“What are you?” asks Tempest, dumbstruck from seeing Pinkie Pie's brief levitation.

Pinkie Pie smiles. “I am who I am.” She hops out of the ball pit and bobs her head towards the line of arcade games. “Come on, let's do something else. The pit was a bust.”

Tempest climbs out of the ball pit, saying: “Maybe if you read the rules you wouldn't be disappointed.”

“I know all the rules. I just have my moments where I chose to ignore them. Kinda like physics!”

Tempest really wants to say something, but chooses not to. Mostly because she has no idea what to say about it. She did see this mare stop herself in mid-flight and keep herself floating for a few seconds, which brings Tempest into buying more into Pinkie's claim at the Waffle Palace.

Is Pinkie still a little sick in the head? Tempest knows she is, but who would be sane if they can bend reality at their own will and see other dimensions? That kind of stress is sure to have consequences. Though, thinking about how energetic the mare is brings Tempest to wondering what would happen if she gave Pinkie Pie espresso. That should be fun to see. And would definitely require popcorn.

“Come on, slowpoke! Fun awaits!” hollers Pinkie Pie.

Tempest picks up her pace, putting her light trudge to a trot. The two exit the Foal Zone and with Pinkie Pie taking the lead she heads straight towards the Dance-Mania section.

“You like dancing, right?” asks Pinkie Pie.

“Well,” begins Tempest.

“Of course you do! I saw you dance. You know your moves.”

“That is because I had this thing called 'fun' from time to time. And it surprisingly involved dancing every now and then.”

“Sweet! But have you ever played Dance-Mania?”

Tempest looks at the towering machine the two stopped in front of, and without moving from her spot she eyeballs the crank, the large screens and the pads of arrows connected to them. When her inspection is done she shakes her head.

“This game is not familiar,” says Tempest.

“That's okay, it is easy to learn,” says Pinkie Pie. “It is easy and can work up a sweat and really give your cardiovascular system a challenge. Basically, if you are not sweating or winded by the end you are either super duper healthy or doing this completely wrong.”

“Do we get prizes if we win?”

“Uh... Does an opportunity to form a greater bond between two friends count as a prize?”

“...I guess so.”

“Then yes. Take your boots off and hop on the pad.”

Tempest reluctantly removes her metal boots and carefully places them next to the arrow pad so if she has to, all she has to do is jump in them. She does feel uncomfortable feeling the cold carpet on her hoofs and equally so when she steps on the pad in the middle of the arrows, each facing a different direction. When she is on the pad, Pinkie Pie instructs her to slip a token into the slot, which she does without question, and after Pinkie Pie puts her token in the machine clicks twice and both screens flicker to life. On both screens are the young mares and stallions in sailor uniforms and suits.

“Welcome to Dance-Mania! Pick your game and test your moves!” says a bubbly mare with awful lip syncing.

Pinkie Pie goes to the crank and gives it a good spin. As it spins, a selection of songs spin across the screen in a blur, and Pinkie Pie hops on her pad and shakes her muscles loose.

“All you really have to do is step on the arrows shown on the screen,” says Pinkie Pie. “The more arrows you hit correctly the more points you get. The one with the most points wins!”

“Song selected!” says a stallion who may or may not be voiced by a female.

“That doesn't sound too hard,” says Tempest.

Some seconds later, a beautiful voice with a dance club melody flows from the speakers

“I hear your voice
When you're far from me.
I feel your touch when I dream.
Forgive me my weakness
But without you it's hard to survive~”

With those lyrics come a steady stream of arrows and streams that the two mares keep up with easily. Well, easily for Pinkie Pie since she is tapping each arrow about as easily as a lung collects air. Tempest, however, is clearly new, but is not being overwhelmed by the trickle of arrows.

Down-Left-Up-Left-Left-Down-Right-Up-Left-Left-Down-Up-Left-Right-Right

“Huh. Neat. I like this song,” says Pinkie Pie,.

“What a coincidence,” says Tempest dryly.

Pinkie Pie looks at Tempest and smiles, her hoof tapping each glowing arrow with ease. “Brace yourself, Tempest. Arrows are coming.”

“This is going to be easy,” says Tempest, her hoofs also tapping the glowing pads with minimal difficulty. Then she sees it. A long stream of closely packed arrows and streams, and with drooped ears she says: “Oh.”

And like a bull hitting her pride, the arrows come in hard and fast and the music picks up speed.

“'Cause every time we touch
I get this feeling
And every time we kiss
I take to the sky!
Can't you hear my heart beat fast?
I want this to last
I want you by my side!”

