Broken

by Mark Garg von Herbalist

Rating: everyone
Tags: Tempest Shadow, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: The Movie, Slice of Life
Length: 25802

Fate has Pinkie Pie and Tempest Shadow meet at the edge of a pond. There, a new friendship is born.

Coming Apart

During a lonely night, fate has Pinkie Pie and Tempest Shadow meet at the edge of a pond. There, the former enemies begin a new friendship.

Art by TheSoleil

Published 2018-03-23 19:40:08 UTC
Last updated 2018-04-27 21:10:06 UTC

Sticks and Stones and Words That Hurt

“Well, maybe, I would've been better off without friends like you!”

Those words linger in Pinkie's mind in the dark room, like slimy moss spinning in a small body of water, breaking and regrouping, fogging up the clarity of a once clean and pleasant spot.

She knows Twilight didn't mean those words.

Or did she?

Why would she say those words unless she meant them in some way?

Pinkie Pie pulls her pillow closer to her face, her teeth biting down on the frilly edge. She tastes some vanilla frosting. Probably from that time she ate a cake on her bed on yet another night she slept alone.

Her bright blue eyes shine in the dark from more than the moonlight bleeding in when she looks at her cat clock hanging on the wall, grinning at her. Its eyes and tail shifting with ever tick and every tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Swing left- right.

Left-right.

Left-right.

There the tail swings, left and right. Tick to the tock.

There the eyes move, left and right. Tick to the tock.

Swing and swing.

“Better off without you.”

Pinkie Pie's muscles clamp up. The pillow now pressed hard into her damp face, her blue quilt hiding the quivers of her body.

“Better off without you.”

Not the full sentence, she knows, but she knows how anger works. They always keep their true feelings bottled up, secret, held away from those around them. Anger is the great revealer of true thoughts.

No!

Just a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment. No maliciousness intended. Just stress causing Twilight to say something stupid.

Something she had always wanted to say but couldn't.

Couldn't until the stress broke her cover.

Pinkie Pie looks at a picture hanging on the wall. The group is crowded around Twilight, all smiling. Pinkie remembers when that picture was taken. It was back when Twilight was a unicorn and first arrived at Ponyville. They had that grand adventure of defeating Nightmare Moon and realizing that fate had all placed them together in the town to be the future Element Bearers. After freeing Luna from Nightmare Moon they had their picture taken in the town square and sent it to Celestia.

Pinkie Pie is sure the Princess of the Sun has it framed in her room.

Unless the room was destroyed by the Storm King's storm.

That would suck.

But the more Pinkie Pie looks at the picture and the smiles the more she wonders if their friendship had always been real, or had it been fake, or just real enough to use the Elements.

Did their friendship weaken after they relinquished the Elements to the Tree of Harmony?

Did the Tree of Harmony take their Elements because it knew their friendship was fading, and the Elements would be stronger as protectors in its care than theirs?

Questions, questions, questions.

Pinkie Pie closes her eyes and curls her body and hugs her tail close to her, gripping it like a warm body she wants but can never have. Her puffy tail presses against her face, the faint scent of cherry seeping into her nose as tears dampen the dark pink fluff.

She bites her lip to keep the whimpers at bay. She is the Element of Laughter, after all, no one can see her miserable.

Keep it down.

Keep it hidden.

Just like what Twilight had thought of her since the beginning.

“I'm better off without you!”

She knows Twilight didn't say that exact phrase.

She knows.

But she knows that is what Twilight meant.

Why else would she say those words if she didn't mean it?

Pinkie Pie opens her eyes again. Blood red cracks ruin her blue eyes, tears have puffed up her eyes, and despite her best efforts a sniffle breaches the dark.

Her eyes flick in the dark. From the clock, to the photo, to the desk where stacks of papers and envelopes sit next to a pen set and a wax stamp kit. She looks back at the picture.

So many smiles.

How fake are they?

Were they ever really truly friends?

Pinkie Pie climbs out of her bed, her quilt getting stuck on her and getting dragged to the floor. She doesn't care, though.

Pinkie Pie looks at the picture, using only the moonlight to help her see. The smiles seem real to her. But then again she thought Twilight was a real friend.

“I'm better off without you!”

Pinkie Pie looks down. Her hoofs tremble, tears run down her face and shatter on the floor like glass ornaments.

Wiping her eyes, Pinkie Pie exits her room, but before she does she carefully opens her door, cringing as the hinges squeak. She peeks down the hall and sees or hears not a soul. All she sees is darkness. She looks down the other way and sees a faint light illuminating the stairs, and she quietly closes her door and leaves the Sugar Cube Corner.

The night is pleasant. The air is not too cold, not too warm, it is comfortable. The sky is mostly cloudless. A few strands of dark purple linger on the night sky, partially blocking the full moon and display of stars.

Every building is dark and locked up.

The only light is from the orange glows of the street lamps, the white light of the full moon and the countless glowing dots of the stars.

Pinkie Pie has no idea how long she has been walking. She remembers walking through the town, directionless, purposefully avoiding Twilight's Castle, and passing over an arching bridge over a stream. Eventually she finds herself at the edge of the town's pond, her hoof digging into the dirt. Twigs and mud stain her pink fur, and water gently pushes against her, only to retreat a second or two later. But she doesn't hear the gentle water.

No, she hears Twilight telling her how much she regrets having her around.

All those adventures, all that time together, all those silly slice of life days, it all adds up to regret.

Pinkie Pie flops to her side, careless about the water brushing her face and staining her tongue with the taste of dirt and filling her ear with mud. Her mane is pulled to the water like seaweed in a current, her body, now coated in sprinkles of brown, lays still. Her bloodshot eyes stare straight ahead at the dark silhouette of the surrounding trees. She has a feeling someone is watching her.

Let them watch. She doesn't care.

She takes a deep breathe, closes her eyes, and remains still.

There she lays, motionless, mind blank, wanting nothing more than to just stay there without any phonies or pain. She wants nothing more than to feel nothing. But she does not get her wish. What she gets is someone poking her ribs.

She ignores it at first, but the poking persists and her ear flicks on its own in response.

“Hey, you okay?” asks a familiar voice. A mare.

“Not yet,” mumbles Pinkie Pie, not wanting to put the effort into figuring out who she is hearing.

The hoof pokes her again. It feels harder than a normal hoof. Almost like metal.

“You really need to get out of the water. You're going to get sick,” says the mare.

“Fine by me,” says Pinkie Pie.

The mare huffs, and next thing Pinkie Pie knows there is a tug on her tail and her whole body is dragged away from the pond. Her tail hurts from this, and her mane drags against the dirt, carrying with it the twigs, mud and grass that the water pushed into her. She keeps still, though, and when the mare is finished dragging her she spits out the tail and sits in front of Pinkie Pie.

“Are you going to open up your eyes?” asks the mare.

Pinkie Pie cracks an eye open. “Hi, Fizzles.” She closes her eye again. “You're out late.”

“I couldn't sleep. And don't call me that,” says Tempest Shadow.

Pinkie Pie opens both of her eyes this time to look at Tempest, which leads to her seeing the taller unicorn is wearing the Storm King armor and is properly groomed like when they first met at the Festival she crashed those many weeks ago.

“But Fizzlepop Berrytwist is an awesome name,” says Pinkie Pie. “And you should ditch the armor. The war is over.”

Tempest shakes her head. “This armor is not going anywhere. You might as well ask me to remove my skin if you want me to get rid of my armor.”

Pinkie Pie grunts. “Nice visual. Good night.”

Pinkie Pie closes her eyes and deflates on the cold dirt again, and Tempest snorts, her ears folding back and lips dipping.

“Really?” says Tempest.

“I'm tired,” says Pinkie Pie.

“So am I. But you don't see me sleeping in the mud. You're going to get sick.”

“You already said that.”

“And I will say it again until you get it. What is wrong with you, anyway? You're supposed to be the happy one.”

“I realized that Twilight is not my friend and my hippocampus doesn't really have a lot of serotonin receptors to begin with so I am not producing enough neurotransmitters to make happy thoughts to counter the sadness. So, I'm just going to lay here until I'm happy again.”

Tempest blinks, her eyes wide and all thoughts fizzled away.

“Oh... Okay,” says Tempest. After some seconds she takes a deep breath and lifts up her hoof, squinting her eyes at some words inked on her exposed orchid fur. “Do... you... want to... talk about it?”

Pinkie Pie lifts her head up, eyebrow arched. “Did you write questions on your hoof?”

“Friendship questions. Twilight's assignment. So... do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

“Why you think Twilight is not your friend, obviously.”

“No.”

“Okay. Have a good night.”

And with that, Tempest gets up and starts walking away, and at first Pinkie Pie's jaw drops and her baggy eyes widen as she watches the former lieutenant of a warlord walk away, but a couple of seconds later something clicks in her mind. Like a perfect puzzle piece without all the turning. It is with this click that her mouth seals to a thin smile and her eyes relax, and she pushes herself into the sitting position, clearing her throat.

“Oh, Fizzles~” calls Pinkie Pie.

Tempest stops and sighs. “I told you not to call me that.”

“Shouldn't've told me your real name, then. But if you are trying to make friends then you don't leave a sad pony like me alone when they say they want to be alone. It is like doublespeak. Say one thing but mean another.”

Tempest turns around, frowning. “So, do you want to talk about your issue with Twilight?”

Keeping her smile, Pinkie says: “No.”

“Is that actually a yes?”

“Maybe.”

“So... yes, then?”

“No.”

Tempest throws her head back, groaning. “This is getting annoying very fast.”

“That's okay. I just want to be alone, anyway.”

Tempest rubs her hoof across her face. “As in genuinely alone or want company alone?”

“Do you think I really want to be alone, or do you think I want company? Use your best judgment, Fizzles.”

Tempest Shadow snorts.

“...Tempest...”

“Honestly, I am very tempted to leave you alone to get sick in the mud since you are being a pain in the flank,” says Tempest.

Pinkie Pie's smile fades. “Wow... harsh.”

“One last try. Be straightforward or I will leave you here. Do you want to talk about your problem, yes or no?”

Pinkie Pie sighs, tilts her head and uses her hindhoof to scratch out the flakes of mud that collected in her ear.

“Fine. You win,” says Pinkie Pie. “Remember when you captured Twilight at the shore outside the hippogriff kingdom?”

Tempest nods.

“Well, before you captured her, me and Twilight got into an argument and she said 'Well, maybe, I would've been better off without friends like you' and it hurt like a stab in the heart with a pickax, and she apologized and all that and I accepted it and we hugged and were happy, but that little phrase has been stuck with me ever since she said it and I haven't been able to get rid of it like glitter on my brain, which if you have ever used glitter it is impossible to get rid of especially when it explodes all over you and you end up sparkling all day like a vampire but this sparkle is an evil sparkle that makes me wonder how long Twilight Sparkle has been my not-friend you know what I am trying to say or did I lose you?”

Tempest stares at Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie Pie stares back, and the two mares remain quiet. Only the gentle waves provide any source of noise, but after some seconds of awkward silence Tempest speaks.

“Vampires sparkle?” asks Tempest.

“Yeah,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Huh. I didn't know that.”

“But what do you think about what I said?”

“Uhhh...” Tempest looks at her hoof. “How.... does that... make you... fluff? Feel! How does that make you feel?”

Pinkie Pie shakes her head. “No, Tempest, you got it wrong. I asked you what you thought about what I said, not what your notes told you to say.”

“But I don't know what to say. I've never done this before.”

“Okay, then have a seat. I'll show you how it is done.”

“What?”

Pinkie Pie points at the plot of grass in front of her. “Have a seat.”

