Last Mare on Earth

by Coyotek4

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Pinkie Pie, Science Fiction
Length: 21511

Pinkie Pie is possibly the last living creature on Earth. Will she find a way to stop the cause of her predicament?

Pinkie Pie struggles with the day-to-day life as possibly the last living creature on Earth. When an unexpected acquaintance appears, he and Pinkie try to find a way to undo whatever it was that caused their predicament? Will they succeed?

Published 2020-03-23 20:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-04-19 14:06:43 UTC

Thirty Days Later

Thirty days. The time had finally come.

Pinkie Pie had been unable to sleep much over the past eight hours, but any semblance of tiredness was lost as she bounced out of bed and pronked over to the window shade. She pulled up the shade as sunlight flooded her room.

“Good morning, sun!” she calls out the window. “Good morning, moon!” You know what today is, right?”

Pinkie glances over her shoulder, her focus shifting to a small rock and a stick on the nightstand.

“Whaaat? Hey, I know they’re not real like us.”

The rock and stick stay still. Pinkie rolls her eyes and groans, then chuckles as she makes her way to the nightstand.

“You are so literal, Boulder. Anyway, it’s been thirty days, and you know what that means!”

…

Pinkie sighs. “No, we’re not visiting the quarry again. Besides, we’ve done that three times this week. Take a break, already!”

…

“We’re not visiting the arboretum either, Twiggy. I mean, wow, it’s not like Gummy was ever this insistent!”

…

Pinkie gulps. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to … I shouldn’t have said that. My bad!” Her expression then brightens. “Today’s the day I can finally make the call!”

…

“I know, but I promised Twilight I’d wait at least thirty days. It was a Pinkie promise.”

…

Pinkie sighs again. “There’s just no getting through to some rocks. Now come on; I got a lot to do today!” Her mane extends to grab the rock and stick from the nightstand; once secure, she bounds down the stairs.

It had been over a moon since anycreature set hoof, claw, or foot in the School of Friendship. A stillness pervades the hallways and empty classrooms that once housed a number of ponies and other creatures … but not in the gymnasium where Rainbow Dash had once conducted so many activities. Today, the floor of the gym was piling up with articles from the supply closet; balls, weights, whistles … equipment of all sorts began cluttering around as Pinkie continued a search.

“I know they’re in here somewhere,” Pinkie calls out as the rock and stick lay near the door, tucked away from the growing pile of clutter. “Why couldn’t Rainbow Dash have been more like Twilight when it came to organization?”

Pinkie pauses and turns to the rock and stick. “You know I didn’t mean it that way! I wouldn’t change anything about anypony! Well … maybe Mudbriar.”

She chuckles, but quickly composes herself and addresses the stick. “Oh, come on … OK, I’m sorry about that. I know you were closer to him than I was. I just never quite got that pony.”

…

“You’re right … it was still inconsiderate of me. But I really am doing my best … I made a promise to Maud and Mudbriar; you just have to trust me.”

…

“Oh, I’ll earn your trust. You’ll see!” Smiling, Pinkie returns her focus to the pile of supplies. A large sack labelled ‘Cheer Squad’ catches her eye. She opens the sack and gasps in excitement.

“FOUND THEM!” she triumphantly exclaims. “OK you two, I got what we need. Now to put my plan into action!”

Joyously, she grabs the sack with her teeth and the rock and stick with her tail … and pronks out the gym.

Though she had gotten used to the emptiness of the main thoroughfare in Ponyville, she never fully accepted it.

On a day like today, the paths would usually be packed with ponies. Ponies making their way to businesses or gatherings. Ponies just observing from the side, bidding all who pass by a cheerful ‘Hello’. Ponies peeking out of windows, just admiring the scene.

But that was all in the past. Pinkie knew it, even if she didn’t like it. She liked having scores of ponies around; the new reality was still hard to accept. But she kept thoughts like this in check by keeping busy, and today brought much to be busy with.

“You know who would have appreciated all of this?” Pinkie asks as the rock and stick lay on the side of the path. “Fluttershy. Why couldn’t she have been the one who was …” She pauses mid-thought. “Yeah, you’re right. You’re right a lot, Boulder. It would have been super-hard on her with none of her animal friends around. I’m just being selfish again, I guess.”

…

“Hey, this isn’t easy on any of us. But I am trying; you have to give me that much, right?”

…

“We’ve been over this before, Twiggy! There aren’t any more trains, and it would be super-hard to get everywhere on hoof! And Ponyville is just … it’s home. I don’t want to leave home … and after this, maybe I won’t have to.”

Pinkie turns back to her work: a pair of rectangular tables adjacent by their smaller sides hold a dozen megaphones, each attached end-to-end with one another. Seeing everything set up as intended, she turns on one megaphone after another, finally reaching the one at the edge of her table.

Pinkie turns again to the rock and stick. “Oh, this will work … believe me!” she slyly states. She takes a deep breath, turns on the final megaphone, and shouts:

ALIVE IN PONYVILLE!!!

…eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…

Regaining consciousness, Pinkie staggers to her hooves. She shakes her head in a desperate attempt to end the ringing sensation in her ears.

“… whooaaoo … how long was I …”

Pinkie blinks once and utters a weak “uh oh” as she gazes at the homes and storefronts and shards of broken glass littering the yards. She scans the area for any window unaffected by her action, but is unable to locate a single one.

She suddenly turns to the rock and stick “You did NOT say ‘I told you so’!” she snaps. She turns back to the sight of Ponyville and its shattered windows, and sighs. “At least I have more constructive things to do,” she concedes.

Thirty more days. Or maybe it was twenty. Or forty. By now, Pinkie Pie had lost track.

Pinkie Pie had been unable to sleep much over the past eight hours, though this was nothing new. She missed the contrasts of day and night, but long ago accepted the reality of her situation. She trudged her way out of bed and strolled over to the window shade. She pulled up the shade as sunlight flooded her room.

“Morning, sun!” she glumly says. “Morning, moon!” She then walks over to the rock and stick on the nightstand.