Tempest tries to keep up with the onslaught of arrows and streams, and her ears and cheeks flush dark purple fueled by embarrassment, and sweat builds up underneath her armor and suit as the arrows flash red with a merciless wave of red Xs. All while Pinkie Pie is getting green after green and sparkly “Good job!” and “Awesome!” messages to go with the points racking up on her scoreboard.

Down-Left-Up-Up-Left-Down-Down-Left-Up-Up-Left-Right-Right-Down-Right-Down-Up-Down

The ridiculousness of the situation has Tempest beyond embarrassed. She has faced soldiers, monsters and demons, braved hostile terrains and storms, lived off of her wits, survived being mauled by a bear, and conquered nations and tribes. How can she be losing to a dance game!?

Right-Down-Up-Left-Down-Down-Left-Up-Up-Right-Down-Down-Up-Left

Tempest's hoofs are tangling around each other as she tries in vain to match her steps with the arrows rapidly scrolling up the screen. But in a matter of seconds her balance is gone like dust in the wind, and that bubbly, techno singing mare behind all those arrows is only serving to infuriate Tempest. Her and her stupid, scar free face, perfect horn and beautiful singing voice all packaged inside a pretty little body. It is not fair! She really wants to zap something and those evil arrows are not helping her mood.

Left-Up-Right-Down-Up-Up-Right-Down-Down-Up-Down-Left-Up-Down-Up-Left

After missing all but three arrows, Tempest reverts to just spinning in circles on the pad, her hoof smashing every arrow she can touch, regardless if they are glowing or not. After all, if she cannot beat the game, she will surely glitch it into submission!

Very quickly her spinning puts her vision in a blur as her body spins round-and-round-and-round, like water going into a drain. She has no idea how long she has been doing this, but by the time she stops, her world is spinning and bobbing around like an unstable top, and she staggers off the pad, having to grip the purple railing for support.

“You okay, Tempest?” asks Pinkie Pie.

Tempest waves dismissively, though she is not sure if she actually waved at Pinkie Pie since the room is still spinning with her eyes... and waffle. In fact, the nearby garbage can that is rolling along the wall is looking really enticing at the moment since she can feel her waffle climbing out of her stomach.

“Are you sure? You're looking a little green,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Oh, yeah. I'm fine,” slurs Tempest. She points at the garbage can, but since it is still moving her hoof trails it, like something awesome that her dizzy brain can't think of at the moment. But if she could think, she would have a cool analogy. “I just need to go to that garbage can riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhht.... there.”

And then Tempest falls over.

She does not stay on the cold floor long. For Pinkie Pie leaps over the railing and carefully slips her hoofs underneath Tempest to hoist her into the sitting position. The unicorn wobbles for a moment, but Pinkie Pie holds her sides until she stops wobbling. Then the pink pony steps back, eyeballing Tempest and the green tint on her face for a few seconds before she bolts away, only to return seconds later with the garbage can -minus its lid- and places it next to her.

“I'll hold your mane,” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest smiles and grips the dark plastic. “Thanks.”

And she proceeds to dunk her head inside and relinquish her waffle and the apples she had prior to going out.

Several minutes later, Pinkie Pie and Tempest are sitting on the carpet, watching Chaos String slap an “Out of Order” sign on Dance-Mania as an endless blurry flood of arrows goes up Tempest's screen, despite the song being over and the scores being up. Pinkie Pie has a perfect score, but Tempest's score managed to reach below negative nine thousand.

“I really don't know how that happened,” says Pinkie Pie innocently. “We were just dancing, and it went haywire for no reason.”

“This usually happens when a sore loser decides to hit as many arrows in as short amount of time as possible, but it will be fine after a few hours,” says Chaos String.

Tempest's fur bristles, but refrains from growling, and Chaos String unplugs the game, plunging the screen into a dark state.

“Good thing we have three more of these,” he says. “Have a good night.”

“Don't you mean good morning?” teases Pinkie Pie.

“Whatever.”

And Chaos String says nothing more, leaving the two mares alone to watch him go.

“What a miserable pony,” says Tempest.

“You should meet his wife,” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest scrunches her brow, her brain now hurting on trying to figure out how he could possibly be married, but decides to shake the curiosity away and look down the arcade. Her eyes immediately fall on the arcade game with the buff stallions in fighting poses, and with a small smile she stands up and points towards it.

“Hey, Pinkie. Do you want to fight?” asks Tempest.

Twilight bangs her head on the table, wishing she was Nightmare Moon or Chrysalis so she can get away with zapping the two stinky stallions ruining her research.