After some hesitation, Tempest sits in front of Pinkie Pie, having to look down on her to give her a stern look, but Pinkie Pie meets her practiced gaze with a calculating look, having to tilt her head up to do so.

“What happened to you, today?” asks Pinkie Pie.

“What?” says Tempest.

“Just answer the question.”

“I woke up, ate, and cleaned my room.”

“And what else?”

“Nothing.”

“So you decided to walk around late at night because absolutely nothing was keeping you up?”

“I just couldn't sleep.”

“Because....?”

“I... Never mind.”

Pinkie Pie's eyes narrow and she slides closer, straining her neck to get closer to Tempest's face, thus causing the unicorn to inch back slightly.

“I don't like this,” says Tempest.

“But something is on your mind so spill the beans,” says Pinkie Pie.

“It was just a few idiots in the market. Nothing to lose sleep over.”

“And yet you did! Talk to me, girl! I got ears!”

“Just some idiots at the market wanted me turned to stone and somepony threw an old tomato at my face! It was nothing to get upset about. I mean, I shouldn't because I have dealt with a whole lot worse things than a few ponies wanting me dead and a tomato thrown at me. A whole lot worse, and yet.... Yet... I wanted to disappear. Forever. Over words and a tomato.”

Pinkie Pie nods and pats Tempest on the shoulder, but the former commander casts her head away from Pinkie Pie, scowling and tensing.

“Come on, let it out,” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest shakes her head.

“You already let out a little bit, so what's the harm in opening up the rest of the way?” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest shakes her head again. “I just don't want to talk about it, anymore. It was words and a tomato, and Twilight already talked to the crowd, so everything is fine.”

“Wait, earlier you said it was a couple of jerks and a tomato, and now it is a crowd and a tomato?”

“It doesn't matter. What happened happened. I can't change what somepony thinks about me, anyway, so I don't want to dwell on it anymore. I just... want to forget about it.”

“But it does matter, Tempest! I can tell that you don't like anything about yourself, not even your own name, and that crowd and tomato didn't help! I can help you like yourself. Let me be your friend and I Pinkie Promise that I will be the bestest friend you ever had!”

A smile flickers on Tempest's lips. “Thanks, but Twilight already made that pledge. Tomorrow we're going to go to Rarity's so she can change my image to something more positive and not as, eh, intimidating.”

Pinkie Pie stands up, nodding and circling Tempest, and the unicorn tries to follow her without actually standing up, turning her head this way and that.

“Yeah, I can see why she wants to take you to Rarity. You really need to let your mane down a bit,” says Pinkie Pie.

She ruffles Tempest's mane, bringing to hang limply down around her forehead, and while Tempest tries to push her mane back in its original warrior mohawk style, frowning along the way, Pinkie Pie places her hoofs on her shoulders and starts rubbing them, despite the metal plates covering them. The useless massage still petrifies Tempest, though, and with her muscles locked in place like a statue, her eyes flick side to side, trying to see what else Pinkie Pie is doing.

“Loosen up those muscles, too,” says Pinkie Pie. “Being so stiff is bad for the back and heart and leaves a permanent frowny face. Smiling a lot will bring you lots of friends!” She then slips around and sits in front of Temest, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “I betcha you'd look great with a braid, now that I think about it.”

Tempest cheeks flush. “Uh... no. No braids.”

“Ponytail? Dashie looks great with a ponytail!”

“My mane isn't long enough for a ponytail.”

“AHA! So you do want a ponytail!”

“What? No! I... Pinkie, I don't want this. I don't want to be loose, I don't want braids or ponytails, I don't want lots of friends, I just want somepony reliable for once. I want somepony who won't use me, who won't lie to me. I want somepony who will never leave me! I want the friendship you and Twilight have!”

With those words Pinkie's smile fades, and her shoulders sulk.

“Right... Our friendship... We got it good,” says Pinkie Pie doubtfully, her eyes looking at the dirt.

Some seconds of silence pass, and Tempest sighs and puts her hoof on Pinkie's shoulder, bringing the Element to barely lift her eyes to her.

“Look, I know you and Twilight hit a rough spot when I was going after you, but you launched yourself from a cannon in the middle of a storm to save her whereas my friends abandoned me when I got mauled by a bear,” says Tempest. “I think that speaks volumes about your friendship.”

“But she said she was be better off without me,” says Pinkie Pie, hot tears swelling with the pressure in her throat. “I wanted to believe that our apologies and hugging and the celebration made things up, but the words are still there... I don't think she ever liked me.”

“I don't think that's right. I barely know her, but so far the only pony I have seen her actually hate is Pixie, and that's because she has a habit of stealing her soap and bending her silverware.”

“You mean Trixie, and trust me, their issues run deeper than soap and silverware. But that's a story for another time.”

Tempest rolls her eyes. “Whatever. The point I'm making is that you might be overreacting, but you still have to tell Twilight. She is always asking me what is on my mind, and I don't think I have any special privileges.”

“Tell Twilight that I don't think we're friends and watch her get mad at me again? Not a good idea. She's scary when she's mad.”

“What about that letting it out advice?”

“This is different! This is opening up old wounds that are trying to heal.”

“Only those wounds are not healing. It is infected and festering and unless you get it fixed that infection will rot away at the wound and next thing you know you are too sick to move and you are covered in rashes and pus bubbles with the wound covered in a weird green muck and you're puking every hour and dehydrated and wanting to die because the pain is too much!”

By the time Tempest is done, her eyes are wide, wet and terrified, her hoofs are on Pinkie's shoulder and she is panting heavily with drooped ears. And Pinkie Pie can only stare back at her, lips sealed and eyes wide as well.

“Okay~” says Pinkie Pie slowly. “Maybe talking to Twilight is a great idea.”

Tempest releases Pinkie Pie and looks down, shamefaced. “Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just remembered an unpleasant moment in my life.”

“Oh no, you're fine!” claims Pinkie Pie, waving dismissively and faking a light chuckle. “Don't worry about it... But it is a bit late and I'm sure Twilight is sleeping.”

“She is,” says Tempest.

Pinkie Pie stares at her.

“She snores,” adds Tempest. “Her and Flash, actually.”

Pinkie Pie keeps staring.

“Can you stop looking at me like that?”

“Do you want to grab waffles?” blurts Pinkie Pie.

“... Sure. But we're going to talk to Twilight first thing in the morning, got it?”

“Deal!” Pinkie Pie hops up and bounces past Tempest. “You're in for a treat. Waffle Palace is always open and they have the best waffles ever!”

With a thin smile, Tempest wipes her eyes and walks after Pinkie, listening to the unnatural BOINGS that come from her bouncing, keeping silent as the Element of Laughter goes on a happy tangent about chocolate-peanut butter waffles and orange juice.

But little do they know, hiding in a distant tree is an owl belonging to a certain baggy eyed, purple alicorn. Said owl is sitting next to this particular alicorn, who is wearing a safari hat and night vision goggles and scribbling notes on a pad using her mouth to hold her pen and her hoof to hold the pad lest she wants to give away her position with her magic. Twilight Sparkle had not heard much of what the pair said, but after trailing Tempest with extreme caution and witnessing her interact with Pinkie Pie she is pleased to see her newest student opening up to her friends. Though, she is curious as to why Pinkie Pie was laying in the mud to begin with, but that is a question for another time.

“You ready to go home?” asks Twilight to Owlowiscious.

Owlowiscious hoots.

Twilight grins. “Thought so.”

And with that, she leaps out of the tree and flies off into the night sky for another long night of stalking in the name of friendship.

Author's Note

"Friendship and flowers and ponies... bleh!"

Too Late

“Relax, Tempest. We're just going to the market,” says Twilight.

“I am relaxed,” says Tempest stiffly.

“Then why are you wearing your armor?”

Tempest inspects herself. Her obsidian armor shines in the light from the polish despite the collection of dents and scratches, but at least not a grain of dirt can be found on the plates or her jumpsuit. With her armor and underclothes as clean as they can be, she looks back at Twilight, brows bent slightly.

“What's wrong with my armor?” asks Tempest.

“Well, it's just...” Twilight rolls her hoof like a crank generating brain power. “We need to give you a good impression and going into the market wearing battle armor gives the wrong idea.”

“The armor stays.”

“Oh, come on, Tempest, nothing's going to happen. You're in Ponyville! The nicest town in Equestria! And I will be right next to you the whole time so nothing will happen to you.”

Tempest stares at Twilight, her eyes heavy and lips hooked to a frown, and Twilight looks back at her with that large smile and sparkles in her eyes. Tempest really wants to reject her suggestion.

She really, really wants to.

But despite the heaviness suffocating her, she nods and reluctantly trudges back to her room to remove her armor.

Tempest can still feel the tomato on her cheek, even though she washed it off hours ago, and she can still hear the voices chanting for her to be turned to stone.

“Why didn't you let her shatter with the Storm King!?”

Tempest did not wait to hear what Twilight had to say after that question was shouted. She fled the market in a hurry and used the backroads to sneak her way back into Twilight's Castle, where she spent the rest of the day in her room. In her armor. Not crying.

Nope. No crying from her.

Just the darkness and her ignoring the knocks and Twilight's begs to let her in. Solitude felt good for those hours. No good deeds ignored. No bad deeds remembered. Just her, her armor, and no chance of further pain for the night.

Well, that is until she got restless and annoyed from hearing Twilight and Flash snoring in the neighboring room after the lovebirds went to sleep. Now, here she is, in a brightly lit diner looking at a waffle, waiting for Pinkie Pie to get out of the bathroom, and unable to keep her thoughts straight for five minutes.

As Tempest stares at her waffle she realizes that the scoop of butter looks like ice cream. Vanilla ice cream to be exact. She actually wonders what vanilla ice cream tastes like. She thinks she had it before as a filly before being mauled by the Ursa, but she can't be sure.

Just like she can't be sure if the occupants at the Waffle Palace will lunge at her.

Tempest scans the area, wanting to rub the cheek that was struck by the tomato. She can still feel the tomato juice and seeds slithering down her cheek, like a slimy snake reminding her how unforgiven she is.

Tempest looks left.

The cooks working the dirty grill quietly make their orders, but occasionally look at her from over their shoulders. One of the chefs, a unicorn, shows off his magic by working multiple positions with ghostly clouds flipping waffles and guiding spatulas. Tempest cannot shake the feeling that he is doing his fancy magic just to spite her, but rather than making a scene she looks straight ahead at a group of burly stallions and mares. They are all dirty and wearing heavy plaid shirts plus safety pads with goggles resting on top of their heads, and they are all sitting together at the far table, each with a coffee and a the remnants of hearty meal.

All of them are staring at her. Not at once, though.

Like gears in a cog they talk and talk, and one by one their eyes turn to her then back to themselves and they talk some more.

Talk and talk.

Eyes to her. Eyes away from her.

Talk and talk.

Eyes to her. Eyes away from her.

Talk and talk.

Tempest plants her hoofs on her table. Her waffle is getting cold.

Why do they keep looking at her?

Eyes to her. Eyes away from her.

Tempest's heart gets heavier. Her throat is clogging. Her muscles are tightening.

Why are they looking at her?

The group gets up. Metal chairs scrape against the tile, one by one, like blades rubbing on whetstone. The group starts walking towards Tempest and with narrowed eyes she sets her jaw and prepares for the inevitable. But there is not enough room for her to move without wrecking the place. She needs space.

The plate vibrates.

'Don't shake,' she orders herself. She has faced worse enemies than a bunch of lumberjacks and she is wearing armor, so why is she shaking?