“Why? I don’t know, really.” She pauses. “I guess it just helps me to pretend that they hear me.”

…

Pinkie smiles. “Thanks, Twiggy. That does help.” She sighs. “Well, back to work, right?”

She grabs a broom and, the rock and stick in tow, makes her way down the stairs.

“Oatmeal? Naah, I don’t really miss oatmeal. I do miss cupcakes, though … cupcakes, real cakes, Mr. and Mrs. Cake …”

The rock and stick lay on the side of the path as Pinkie continues to brush glass shards towards a dustpan.

“Sorry, I know, I’m doing it again, obsessing over … I’ll stop, I promise.”

…

“That’s not worth a ‘Pinkie Promise’. It just isn’t … look, let me just finish this bit and then we’ll discuss, OK?”

She turns back towards the shards and sweeps the last remnants of another window into the dustpan. Her tail picks up the dustpan, careful not to spill any shards, and empties the contents into a trash can.

…

She turns to the rock and stick. “I know nopony is coming to pick up the trash, but it’s better to keep all that broken glass here than just lying outside. Besides, this is only the fourth can I’ve filled; there’re plenty more cans around Ponyville.”

…

“Finally, we agree on something! You know, I could use a break; how ‘bout we take a trip back to the quarry. I know we haven’t done that in a while.”

…

Pinkie chuckles. “Fine, we’ll make time for the arboretum, too. Everyone wins!”

Her tail scoops up the rock and stick, placing them in her mane. “OK, let’s go to—”

Pinkie gasps loudly as her eyes scan the distance and see … a silhouetted figure of some pony.

In an instant, she bolts towards the figure; the rock and stick fall from her mane and drop to the ground.

Party of Four

Odd … I thought I saw a pink pony in the distance, but it’s gone now. And where did that streak of pink come fr— *OOF*

“Ohmygod-it’s-been-like-forever-but-I-knew-I-couldn’t-be-the-only-pony-left-this-is-incredible-thankyou-thankyou-thankyou-we-have-so-much-to-discuss-I’m-so-excited-are-you-excited-I-mean-of-course-you-are-but-can-you-be-as-excited-as-me-hey-are-you-okay?”

Pinkie’s exuberance ebbs as she gets up off of the grey earth pony. She eyes a familiar cutie mark of a damp blanket. “Wait a minute … I know you! You’re Sans Smirk!”

Sans picks himself up from the ground and sweeps off bits of dirt with his tail. He speaks with a quiet monotone: “If that’s your reaction to strangers, I shudder to think how you treat your friends.”

Pinkie bursts into laughter. “HAHAHAHAHAA … classic Sans!”

“Yes, I suppose that was rather humorous,” he accedes.

Regaining her composure, Pinkie asks, “So what are you doing all the way over here in Ponyville?”

“Pinkie Pie, you’re the … you’re the first pony, really the first anyone I’ve seen in two months. Everyone I’ve ever known is … gone.” He looks around the various buildings. “I assume it’s the same for you.”

Pinkie’s ears droop. “I lost a lot of friends and family.” Her expression perks up: “But I’m not totally alone. Follow me and let me introduce you!”

“Wait, so there are more …” Sans cannot finish his sentence before Pinkie turns and races back to the center of town. His hopes rising, he sprints after her.

“Sans Smirk, say Hello to Boulder and Twiggy.”

Sans inspects the rock and stick at Pinkie’s hooves, then picks his head up to face Pinkie, a look of confusion on his face. Moments later …

“Ah, I understand,” he says in his understated manner. “This is a joke. Most humorous … ha ha.”

“A joke?” Pinkie asks sincerely. She turns to the rock and stick. “He didn’t mean it; he just doesn’t know you yet. But he’s got plenty of time to catch up!”

“Wait … so when you said you weren’t alone, you meant … that these inanimate objects are your companions.”

“INANIMATE???” Tears begin to form in Pinkie’s eyes. “How could you?”

Realizing his error, Sans quickly backtracks: “I am sorry, I did not mean to insult your … your friends. Please forgive me, it has been a long journey for me and my judgment may not be what it used to be.”

Wiping her tears away, Pinkie composes herself. “No, I understand. It’s OK … the truth is, I felt the same way about Twiggy. But we’ve had a lot of time to make things right, isn’t that right?”

…

“I know … but I’m really trying. You have to at least give me that, right?”

…

Pinkie sighs with relief. “We’ll get there,” she assures the stick. Turning back to Sans, a thought crosses her mind: “So how did you know to come here?”

Putting aside the recent conversation, Sans recounts: “I’ve been alone in the factory for a while now, watching all my fellow coworkers disappear. Soon it was just me. I found ways to occupy my time … assorted books, puzzles, plenty of gags for amusement … but over time, the solitude started to get to me. I wasn’t sure if I was truly the only pony left, but I didn’t want to leave the comforts of what I’ve always known as ‘home’.”

“So what changed your mind?”

“You did, I suppose. One day, I heard a voice calling … it said, “Alive in Ponyville.”

Pinkie gasps. “YOU HEARD ME!!!” She turns to the rock and stick. “I told you that would work.” She scoffs: “And you thought that was all a waste a time!” She laughs.

“Yes,” Sans continues, “in any case, hearing your voice … and remembering how much you were able to help the last time our paths crossed … I knew I had at least one more friend still in this world. I set off at once; it was a … quiet journey, to say the least. Sleep was tough, of course, with the sun and moon now permanently up; I fell asleep only out of exhaustion, and would continue my trek whenever I woke up.”

“Well at least now you’ll have a place to stay with curtains to block out the sunlight … uhh, don’t mind the lack of windows, though.”

Sans nods in acceptance. “Food wasn’t an issue, of course, though I have grown a tad tired of grass. But what really got to me … and I admit, I did not believe this would be the case with me … was the sense of total isolation. Not even just ponies, mind you; any sentient life. No rabbits, squirrels, cows, bears … not even a mosquito. Honestly, I wish I had any answers to how all this happened.”

