that isn’t too bad.”

At that moment the apples exploded, showering Carrot Top and the nearby ponies in bits of apple. Most of the ponies screamed as if they had been shot, and fell to the ground, flailing about.

"No, I'm too young to die!"

"The pain, oh, THE PAIN!"

“Oh for the love of … IT’S JUST APPLES!” Carrot Top shouted at the ponies as she wiped off the pieces on her coat. She took a bit and started chewing. “See, they are just apples!”

“Oh Celestia, whyyyyyyyyy?” Shouted one pony.

“Tell my wife I love her!” Shouted another

“Give me a freaking break,” mumbled Carrot Top under her breath. Before she could yell at the ponies more a familiar mare caught her attention. The mare was searching around what used to be the main square fountain, as if she had lost something. Carrot Top trotted quickly over to her.

“Hey, you, you’re the one who was talking to that green freak up on the scaffold,” Carrot Top yelled angrily at her. The cream colored mare turned around and Carrot took a step back as she saw the amount of rage on the other mares face. The cream mare blinked and gave Carrot a worried look.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to startle you, I’m so sorry.”

“You were talking to the green mare that was up on stage, weren’t you?” Carrot asked. A look of rage flashed over the mare’s face for a second before being replaced by the original look of worry and kindness. She was beginning to regret talking to this mare.

“Yes, I’m looking for her now. Her name is Lyra. I’m Bon-Bon,” the cream mare told Carrot.

“Okay thanks for that, but what the hay was she doing up there on that big stadium?” Carrot asked.

Bon-Bon sighed and sat down as if she was preparing for a long story. Carrot Top looked around her at the carnage of burning buildings and screaming ponies and wondered if now was the best time to start a leisurely story.

“Lyra has a problem. Ever since I’ve known her she has believed in strange things, such as flying saucers, ghosts, Battle Toads, vampires, and many others. But there was always one creature that she was more passionate about than the rest, and that was humans,” the cream mare said with a sigh. “I’ve taken her to counselor after counselor, but nothing seems to work. Then, suddenly, about a week ago she started acting strangely. I should have known when she started sleeping in her laboratory that something was the matter.”

Carrot Top shook her head, trying to decide if she had heard the other mare right. The first red flag shouldn’t have been that this "Lyra" was sleeping in a laboratory, but that she had a laboratory to begin with.

“Okay, so you’re telling me that the reason she did all this,” Carrot Top motioned around her at the falling debris, “is because she’s really into fantasy creatures.” Bon-Bon nodded and was about to continue when the sound of sirens blasted through the air. From out of the smoke came several red and yellow carts being led by beefy stallions. They screeched to a halt and pulled their harnesses off before dragging something large and bulky out of the back.

“The Firefighters are here!” Some pony shouted. “We’re saved!”

One of the Firefighters attached a hose to the machine on the ground while another, this one a unicorn, enveloped the hose and machine with magic. A large jet of water sprayed from the hose and crashed into a nearby burning house. With a sizzle the house was put out and the small crowd that had gathered cheered and stomped their hooves on the ground. Carrot Top breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the mare on her side. Everything was going to be just fine now. Carrot could leave this crazy mare to find her psycho friend and she could go back home and sleep. Maybe get a cup of tea, sit by her bed, and finish one of the books she had on her bookshelf.

A large explosion tore through Carrot Top’s happy fantasies. She looked back at the the fireworks and saw the machine shooting sparks out of its side and whirring dangerously. With a final clunk and whir the machine stopped spraying water and completely shut off.

“Oh buck.”

The Firefighters started kicking the machine and grunting, trying to get it to work. Ponies gathered around them to shout words of encouragement. Bon-Bon tapped on carrot top's shoulder and she looked back.

"If you help me look for Lyra I think she could fix that machine."

Carrot Top looked over at the machine and then back at Bon-Bon. She didn't like the idea of actively seeking out someone reckless enough to cause this destruction, accidental or not. It was a hard decision. Burn to death or go look for a pony that was either crazy or dead.

"Alright, fine," Carrot Top consented. "We'll go and find her ... do you know where she might be?"

Bon-Bon scratched the ground with her hoof while she was thinking. "I checked around the wreckage and when I didn't see her there I came over here and I looked for her in this wreckage." Bon-Bon hung her head and pushed over a piece of rubble, sniffling. Carrot thought about how mean she had been acting to bon-Bon, and scolded herself, looking away guiltily. While this Lyra character may have caused all of this, she was still Bon-Bon's friend and she was probably worried sick about her.