She needs to stop shaking. Her armor will keep her safe. It has always kept her safe. Even when she thought she would perish in the Storm King's storm it kept her safe. Without the grip of her boots she surely would have slipped and been tossed to her death before Twilight could reach her.

The group is much closer now.

Tempest grinds her teeth to stop herself from shaking and she narrows her eyes at them, waiting for the fight.

But the fight never comes.

The group suddenly turns to the counter and with bright smiles they each give a young mare some bits and wish her a good night.

“Tips are on the table!” says the lead stallion.

“Thank you! Have a good night!” says the mare.

The group leaves without giving Tempest another look, and the damaged unicorn sighs with relief and slumps in her seat. She then looks over her shoulder at the door to the bathrooms, and then back at her waffle. The white scoop of butter has changed to an odd yellow color and has bled into the squares and crevices. It is disappointing to see the butter melt away. She is not sure why, but it just is, and as she stares at the soggy core of the waffle a new thought comes to her.

“Where the heck is Pinkie?”

After several minutes of using her hoof and hot running water to clean herself, Pinkie Pie lifts her head up from a hoof washing pool, shuddering and biting her lip. Her head is drenched, and thick streams of steaming water fall off of her mane and face. Her mane hangs down like clumps of old rope and she shakes her head, flinging brown spots all over the bathroom while the water drains, taking with it the brown haze and clumps of dead grass.

She looks at herself in a nearby mirror. Her eyes are still red and puffy, but not as severe as earlier, and her wet mane is hanging around her face in such a way that it would give Rarity nightmares. This tempts Pinkie into taking a picture of herself and slipping the photo underneath the generous mare's door. But, alas, she has no camera, so she bites down on her hoof and blows into it like a balloon, thus expelling all the remaining water from her mane and puffing it up like the cotton candy style she likes. Though, looking at mess she made with with speckles of water, dirt and grassy flakes splattered all over the wall she realizes she made a horrible error...

And proceeds to leave slowly.

Backwards.

Tempest Shadow stares at her cold waffle.

She wants to eat it... but Pinkie Pie isn't around and she hasn't ordered anything yet, and Tempest distinctly remembers Twilight telling her that it is rude to eat before your friend gets their food.

Tempest has to remind herself that Pinkie Pie is not her friend, none of Twilight's friends are her friends, actually, but she figures that the same rule applies.

Sighing, Tempest looks up and sees Pinkie Pie reading the menu, clean and mane puffed out like it normally is. The sudden appearance and how quietly she slipped in startles her, and without looking up from her menu, Pinkie Pie says: “If your eyes open any wider they're gonna fall out.”

“How did you do that?” asks Tempest.

“Do what?” asks Pinkie Pie innocently.

“Slip in without me seeing or hearing you.”

“I'm a quiet mare.”

Tempest furrows her brows. “No you are not.”

Pinkie Pie nods past Tempest's shoulder. “Then what's that?”

Confused, Tempest looks. “What?” Then she realizes what happened, and with a huff she looks back at Pinkie Pie. “Oh, ha... Ha?”

Pinkie Pie's chair is empty and Tempest's eyes flick around the general area, and even looks underneath the table, but there is no sign of the Element anywhere. When Tempest straightens herself in her seat, she gets an uncomfortable feeling along her spine and slowly looks to her side to see Pinkie Pie sitting next to her, still reading the menu.

“Silly me. I guess I was just being not quiet,” says Pinkie Pie.

“GAH! WHAT THE BUCK!?” screams Tempest.

“Language, Tempest. There could be children reading.”

Pinkie Pie looks straight ahead and with a smile she winks as though a camera is in front of them. Seeing this,Tempest looks between Pinkie Pie and their reflection on the glass door, becoming just a bit more disturbed by the peculiar pony.

“Uh, should I know something about you?” asks Tempest.

“I can see into different parallel universes every now and then. Twilight already knows, but she just doesn't like to admit it because she is in denial,” replies Pinkie Pie. “By the way, you should really try the hashbrown bowl. That is bardzo dobrze.”

Tempest quietly tells herself to pretend to believe Pinkie Pie's parallel universe claim and to just roll with it. Besides, she has dealt with insane subjects before, and Pinkie seems harmless compared to them. Weird, but harmless.

“Oh, that's right, you already ordered the waffle that you have yet to eat,” adds Pinkie Pie.

“I was waiting for you,” says Tempest sharply. “But you were being a typical mare and taking forever to use the bathroom.”

“I was covered in mud! Besides, you could have waited to order.”

“You said you would be a minute. That is sixty seconds, not eight hundred and twelve.”

“... You counted?”

“Of course I counted! Time is everything, and any longer and I would have gone in there myself to see if you were alright.”

Pinkie Pie's confused look flickers away to a smile and with a light sigh she places her hoof on Tempest's shoulder, looking right into her opal eyes.

“That is the nicest thing anypony has said to me in the past few days,” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest leans back, stiff as a board. “You're welcome?”

Pinkie Pie slides her hoof off of Tempest's shoulder and looks back at her menu.

“Speaking of nice things, I think I will go with the choco-PB waffle instead of the hashbrown bowl. The choco-PB waffle is the best waffle,” says Pinkie Pie, and then she pushes the cold waffle away, adding: “And you are getting another waffle.”

Tempest pulls the plate back. “That won't be necessary.”

Pinkie pushes the plate away. “But your waffle is cold.”

Tempest pulls the plate back. “It is still going to be a waffle.”

The plate is pushed back. “But it won't be a hot waffle.”

The plate is pulled back. “But it will still be a waffle.”

Pinkie Pie tries to push the plate away, but Tempest slams her hoof down on Pinkie's, locking it in place and snorting hot air.

“The waffle stays,” snarls Tempest.

Pinkie Pie slips her hoof out -somehow- and slides back, hoof held up defensively and shaking her head.

“Okay. Okay. Have it your way,” says Pinkie Pie.

“I will,” says Tempest, and for good measure she bites down on the cool delicacy, tilts her head back and in a series of quick bites the waffle disappears into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks like a chipmunk. Then bit by bit it is swallowed into oblivion. When the waffle is completely gone, she exhales and looks at Pinkie Pie, smirking. “There... What?”

Pinkie Pie stares at Tempest, eyes squinted and lips twisted to a sneer.

“What did I just see?” asks Pinkie Pie.

In a bush across the street, Twilight's jaw hangs loose, her eyes wide behind her binoculars, which she had switched to so she did not burn her eyes out with the night vision goggles again. She slowly lowers her binoculars and watches Pinkie Pie and Tempest in the Waffle Palace, but without the brain capacity to formulate anything useful.

“What did I just see?” asks Twilight.

Owlowiscious hoots.

“Hic!” Tempest jerks in her seat, her eyes wide and her throat and chest hurting. Pinkie Pie and a waitress stare at her, and with her cheeks lighting up like dim red bulbs, she mutters: “Soh- Hic!- Ry.”

“Choco-PB waffle with lots of butter, a cup of OJ and two large glasses of water, please,” says Pinkie Pie.

The waitress scribbles on her pad using her magic to guide her pen.

“Hic!”

“Would you like some peanut butter or sugar, ma'am?” asks the waitress to Tempest, holding back a smile.

“No, I -Hic- would not!” says Tempest harshly. “Hic!”

The waitress shrugs and leaves and Tempest glares at her, loathing her and her stupid horn. So perfect, so pointy, so full, so multi-functional.

“Hic! Why!?” says Tempest, her voice gravely and her throat feeling like it has been lit on fire. Even her abdomen is hurting from the sharp convulsions.

“You did inhale a waffle,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Because you were trying to steal it! Hic!” says Tempest.

“I wasn't trying to steal your waffle. I was trying to get you a better one.”

“Liar. Hic!”

Pinkie Pie frowns. “You know, I can see why you and Twilight click. You're both crazy.”

“Says you.”

“Mhm.” Pinkie Pie raises her hoof. “Ms. Waitress person! Can we get a lot of peanut butter, please!”

“Sure thing!” says the waitress.

“What are -Hic!- you doing?” asks Tempest.

“Watch and learn, young grasshopper.”

“Young grasshopper? I'm older than Flutter... Never mind.”

Several minutes of painful hiccups later, the waitress returns levitating a tray of drinks, syrup, a waffle with peanut butter and chocolate chips, and a soup bowl filled with peanut butter. The waitress levitates the syrup, waffle, orange juice and one of the glasses of water to Pinkie Pie, and then slides the bowl of peanut butter and water to Tempest.

“Get well, soon,” says the waitress.

Tempest gives the unicorn a condemning looking -unfortunately made less effective by her hiccup- before scrunching her brows at the bowl in front of her.

“Eat the peanut butter. It will make the hiccups go away,” says Pinkie Pie, casually chewing on her waffle after drowning it in syrup.

“Do you also want me to stand on my head and drink the water upside down?” asks Tempest. “Hic!”

“Can you stand on your head?”

“What do you think?”

“Well, I think if you can do somersaults and kick a ball of death thirty feet in the air with insane accuracy and take out three alicorns at once then head-standing should be easy for you.”

“Only I can't. Unicorns can't stand on their heads because we have this thing called a horn and -Hic!- in case you didn't notice a horn is -Hic!- intrusive for head stands.”

“But you don't have a horn.”

Tempest stares at Pinkie Pie, eye and lip twitching, and said pink pony is in the middle of chewing her food when she freezes and her eyes slowly expand like heated marshmallows.

“Oh,” says Pinkie Pie.

In the bush, Twilight can only see Tempest storming out of the diner, horn sparking and steps heavy. Pinkie Pie pulls out a bag of bits from her mane and hastily dumps it all on the table before bolting out the door as a pink blur, leaving the bag behind. She shouts after Tempest, but the former commander keeps walking, her scowl and wet eyes plain in the dark.

“Oh no,” says Twilight.

She expands her wings, ready to take flight, but Owlowiscious bites down on one of her remiges and tugs her wing down, causing her to look at him with worry.

“But I have to go to them,” says Twilight. “I have to figure out what happened.”

Owlowiscious shakes his head.

“But-”

Owlowiscious slaps her face with his wing and proceeds to tap her notebook with his talons when she regains brain function. And so, with a reluctant sigh, Twilight looks down the road to see Pinkie Pie has caught up with Tempest, and with both of their backs to her she uses the bare minimum magic to put her pad and pen in her shirt pocket and crawls out of the bush for another round of silent pursuit.

Tempest can hear Pinkie Pie running after her, but she does not hold any desire to look at her. She is actually proud of herself for not zapping that obnoxious pony. Maybe it is because Pinkie is Twilight's friend and she would not take too kindly to her being electrocuted. Maybe it is because she did not want to make a scene as part of her useless friendship training. Whatever the reason is, Pinkie is lucky and Tempest is finding it increasingly more difficult not to wreck something.

Sure, Twilight forgave her, but she can feel the animosity among Twilight's circle. Except for Fluttershy. She only smells fear from that pathetic mare.

She took Twilight's advice in good faith that ponies are forgiving, but ever since everyone settled down from the euphoria of liberation, she has found nothing but hostility. The guards of Canterlot always watched her, waiting for a reason to take her down. Shops would not do business with her unless Twilight was right there, and when Tempest arrived in Ponyville with Twilight by her side there was no mass welcoming committee -unless she counts Pinkie's party cannon as a welcome- and Flash has not been the “sweetheart” that she claimed him to be. Unless Twilight's idea of a sweetheart is a stallion who likes to sharpen his spear in front of their guests and talk about how he was part of the elite Expeditionary Force and hunted dragons before being transferred to Inner Equestria.