Pinkie turns to the rock and stick. “I know all too well now, Sans. Boulder and Twiggy are the only friends who haven’t left me. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, the Cake foals … even Gummy left me. I don’t know why I’m left, either … but I’m glad to have somepony else to talk to,” she concludes with a smile.

One name sticks with Sans: “Twilight … Princess Twilight Sparkle. You knew the successor to Princesses Celestia and Luna?”

Pinkie sighs. “Everypony was my friend … everycreature, really … but Twilight was my bestest best friend. She was always so smart, but never aloof. Always caring. I miss all my friends, but I miss her the most.”

A realization dawns on Sans: “You’re one of … one of the Elements of Friendship! I … I had no idea!” he stammers.

Pinkie forces a chuckle. “Heh … yeah, that’s me, the Element of Laughter. Wish I had more to laugh about these days.”

“I’m very curious; what can you tell me about your exploits? How did you come about this, I guess we should say, this plague? When did you start to see things change.”

Pinkie turns away. “I’m sorry, Sans, I’m not … I can’t …”

“No, no, I apologize again,” Sans backtracks. “As bad as this ordeal has been for me, I’m sure it was infinitely worse for you.”

Pinkie pauses, her attention still drawn to the rock and stick. Her head picks up as she scans the area around her before turning to face Sans.

“Wanna get something to eat besides grass?”

Sans takes in the sight of acres upon acres of apple trees. “The Apple family must have been the greatest farmers in the history of the world. I am truly astounded.”

Pinkie joins Sans in overlooking the natural splendor of Sweet Apple Acres, enjoying the view from in front of the stately barn. She turns her attention to the picnic blanket and grabs an apple from an overflowing bucket. She takes a succulent bite and contemplates Sans’s comment.

“It sure beats grass, doesn’t it?” Pinkie finally says. “I haven’t baked anything in a long time. I still got some supplies back at Sugarcube Corner, but I’d only have myself to enjoy them … I just don’t feel like I’d enjoy them. But now that you’re here, maybe I’ll dip into the cupboards and get a tasty, hot apple pie going.”

“That would be wonderful,” Sans replies, “but please don’t go out of your way just for me.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” she counters with a smile. “Now that you’re here, maybe there are others! Your being here gives me hope … hope that I was losing just this morning.”

“It will take some time, at least at first, with just the two of us …” Sans recognizes Pinkie’s quizzical look as a sign he had misspoke. “I mean, the four of us. Um … do Boulder and Twiggy ever eat anything?”

“Just air,” Pinkie cheerfully replies. “That leaves more apples for us!”

Sans nods and takes in the scenery for several more minutes.

…

“Sans?”

“Yes, Pinkie?”

“I … I think I want to talk about what it was like … you know, before all … before all this happened.”

Sans blinks. He examines Pinkies a bit more before answering: “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. If you’re not ready …”

“No … you should know,” Pinkie flatly responds. “You’ve come a long way just to be here; it’s the least I could do.”

“Well … OK then.” Sans sits up and focuses on his new friend.

Pinkie takes a deep breath, then tells her tale …

Vanishing Act

The orders were flying in! But that never stopped Pinkie Pie in the past.

Still, it seemed as though every pony in Ponyville was celebrating the defeat of the ‘Terrible Trio’, as Tirek, Crysalis, and Cozy Glow came to be known. Barely a week had gone by, and the mood around the town … possibly around the world, for all Pinkie knew … was one of celebration and mirth.

And of course, celebrations meant parties. So many parties! It was as if every pony in town were celebrating his or her own birthday, plus that of all their family members and pets.

Alas, Pinkie Pie barely knew the meaning of the word ‘no’ … or of ‘restraint’. Accepting one order after another, she soon found herself baking cakes by the half-hour. She knew she had it in her, thinking back to when she performed as much under Starlight’s spell … but now that she was conscious about it all, she learned quickly: it was HARD!!!

Thus, it was a welcome respite when familiar company walked into Sugarcube Corner just as she had set aside her twelfth cake of the morning …

“Fluttershy! What brings you here this morning? Don’t tell me: you want to schedule a party! And if so, the answer’s ‘YES’! Anything for a friend!”

Fluttershy looks around the shop, her eyes widening at all the work put in on the day. “Goodness, you seem super-busy today!”

“Yeah, I still gotta prepare cakes, for Lyra, Bon Bon, Rose, Daisy, Amethyst, Octavia, DJ-Pon3, Filthy Rich, Lyra, Aloe, …”

“Uh … I think you said ‘Lyra’ twice,” Fluttershy points out.

“Yeah, and another for Bon Bon, too. Something about a double-celebration, I dunno. Anyway, what would you like?”

“Oh, no, we just came in to say ‘Hi’ and see how you’re doing.”

“Oh,” Pinkie replies. “Well, sure, I’m doing fine … but you said ‘we’?”

Fluttershy turns her head, quickly noticing she’s now alone. “Discord? …”

Instantly, the trickster draconequus appears directly in front of the pegasus, startling her.

“Oh, sorry, sorry,” Discord assures. “I just got caught up in something.”

Fluttershy shoots a furtive look at Discord. “Now it was your idea to do more walking, after your bout of fatigue running from those meanies last week,” she states.

“Yes, yes I know,” he pleads. “But I think this is really something you ought to see. Here:”

Discord snaps his fingers … which pass right through themselves with no effect. “Huh?” he says, inspecting his fingers; the color quickly fades from his now-transparent face.

“What is it?” Fluttershy starts, before seeing the same. Panic sets in: “Oh dear … not again! Discord, were you trying to force order on yourself again?”

“Not at all, I swear!” he urgently replies. “I … I don’t know what’s causing this,” he continues, his image becoming less pronounced.

“What should I do?” Fluttershy asks herself, before turning towards the cakes on the shelf. Quickly, she rushes over to the shelf, grabs a cake, and smashes her head inside.

“FLUTTERSHY, WHAT THE HAY???”

Ignoring Pinkie’s words, Fluttershy grabs another cake and stomps on it, scattering cake and frosting all over the area and making a general mess of the place.

“FLUTTERSHY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???”