“-But that is what I'm saying,” says Roll Chart, sitting in a chair next to Twilight. “Alicorns are immortal, so she is technically immortal now.”

“But if Alicorns are immortal than how come Celestia looks like Celestia?” asks Loaded Dice, taking the other chair next to Twilight. “If Celestia is immortal she would always look like a baby since nopony is born an adult. Much less a good looking adult worthy of being on a dakimakura.”

“Because Alicorn appearance is based on the energy they absorb, doofus!” says Roll Chart. “Why else do you think Celestia goes into the sky for that sun raising festival thingy? It is to absorb the power of the sun and to keep herself lustrous. She is solar based, so she is stronger during the day and weaker during the night. That is why she is surrounded by guards at night, and Twilight is... eh, where do you get your power from?”

“From science. Which I cannot do since you two are interfering,” says Twilight.

“So, Twilight gets her energy from others life force, which is why she needs lots of friends around her. The more around her the stronger she becomes,” says Roll Chart.

Twilight presses her skull between her hoofs, wanting to scream. “Where did you even get that from? That was not even close to what I said!”

“So if we become her friends will she look like a purple Celestia?” asks Loaded Dice.

The two stallions slowly look at Twilight, both rubbing their chins and humming, and for the first time in a while Twilight is praying for strength.

Pinkie Pie likes to think she is good at games. Dance-Mania being a favorite of hers because it has her favorite things: dancing, colors, music and a chance of friendly competition that leaves both sides happy (usually). Dancing games aside, she also enjoys skid ball, puzzle games, racing games and basically any game she can get her hoofs on. However, in the dark hours of the morning she has figured out something the hard way.

She is absolutely terrible at fighting games.

She is not even losing on purpose. She studied the roster that the Street Fight Club game displayed, and based on the skills and combos she settled for a red dragon named Flambe Le Flame. The dragon dressed in fiery styled armor and his special is a fire beam that is supposed to annihilate the health bar when used correctly. Only, she hasn't been able to use it correctly because Tempest -who has selected a gray pegasus surrounded by a permanent storm cloud- has always managed to avoid the attacks and decimate her with a series of electric based bucks, stomps, bites, round-house kicks, and a weird move where the character grabs Flambe Le Flame with his tail and swings him around before slamming him into the ground.

The benefit of having her digital avatar's face moping the pixel stadium floor is that Pinkie Pie can see a genuine smile from Tempest. Her companion of the night is grinning from ear to ear, hoofs mashing buttons and jerking the joystick around. It is a nice visual from the unicorn who has only three expressions, and it is some reassurance that the night is not totally wasted.

As Pinkie Pie thinks about the success of getting Tempest to smile for than five seconds, she tries to block Nefarious's latest move, but Tempest's pegasus avatar leaps over Flambe, hooks his hoof around his neck and tugs him down. And then proceeds to stomp on him with an electric storm coming out of each stomp until the dragon's health bar is completely red. Once that happens, confetti and fireworks shoot up and the pegasus grins and prances around with cheerful Celtic music playing, finishing with a bow and his wings fully expanded.

“Victory: Nefarious Storm,” says an overly dramatic narrator.

The screen then switches to the main screen of all of the characters standing dramatically in a grungy alley with sharp, red and yellow graffiti letters beneath them, spelling: Street Fight Club IX.

“That was fun,” says Tempest. She looks at Pinkie Pie, smiling wide and her stubby tail wagging. “Let's do another match!”

Pinkie Pie smiles. “Sure thing.”

Pinkie Pie slips another token in the slot with Tempest and the screen goes to the roster. Tempest quickly selects Nefarious Storm while Pinkie Pie quietly searches for another character to use to beat her companion. But if she can see Tempest smile again she won't mind losing again... that much.

“So what did it feel like sprouting wings and growing a few inches taller all of the sudden?” asks Roll Chart.

“Picture your worst growth spurt, now multiply that by ten and take that to the third power and then add four while being electrocuted,” says Twilight impatiently, her hoofs covering her eyes.

“Why four?”

“Because it was the first number that popped in my head. Now please go away so I can do my research.”

“I think she wants us to go,” says Loaded Dice.

“I'm getting that feeling, too,” says Roll Chart.

Twilight bites her tongue, but not even this can stop the smoke rising from her mane.

Tempest had no idea an arcade game could be so fun. They did not have such things when she was a filly. All she had was a ball and her imagination, which did not work out too well for her in the end, but this particular game she is playing now is fun. She has already blown through five tokens, which is five matches made of three rounds, and she has played Nefarious Storm for all of them. Originally she picked him because she liked the artwork displayed.