Then there is the town itself. Ponyville -the nicest town in Equestria- has shown harsher attitudes with a coldness and anxiety that could drain the sun of all its warmth; and the incident at the market had been the glaring, unignorable sign that Tempest does not belong anywhere in Equestria.

They will not have to worry about her, though. Soon, things will be back to normal for everyone.

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait! Just stop for a second! Stopstopstop!” cries Pinkie Pie, breaking Tempest's wall of thoughts.

Pinkie Pie slides in front of Tempest and presses her hoof against her armored vest, digging her hind hoofs in dirt and looking up into Tempest's eyes. Or trying to, but Tempest turns her head away every time their eyes meet.

“Can you please look at me?” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest answers by looking at the dirt road, and Pinkie Pie slumps down, whimpering and pawing at the dirt.

“I'm sorry, Tempest. Sometimes I say things without thinking,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Were you trying to be funny?” says Tempest, now glaring at Pinkie Pie.

“No! It was just a... a... I don't know! An observation!”

“An observation that everypony can see!” snaps Tempest, her horn stub ejecting curving bright blue sparks, causing Pinkie Pie to recoil. “It is so obvious that I do not have a horn and that I have a scar on my face! I don't need to be reminded of it because I see it and feel it everyday, and even when nopony points out my blatantly obvious disfigurement I can feel them looking at me and purposefully using fancy magic to show off how great their horn is. This town sucks! Equestria sucks! I was better off in the Badlands and beyond. At least there I was not seen as a freak. There they saw me for who I was, not who they wanted me to be. Have a good night. I'll be leaving on the first train out.”

Tempest butts her way past Pinkie Pie, almost knocking her to the ground, and stomps away without looking back, horn sparking and blinking to relieve her eyes of the hot tears.

“I saw you, Fizzlepop,” sniffles Pinkie Pie.

Tempest stops, and with an aggravated groan she looks over her shoulder to see Pinkie Pie still sitting, but her mane is flat and somehow her colors look darker.

“Don't call me that,” says Tempest. “Fizzelpop Berrytwist is just a hollow name. Tempest Shadow is who I became and will always be.”

Pinkie Pie sniffles and wipes her wipes as she turns to Tempest, her eyes back to being red and puffy, and her face covered in wet, gleaming streaks.

“If you want to be stuck as Tempest Shadow and not change for the better then you go right ahead,” says Pinkie Pie. “But Twilight saw a special pony, and so did I when you launched those fireworks and blew up those pinatas and danced with the others. I saw you smile... I saw the real you when you let your guard down that night and it was beautiful. It would suck for a beautiful pony like you to disappear forever.”

Tempest lowers her head and speaks quietly. “That night was special, but it was only one night and who you saw was a filly defined by a series of mistakes. Just one mistake after another. That is the real me. I am not the sweet mare trapped in some shell of regret and anger like you think I am. I am just a mare who knows it is too late to start over. My lack of horn, my scar, my armor, that is me, and they serve as reminders that I do not belong in Equestria. I belong out there, away from normal ponies.”

Tempest then exhales slowly and proceeds to walk away from Pinkie Pie again.

“I will let Twilight know that I will be leaving on the first train out,” says Tempest. “Maybe I'll become a pirate. Or a bounty hunter. Those were always cool.”

“What about the others?” asks Pinkie Pie, galloping next to Tempest's side and continuing after she slows to match her pace. “What about Rarity? What about Applejack and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash? What about Twilight's friendship and her friendship lessons? What about me!?”

“We aren't friends.”

“But you pulled me out of the mud.”

“Because you were being dumb and sleeping in it. I didn't want you to get sick.”

“So that must mean you like me at least a little bit, right?”

Tempest rolls her eyes, not really sure why Pinkie is groveling like a filly with separation issues.

“No, it means I was trying to be nice,” says Tempest. “But you repaid me by being weird and pointing out how I don't have a horn.”

Pinkie Pie slips in front of Tempest and places her hoofs on her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks.

“Then can I take back my words? Can we start over?” begs Pinkie Pie. “Pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

“Is this an apology?” says Tempest.

Pinkie Pie nods. “I'll make you an apology cake, too, if it will make you feel better.”

“That won't be necessary.”

Tempest slips around Pinkie Pie and walks in silence, listening to the wind rustling the leafs, the bugs buzzing and Pinkie's hoofs clip-clopping as she trots next to her.

“...So, does that mean you won't be taking the train?” asks Pinkie Pie hopefully.

“No, I'm still going on the train, and you and Twilight are still going to have your chat to straighten out your issues. Nothing will change my mind about those things,” says Tempest.

“Oh... Do you need help finding the train station?”

“No.”

“Do you need help finding its schedule board?”

“No.”

“Do you need help-?”

“Pinkie!”

“Sorry.”

Tempest huffs and resumes her attempt to walk in silence and enjoy the pleasant weather. To Pinkie's credit she manages to be quiet for a pleasant thirty seconds before she opens her mouth again.

“Hey, Tempest...” says Pinkie hesitantly.

“What?” groans Tempest.

“Your hiccup's gone.”

Author's Note

So, that happened. I cannot promise more updates this quickly, since getting this out in a week-ish is very fast for me. But still expect more to come.

A Little Bit More Time

Pinkie Pie has not said anything to Tempest Shadow ever since their conversation outside Waffle Palace. The late night meal did not go as she had planned and she certainly did not expect Tempest to react the way she did after the comment of a lack of horn. That said, Pinkie Pie knew she had made a horrible error as soon as she said those words. It had been written all over Tempest's face like a glitter laced permanent marker.

The pain, the anger, the sadness, the hopelessness all rolled into one twisted expression that marked a keg ready to explode into an electric storm of rage fueled chaos.

Thankfully that did not happen, but the damage had been done and now Pinkie's mind races like a guinea pig stuck in a wheel, running and running and running without avail to reach the treat that will keep Tempest in Ponyville.

Pinkie Pie looks at Tempest. The tall unicorn is walking with conviction and an unshakable gaze set on the train station, which is one of the few buildings lit in the sleeping town.

Seeing her walk reminds Pinkie Pie of how Starlight carries herself. Much like Tempest, she is headstrong, disciplined in her talent, and ready to act. This brings the Element to wonder what would happen if she convinced Twilight to let the two unicorns spend some time together beyond awkward dinner conversations. After all, if Starlight can befriend Trixie and Maud, she surely has a chance with Tempest, and if she and Tempest become friends then Tempest will have a reason to stay!

So, in the Book of Plots that plan goes!

After she puts her newest addition into her mental book, Pinkie Pie slows down just a bit to get a better look at Tempest's flanks. She is not like Twilight or Rarity, or most unicorn's for that matter. Her build is actually more of a pegasus, who are genetically leaner and quicker than unicorns and earth ponies, and if there is one thing Pinkie Pie has noticed -besides how tall Tempest is- it is that she is quick and agile. Perhaps convincing Rainbow Dash to give Tempest a chance will lead to something between the two.

Race buddies?

Gym partners?

Wrestle partners?

Rainbow Dash likes the gym and wrestling is a thing she dabbles in every now and then with the other Wonderbolts and Applejack when they get the time. Surely Tempest wouldn't mind sparring with that rainbow ball of fluff.

They can have a great time in the ring, manifesting their paranoia and their hatred for each other in a friendly match that will in absolutely no way, shape or form escalate into an out of control, feral fight with gnashing teeth, flying feathers and ripped out chunks of fur and mane.

…

…

'Okay, maybe not.' thinks Pinkie Pie.

So Pinkie Pie reluctantly pushes out the idea of Tempest and Rainbow clicking and drifts to contemplating on whether or not she should try to convince Applejack to put Tempest to work on the farm. She does have an amazing kick and contrary to Applejack's claims, she and Big Mac cannot work their ever expanding farm by themselves. They will need help sooner or later, so why not a former military commander who took an entire city hostage in just one day? That kind of work ethic is hard to come by and should translate well to farm work.

Pinkie Pie is now behind Tempest and inspects her hind legs. Despite her lean build her hind legs do have a muscular thickness to them that is not as thick as an earth pony's, but they are definitely larger than a pegasus. Those legs should do okay for apple bucking considering that she has seen other ponies weaker than Tempest do it.

With that now pinned to her mind, Pinkie Pie makes an official mental note to ask Applejack if Tempest can work on her farm. That will also give her a reason to stay. Hopefully.

“Unless you want to fight I suggest you stop sizing me up,” says Tempest suddenly, casting Pinkie a condemning look from over her shoulder.

“Sizing you up? Why, I would never!” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest stops and turns fully to look at Pinkie Pie, brow raised. “You sure about that, Rarity?”

Pinkie Pie giggles nervously. “Well, I might have been just a little bit. But it was only because I think you would do a great job on Applejack's farm!”

“Applejack? You mean the hick that conveniently has to do something every time I'm around?”

“Hey, be nice. She's a workaholic. Getting her to relax is like trying to pull teeth.”

“That's not hard to do. You just need a pair of pliers, a table, belts, nitrous oxide and a few minutes and the tooth is out.”

Pinkie Pie stares at Tempest, eye twitching and face paling, and the unicorn resumes walking to the strain station, leaving the Element frozen in place.

“I should also mention that you would need a lot of cotton balls,” adds Tempest.

“Note to self, Tempest might like Minuette,” mumbles Pinkie Pie. She then realizes how far Tempest has walked, and with perked ears, she gallops after her. “Hey, wait up!”

Pinkie Pie quickly finds herself next to Tempest, but she has to keep her pace at a trot to keep up with the quick strides of her companion.

“So, Tempest, sis-to-sis, how often have you explored Ponyville? Have you met anypony besides the tomato jerks and Twilight's friendship circle?” asks Pinkie Pie.

“Who would I meet? Every time I go out the public retreats and the one time I go without my armor I get a tomato to my face,” says Tempest. “And that was with Twilight next to me. I imagine the ending would have been quite different if she was not there.”

“Yeah, Zecora had a similar problem. Minus the tomato and threats of violence. But now the town loves her because of her alchemy skills, so she is our resident alchemist and Apple Bloom's teacher! You just have to find your place here. Maybe a guard or a smoothie maker?”

“The only problem is that the town does not want me here and the feeling has become mutual. And a guard? Really? I assaulted your leaders and led an army into your capital. Why would anypony trust me to be a guard?”

“You just seem like the guard type.”

Tempest huffs. “Well, I'm not. I'm more qualified to be a pirate or a bounty hunter.”

“Right~ Do you at least like anypony in Twilight's circle? Like me, for example?”

Tempest's eyes flick to Pinkie Pie for a quick moment before she looks down the road again, her expression holding the stone cold appearance.

“I like Rarity,” says Tempest.

“Really?”

“Yeah. It is funny watching her freak out.”

“Oh... Not what I was expecting.”

“I also like her mane.”

“Uh huh.”

“And her smile. And her eyes. She has pretty eyes.”

Pinkie's eyes start to narrow. “Yes, she sure does.”

“I was thinking when I go to Rarity's tomorrow she can make me a red dress with a big black bow, maybe striped socks, too. I'm sure we will figure out the details when we spend some quality time together over tea and crumpets.”

Pinkie Pie's eyes are slits at this point and her head bobs up and down slowly, like a buoy in a sea of melted peanut butter.

“You must really like Rarity,” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest smirks at Pinkie Pie and then quickens her pace, leaving the Element of Laughter standing alone yet again, her tired eyes wide and lips scrunched. Aside from the confusion of what just happened, the feeling of being watched returns, which she normally would not mind, but this is the kind that leaves sharped legged spiders crawling up and down her spine. And now she cares. But discomfort aside, the realization of what happens burns away the confusion induced darkness in her sleep deprived brain and she springs forward in a gallop.