“I’M TRYING TO SAVE DISCORD!” Fluttershy angrily retorts, icing dripping from her face and mane. She turns to Discord, hoping to see a change in Discord’s condition. “Anything?”

“No,” he meekly replies, fading more quickly. “Fluttershy, listen to me … I love …”

…

“Discord?” “DISCORD???” Tears mix with the frosting in the pegasus’s eyes; she drops to the ground, holds her hooves to her eyes, and sobs.

Forgetting entirely about the mess, Pinkie rushes over to console her friend. “Fluttershy, I am so sorry,” she says, tears now coming to her own eyes as she holds her friend in her forelegs.

“I … I don’t understand,” Fluttershy says, her words stilted. “He was his … usual self coming here … what could have …”

Pinkie hugs her friend. “It’ll be OK,” she attempts to assure. “Maybe … maybe this is just a prank he’s playing on you.”

Fluttershy turns to Pinkie. “That would be a horrible thing to do!” she insists.

“Well, yeah, I know … but Silly Foals Day is just around the corner. I know I’ve had my moments for that particular holiday. Maybe … I mean, don’t just think that he’s … ‘gone’ gone, right?”

Fluttershy shakes her head. “He was scared … really scared. You saw it. That’s not him.”

“Well maybe Twilight can think of a better explanation.” No sooner do the words leave Pinkie’s mouth, when Twilight bursts in with Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.

“Thank Celestia I found you two,” Twilight starts, before inspecting the scene. “Uh, what happened here?”

“It’s Discord,” Pinkie responds. “We think he may have … vanished?”

“You probably could’ve just stopped at ‘It’s Discord’,” Applejack suggests.

“THAT’S NOT FUNNY!” Fluttershy angrily declares, shaking off more bits of cake and icing.

“Look, there’s no time!” Twilight insists. “We have to get to Canterlot, right now!”

“What, now? Why?” Pinkie asks. At that moment, she hears rumblings from outside. “And what’s going on outside?”

“Take a quick look, and then I’ll teleport us to the Princess,” Twilight replies.

Curious, and seeing Fluttershy regaining her composure, Pinkie walks over to the door and pokes her head out. She sees numerous ponies in the streets, all staring at the sky. She cranes her neck up and …

“Twilight? Why are the sun and the moon both up right now?”

Apparating just outside the castle, Twilight leads the others up the marble steps and into the castle proper. Security allows them to race past as they gallop down the hallway, finally reaching the large, closed, double-doors. Twilight raps the doors with her hooves.

“Princess Celestia? It’s us.”

Moments later, the door opens a crack. Celestia pokes her head out. “Come in, but be quick,” she commands. Twilight and the others nod and step inside; the door quickly shuts and locks behind them.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight starts, “what’s going on? Why is the moon up now? And where’s Luna?”

Celestia attempts to maintain a stoic façade, but Pinkie and Fluttershy see in her a similar portrait to how Fluttershy looked. “Princess,” Fluttershy asks as she steps forward. “Is Luna … gone?”

“Gone?” Rainbow asks incredulously. “That’s ridiculous! She’s a princess!”

Immediately, she regrets her words as Celestia breaks down. The others rush to her and hug her in both support and solidarity.

A minute passes. Then, Celestia whisks away her tears and addresses the group in a serious, hushed tone.

“It came out of nowhere,” she says. “Everything was perfectly normal … and then, Luna started to fade. She felt no pain, no weird sensation … but her image became transparent. Before we could take any real action, she … she just, disappeared. I have no explanation for this.”

Celestia turns away and chokes back more tears. Twilight and the others turn to each other, unsure how to proceed, before Celestia again regains her composure and addresses them.

“Nopony else knows about this, and we need to keep it that way; the panic that would result is more than Equestria can bear.”

“Begging your pardon, Princess Celestia,” Rarity starts, “but seeing the sun and moon in the sky at the same time is already raising some eyebrows.”

“I had to,” Celestia insists. “I need to be certain that they’re in the sky and not set, in case …”

“In case of what?” Twilight asks.

“In case the same fate befalls me,” Celestia finishes. “Whatever happened to my sister, I fear she won’t be the only one.”

“She’s not,” Fluttershy responds. “Discord also … disappeared.”

“Then it is even worse than I feared. Twilight, I confess that I have no answer to what’s causing this; I need you to research this; try to find a way to stop whatever is causing this.”

“Stop? Princess Celestia, you don’t think …”

“This won’t stop with my sister. And it won’t stop with Discord. Without any knowledge, there’s no telling who else may be affected by …” Her eyes grow wide with shock as her mouth gapes.

The others turn towards the princess’s focus … and watch as Fluttershy turns transparent.

“Oh no,” she meekly says, inspecting her appearance. “This can’t be … I don’t want to …”

…

The others gasp in horror, the others then turning to Twilight. “What do we do?” Applejack pleads.

Twilight closes her eyes; in an instant, she and her four friends transport back to Sugarcube Corner.

“I’m heading back to the Canterlot Archives,” Twilight informs the others. “Maybe there’s something there that can tell us what’s causing this.”

“But what about us?” Rarity asks.

“You four … be with your families. Just in case.” Twilight closes her eyes one last time and pops out of site.

The scenery passes by as a blur. Voices … screams … all lost in passing as Pinkie Pie sprints off at breakneck speed towards ‘Ponyville Adjacent’. She quickly reaches her sister’s cavern entrance.

“MAUD!” she screams as she enters. “PLEASE SAY YOU’RE STILL HERE!”

A silhouetted figure steps out, and Pinkie exhales a sigh of relief. “Maud! Thank Celestia you’re still here!” She stops as she eyes the vacant expression of her sister.

“Mudbriar is gone,” her sister calmly states. “One minute he was here, and the next he was gone.”

“Oh, Maud! …” Pinkie rushes to Maud’s side and embraces her. “I’m so sorry!”

“Pinkie Pie, I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything!”

Maud gently nudges Pinkie aside and walks over to a table holding a small rock and a stick. “Just in case, I need you to watch over Boulder and Twiggy. Promise me you’ll do this.”