"Uhm, hey, listen. I'm sure she's fine ... if any pony is crazy enough to do something like this, they're crazy enough to live through it." Bon-bon stopped sniffling and looked up with a smile.

"Thanks," bon-Bon muttered. She wiped her eyes and then looked around, blinking the rest of her tears away. "There ... she might have gone back home. We could check there."

Carrot Top groaned internally, but she smiled and nodded. With that the two ponies made their way quickly through the burning streets. They ran past ponies helping each other gather unburned supplies and ponies who were dowsing fires out with buckets of water. They didn't stop, but continued on in hopes of finding the pony who could fix this was alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bon-Bon stopped in front of a red mailbox and pushed open the gate that led up to her house. The house was small, but painted a nice calming cream color. If Carrot had not been so angry and exhausted she might have commented on how nice she thought the house looked. Instead she was silent and walked behind Bon-Bon, gazing around at the lack of destruction.

"The fire hasn't reached here yet."

"Oh, no I don't think it will. Lyra and I choose to live further out in Ponyville rather than live in the middle of town. We were hoping not to catch too much attention," Bon-Bon replied, muttering the last part under her breath.

The reached the door and Bon-Bon pushed it open. The floor was shining and clean, save for dusty hoof prints that led off further into the house.'

"She's alive," Bon-Bon said in relief. There was another emotion mixed in, but Carrot Top couldn't quite place what it was.

They followed the hoof prints around the house, from the living room through to the dining room, into the bathroom, up the stairs, through the bedroom, into the closet, and back down the stairs. Carrot Top began to wonder if perhaps this was some elaborate practical joke.

The sound of dishes tinkling from the kitchen alerted Bon-Bon and she and Carrot rushed back through the dining room and into the kitchen. There they found a mint-colored mare standing on her hind legs raiding the refrigerator. Carrot coughed and the green mare turned towards them, a Go-Gurt squeezed between her two front hooves.

The mare smiled awkwardly, nervously eying her cream colored friend. She chuckled lightly and shook the frozen yogurt treat between her hooves.

"Go-Gurt, anyone?"

July 4th (part 4)

There was an awkward silence that hung in the kitchen after the green mare offered her snack. Not even the shouts of ponies from outside broke the tense moment the three mares shared.

Lyra nervously eyed the two ponies and offered the dairy treat again. A small bit oozed out and onto the floor with a resounding splat. Silence reigned yet again.

“Uhm … I can clean that up. I just … I was kind of hungry and-.” The green mare did not finish as Bon-Bon rushed up to her friend, pulling her into a hug.

“I was so worried, I thought something had happened. When I saw the big scaffold go down I thought you had been crushed by the rubble and you were dying under there.”

Lyra blinked in surprise and smiled, patting her friend on the head. Carrot sighed and walked over.

“What are you doing back here, anyways? The whole town is on fire, y'know.” Carrot stated. Lyra placed her Go-Gurt onto the kitchen counter and coughed into her free hoof.

“When the fires started I got a little … nervous and I came back here. I was thinking I should lay low here for a while and also I was pretty hungry,” Lyra stated, nodding to the yogurt.

Carrot Top was silent. Her left eye did a little twitch and she tried to calmly breathe in and relax herself. She knew that if she didn’t calm herself down she was going to kill a certain pony, and it wouldn’t be Bon-Bon.

Fortunately at that moment Bon-Bon decided to speak up, disengaging from her hug and looking the unicorn straight in the eyes.

“Lyra … we need your help, okay?” Bon-Bon voice was very soft and mellow as she spoke to Lyra, as if she were a little child and Bon-Bon had to say everything slowly so she could understand.

“There are some nice ponies that need your help outside. There water machine has broken and they don’t know how to fix it. It would mean a lot to me and to my friend if you would help the friendly ponies fix it so they can help all the other ponies who are being burnt alive.”

Carrot Top frowned and scratched her ear, trying to figure out if she had misheard that last bit. Lyra seemed to be thinking it over while Bon-Bon cooed over her. After a few moments Lyra nodded and walked off.

“Wait … she agreed to help, where is she going?” Carrot looked over at Bon-Bon, who was smiling proudly.

“You’ll see.”

A couple of minutes passed by as Carrot paced back and forth in the kitchen. She kept telling herself to remain calm, but it didn’t seem to be helping. Bon-Bon, meanwhile, had gotten a basket of yarn and needles from somewhere and was sewing an intricate scarf. There was a loud bang from and the green unicorn reappeared with saddlebags on her back. She enveloped her yogurt knockoff with her magic and lifted it towards her mouth.