“Wait, what was that? Did you just troll me!?”

“Did you just troll me!?” echoes Pinkie's voice in the dark, sleeping street.

Twilight keeps her body low to the ground with her wings pinned to her side, and she peeks just enough around a bush with her night vision goggles to see Pinkie circling in front of Tempest. Her close friend -her closest, actually- walks backwards, trying to get Tempest to talk to her; though, from what Twilight can see in the silhouettes of various shades of green it appears that Pinkie is doing more than looking at Tempest. Her head snaps to and fro and she frequently circles Tempest like a yapping dog wanting attention while simultaneously looking for squirrels. However, Tempest keeps walking and not looking at Pinkie Pie, and she is apparently keeping quiet since the only thing Twilight can hear is the faint echoes of Pinkie's voice.

“I knew you had a sense of humor!”

“I mean, I already knew you had a sense of humor because of some of the things you say and do and it is not obvious, but nopony else sees that part of you which is probably why you are having a hard time around here,” continues Pinkie Pie, still circling Tempest while scanning the dim scenery for their stalker. “Maybe if you really loosen up and get a braid like I suggested then you will have more friends.”

“Or maybe you should just accept that I'm not compatible with Equestrian civilization,” says Tempest.

The two are now in front of the town's thatch roof train station, and the bright lights of the pair of towering lamps shine on Pinkie Pie as she stands in front of Tempest, who is partially in the dark.

“But if the whole leaving Equestria thing does not work out won't it be nice to have a place to come back to?” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest sighs, and with a quick rub of her head she says in an even tone: “All right, I'm going to lay out a couple of things in plain Equestrian. Nod if you understand.”

Pinkie Pie nods.

“Okay. First, I have been out of Equestria since before I had my cutie mark,” says Tempest. “That means Equestria is alien to me. I do not belong here. I have never belonged here. I will never belong here, and today at the market and the sixty six days prior in this town and the thirty four days in Canterlot were proof of it.”

Pinkie Pie tries to speak, but Tempest presses her hoof against her mouth, putting the taste of dirt and steel on her tongue.

“Second,” continues Tempest firmly, “I appreciate what Twilight is doing, and I appreciate what you are doing, despite you being the most obnoxious and bizarre pony I have ever met, but the both of you have failed to realize that I am not like the others. You like your parties, your socializing, your rainbow puke of colors, your bright humor and cute things. I don't like any of those things. I changed enough when I saved Twilight from the Storm King, but I will not undo who I am just to belong where I don't. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a schedule to check.”

Tempest releases Pinkie's mouth and approaches a chalk board locked behind a plane of glass, which is illuminated by a pair of small lights. Pinkie soon joins her side and studies the board, as well. Most of the trains are for Canterlot, Manehatten, Tall Tall and Trottingham, but there are a few that are for minor places, including one for San Palimino, which is at the very bottom and leaves in a week. With the power of reflection, Pinkie sees Tempest looking at this particular train and out of the corner of her eye she sees a weathered advertisement. The picture is of a 16 bit pony poking their head out of a pipe that is surrounded by food, balls, and various Xs, Ys, As, Bs and direction arrows, all holding the same design, and at the bottom, in bold letters is:

COME TO GAMELAND!
24 HOUR ARCADE!
FOOD!
GAMES!
PRIZES!
MEMORIES!
FUN FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

(Must have an adult present. Gameland is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property. Entrance fee of 10b for adults and 5b for foals 10 and under.)

Reading that, a conniving smile grows on Pinkie's muzzle, and she leans against Tempest, pressing her body against the cold armor and gazing up at her, putting on an innocent smile and batting her lashes.

“So, Fizzles~” says Pinkie Pie sweetly.

Tempest frowns. “Why do I even bother?”

“Have you ever been to an arcade?”

“No.”

Pinkie hooks her hoof around Tempest's neck, turns her away from the board and escorts her away from the station, grinning the whole time.

“Well, that is about to change!” she says.

“Really?” says Tempest dryly.

“Yep-yep-yep!” Pinkie releases Tempest and the two walk side by side, with the former glancing at the latter every now and then, who is also doing the same. “I know I goofed badly when I mentioned your lack of horn, and since you don't want an apology cake I figured I can take you to the arcade. It is open twenty four hours a day, six days a week and fifty weeks a year. You'll have fun and you will loosen up. Maybe even smile for more than five seconds!”

“Is there a wrestling ring?”

Pinkie Pie nods. “Oh, yeah. There's an area to wrestle in, to dance, to eat, to go bowling, gaming, prizes, relaxing, more gaming. Actually, scratch that dancing thing. Dancing is closed until five after noon tomorrow, but still! I'm gonna give you a nice dose of happy memories to go with you when you leave to where ever it is you are going.”

“I'm sure you know where I'm going.”

“Nope.”

“I saw you studying my reflection, Pinkie.”

“... The arcade has nachos.”

Tempest rolls her eyes. “Fascinating.”

Several minutes of walking -and inconspicuous scanning for the stalker- later, and Pinkie Pie and Tempest stand across the street from a long, rectangular building with a thatch roof and a double door set with GAMELAND painted on it. Next to it, displaying the name of the location, is a neon sign with a flickering light, and around the entrance are lights of various colors.

The two ponies stare at the door for a bit before Pinkie Pie breaks away to dig behind a bush they are in front of.

She gets down low with her tail end raised and her front hoofs rapidly fling clumps of cold dirt across the grass.

“What are you doing?” asks Tempest.

Pinkie Pie finishes removing the dirt and pretends not to taste the disgusting grain when she uses her mouth to pull out a discolored pink bag.

“I goth ahn emerghenthy arcawde fuhnd stash. Juhst in casth I need to go to thu ahrcahde or cheer ep somepohnee,” says Pinkie Pie, smiling at Tempest with the bag hanging from her mouth.

“Aren't you ever going to grow up?” says Tempest, her lips curled to a small smile.

Pinkie Pie shrugs and trots past Tempest. “Hey, I gohtta keep muh depreshun in check somehow. Besthides, I live to make eherypohnee happy. Ehlument stuff. You wouldn't undershand.”

Tempest nods slowly, following Pinkie Pie. “Oh... Wait, what?”

Pinkie Pie ignores her and approaches a window next to the entrance. It is for a small area being occupied by a brown and gray earth pony with a jumble of string as a cutie mark. He is wearing glasses and a yellow vest, as well as reading a magazine titled: Nihilist Monthly.

Though, to his credit, he does notice Pinkie Pie and Tempest after five seconds, but that is about the extent of his customer service skills.

“Back again, Pinkie?” he says, barely lowering his magazine.

Pinkie Pie spits the bag on the ledge. “You know I like seeing you, Chaos String.”

Chaos String grunts. “Twenty bits.”

Pinkie Pie pours out the money and slides it to him, and after he counts it he gives her two necklaces with 20 and 21 stamped on the cards.

“Thanks!” says Pinkie Pie.

“Whatever,” says Chaos String.

The two mares put on the necklaces, and Pinkie holds the door open for Tempest, shivering just a bit when a rush of cold air slams into them.

“Cheerful colt,” says Tempest as she enters the arcade.

“You should see him on his birthday,” says Pinkie Pie.

From the safety of a tree, Twilight watches Pinkie Pie and Tempest enter the arcade, which leaves an unwelcoming weight in her gut since the building is without windows.

No windows means no distant observations.

No distant observations means close up observations.

Close up observations means chance of discovery.

Chance of discovery means corrupted data.

Corrupted data means a night wasted!

“Why an arcade?” groans Twilight. “Why couldn't they keep walking around out in the open?”

Owlowiscious hoots and Twilight sighs.

“I know, I know, but still...”

Twilight's voice drifts off and she rubs her chin, staring at the bright entrance. The clerk looks bored with his magazine, and the more Twilight stares, the more she realizes what must be done.

“Well, I guess we have to go in. Let's go.”

Twilight approaches the window with speed and Owlowiscious flies close behind. When she reaches the clerk she smiles and taps on the window, getting his attention.

“Hi, there-” Twilight looks at the tag on his yellow vest “-Chaos String. One entrance ticket please.”

“No pets allowed,” says Chaos String.

“What?”

Chaos String points at Owlowiscious. “No pets. Company policy.”

“Oh, he won't be any trouble. He's house trained.”

“No pets.”

“But he's my assistant. Like a guide dog or anti-anxiety cat.”

“Do you have the required paperwork as proof of your claim?”

“Uh... No...”

Owlowiscious rolls his eyes and Twilight shoots him a sharp glare, but quickly turns it into a smile directed at the clerk.

“But he is still my service animal,” adds Twilight quickly.

“You do not have the required paperwork and the owl is not properly marked therefore he is a normal pet by legal standards and company policy says no pets,” says Chaos String.

“But I'm the Princess of Friendship and I have friendship work to do in here! Can't you let it slide just once?”

“No. If I let it slide once then it will slide again and again, and soon rules will not be followed in this place and the chaos will spread to the next establishment and then it will spread into the streets and there will be fires, looting, anarchy and lots of innocent ponies will get hurt. All because I let an owl in. You don't want that, do you?”

Twilight opens her mouth, hoof raised. Then her mouth snaps shut and her hoof drops a second later, and she looks at Owlowiscious apologetically.

“Can you wait for me outside, please?” asks Twilight.

Owlowiscious hoots and flies away, and Twilight puts ten bits on the counter, but before she can leave Chaos String's line of sight the clerk clears his throat.

“Oh, what now?” groans Twilight.

Chaos String points to a price board above him, and Twilight squints her eyes to where his hoof is pointing, and upon seeing what is written in fine print she glares at him.

“Alicorn privilege fee? That's discrimination!” says Twilight.

“No. Its leveling the playing field,” says Chaos String. “Plus its company policy. Pay up or no entrance.”

Twilight cranes her head back, groaning. “Fine! I will be right back!”

She then disappears in a flash of purple and-

Appears in her dark bedroom, her smoking mane and tail shifting to white and orange, and she uses her horn as a light as she rummages through her dresser. She quickly finds her purple and cutie mark stitched bit-bag hiding underneath her socks and other clothes, but much to her dismay the bag is empty. So she moves over to the next section of the dresser and goes through the folded white shirts and socks until she finds an orange bag with Flash's shield cutie mark on it. Using her magic, she tilts the bag and shakes out fifteen bits.

“Aha!” says Twilight, her smoking wings popping out from excitement.

“Whuzzat?” says Flash, his head craned up and mane a mess as his squinted eyes stare at Twilight, sniffing. “Twi, are you smoking again?”

“No!” snaps Twilight. “I just need to borrow some money for a friendship job. I'll pay you back, I promise.”

Flash flops back down on his pillow, his body turned away from Twilight.

“Whatever. Just buy me some pretzels if you're gonna use my money,” mumbles Flash.

“You know I will.”

With that, Twilight quickly pecks him on the forehead and then disappears in a flash of light, putting the room back into its comfortable darkness.

Tempest Shadow has never been to an arcade before. She knows Grubber has been to one. Probably this particular place since he and Spike have had frequent “bro days” and sometimes returned with cheap gifts and candy that look too much like the ones on display to be a coincidence. That includes the stuffed, beady eyed Ursa that Tempest keeps in her room (and has in no way snuggled with from time to time). Though, now that she thinks about it, Grubber has never said anything to her about any trouble from the locals. He actually seems to be enjoying his stay in Ponyville.

Lucky him.