The request catches Pinkie off-guard, but she nods in acceptance. “Anything for you, Maud. You know that.”

Maud focuses on the rock and stick. “From what I saw, Boulder and his friends will be fine. So will Twiggy and his friends. They just need someone to take care of them.”

“Sure thing,” Pinkie agrees. “You can count on me.”

Maud turns to Pinkie. “It was weird. Mudbriar was here, and then he wasn’t. Just like this,” she continues, noticing a slight change in her appearance.

“No … no, it can’t be … not you!”

Pinkie’s pleas go unheeded as Maud’s appearance begins to fade. “Don’t cry for me, Pinkie … I’ll always be with you …”

…

Miles away, the birds could here Pinkie’s cry of anguish … before they, too, disappear.

The long, lone walk back to Ponyville was sullen for Pinkie Pie. It was only after she had returned that she saw the full extent of what had happened.

The streets were now empty. No more pleas for help or cries for those who were lost. Just quiet … strange, eerie quiet, pervading throughout the town.

“Is anypony here?” she cries out. “Anyone? At all?”

“Pinkie Pie!” The cry of a young filly causes Pinkie to turn and she sees Sweetie Belle rushing towards her. For a moment, a glimmer of hope returns to the pink pony.

“Pinkie Pie, what’s happening? Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, they just vanished! And then Rarity vanished too! Even Opalescence …” Sweetie Belle pauses and gasps upon seeing her forelegs. “Pinkie Pie, you gotta do something! Why are all of us …”

…

Strangely unfazed by what she had just seen, Pinkie Pie slogs off to Sugarcube Corner. As she opens the door, she hears a loud *POP* and spins around to see a frantic Twilight.

“Pinkie Pie, you’re still here!”

“TWILIGHT!!!” Pinkie rushes towards Twilight, who puts up a force shield to block her advances.

“There’s no time; it seems like the whole world is disappearing! I think I found something, but it’s really a longshot. Anyway … no, no, NO!”

Twilight notices her own features disappearing as Pinkie frantically waits for Twilight to continue.

“Twilight, hurry!”

“Pinkie Pie, listen to me … it’s important that you wait thirty …”

…

Pinkie Pie opens her mouth, but finds nothing to say. She shakes her head, turns, and enters Sugarcube Corner. Ignoring the mess, she trudges up the stairs to her room, places Boulder and Twiggy on the table, and climbs into bed.

“Don’t worry, everypony,” she assures to no one, “I’ll be joining you soon enough.” She closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep …

“And yet, here I am,” she tells Sans as she concludes her story.

Special

“… And yet, here I am,” she tells Sans as she concludes her story.

Sans takes in Pinkie’s tale. “Ms. Pie, that was both horrifying and fascinating. I apologize again for making you relive all that.”

“It’s OK. In a way, it feels good to have somepony else to tell at all. I mean, Boulder and Twiggy are great listeners, but to be honest, they’re not much for conversation.”

“All the same, I won’t inquire about your ordeals again; this I promise.”

Pinkie smiles. “There’s no need for that. If anything, it’ll probably be helpful for me to share more, if you’re OK with that. And hey, if you need to get anything off your chest, I’m all ears.”

Sans sighs. “There’s little to say. I spent most of my time in the main office; I rarely saw anypony even when times were normal. And I never witnessed anypony just disappear into nothingness, much less those near and dear to me. That you’re still here with sound mind is astounding; you’re truly one of the strongest ponies Equestria has ever known.”

Pinkie laughs, as hard as she had for some time. “Sans Smirk, I bet you say that to all the fillies!”

“I do now, I guess.” Sans’s quip earns another hearty laugh from Pinkie.

“You are too much, Sans!” Pinkie states as she catches her breath. “So, what do you want to do now that you’re here? I still got a lot of broken windowpanes to sweep up!”

“Actually,” Sans says, “I’m a bit tired. It’s been a long journey for me to get here, and I have not slept in a proper bed for some time.”

“You’re tired?” Pinkie asks. “I mean, the sun hasn’t even set yet …” She giggles at her comment, as Sans observes. “Don’t you get it? Because the sun won’t ever set, so we can’t …” She chuckles a bit more, then goes silent.

“… Ah, yes. Most humorous, Ms. Pie. Very witty, as always.”

“Thanks, Sans. You know … we’re already here at the Apple family barn. Ever sleep on a pile of hay?”

“I can honestly say that I have never done so,” Sans replies.

“There’s a first time for everything, right? …”

Pinkie wakes to a crack of sunlight shining through the barn door. It had been the best she slept in some time.

She bounds over to the door and shoves it open, letting in a flood of light. She turns to see a drowsy Sans rise from his haystack and rub his eyes. “Great day in the morning, right Sans!?”

“I can now honestly say that I’ve slept on a pile of hay,” he admits.

“So how was it? Fun, right?”

“It was … different,” Sans states. Pinkie laughs.

“I guess it’s an acquired taste. I’ve slept on all sorts of things; beds, couches, chairs, haystacks, cobblestone roads, fields … once, Rainbow Dash helped me sleep on a cloud! It was sooo fluffy!”

“I suppose,” Sans remarks.

“So I was thinking: if you don’t want to bother with cleaning up messes left by exponential megaphone damage, we could treat Boulder and Twiggy to trips to the quarry and forest.”

“Actually, Pinkie Pie, I was thinking about your last encounter with Princess Twilight Sparkle. It sounded like she found something useful; maybe we should try to figure out what that was.”

Pinkie ponders Sans’s suggestion. “I hadn’t given it much thought, to be honest.”

Sans blinks in surprise. “But why not, Pinkie? What if the princess found a way to bring everypony back?”

Pinkie laughs. “Maybe YOU should be the Element of Laughter, Sans! You are too funny right now!”

Sans pauses as Pinkie’s laughter dies down. “It wouldn’t hurt to try, right?” he quietly adds.

“It wouldn’t help, either,” Pinkie replies, her words now expressionless.