“Alright,” she stated. “Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they approached the three mares could see that the Firefighters were still working on their machine. Carrot and Bon-Bon stopped a few feet away, but Lyra went up to the biggest pony there and started taking with him.

“I see you’ve got a problem with your Hydro-cart, mind if I take a look?”

The pony, which was bright orange like fire, looked down at Lyra like she was some strange alien creature. He reluctantly nodded and she smiled before waltzing over to the machine and checking it over, humming as she worked. Occasionally she would cluck or mutter under her breath.

“See, come over here.” Lyra instructed.

“What is it?”

“Well, that it is your problem. Long story short your Motor Coupling is dead and your Driver’s block is all rusted to pieces. Hay, I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen apart. You do know you’re supposed to clean these, right?”

“Uhm … uhm …but …” the Firefighters eyes were crossed in confusion. Lyra sighed and tapped his leg.

“Okay, listen closely; I’m not going to say it again. When you’re working with these Hydro-carts you have to know what model you’re dealing with in order to know how much you’re supposed to clean it, what kinds of parts it needs, and stuff like that. This one here is ’95 model, which is amazing, seeing as how something like this should have broken down ages ago.”

“Now if you click this and open this up here,” she gestured as she opened up the machine. A small gush of black water erupted out. “See, did you see that? That’s bad. Now look at this big part here, the thing that looks like a wheel. That would be your Motor Coupling. See how there’s a piece missing? That’s bad too.”

The stallion sat on his haunches with a bewildered expression. Carrot’s eyes were wide with shock as she tried to fully comprehend what was coming out of the green ponies’ mouth.

“Now I have some Motor Couplings in my bag here, but you’ll have to help me install them. I’ll show you the first time, then you can do the rest. Now watch as I put it in.”

Lyra instructed the pony, who continued a steady nod throughout the whole lecture. When she finished she handed him the parts he needed and left, walking back over to Bon-Bon and Carrot Top.

“Excellent job, I’m very proud.”

Lyra smiled at the compliment and hoisted her bags up onto her shoulders with her magic. She pulled the half-eaten Go-Gurt out and started sucking on it before looking over at Carrot Top. She blinked her eyes and looked over to Bon-Bon and then back to Carrot.

“Hi … uhm, who are you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

… and then she asks me who I am. Who I bucking am!

I was about ready to knock her off her feet and strangle her, or some other unpleasant thing when Bon-Bon startled giggling (This isn’t funny! How is this funny?) And hugging her friend. It was at that moment that I completely lost the ability to care. I just sat there, staring, knowing that if I could somehow muster the energy I could kill them both and hide them. No one would ever have to know.

Surprisingly enough, all the fires were stopped soon after that. Despite my annoyance (and when I say annoyance I’m being nice) at the green pony (Lyra) I still can’t help but feel amazed at all the things she said. I would have never guessed that she was someone who could build and work on such complicated machinery. Part of me is scared knowing that other ponies trust her with said complicated machinery.

Also surprisingly enough no pony tried to find out who the culprit behind the fires was. It should have been obvious and all, but I guess everyone was just too happy to be safe.

By the time everyone had gotten things figured out it was morning. I was exhausted, but Bon-Bon and Lyra dragged me to a café in order to celebrate (congratulations on burning your hometown down!). As we got to talking I found I liked them more than I had first thought. They were nice ponies, despite being a little insane (in my opinion). Bon-Bon was a baker and worked out of her house, selling her creations to Sugar Cube Corner and to anyone who ordered something. Lyra, on the other hoof, was something much different (brace yourself, dear diary). Turns out Lyra had graduated from a prestigious coastal school and worked on the oversight of construction projects for things like cranes, trains, and other machinery related things.

I found myself liking them for some odd reason. Later on in our discussions Bon-Bon went to go get our orders while Lyra and I talked …

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The streets had gone back to normal, save for rows of carts filled with building supplies being pulled by ponies. Lyra watched as Bon-Bon entered into the shop and then turned to Carrot Top.

“Hey, uhm I just wanted to say I was sorry … I probably should have thought this all out better I was just so excited to tell people about these things. No pony ever believes me … so I guess I decided to go overboard with it.”

"Yeah, you really did. Bon-Bon was really worried about you. You should have seen how terrified you made her when she couldn't find you. She was so happy to see you were okay."