Those sculpted muscles underneath the gray fur, the sharp white mane and the bright white eyes with a dark cloud of blue lightning around him and that confident smile make the perfect stallion. Now if only Equestria had a stallion like that, that would be great. But no, all they have are cowards, colts and imbeciles. The closest stallion she has seen to Nefarious is Flash Sentry, and that is only because they are the same gender and species and so far he is the only one to threaten her to her face. Even if it had been a passive aggressive, spear sharpening session in the living room. But that puts him only one point above the rest, who remain either a solid one or two.

“Victory: Alejandro!” says the narrator.

Tempest blinks and sees her precious Nefarious Storm laying on the ground with a brown and black earth pony in a suit standing above him, calmly brushing himself off.

“Yes! I finally beat you!” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest blinks again and the characters reset on their respect sides of the arena, both bobbing in anticipation for the fight.

Tempest licks her lips and braces herself. She will not fail Nefarious Storm again!

“Ready... Set... FIGHT!” says the narrator.

And the two avatars leap forward with great speed and ferocity, and-

“Hey, Pinkie, you might want to check on Twilight. She's kinda mad,” says Loaded Dice.

The sudden voice breaks Tempest's concentration, and she and Pinkie Pie look at the stallion and his equally repulsive friend.

“Didn't I tell you two to buzz off?” says Tempest, her smile replaced with a scowl.

“What is Twilight doing here?” asks Pinkie Pie.

Roll Chart shrugged. “I don't know. Said something about research and had some binoculars for bird watching, but I didn't see any birds.” Then he smiles wags his brows at Tempest. “Except for this pretty dove, here.”

With an annoyed growl, Tempest narrows her eyes and aims her broken, sparking horn at Roll Chart.

“Ahem,” calls Chaos String.

The group looks at Chaos String, who is pointing at a sign on the wall that reads: NO ASSAULT SPELLS ALLOWED.

And just like that, Tempest's horn fizzles out and her jaw drops.

“Where did you come from?” says Tempest.

“My post. Where else?” says Chaos String.

He then proceeds to quietly walk by the group, and they all watch him until he disappears around the displays of an arcade section labeled Puk-Man. Once out of sight, the group exchanges looks, their vocal cords briefly paralyzed from confusion.

“So, anyway, Twilight is looking a little mad so you might want to cheer her up,” says Loaded Dice a few seconds later.

“Can this wait until after the match?” asks Tempest.

“No, Tempest,” says Pinkie Pie. “If a friend is in need, we have to drop what we are doing and help. Being there for a friend is one of the cornerstones of friendship.”

“I doubt Twilight will be going anywhere if she is spying on us.” Tempest subtly glances over her shoulder. “Where is she, anyway?”

“If you agree to be my date for CanterCon then I'll tell you,” says Roll Chart.

“I'm old enough to be your mother.”

“I have no problem with that.”

Tempest pushes herself off of the arcade and stomps her hoofs, putting her eyes on Pinkie Pie. “That's it! Pinkie, we're finding Twilight ourselves.”

A perfect cardboard replica of Pinkie Pie standing next to Tempest proceeds to fall over, and Tempest's eye twitches with only one word on her mind: 'Why?'

Twilight wants to feel relief for getting the two oversized colts away from her, but such relief cannot come since the two banes of her night went straight to Pinkie Pie and Tempest, who had been peacefully playing a violent fighting game that should not be easily accessible to the younger population.

“Oh my gosh, you freaks!” curses Twilight. She puts down her binoculars and rubs her eyes. “Why does this have to happen to me?”

“Maybe it is because spying is generally wrong,” says Pinkie Pie.

“It is not spying it is observation. One of the key components of science.”

“So, ponies are lab rats? That's kinda mean.”

Twilight sighs and drops her hoofs. “Pinkie, I know you know that I don't think of ponies as lab rats. This is strictly....”

Twilight's throat suddenly clogs, and like a balloon being inflated, her purple eyes grow and she stiffly turns to see Pinkie Pie sitting in the chair next to her, cheek in hoof and a thin, tired smile on her face.

“Hi,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Hi...” says Twilight, choking on such a simple word. “Um, please tell me you just got here and that I wasn't watching one of your clones again.”

“Relax, most of my clones are long gone. But how long have you been watching me and Fizzles?”

Twilight seethes and rubs the back of her neck. “Just a few hours. I was actually originally observing Tempest. She had a particularly bad day at the market and when I found out that she left her room I tracked her down and watched her to make sure nothing would happen to her.”