Luck aside, Tempest looks to one side. Past the kiosk of prizes and candy, resting on the dark carpet with the brightly colored game symbols stitched on are bulky consoles with overly dramatic graphics for advertisement. Some are puzzle games, some are racing games, some are sports games, and others are fighting games. One console in particular catches her eye and it is of a pair of overly buff stallions in ripped clothes having a literal electric screaming match as they leap at each other with vein bulging hoofs ready to punch their faces off.

'So they can make arcade games of fighting, but can't actually fight themselves. What a bunch of losers,' thinks Tempest.

Tempest looks to the other side, so far unimpressed, and sees a line of air hockey tables, skidd-ball machines, and few machines with cranks and a large screen connected to pads that have glowing arrows on them. Dance-Mania is above them in glowing neon signs with cartoony pictures of young mares and stallions wearing suit and tie and sailor uniforms.

Shaking her head, Tempest goes past the dance games and continues scanning. She sees more flashing lights and games, and in the corner there is an area labeled with bubbly letters: FOAL ZONE.

It has a playground of bright colored tubes snaking around with slides, stairs, some weird thing that looks like a giant grooved rolling pin and a massive ball pit. There are other things there, too, but Tempest does not care to look further. Rather she elects to see if she can find Pinkie Pie, who had the bright idea to sneak off while Tempest was taking in the scenery.

However, her plans are interrupted when she is intercepted by a pair of young, obese stallions who smell like a horrible mix of dirt, body odor, basement grime and broken dreams.

“Cool costume,” says the first stallion, a light brown unicorn whose yellow hair wild and greasy. He is carrying with him a saddle stuffed with books and pencils. His cutie mark is a chart.

“This is not a costume,” says Tempest.

“Who are you supposed to be?” asks the second stallion, a red pegasus with a trio of dice as a cutie mark, a receding orange hairline and orange fluff all along his neck. He smells just as bad as the unicorn, plus has the stench of old cheese. It takes Tempest a good amount of willpower to hold back her gag.

“I'm being me,” says Tempest.

“A noncomformist? I like that!” says the unicorn.

“But seriously, who are you supposed to be?” says the pegasus. “Your costume looks like the light armor for the Dark Lord's Shadow League. Low level, if I'm not mistaken since I don't see any enchantment runes or gems on it. And your makeup is fantastic! Your scar and broken horn looks real and really makes you look like a tsundere.”

Tempest scrunches her muzzle and leans back, raising a hoof to her chest and resisting the urge to slap the imbecile in front of her. “I get the feeling you two don't get out much.”

“Oh, we get out plenty. We actually just finished a campaign of Ogres and Oubliettes that this place hosted and it took us a week to complete! There is another one coming up next week,” says the unicorn, adding with an odd smile and wink: “Newbies can be allowed, just for you.”

“Uh...” Tempest looks over them and sees Pinkie Pie skipping towards her with a pair of bags draped around her neck via a pair of tied thick strings. “No. I actually have plans that makes it impossible for me to see the two of you ever again.”

“Oh, hey Roll Chart and Loaded Dice, I didn't expect to see you here,” says Pinkie Pie, now coming up next to them.

“What are you talking about? You told us to talk to this beauty,” says the unicorn.

Tempest shoots Pinkie Pie a vicious glare, and the pink mare exhales heavily through her nose and slaps her hoof on the stallion's shoulder. Hard. Causing him to wince and buckle.

“So, Roll Chart, remember those muffins I was gonna give to you for your next game session?” says Pinkie Pie.

“Yeah?” says Roll Chart meekly.

“Consider them burnt.”

“Oh, way to go, dinkus,” sneers the pegasus, Loaded Dice.

“It just came out!” whines Roll Chart.

“Buzz off, you two,” orders Tempest, her horn sparking and bathing the group in its blue glow.

It takes less than a heartbeat for the two to turn tail and run off, and as they run, Tempest puts her hoof around Pinkie's neck and pulls her close so their muzzles squish against each other.

“Next time you send weirdos my way I'm going to deck you, got it?” says Tempest, her glare reflecting back at her from Pinkie's wide blue eyes.

Pinkie Pie nods, and with her ears drooped she says: “I was just trying to loosen you up.”

“And you thought sending two fat, smelly adult sized colts was going to make me feel better?”

“When you put it that way... Yeah.”

Tempest releases Pinkie Pie, scoffing. “Wow. There is something wrong with you.”

“I know...” Pinkie Pie sulks and rubs the carpet with her hoof. “I just know you're sensitive about your injuries, and I ran into those two while I was buying tokens, so I thought that if they talked to you without mentioning your scars you would feel a little bit better. Like, getting a boost to realize that not everypony sees your injuries. Some ponies see a pretty mare who needs a friend.”

“Loaded Dice mentioned my horn and scar.”

“He did?”

Tempest nods, and Pinkie Pie scoffs and looks over her shoulder, but the two stallions are already gone so her disgust is directed at the door instead.

“Well, somepony is getting a burnt birthday cake next week,” says Pinkie Pie. “But anyway!”

Pinkie Pie takes the bags off of her neck, sticks the knot connecting them in her mouth, and ten seconds of humming and contorted facial expressions later she spits out two free slobber covered loops. She then slings one around her neck like a necklace and holds the other up to Tempest, grinning.

“Tokens?” she asks.

Tempest stares at the slobber shining on the plastic string, then at Pinkie Pie, then at the necklace, then at Pinkie Pie again. Her companion for the night is still smiling, though a bead of sweat is trickling down the side of her head and her smile is wavering.

“Fine,” says Tempest.

Pinkie Pie sighs with relief and Tempest lowers her head just enough for Pinkie Pie to slip the necklace on her. With the bag of tokens around her she stands up and jiggles the bag with her hoof, oddly getting a sense of satisfaction from hearing the tokens bounce off of each other.

“Follow me, Tempest! I know you're gonna have fun with this!” says Pinkie Pie, hopping past Tempest.

Tempest grunts skeptically and follows Pinkie Pie, and the pink pony turns around in midair during one of her hops and starts walking backwards again.

“Or, you will have fun if you will let yourself have fun,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Are you going to order me to have fun?” asks Tempest.

“I can't force you to do anything, but-” Pinkie Pie slides next to Tempest and rubs against her shoulder, smiling at her “-it will be nice to see you smile again.”

“I've smiled tonight.”

“Smirks don't really count. They are deformed compliment signals that occur at the expense of the other, which a genuine smile is more all along the lines of everypony is happy. It usually comes with laughter and good vibes.”

“What if everypony is smiling and laughing at the expense of a filly who was just mauled by a bear?”

Pinkie Pie frowns. “That's just bullies being jerks. But you don't have to worry about that here.”

“Right. Just like I didn't have to worry about the Friendliest Town in Equestria wanting me turned to stone.”

Pinkie Pie nibbles her lip. “Okay, you don't have to worry about me finding happiness out of your misery.” She slips a token in a box and pushes her way past a yellow gate that clicks open. “But for the love of your health, relax and have fun.”

Without putting much thought into it, Tempest slips the token into the same box and goes through the same gate, but when it clicks behind her, her eyes work properly in taking in the scenery. Starting with what is in front of her: A giant, brightly painted metal squirrel in a clown suit sitting on his hind legs with his front paw held out.

Mr. Happy says you MUST be this tall to play in the Happy House Playground.

Tempest narrows her eyes and looks past the squirrel, realizing that she just entered the Foal Zone, and she looks at Pinkie Pie, who is grinning with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Why did we just go into the kiddie play area?” asks Tempest.

“Oh you will see, Fizzles,” says Pinkie Pie. “You. Will. See.”

Across the way, at the closed down food court, Twilight sits behind a table, purposefully not using a chair to limit how much she sticks out, and uses her hoofs to hold her binoculars for the same reason. She has to adjust her binoculars a few times since the particular brand she is using is meant for bird watching, and getting an up close look at Tempest's smudged friendship notes on her hoof is not what she wants to see.

After she successfully adjusts her binoculars, she is able to track Pinkie Pie and Tempest to the Foal Zone. Why they are there is a mystery, but Pinkie Pie is a living enigma and Twilight has learned to deal with it.

Keeping her magic to a minimum for writing notes, Twilight observes that the two are having a conversation at the front of the squirrel statue. Tempest is appearing confused and uncomfortable, and Pinkie Pie has a strange smile that mirrors a mad scientist whose diabolical plot has come into fruition.

“Oh, cool costume,” says a stallion next to her.

Twilight's ears perk and she lowers her binoculars to see a unicorn and pegasus next to her, both smelling worse than the spoiled milk that had been in her basement for a year.

“Excuse me?” Then Twilight remembers that she is wearing a safari outfit for reasons she long forgot. “Oh, right. Thank you.”

“How much did those wings cost? They look real,” says the pegasus.

Twilight's muzzle scrunches and her wings twitch. “Uh, my wings are real.”

“Then how much did your horn cost? It looks real, too,” says the unicorn.

Twilight frowns. “My horn is also real.”

The two stallions gasp.

“Wait a minute. If the horn is real,” says Roll Chart.

“And the wings are real,” says Loaded Dice.

“That means you must be Princess Celestia!” they say in unison.

“What? No! How did you come up with such a wrong conclusion!?” says Twilight.

“Only Princess Celestia has wings and a horn,” says Roll Chart smugly.

“Yeah. You really got to work on your illusion spells if you want to pass off as Twilight Sparkle,” says Loaded Dice. “No offense, your majesty. I'm just a concerned citizen.”

“Oh my gosh.” Twilight drops her binoculars on the table and rubs her watery eyes, too tired for patience. “I'm not Princess Celestia. I am Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, and I am on a friendship assignment, so can you two please take a bath?”

The two stallions stare at her, jaws to the floor, both quiet and both not moving. Their staring becomes uncomfortable after a few seconds, and Twilight shifts in her spot and motions them to leave with her hoof.

“Can you please go? You're interfering with my research,” says Twilight as politely as her exhausted state will allow.

“When did you become an alicorn?” asks Loaded Dice.

Twilight's brain breaks.

“Ta-Da!” cheers Pinkie Pie, her hoof pointed at the Foal Zone's ball pit.

Tempest scowls at the pool of colorful plastic balls, then turns her annoyance to Pinkie Pie when she dives into the pool.

“What is this?” says Tempest.

“It is a ball pit,” says Pinkie Pie, turning to face Tempest as she scoops up a purple ball.

“I can see that. But I just wasted a token for a ball pit? Really?”

“A ball pit can also serve as a wrestling ring, and you haven't lived until you wrestled in a ball pit!” says Pinkie Pie, tossing the ball between her hoofs.

Tempest rolls her eyes and turns around, walking to the exit.

“This is ridiculous. I'm going back to the palace,” says Tempest.

As soon Tempest finishes her sentence, the purple ball bounces off the back of her head. It does not hurt, but Tempest still snaps around, snorting hot air.

“Don't do that,” says Tempest

Pinkie Pie throws another ball at Tempest's chest.

“Will you-”

And another ball hits Tempest.

“Stop!”

And another ball hits her.

“Pinkie, I'm-”

And another ball hits her.

And another and another and another.

Tempest's horn sparks, and she snarls and coils her body as another bounces off of her.

“Pinkie, I swear-”

And another ball hits her, bouncing off her muzzle.

“That's it!”

Tempest takes a massive leap into the ball pin, ejecting the rainbow of balls everywhere upon impact, and Pinkie Pie squeals with laughter as she hops around in the pool, trying with failed efforts to run. Tempest has trouble keeping herself upright in the pin as the balls roll and bounce around her, but she manages to get another good jump and tackles Pinkie Pie into the sea of plastic orbs, scattering the colors everywhere. However, Pinkie Pie is able to wiggle out from Tempest's grip, slide underneath her, and then swing herself on her back, where she tugs the unicorn down, launching more balls into the air.