“But why not? Pinkie Pie—”

“Look,” she starts in a suddenly harsh tone, “I’ve lost everyone and everything I hold dear! I lost my friends, my friends, my pet, my friends’ pets … I have nothing left but a promise made to somepony who no longer exists! So please excuse my feeling of complete hopelessness, OK???”

Pinkie turns away in disgust and takes several breaths. Sans waits several seconds before approaching her.

“Twilight thought enough to confide in you, to at least attempt an explanation. She believed in you … why won’t you believe in yourself? You’re not just any pony, you know; you’re one of the Elements!”

“Oh yeah, WONDERFUL!” Pinkie spins back around to Sans. “You know what friendship really needs? Honesty. Loyalty. Kindness. Generosity. You know what friendship doesn’t need? FLANKING ‘LAUGHTER’!!!”

Sans sputters for a response as Pinkie continues: “Of all the millions of ponies in the world, all the creatures in the world … dragons, griffins, yaks … why me? Why not Twilight? She’s so smart, she’d be able to figure all this out. Or Rainbow Dash? She could have just flown so fast to make the world go back in time.”

“I think you got that from a comic—”

“What about Princess Celestia? All her strength, her power … but she’s gone too, I guess. So what’s so special about me?”

Sans pauses, making certain Pinkie was done, before responding.

“I knew you were special even before I met you for the first time; that meeting only strengthened my belief. Were it not for you, my life would have been very different … and much less significant. Remember, I only had what I had because of Cheese Sandwich, and he because of you.”

Pinkie takes in Sans’s words as he continues.

“And I can’t say I know every detail of what your life was life before all this, but I’m certain you’ve touched a lot of ponies.” He chuckles. “Maybe every pony in your town, and countless more throughout Equestria. And beyond … I have heard stories about your relationship with the yaks. Tell me: do you really believe Prince Rutherford wouldn’t think of you as ‘special’?”

Lost for words, Pinkie looks down at the ground.

“You don’t need magical powers, or wings, or anything like that. Your power comes from the hope you give to all around you, whether you remember that or not. I daresay, you’re the spiritual successor to Somnambula herself.”

A smile comes to Pinkie’s face as she picks her head up. “We’ve met, you know.”

“Then I’m sure you’ve heard as much from her. One of the very Pillars of Equestria.”

Pinkie sighs, her smile now firmly planted on her face. “Thanks, Sans,” she says quietly.

“I don’t know why you of all ponies remain … why we remain … but we’re here for a reason. And if there’s any way to figure out how to make things right again, even in vain, we owe it to all to at least try. ‘Hope for the best’, right?”

Pinkie nods. “Hope is for the best, isn’t it.”

Sans strolls towards the barn entrance and gazes into the distance. “It’s a long way to Canterlot.”

“We got time,” Pinkie replies. “We got all the time in the world.”

On the Road

Pinkie Pie lay Boulder atop a tuft of hay. She then adds a pile of assorted small stones and branches around them.

“These guys should keep you company while we’re gone,” Pinkie assures the rock and stick. “And you’re above the ground, just in case there’s any flooding … though I guess there’s not much reason to expect flooding. Anyway, Sans and I are going to take a trip. I don’t know how long we’ll be, but if anything bad happens, I want to know you’re both safe. You should both be safe here.”

“You about ready?” Sans asks from just outside the barn.

“Just about,” Pinkie calls back, before refocusing on the rock and stick. “Take care, both of you. I’ll miss you.” Giving one final inspection of the area, Pinkie turns and departs the barn, joining Sans. Together, they embark on their journey

“It shouldn’t take more than a day to reach Canterlot,” Sans states, drawing a laugh from Pinkie. “Oh? … Oh, yes, yes, ‘a day’ wouldn’t seem to make sense now, would it. Good catch.”

“The last time I took this path to Canterlot, it was for the Grand Galloping Gala. Me and Twilight and all the others, we were all in a big carriage pulled by some very helpful stallions … fun times, those were,” Pinkie reminisces.

“I could only imagine attending an event like that,” Sans admits. “That must have been one special night for you and your friends.”

“Best night ever! … Well, except for the part where all the music was slow and stuffy but I wanted to cut loose and seesawed a cake right into Rarity’s face and she knocked over a pillar that Rainbow Dash couldn’t prevent from collapsing and then Fluttershy let loose a stampede and everyone ran out of the building … but the donuts we had afterward were super-tasty!”

Sans turns his head towards Pinkie, unsure how to respond. He turns his head back towards to road and emits a small chuckle. “So, just another typical year of festivities?”

“I guess you just had to be there,” Pinkie concludes. “Have you ever attended anything like the Gala?”

“Oh goodness, no. I am no V.I.P … more like a V.U.P. A Very Unimportant Pony.”

“You’re important to me,” Pinkie corrects.

“Most kind of you. And yes, given the current state of affairs, I suppose I am more important now that I was before. But enough about me … I’m curious, Ms. Pie, what do you think Twilight meant when she said ‘wait thirty’?”

“Huh? Oh, right …” Pinkie shrugs. “I just took it to meant ‘wait thirty days, and then do something’.”

“But do what, exactly?”

“I dunno … honestly, my mind gave up trying to figure anything out by day two.”

Sans again turns his head towards Pinkie. “So, you haven’t given that any more thought?”

Pinkie frowns. “I never expected there to be a day two, really. I turned in after that awful day thinking it was just a really bad nightmare. And if not, then it wouldn’t matter because I’d be gone with everypony else. Those first couple days were rough, getting used to the new reality. I tried to find ways to occupy my time, but … I miss ponies. Not even just my friends; I miss everypony, even ones that made me feel bad.”

“Why is that?”

“… at least they made me feel.”

“Pinkie, I didn’t mean for our conversation to go this way. You don’t have to—”

“It’s OK, Sans. I’m OK with talking to you about it, now. Anyway … the days became weeks, then almost a full month. Then one day, I thought I’d revisit the Castle of Friendship.”

“The what?”

“Twilight’s home in Ponyville. Well, her second home, after her first home was destroyed by Tirek. Anyway, I guess I wanted a reminder of what life was like before.”

“And how was it … if it’s OK for me to ask?”