“That's nice. But you don't have to worry about her. I got this. You go on home and get some sleep. I'm sure Flash is missing you.”

“I actually have to buy him some pretzels before I go back.”

“Did you take his money again?”

“You make it sound like I do that a lot.”

Pinkie Pie's toothless smile grows, and Twilight shifts uncomfortably in her spot.

“Um, can you not look at me like that?” says Twilight.

“You really gotta learn how to balance your allowance,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Well, maybe if Celestia would pay me more I would get more experience with money!”

Then comes in a chuckle that sends shivers up Twilight's spine. Granted, Tempest has changed, but every time that mare chuckles she can only think about the time when Tempest trapped her in the magic proof cage and taunted her about her lack of friends before parading her through Occupied Canterlot. She even has nightmares about the event and having her magic stripped away, leaving her cold and weak and at the mercy of the Storm King. Some nightmares she is turned to stone. Others changed into a wooden puppet and forced to dance for him. And others are considerable darker and inappropriate for everyone.

Not even Luna's dream therapy sessions and other conventional therapy sessions have fixed this issue. However, Twilight has not had the heart to tell Tempest that she finds her chuckling unnerving and nightmarish and has permanently scarred her.

“The Princess of Friendship can't balance a bank account? How tragic,” says Tempest, her taunt eerily matching the time she had Twilight in the cage.

“My parents never taught me how to do any of that stuff,” says Twilight, her ears drooping and a lump forming in her throat.

“Let me guess, they also never told you that spying on others was bad.”

Now Twilight really wants to melt into the floor. Melt away and retreat into her bed and cry herself to sleep. Her eyes are already stinging from the tears collecting in them, and with trembling lips she looks down, rocking her binoculars back and forth with her hoof.

“I get it. I'll go so you two can do your bonding in peace,” says Twilight.

She slips the binoculars over her head and gets up to leave, but when she turns around Pinkie Pie is in front of her.

“Oh, come on, Twi. You don't have to go,” says Pinkie Pie. “We got plenty of tokens. We can split them.”

“No one's getting my tokens,” says Tempest, her hoof going over her bag.

Pinkie Pie huffs. “Fine, I'll split my tokens with you and we can play that skid ball game you like.”

Twilight shakes her head, sniffling. “No. I don't want to ruin your night any more than I already did.”

Twilight once again tries to leave, but again she is stopped. This time by Tempest.

“Hold on, Twilight. It is actually a good thing you are here,” says Tempest.

“Why?” says Twilight, glancing at Tempest.

“Because Pinkie has something she needs to tell you.”

Twilight and Tempest look at Pinkie Pie, and she is giving Tempest a very unkind glare that Twilight rarely sees from her. Usually Pinkie Pie has a smile, but the scrunched brows, set jaw and twisted muzzle is something that points to someone royally screwing up. In this case it is Tempest, but she does not appear to be affected by this. In fact, she is meeting the look with challenging stare of her own.

“Well, are you going to tell her or should I?” says Tempest.

“Tell me what?” asks Twilight, her heart getting heavier and her watery eyes trying to focus on Pinkie Pie, who has yet to look at her.

“It can wait,” says Pinkie Pie.

“No it can't,” says Tempest.

“What can't wait?” asks Twilight.

“There's nothing to talk about. Let's play some skid ball!” says Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie takes a step away from Twilight, but one hard stomp on the floor from Tempest freezes her. This motion also makes Twilight jump.

“Pinkie, don't walk away from this!” says Tempest.

“I'm not walking away from anything. I'm just putting it on hold until we all get some shut eye,” says Pinkie Pie impatiently. “But we're also a little peeved so we should unwind with some happy games before sleeping. Happy naps are better than angry naps, after all.”

“What are you two talking about?” says Twilight; panic is in her voice and her whole body shakes as her eyes dart between the two.

Pinkie Pie says nothing, and Tempest looks at Twilight.

“Pinkie thinks-”

“I kissed Flash at your wedding,” interrupts Pinkie Pie.

“You did what?” says Tempest, doing a double take.

Twilight, meanwhile, relaxes, and with a steady exhale she says calmly: “I know. I was there. I saw it, remember?”

Tempest balks at Twilight. “What!?”

“The Blessing Kiss,” says Twilight. “Friends and family kiss or nuzzle the bride or groom during the wedding day as a sign of their blessing... But Rainbow Dash misinterpreted it as Blessing Punch, so that was fun.”

Tempest rubs her face, groaning. “Oh my gosh, you Equestrians are weird.”

“Have you ever been to a wedding?” asks Twilight.