But Pinkie Pie does not keep Tempest down for long. The metal boots press against her stomach and in a blink she is flipped over. With Pinkie Pie flat on her back, Tempest quickly and gracefully slides on top and pins her down. Though, despite the hoof pressing against her collar and the weight of Tempest holding her down, Pinkie Pie is still laughing.

“What's so funny?” says Tempest, panting just a little bit.

“Are you having fun, yet? I'm having fun!” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest stares at Pinkie Pie, and by looking into her opal eyes the Element can see the gears turning in her brain. As the gears turn, Tempest's hardened expression softens to a thin smile and she sits up, but still keeps a hoof pressed on Pinkie's barrel.

“That actually was kind of fun,” says Tempest.

“Cool! Round two?” asks Pinkie.

“You'll lose again.”

Pinkie Pie stands up with no resistance from Tempest, and rolls her shoulders and neck.

“Are you sure about that?” says Pinkie Pie.

“Confident, aren't we?” says Tempest.

“Oh, yeah... Thinkfast!”

Pinkie suddenly lunges forward and-

“Ahem,” says Chaos String.

Pinkie Pie freezes in midair, literally, and Tempest -locked in a defensive stance- stares at her, lips sealed and eyes wide while Pinkie Pie looks at the stallion with an innocent smile.

“Yes?” says Pinkie Pie.

Chaos String points to a sign that reads in big, bold, red letters: NO WRESTLING IN THE BALL PIT

Pinkie Pie cringes and falls into the pool, keeping herself mostly submerged as her face burns with shame. “Ohhhh... My bad.”

“Mhm,” grunts the clerk, and he leaves without another word.

Once he is gone, Pinkie Pie huffs in disappointment and looks at Tempest. “Well, that didn't work.” Then she realizes that Tempest's face is frozen from shock, and she tilts her head slightly. “What?”

“What are you?” asks Tempest hoarsely.

Author's Note

Fun Fact: Tempest Shadow was originally named Cosmos and was Celestia's brother.

Laughter's Deception

“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?

The Trains to New Days

Dear Ms. Pinkamena D. Pie,

This letter is to remind you of your 5pm appointment with Dr. Rorschach Inkblot on Friday, 27 Aphrilis 08 LR. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Canterlot Institute of Psychology

Such a simple note, yet it leaves a stone in Pinkie Pie's stomach. But it is no ordinary stone. No, this stone has been sitting in sludge for a week, so while she has a weight in her that makes it hard to breathe -much less move- she also feels sick just by looking at the postcard with the smiling filly and beautiful cursive.

Pinkie Pie briefly thought about throwing the card away and pretending that no such appointment was made, but that idea will not work since Twilight set it up herself and made sure to get the best doctor available. Plus, Twilight made it clear that she will accompany her to the Institute and had her schedule reworked to make it so.

With that in mind, Pinkie Pie rests her head on her table, poking at a snow globe of swimming alligators in Santa hats.

Sighing, Pinkie Pie looks at the grinning cat clock on her wall. With the bustling noise outside and downstairs she almost does not hear the ticks and tocks, but they are there.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

The eyes and tail swing left to right.

Left to right.

Left to right.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Swing and swing.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Swing and swing.

Time is crawling ever so slowly. It is maddening! But Pinkie Pie has no energy to move. The dread is sucking every bit of it away. Even if Twilight is by her side it still will not change the fact that someone will be going in her head and messing around with it.

This brings Pinkie Pie to wondering what they will break this time. Or if Twilight will even notice them trying to rip her psych apart and restitch it to however they want her to be. Celestia knows that her parents didn't notice last time.

Or maybe Celestia did not know that her parents did not know and did not know about the deliberate acts of insanity perpetrated by the one that is paid to remove the “in” from insanity.

Some goddess she is.

Some parents they are.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Pinkie Pie looks at the letter again. Surely Twilight would not put her under the care of a madpony pretending to be a sane pony. But, then again, this is Twilight. Her good deeds always seem to have some sort of malevolent side effect that no one could have anticipated. But maybe she will be lucky this time.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Maybe-maybe-maybe.

Or maybe not. Only time will tell.

Hopefully the maybe will be a maybe-yes and not a maybe-not.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Knock-Knock.

The new noise brings Pinkie Pie's ears to flick, and when the door creaks open she shifts her eyes to its direction, watching Twilight carefully enter the room wearing her purple and gold trimmed saddle. Flash is there, as well, but he remains in the hallway. Twilight is careful when she steps over the mess of party supplies, toys, schedules, notebooks and dirty dishes, and when she is by Pinkie's side she smiles and gives her wings a small flap.

“Are you ready?” asks Twilight.

Pinkie Pie's eyes drift to her saddle. The pink, sturdy fabric with her cutie mark stamped on it lays by her closet, stuffed to the point where the bags are bulging and the straps are barely holding on. Seeing the saddle is a sickening sight, but she still nods as a reply to Twilight's question.

“Great!” Twilight nudges Pinkie Pie out of her seat and levitates the saddle to her, grinning all the way. “Tempest's train is leaving in forty five minutes, and ours is leaving thirty minutes after. That will cut it close, but I think we will make it. Also, I asked the girls to come by to see us off. They were a little bit hesitant with Tempest -and Applejack tried yet again to find an excuse not to see her- but they will all be there.”

“That's nice... Do they know about the... um... thingy?” asks Pinkie Pie.

“I told them you and I got a friendship quest in Canterlot.”

“Okay...”

“And~” Twilight levitates from her saddle a ring-bound script with Pinkie Pie's name on it, “to limit any chances of conflicting stories I wrote us a script with background information that we can fall back on in case somepony probes.”

“You mean when Rainbow Dash has nothing but questions for us for five hours after we come back?” asks Pinkie Pie, staring at the floating script with a near blank look.

“Precisely.” Twilight puts the script away. “We can study this on the way up, during free time and on the way down. But we gotta go. We already spent two minutes here and time waits for no one!”

When Pinkie Pie reaches the crowded train station with Twilight and Flash taking the lead she buries her anxiety with a smile and forces herself to hop. She does have an appearance to keep, after all, and if anybody else sees through her like how Tempest did then that will destroy her very being, which is the last thing she wants or needs. She cannot be her if nobody sees who she wants them to see.

With the energetic hops in her steps she bounces next to Tempest, who has taken a seat at the far end of the only unoccupied bench with her saddle in front of her. Spike and Grubber are at the end of platform, talking without a care and the rest of the Elements are there, as well, plus Quibble Pants, who is reading a bound manuscript with the aid of reading glasses despite Rainbow Dash nagging him.

“The horrible grammar will still be there an hour from now and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Just put it away,” says Rainbow Dash.

“Unlike you, I actually take deadlines very seriously. Especially for a Tom Clopsy book,” says Quibble. He then glances up and with a tone as unkind as frostbite, he says: “Flash.”

“Quibble,” returns Flash. “Nice weather.”

“I've felt better.”

“Air conditioning doesn't count as weather.”

“And being a princess bride doesn't count as a personality trait.”

Flash narrows his eyes and Twilight butts her way between the two, nudging Flash away.

“Okay, let's walk away,” says Twilight. She then snaps to Rainbow Dash and uses her magic to pull her close, whispering harshly: “Why did you invite him?”

“Because he needed to get air,” says Rainbow Dash. “He's been in his office for three weeks doing his editing junk and eating delivery pizza.”

“You know he and Flash don't like each other.”

“So? Not everypony has to like each other, Twi.”

“Just keep him away from Flash.”

“Sure. Got a leash I can borrow?”

Twilight rolls her eyes and walks towards the other girls, who are huddled around each other and talking in a circle while keeping an eye on Tempest. They give Pinkie Pie a condemning look when she sits by Tempest, and all the pink mare does in return is smile and wave. The only one who returns the wave is Fluttershy.

“So, Fizzles, you're really going on the train, huh?” asks Pinkie Pie.

Tempest nods and glances at Grubber when he and Spike laugh about something neither of the mares heard.

“I told Grubber he could stay, but he wanted to be by my side. We're peas in a pod is what he told me,” says Tempest.

“Awww, that's sweet. By the way, have they said anything to you?” asks Pinkie Pie, nodding to her friends.

“Fluttershy said good afternoon without getting a panic attack.”

“Oh. Improvement!”

“And Rarity gave me a red dress with a big black bow and striped socks even though I never visited her. It appears she got a heads up about it.”

Tempest looks at Pinkie Pie suspiciously and the Element looks at the clouds, whistling innocently. Tempest's expression soon softens to a smile and she pats Pinkie Pie's head, which would have been a little bit painful due to the metal boot if there was no thick mane to protect her head.

“For what its worth, that night at the arcade was fun despite the setbacks,” says Tempest.

“Good, good. So, I know you said that Equestria is not your home, but when are you coming back?” asks Pinkie Pie. “For a visit, I mean.”

“I don't know. Maybe soon. Maybe never. We'll just see where my hoofs take me.”

Pinkie Pie's ears droop. “Oh... okay.”

“Don't be upset. You still got them,” says Tempest, nodding to the other Elements. “And surprisingly I know how to write and I know you and Twilight's addresses, so while I'll be exploring the world without burning it I will be sending you two letters.”

“But what if I want to send you a letter? I can't exactly send a letter to somepony who is always moving.”

“I got a solution for that!” says Twilight.

The two mares look up, and Twilight smiles down at them, barely able to sit still as she levitates a pair of metal tubes in the air. One is orchid with a trio of sparks stamped on it and the other is purple with Twilight's symbol on it.

“I enchanted these tubes so that way we can stay in touch,” says Twilight, giving the orchid colored on to Tempest. “I slip the mail in mine and it comes out on your side and you slip the mail in yours and it comes out on my side. Cool, huh?”

“Indeed,” says Tempest, inspecting the simple device with her hoof. “But if you spam me I will plug this.”

“Oh, I won't, but I will be expecting a friendship report every week about what you learned.”

Tempest barely lifts her eyes to Twilight with one brow raised. “Seriously? What if I don't learn anything for the week?”

“I'm sure you will.”

“I doubt it.”

“Just make up stuff. She won't know,” says Grubber, coming up next to Tempest with Spike taking a spot next to Twilight.

Hearing Grubber, Tempest sighs and pats him on the head, and Twilight looks down at him with a faint frown.

“Grubber, I'm right here,” says Twilight.

Before any response can be made, a whistle is blown and a burly stallion waves his hoof to the train door.

“ALL ABOARD!” hollers the stallion.

And just like dogs reacting to an order, ponies crowd around the train doors, turning in their tickets before entering the brightly colored vehicle.

As the crowd shuffles around, trying to get ahead for the good spots, Tempest takes her time slipping on her saddle. Grubber already has his pack on and is gripping Spike's hand so that his muscles will flex, not that anyone can see said muscles since the fat is hiding what little he has.

“I'll see you later, Spike,” says Grubber.

“See ya, bro,” says Spike, returning the flex, but with more success. Then he notices Twilight and the other girls staring at him (with Rarity shamelessly smiling in awe). “What? Its a guy thing.”

“That's adorable!” says Rarity.

“No it's not. It's cool. Big difference.”

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie stands on her hind legs and wraps her hoofs around Tempest's neck, hugging her tight and burying her face in the crook of her neck. The tall unicorn stiffens from the gesture, but after some seconds she relaxes and with noticeable hesitation she lifts her hoof to pat her back.

“Stay safe, Fizzles,” says Pinkie Pie.

Tempest smiles thinly. “This is me we're talking about. Of course I won't stay safe.”