“Strange. I walked through the kitchen, the library, the many hallways. And then I came to the Cutie Map room and saw all the memories just hanging off the roots of the old tree. It got me to thinking, maybe I’m not the only pony left in Equestria. Maybe … maybe I’m not alone.”

“So, that’s why you …”

“Strung together a bunch of megaphones and gave a shout-out to the world? Yeah, pretty much. And hey, it worked. And look at us now, on a quest to Canterlot. Didn’t think that would be the case 24 hours ago!”

Pinkie laughs, then turns her head toward Sans. “So how ‘bout telling me a little more about you? I only know you as that pony who took over a factory from Cheese Sandwich. There has got to be more about your life than that!”

Sans chuckles. “There really isn’t. But Ms. Pie, you dropped so much on me just now that I simply cannot let go. Tell me more about this ‘Castle of Friendship’. How did it come to be? And what do you mean by a ‘Cutie Map’ room? What was its purpose? And ‘memories hanging off roots’? There’s a lot to unpack there, Ms. Pie, and I simply refuse to let you just hoof-wave all that.”

“Oh … wow, where to begin. Is there anything in particular you’d like to know?”

“Well … all this seems to revolve around Twilight Sparkle. Why don’t you begin with your first encounter with her, and go from there?”

Welcome to Canterlot

“The first time I met Twilight Sparkle, she was new to Ponyville, so of course that meant I had to throw her a party! She was so surprised, but then all of us were surprised when Nightmare Moon returned …”

“… and the changelings overran Canterlot, which was super-scary, but then Cadence’s love conquered all …”

“… and that’s when Twilight became an alicorn. Then she went to some alternate dimension to retrieve her crown that was stolen, but that’s a whole other story …”

“… now Starlight Glimmer is Twilight’s student; can you believe that? And that really mattered when Starlight and Discord helped save all of Equestria from Chrysalis again …”

“… I never taught before, unless you count my time foalsitting for Mr. and Mrs. Cake, but they’re so young and now I have more grown-up ponies and other creatures to teach …

“… and now Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow are all turned to stone and are on display in the Royal Gardens where Discord used to be … and, I guess that’s about it. But seriously, I’ve gone on about myself long enough; now it’s your turn, Sans. Where would you like to begin?”

“Perhaps later, Ms. Pie,” Sans says, “but look!” He points a hoof directly ahead; a stylized sign reads ‘Welcome to Canterlot!’

“Oh … well what do you know? Time really flew by there, didn’t it,” Pinkie admits.

“So which way to these ‘Royal Canterlot Archives’ you mentioned?” Sans asks. “I assume that would be where Twilight had spent her time.”

“Follow me,” Pinkie replies as she takes the lead, Sans following closely behind.

What once was a bustling hub of activity was now a ghost town. Storefront after storefront, business after business; no boarded windows, no broken glass. Restaurants … boutiques … the type mattered not. Pinkie inspects the desolation as she and Sans make their way through the city proper.

“It’s like a giant playset, and somepony forgot to buy action figures,” Pinkie comments.

“Truly, this whole scene is surreal,” Sans adds.

“It’s too real for me,” Pinkie counters. “It feels like forever ago when Rarity opened up her second boutique right here, or when she and I went sent here by the Cutie Map to help out a father and daughter. But now …” she shakes her head forlornly.

“I can only imagine what Manehattan looks like right now,” Sans says in awe. “But in all honesty, I’ve never even been to a town this large.”

He waits for a reply, but Pinkie quietly presses on, her head down and eyes barely open.

“We’ll find a way,” Sans reassures. “From what you’ve told me, Twilight is more than capable of finding a solution; there’s a strong possibility that what we need to do is already laid out for us once we arrive.”

“I really hope you’re right,” Pinkie finally answers. “But walking through this town … it’s just really hard now.”

“Keep hope,” Sans says. “These streets will be crowded once again.”

Pinkie turns to Sans. “OK seriously, when did you become this super-hopeful stallion?”

“I am merely trying to strike a balance between hope and despair. I am sure that I will have my moments of weakness, and I am equally sure you will be there to boost my spirits when that time comes. But right now, it appears that you are the one in need of healing, so it is my turn to be strong.”

“Gee … I never thought of it that way,” Pinkie remarks.

“Let us focus on the task at hoof. How far away are we from the archives?”

“Not far,” Pinkie replies, her mind more at ease.

“The last time I was here, I was sneaking in through a window with Twilight and Spike,” Pinkie remarks upon reaching the steps to the Royal Canterlot Archives. “I guess it does make more sense to use the doorway.”

“I must have missed that part of your recollections,” Sans admits. “Tell me, why did you and Twilight ‘sneak in’ to this building?

Pinkie laughs at the thought. “Oh, Twilight was just Twilighting her usual self. She got it in her head that something terrible was going to happen in the future, so she found a way to travel back in time to warn herself. But all she succeeded in doing was giving herself enough stress to totally freak out for an entire week!”

Sans blinks. “Let me make sure I understood you correctly, Ms. Pie … you said that Twilight found a way to travel back in time?”

“Well sure, this is Twilight Sparkle we’re talking about!” Pinkie replies in an offhoof manner. “Nothing surprises me anymore regarding her.”

“But don’t you see?” Sans asks with greater urgency. “This may be what Twilight was trying to tell you. Do you remember where in the archives we need to go?”

“It was the Starswirl the Bearded wing. It’s easy to find; follow me.” With a renewed spring in her step, Pinkie pronks her way up the stairs and into the building, with Sans following. Once through the doorway, they travel partway down a corridor towards a room that had been roped off; a partition dangled to the side of the doorway, leaving the room free to enter. They cross the threshold of the doorway and inspect the room.

“Everything appears so organized,” Sans remarks. “All the books and scrolls are stacked neatly upon the shelves, as if nothing had happened. Surely there would have been some chaos, right?”

Pinkie utters a ‘meh’. “Maybe nopony had time to react before the disappearing began.” She notices a pair of scrolls and a quill on the floor next to an empty lantern. “At least one pony wasn’t kind enough to put scrolls away.”