Tempest lowers her hoof, scowling. “Of course I have. In between enslaving and pillaging and hunting and putting down uprisings, crashing weddings was a hobby of mine.”

Twilight's muzzle scrunches. “What kind of messed up hobby is that?”

“A fun one. But Pinkie has something she would like to tell you, right now. And it is not about a stupid wedding!”

Tempest narrows her eyes on Pinkie Pie, and the Element looks between Tempest and Twilight.

“It was the wedding thingy, but since you already know and you and Flash are doing great there is no problem,” says Pinkie Pie. “And since nopony is in the mood for games I guess I'll go home. Good night, everypony!”

Pinkie Pie once again tries to leave, but Tempest slams her hoof down on her tail and looks at Twilight, clearly irritated if the pulsing balls of electric fire in her eyes are any indication.

“Okay since she is playing dumb I'll just say it. Pinkie Pie hasn't gotten over what you said to her on the beach and thinks you two are not really friends,” says Tempest. “She tried sleeping her depression off in the mud, but I had to drag her out and she has been spending all night trying to make me forget what she said using waffles, dance games and ball pin wrestling. But I did not forget and you two need to sort this mess out right now.”

Hearing this sucks the air right out of Twilight, and in a snap she turns her eyes to Pinkie Pie, who quickly changes her glare to a look of amused ignorance.

“Pinkie, is this true?” asks Twilight.

Pinkie Pie tugs her tail away. “True? Psh, no. Its just Tempest's imagination running wild again. You know how she is.”

She finishes with a giggle, but that fizzles out into a nervous lip bite when she realizes that one mare is unimpressed while the other is worried.

“Pinkie, be honest, is it true?” repeats Twilight, but with force and worry lacing her voice.

“It's not really true,” says Pinkie Pie.

Twilight and Tempest stare at her.

“Okay, it's a little true...”

They keep staring at her.

“It's a lotta true...”

They have yet to blink.

“It's true! It's all true! You hate me, don't you!?” accuses Pinkie Pie.

Twilight's jaw drops, and a stream of clustered incomprehensible noises floods out of her before she is able to speak properly.

“Pinkie, no! I don't hate you,” says Twilight, shaking her head and walking closer to Pinkie Pie, but her friend backpedals, keeping a good distance between them. This brings Twilight to a stop, and with her hoof held out and tears flowing down her cheeks she says: “I have never hated you and I never will. You are my closest friend. Out of all the others, you went above and beyond to make me feel welcomed in Ponyville when I first arrived, you taught me to loosen up, and you go to great lengths to make me smile. But most importantly, you stayed with me even when I didn't deserve it.”

Twilight carefully approaches Pinkie Pie, who thankfully hasn't moved, and as she does this, Tempest keeps her distance and remains quiet.

“You saw the worst of me, but you didn't abandon me,” continues Twilight. “I don't deserve you or the other girls. But I really don't deserve you. You have the light of a thousand stars, and I stupidly took it for granted. All I can do is say I'm sorry.”

“A thousand stars is not really bright when you consider how far away they are and the fact that they are probably dead or dying,” says Pinkie Pie after a brief pause.

Tempest rolls her eyes, and Twilight closes her eyes and rubs her temple.

“Pinkie, I was trying to be poetic,” says Twilight.

“Oh... Then I take that back. Excellent visual. Ten-ten. Will make Rarity drool,” says Pinkie Pie.

“You don't have to go overboard. If you didn't like it, you didn't like it.”

“I liked it just fine.”

“I don't think you did.”

“I think I did.”

“No, you didn't.”

“I know what I like, Twilight!”

Before any more words can be said, Tempest butts her way between the two Elements and nudges them apart a couple of steps.

“Okay, we're getting nowhere with this, so here's what we're going to do,” says Tempest. “I... will play the role of mother.”

“What?” Twilight and Pinkie Pie say in unison.

“Well, I'm older than both of you and you two's idea of fixing a problem has you two bickering like fillies over a Celestia doll,” says Tempest. “So somepony's gotta get this back on track.”

“Older than both of us combined, or....” Pinkie's voice is burned away with the soul scorching glare of Tempest drilling through her very skull, so she smacks her lips and steps back. “You age well.”

“Just shut up and listen,” says Tempest sharply. “Pinkie, you have got to get it through your mane that Twilight does not hate you. If she hated you, you would know. Trust me. She does not hate you. She still has all of the birthday cards and get well cards you sent her, plus all of your group photos.”

Pinkie Pie looks at Twilight. “Really?”