Pinkie Pie pulls away. “Oh ha. Ha. Seriously, I don't want to get any bad news about you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Tempest puts her hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. “You know what you have to do, so do it.”

Pinkie Pie nods, swallowing the discomfort. “Twilight will be there.”

“Good.” Tempest approaches Twilight, and with the heavy tone of a stern mother, she says: “Take care of her.”

“Of course! Just don't forget to write,” says Twilight.

“I mean it,” snaps Tempest, poking Twilight in the chest. “I don't want to come back and find out she skipped out on her job.”

“I personally set up everything and will be going with her. She will see it through. But you better give me updates on your travels and friendship lessons.”

Tempest waves her off. “Whatever. I'll only write when it is relevant.” She then looks over Twilight's shoulder at the rest of the Elements and the pair of stallions. “Adios, losers.”

And just like that, Pinkie Pie snorts a laugh, seven scowls pop into existence and Twilight scoffs angrily.

“Really, Tempest?” chides Twilight.

“I don't like any of them. Except for you, Rarity. I actually like you.” Tempest walks over to Rarity and holds out her hoof. “Thank you for the dress. I'll be sure to send you something, too.”

“Oh, uh...” Rarity lightly touches Tempest's hoof. “Thank you.”

“LAST CALL! ALL ABOARD!” hollers the stallion.

“That's my signal. I'll see you when I see you,” says Tempest.

“Yeah, don't come back,” says Flash.

Twilight slaps him with her wing and he snaps a glare at her, which she returns with a scowl and snorting hot air.

“What?” he says.

“Be nice,” says Twilight.

“I am being nice.”

“You have been mean to her the whole time she's been here.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I'll make her breakfast in bed next time she turns me and my team into stone!”

Tempest smirks and pats Flash on the head, causing him to growl and swipe away her hoof.

“There, there. The big bad mare is going now. You won't be seeing her ever again.” Tempest then leans against his ear and whispers. “Or will you?”

Flash recoils and ruffles his feathers, meeting her taunting smile with a steely eyed glare.

“Just get on the train,” orders Flash.

Tempest chuckles and without another word she and Grubber give their tickets to the stallion and get on the train. With them on the train, the stallion hops on and seals the door, and several minutes later the train pulls away, leaving a trail of puffy white clouds in its wake.

Not long after the train started moving, Tempest has herself safely sealed away in her room. She quickly found comfort by laying on the long cushion, however she keeps her eyes fixed on the door, watching the shadows move past the fogged glass, listening to the chatter and the faint clanks of the spinning metal.

“Do you want to wave at them? They can still see us,” says Grubber.

“No. I have never looked back and I won't start now,” says Tempest.

“Yeah, you got a lot to learn for your friendship stuff. Friends always wave bye to other friends.”

“Since when are you an expert on friendship?”

“Spike's given some pointers.”

“Right~” Tempest turns on her side and squeezes her saddle, causing some of the red dress to poke out, and then she buries her face into the saddle's old fabric. “Wake me when we get to San Palomino.”

“Sure... By the way, do you want something to eat? I'm kinda hungry.”

“Grubber, I'm-” Tempest stops herself, and after a brief thought she lifts her eyes to him. “Actually, bring me a slice of pie and some juice.”

“Got it!”

And Grubber scampers out of the room, and when the door closes behind him, Tempest stands up and opens the window, filling the room with a rush of cold air and fast wind abusing her ears. Tempest pokes her head out as far as she can go hoping to see the train station and Twilight and Pinkie Pie, but all she sees is a dot in the distance that gets smaller with each passing second.

With a wet lump in her throat, she closes the window and lays back down with her makeshift pillow. Only this time she digs her hoof underneath it and presses it into her face to smother her self loathing. Next time -if there is a next time- she will wave to her friends.

But there is no turning back, now. She missed the mark and all she can do is live out the new days ahead of her in the hopes that she will get another chance to wave. She also hopes that when her hoofs bring her back to Ponyville she will still have someone waiting for her.

Oh, who is she kidding? Of course she will have at least one waiting for her, and that is all she will need for the new days ahead.

As the train gets smaller, Pinkie Pie eagerly waits for Tempest to poke her head out and wave farewell, but that never happens. She is not surprised about it, but it does not stop her from feeling an icky sense of disappointment, and so with drooped ears she sulks back to the group.

“I'm actually surprised Tempest likes me. I thought she would hate me the most,” says Rarity.

“Well, I'm glad that she's gone,” says Flash. “That is one less problem I have to deal with.”

“Yes, because it is so hard being you,” says Quibble, still reading the manuscript.

“You are just asking for a flank kicking.”

“You two will have plenty of time to fight after Twilight and Pinkie Pie leave,” says Rainbow Dash, coming between the two. “Which reminds me, why are you and Twilight going to Canterlot?”

“Friendship quest,” says Pinkie Pie. “Confidential. Select parties only.”

Rainbow Dash scrunches her brows. “Uh huh... Can we get a hint?”

“Nope.”

“Oh come on. I'm good with secrets. Its some government hotshot, isn't it? Is it Spitfire? Soarin? Kibitz? Its Kibitz and Tiberius, isn't it!? Its gotta be Kibitz and Tiberius!”

“Fine, here's a hint. They breathe, have colors, and have a birthday.”

“You just described everypony in the country.”

“And that's all you're getting.”

“But that's not how hints work.”

“Leave her be. If she and Twi don't want us knowin' 'bout the details of their quest then we need to respect that,” says Applejack.

“You won't be gone long, will you?” asks Fluttershy, meekly rubbing her hoof against the pavement.

“We shouldn't,” says Twilight. “But this case is also intense, so it might take a few weeks. Or a month. Hard to say.”

The next train pulls up, its breaks screeching until the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and as the passengers file out the next group waits patiently at their lines. After several minutes, when all is cleared out, a scrawny stallion blows his whistle.

“All aboard!” he says.

“You ready, Pinkie?” asks Twilight.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” replies Pinkie Pie. She then spins on her hoofs and hops in front of Applejack, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Later, Cousin Jack.”

“See ya, Pinks,” says Applejack, returning the hug.

Pinkie Pie then hugs Rainbow Dash. “Bye-bye, Dashie. Don't go spying on us, now.”

“Oh, I won't. I'll be too busy babysitting these two,” says Rainbow Dash, nodding to Flash -who is hugging Twilight- and Quibble -who is still reading, and she adds with a whisper: “But I'm gonna shake the jar to see if they'll fight.”

Pinkie Pie snickers. “You're terrible.”

Rainbow Dash grins. “I know.”

Now Pinkie Pie goes Rarity, hugging her as well. “Thanks for making that dress for Tempest.”

“You're welcome,” says Rarity with a smile. “But it cost me a fortune to make. Do you realize how expensive fire-proof fabric is?”

“Very?”

“Yes, but it was worth it. A lot of practice and a fabulous outcome with an unfamiliar fabric really lifted my spirits. I just hope Tempest sends me something nice. She is not exactly a civilized mare. The last thing I need is a filthy dream catcher or other barbaric trinkets.”

“I'm sure you will get something cool. She is way more observant than you think. She probably had you all figured out after a couple of days!”

Rarity's smile fades. “Oh... I hope that is figurative and not literal.”

“Literal. But you'll be fine. She's a good mare!” And with that, Pinkie Pie squeezes Fluttershy in a bone crushing hug that leaves the pegasus paralyzed and gasping for air. “And you have a fantastic time without me popping in your cabin all the time!”

“Y-You hardly pop in, though,” says Fluttershy, her voice strained and eyes inflated.

“That's what you think.”

Pinkie Pie releases Fluttershy, and while the pegasus coughs and flaps her wings in an attempt to straighten her feathers, Pinkie Pie hops to the conductor and gives him her ticket. She waves one last time to the group and bounces her way to the back, making sure the passengers see her and her bubbly aura. Though, when she passes the last occupied room her bouncing comes to a halt and she sulks inside the farthest room. There, she slips off her saddle and hops on her seat, fighting to keep her lunch down and the shakes away.

Pinkie Pie looks out the window and sees Twilight blitzing through the hugs and farewells, and when she gets to Spike she summons a scroll that unrolls in front of him. And it keeps unrolling...

And unrolling...

And unrolling...

And unrolling...

When it is finally done unrolling it is a bundle at Spike's feet. The little drake glares at Twilight, but she ignores that and gives him a quick hug and peck on the cheek, and does the same for Flash.

“Behave, you two! We'll be back as soon as we can!” says Twilight.

The group waves and shouts their farewells, and Pinkie Pie yanks open her window, pokes her head out and waves, as well, shouting: “BYE, EVERYPONY! REMEMBER ME!!!”

“Just hurry back. We don't want to be waiting forever for you!” says Rainbow Dash.

“Relax, I'll be back in a jiffy. In-out-boom-done! I'll see all of you very soon!”

“Last call! All aboard!” says the conductor.

Pinkie Pie seals the window, slumps in her seat again, and her practiced smile crumbles. Her hoofs shake and she hunches over, trying to suck air into cotton-stuffed lungs. When Twilight shows up a couple of minutes later, she stops in the doorway and watches Pinkie Pie curl forward, rocking herself back and forth, mouth hanging open just to breathe.

“Are you okay?” asks Twilight.

“I'm okay,” says Pinkie Pie.

The train whistles and trudges forward, and Twilight sits next to Pinkie Pie, using her magic to close the door.

“I know you're scared, but you have nothing to worry about. I'll be right there with you and I selected the best doctor available,” says Twilight.

“I know, but... but you won't be the one having your brain poked and prodded and warped,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, nopony is going to warp your mind. We're just going to be there for a little while to figure out the cause of your condition and what exercises we can do to make you feel better. We won't be there for very long. I promise.”

Pinkie Pie nods, and Twilight smiles and rubs her shoulder.

“Get some rest. We're going to have a long night and busy days ahead,” says Twilight.

Pinkie Pie nods again, rests her head against the cushioned seat and closes her eyes. She does not want to rest, but knows she has to. The train is taking her to new days- long days. Days she does not want, but still they must come. It really is a cold, dark feeling that is clouding everything inside her and the the only light she sees to this is coming from the purple alicorn next to her.

“Hey, Twilight,” says Pinkie Pie, cracking her eyes open.

“Yes?” says Twilight.

“I'm glad you're my friend.”

Twilight smiles. “Me, too. Now get some rest. We're going to need it.”

With those words, Pinkie Pie quietly lays down and burrows herself into Twilight's barrel. A quick moment later, and a hoof drapes over her and Twilight rests her head on top of Pinkie Pie's, breathing softly into her ear. This brings a smile to Laughter's face, and bit by bit the cold fear dissolves until it is but a tiny seed, leaving a comfortable warmth to be with her.

It is all she needs for now.

And for now she can say: Let the new days come.

-Koniec-

Author's Note

I really hate writing endings. There is always something more to be said, something more to do. But this story had to end or else it would go on and on and on and on and on and probably turn into something that I usually write which is totally dark and edgy stuff with elementary philosophy.

Anyway, I don't know if I will do anything else with CherryPie beyond this story. Don't know what will stem from this. Maybe something. Maybe nothing.

However, story aside, it is important to remember that friends are important. Friends shape us and become an irreversible part of us, even when the paths take you on different roads. Through thick and thin friends exchange perceptions of the world, lessons and stories, and create memories that we carry for the rest of our lives. Friendship changes people. It gives people a family outside of a family, and creates a haven that not even their own blood can give.

Just remember, if you are going through life thinking you are alone, you aren't. Somewhere there are ears to hear you, eyes to see you and hands to lift you. You are not alone.

Be happy.

God bless.