Lyra turned a little pale and moved awkwardly in her chair. She looked around towards where Bon-Bon had vanished and leaned in even closer.

"Between me and you, when we get home and no one else is around I'm gonna get the biggest lecture of my life. Bon-Bon's the nicest friend I could ever ask for, but she's actually really mad. The only reason she hasn't exploded yet is because we're in public," Lyra gulped as she said the last part, imagining the pain she would recieve once they got home.

Carrot looked over at Lyra and frowned, unhappy with how joking the mare was acting. She decided to bring her back down to the ground and remind her of what she had done.

“Ponies could have died in that fire, Lyra. Houses were burnt, family possessions were destroyed. I’m not sure you should be apologizing to me.”

Lyra nodded and picked up her drink, slurping on it until there was only ice and then continuing on. Carrot’s eye twitched again and for the third time in the past few hours she had to fight the rising urge to hit a certain pony.

“Yeah, I know I went overboard, but I think you’re over reacting. You haven’t been in Ponyville long enough, so you don’t really get how things fly around here. Wait a few weeks and you’ll see what I mean.”

Before Carrot Top could comment back Bon-Bon had arrived with their food. Carrot, who hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until there was food in front of her, busied herself with eating …

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

… and I still don’t know what it means. She doesn't make any sense; she's like a small filly! As for what she meant I’ll have to figure that out for another time, though. I’m too tired for any thoughts right now. I just want to sleep for the rest of the week.

One more entry before I go to bed, though. After I finished my meal with Lyra and Bon-Bon (who I have dubbed Looney and … well I haven’t come up with one for Bon-Bon yet) I remembered where this had all started. I made my way back to Sugar Cube Corner, hoping to see Pinkie. As I turned the corner I saw her sitting in a group with five other mares.

As I approached she noticed me and excused herself before walking over. There was something different about her, but I just couldn’t tell …

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, Pinkie! I’m glad to see you’re alright. I saw you run off, but I lost you in all the smoke.”

“Yeah, I had to go and do that something that I told you about,” Pinkie said, looking back over her shoulder at her friends. It was then that Carrot Top saw the smoldering remains of Sugar Cube Corner.

“Oh my Celestia, Pinkie I am so sorry. I saw it on fire, but I thought they had doused it out.”

“Yeah, me too,” Pinkie replied. For a second there appeared a small frown on Pinkie’s face before it was replaced by another smile and a hollow chuckle. “But I guess they were too busy.”

Carrot looked away awkwardly and dug into the ground with her hoof. She felt bad for her friend, but didn’t know what to do. She looked over and noticed that Pinkie’s hair had changed. It wasn’t a huge change, but her hair was slightly less poofy than it normally was. Carrot assumed it was because she had been so stressed from the fire and from her home being burnt down.

Carrot didn’t know how the idea came into her mind and she didn’t know what insane quirk cause her to say it, but the next words that left her lips took her completely by surprise.

“Hey, if you need a place to stay, you can sleep on my couch.”

Pinkie looked up at Carrot with a surprised expression. Carrot, for her part, looked as equally surprised. Then she did it again.

“Also, if you want, you can stop by my house sometime and I can help you bake something.”

Carrot Top bit down on her tongue to prevent any more promises escaping. She had no idea where any of that came from. Perhaps all the crazy was rubbing off on her.

All of a sudden Pinkie exploded upwards, causing Carrot Top to step back in shock. When she landed her hair was a mass of tangled curls and she wore a big grin.

“All back to normal!” She told her friend. “I’d love to, Carrot, thank you so much!”

Carrot Top was enveloped in a back-breaking bear hug as pinkie continued.

“I’m already going to be staying at a friend’s house, but I’ll come by this Thursday and we can spend the wole day baking! It’ll be super fun, and we can catch up on all the talking we didn’t do at the party!”

“A … All day?” carrot Top stammered.

“All day!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

… and yes, I know what I got myself into is probably way over my head, but I just couldn’t help myself. I just couldn’t stand to see Pinkie so sad and depressed.

Sure she drives me crazy, but she’s still my friend. And it just feels unnatural for her to not be smiling. If I hadn’t done that then the universe would probably have fallen out of line and something crazy might have happened. Either way, I’m in for it now.

Afterwards she tried to lead me over to her friends, but I told her I was too tired and went home. I’ve been here since. Now that this day is done I think I’ll go ahead and take my rest. Celestia knows that I deserve it.

-Carrot Top

(I’ve really got to figure out why I’m signing these.)