Twilight looks at Tempest with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. “Have you been going through my stuff!? How did you even find the time to do that!?”

“I don't sleep very well, so I like to do some exploring at night,” says Tempest. “Your security is terrible, by the way.”

“Okay, we are definitely having a talk about privacy.”

“Fine. But, Twilight, I should point out is that while you claim Pinkie is your closest friend, I do not think you noticed that she is not well in the head.”

Pinkie Pie's colors drain from her face and with her eyes widening and ears sagging she slowly backs up, eyes flicking for an easy escape.

“I think you might be overreacting. Pinkie is just Pinkie. I figured you would know that after three months,” says Twilight.

“That is just a cover she uses to keep you from probing her. Pinkie is more broken than she cares to admit.” Tempest looks at Pinkie Pie. “Right?”

Pinkie Pie stops and shakes her head, but her colors are still pale and the bags underneath her wet, blue eyes have become darker.

“No, I'm fine. There is nothing wrong with me. I'm just me being me,” says Pinkie Pie finishing with a smile, but her voice and knees are shaking. “But enough about me. Why don't we talk about you, Fizzlepop Berrytwist? Poor sleeping habits are usually caused by some kind of mental stuff messing with you.”

“I think you've deflected long enough,” says Tempest sternly, approaching Pinkie Pie and looking her right in the eyes. “How much longer will it be before you go from these 'goofy acts' to doing something irreversibly damaging?”

Pinkie Pie says nothing, and Tempest looks at Twilight critically.

“Doesn't it bother you how self destructive her behavior is?” asks Tempest, the severity of her voice bringing Twilight to recoil. “For three months I have listened to your stories and watched your friends, and she is the only one who has a habit of nearly killing herself every few weeks and obsessively seeks attention. That is not healthy behavior.”

Twilight cannot find the words to make a counter argument, and her silence brings Tempest to stomp her hoof in aggravation.

“Really? How can I be the only one who notices this?” says Tempest.

“Oh, sure, you notice something out of nothing but don't notice me defying the laws of physics every chance I get,” says Pinkie Pie.

Her mouth quickly clamps up when Tempest looks at her out of the corner of her eye, and Twilight looks down, rubbing her chin.

“Your down moments are pretty intense, now that I think about it,” says Twilight. She looks at Pinkie Pie. “And maybe Tempest is right about your behavior. Maybe we should look into it with a professional.”

“Nope! No professionals needed or wanted, ever!” says Pinkie Pie, finishing with a stomp of her hoof. “Here's a fun fact. I'm fine. I'm actually more stable than the both of you combined. I can walk into any place and leave with a new friend, and I smile more than anypony in town and I make everypony happy where ever I go, but can you or you or AJ or Rarity or Dash or Flutters or Spike or anypony do that? I think not!”

“Pinkie, just stop,” says Tempest. “Twilight is your friend, but the ponies outside of her circle only know you because you are an Element and the local party planner. Have they ever been on any adventures with you? Have they ever treated you when you were sick? Comforted you when you were down? No. They don't know you, they don't really see you. They only see an item to be used at their leisure.” Tempest waves her hoof between herself and Twilight. “But Twilight and I see you for you, not a prop.”

By this point Pinkie's mouth is sealed shut and her nostrils are flaring with heavy puffs of air leaving her. Twilight can see the tension in her friend's body, she can feel the anger in those eyes going between the two. The sharp blue eyes belong to a trapped animal, and the shaking of her body and the trembling lips are one word away from a complete breakdown.

“I get it... Double play. Ambush,” says Pinkie Pie, her voice low and heavy and a thin stream of tears slide down her cheeks. “I try to be your friend when it was really you wanting to get close to me and toy with my mind with Twilight's help by pretending you had a bad day at the market knowing that I would feel bad and not be able to pass up an opportunity to make another friend. I should've known! You both are schemers wanting to poke and prod at my brain!”

“Pinkie, calm down,” says Twilight gently. “There is no conspiracy against you. Tempest is just trying to help and I want to do the same.”

“But I don't need help! You both are trying to get into my thoughts, thinking that I am some kind of raggidy ragdoll with a messed up brain that you can fool around with whenever you want, but there's nothing to fix, nothing to manipulate, I'm fine, I'm happy and that's final! Have a good night, you two. Or good morning. Or whatever time of day it is.”

Pinkie Pie turns and storms off, and Twilight's body becomes stiff. She watches her friend go, like the cloudy day on the beach. She wants to call her, but her throat doesn't work.

'Come back,' is what Twilight wants to say when she holds her hoof out to Pinkie Pie. She wants to say it, but she cannot.

Pinkie Pie keeps walking. She is getting farther away.

Just like the beach.

Just like the cold beach.

Just like the cold beach, each step is taking her farther away from Twilight.

Twilight wants to shout Pinkie's name. She wants to. She needs to. But her voice is not working. Her hoofs will not move. Her extended front hoof quivers, her eyes follow Pinkie Pie without any action, She is a spectator of her consequences.

Pinkie Pie is getting farther away with every step. Just like the beach.

'Don't go,' is Twilight's silent plea. 'Please don't go. Not again.'

A hoof goes on Twilight's shoulder.

“Let her go,” says Tempest.

'Not again.'

Twilight's horn lights up, and in a blink she reappears right in front of Pinkie Pie. Before her fellow Element -her friend- can change course Twilight wraps her arms around her and pulls her close. Pinkie's body is stiff, and Twilight closes her eyes rests her head on the crook of her friend's neck while cupping her thick pink mane.

“You're not okay, Pinkie,” says Twilight softly. “I don't know how I didn't see it before, but everything is going to be okay. I'm here. I'm here for you, now and always. You don't have to be alone, anymore.”

Pinkie Pie reluctantly returns the hug and rests her head on Twilight's shoulder. Seconds later, the stiffness crumbles into a quiver and a whimper breaks into a sob that soaks Twilight's neck. Pinkie's legs give out and she falls to her flanks, but Twilight does not let go. She holds tight and sits with her, holding her tighter and rocking her in her hug.

“Its okay,” says Twilight.

“Don't leave me,” whimpers Pinkie Pie.

“I promise I won't. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“You still remember how it goes.”

“Of course I do.”

Pinkie Pie's tearful laugh brings her shoulders to buckle, and Twilight rubs her back, looking up at Tempest, who is now standing in front of her. Her newest student is smiling thinly, much like the moment they shared during the Friendship Festival relaunch after she made her fireworks.

“There's plenty of room, Tempest,” says Twilight.

“I'm not into hugs, but...” Tempest approaches them and pats Pinkie Pie on the head. “Good night. I'm going back to the palace.”

Pinkie Pie and Twilight pull apart to look at her, and Pinkie Pie wipes tears from her eyes using her mane.

“But Fizzles, what about all those tokens?” asks Pinkie Pie, sniffling.

Tempest looks at the bag around her neck. “I guess I can spare some time playing skid ball or some puzzle games.”

Pinkie Pie grins. “Excellent. You up for some arcade fun?”

Twilight chuckles and pats Pinkie Pie on the back with her wing.

“Of course. Just don't make me forget about Flash's pretzels,” says Twilight.

And with that, the two Elements giggle and make a speedy walk towards the skid ball row with Tempest following close behind, all three ready for a new start.

Meanwhile, outside....

The sun is rising and Owlowiscious glares at the arcade exit, feathers ruffled and talons tapping his branch impatiently as a heavy drowsy feeling weighs him down.

“Seriously?” he says in owl.

Author's Note

One of the coping mechanisms for depression/loneliness is too keep one's self busy so they do not have time to think inwardly and face their inner demons. There is also a stigma with depression and loneliness where people think it is something you can get over, when that is not the case. Being sad because of a bad day or rough chain of events is different from depression. And with loneliness (which is a symptom of depression), it makes someone feel hollow, alone and unwanted and so they do what they can to gain attention in the hopes of finding that sense of belonging, but unfortunately cannot form any connections.
What causes loneliness is all kinds of variables ranging from genetics to traumatic events or a change in environment, but for Pinkie Pie I think she feels disconnected from everyone because of her chaotic abilities, her high IQ, and the fact that she looks completely different from everyone in her family. She knows she is an outlier in her family and in general pony society, so she tries to fit in by throwing all these parties and remembering as many names and important dates as possible. But, despite doing everything she can to make others happy, she ignores the most important part of the equation.
Herself.
And I think she is scared what she will find or she already knows what is there but is hoping that ignoring it will smother it out. But her chronic loneliness is basically tied into her habits: she eats terrible, she makes poor decisions, feels threatened when someone takes time away from her friendship time (ex: Gilda and Mudbriar[?]), and altered mental state, which includes: loss of alertness, disorientation, defects in judgment or thought, unusual or strange behavior, poor regulation of emotions, and disruptions in perception (she does have a whacked perception on everything).
I might be stretching things, but it is fan fiction and a fan theory, so as far as I know I could just be projecting. Or maybe I am totally right and Pinkie Pie is the saddest pony in Twilight's circle. Who knows?