Sans rushes over to the scrolls and inspects the area. “Pinkie Pie, this must be what Twilight was studying. Come.”

Pinkie trots over and inspects the two scrolls. “One of these definitely looks familiar; it’s what Twilight used to go back in time. And the other scroll is in her hoofwriting.” She starts to read Twilight’s script: “ ‘Wait thirty seconds, then repeat this incarnation … should allow for non-unicorns to travel back in time …’ ” She looks up at Sans. “Classic Twilight! Looks like she found a way to get anypony to do magic!”

“That’s incredible!” Sans shouts. “You can use this to go back in time and warn Twilight of what’s to come! She would surely be able to find a solution given enough time for preparation! Tell me, how far back in time does this spell send you?”

“A week …”

…

Pinkie’s comment causes the color to fade from Sans’s face. “Yeah, maybe I should have come here sooner. Uh … ‘whoopsie’?” she asks with a resigned smile.

“It’s OK,” Sans reassures. “You couldn’t have known. We’ll … we’ll find some other avenue.”

Sans gives Pinkie a consoling embrace.

While in that embrace, a thought comes to the pink pony. “Saaay, now I got a longershot of an idea. What do you say, Sans …” She turns her head toward Sans’s face; her eyes grow as she notices a transparent hue upon him. “No,” she pleads, “not you too!”

“It’s quite all right,” Sans reassures. “It sounds like you’ve made a breakthrough on your own; you won’t need my help anymore.”

“But … but …”

“I’ll see you again … I promise …”

A second later, Pinkie Pie is alone.

I will see you again, Sans Smirk … and you, Twilight … and you too, everypony else!

The Unforgiven III

It’ll work this time. Not like the last time … or the first time, or all the times in between.

Staring at the newest addition to the Canterlot Royal Gardens, as she had done countless times before, Pinkie attempts to convince herself that the flask held by her mane contained a concoction that would see her plan through. She had thought of little else over recent time.

Taking a deep breath, Pinkie leaps to the top of the stone statue and balances herself. She unstops the flask and pours its contents over the statue; she quickly leaps off the statue, turns, and waits for a reaction … any reaction …

Smoke begins to form as searing sounds emanate from the statue. Hope builds in Pinkie’s heart as the sizzling sound intensifies and the smoke thickens. A loud *POP* sends Pinkie reeling back, forcing her to shut her eyes. She cautiously opens them and sees three powerful foes slowly pick themselves up from the ground.

Tirek groans, still feeling stiff from his time in captivity. He blinks his eyes as he inspects his surroundings. “What’s going on? Where are we?”

“Never mind that,” Chrysalis adds as she bends her neck from side to side. “Where are the Princesses and that fool Discord?”

“Where are anypony?” Cozy Glow asks. “Where are anycreature?”

The sound of a single pony’s irrational laughter causes all three to turn in the direction of Pinkie Pie, now delusional with delight.

“IT WORKED! IT WORKED! I KNEW I COULD DO IT IF I WORKED REALLY HARD AND NOW IT WORKED! I FREED THE TERRIBLE TRIO!!!”

The threesome turn to each other, none of them able to comprehend the scene unfolding in front of them. Soon after, recognition comes to one of them:

“Now I remember you,” Tirek starts. “You’re that cymbal-banging crazy pony who drove me to insanity in Tartarus!”

“Weren’t you the Professor of Laughter Studies at Twilight’s school?” Cozy Glow asks.

Chrysalis grunts a loud *hrumph*. “You were the most annoying of the Elements of Harmony, you and your ideas for a Canterlot Wedding fit for a foal! Now tell us where Twilight Sparkle and the other Princesses are!”

“Oh, they’re gone.” Pinkie cheerfully responds, causing more confusion among the others.

“Gone?,” Tirek asks. “You mean, Princesses Celestia and Luna are …”

“Gone.”

“And Twilight and the rest of the Elements of Harmony?” Chrysalis adds.

“Gone, too.”

“What about Starlight Glimmer or Trixie?” Cozy Glow adds.

“Gone three and gone four.”

“This is preposterous!” Tirek exclaims. “You mean to tell us that everypony in Equestria just disappeared?”

“Every pony, dragon, changeling, griffin, hippogriff, yak, pet, and any other creature you can think of … but Boulder and Twiggy are still around. Say, you think I should check in on them? It has been a while!”

“Wait a minute,” Chrysalis says, “what do you mean by ‘a while’? How much time has passed since we last met?”

Pinkie ponders the question. “Well let’s see … it was a week after you were all turned to stone when all my friends and the rest of civilization disappeared, then thirty more days before I called out to the world through a chain of megaphones, then thirty more days or so until Sans Smirk came by, then another … oh, I don’t know, two or three days of nonstop trotting to Canterlot? … then another couple of hours before Sans disappeared, and then whatever time it took for me to create a potion to free you from your stone selves.”

For a minute, silence pervades. Then Cozy Glow speaks up: “Wait … you freed us from petrification? You’re not a Princess; you’re not even a unicorn.”

“Well duh, but Twilight explained how I might be able to perform magical spells before she disappeared, but her idea ended up past its expiration date, so then I thought of another idea but I needed to figure out how to undo that stone spell so I pored over every tome in the Royal Canterlot Archives to find something I thought I could use—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Chrysalis interrupts. “You went searching for a way to free us.”

“Uh huh, and it wasn’t easy; I must have spent weeks searching for the right scroll or potion instruction, but it’s really hard to say since the sun and moon no longer set …”

The trio look up at the sky, each surprised to see that, indeed, then sun and moon were both high in the sky; Pinkie continues her story as they look:

“… but I was determined, more than I ever had been before. If I got hungry, I munched on some grass just outside the building, and if I got thirsty, the fountains were still operating, and if I got tired, I just put my head down and went to sleep for a bit before waking up and pushing on. And I finally found instructions for just such a potion, and I thought it would be just like following a recipe for a cake, but first I had to find a bunch of ingredients which meant raiding the laboratories in Canterlot which I had to find first, but I did find them and was able to get everything I needed …”

“Where do you think she’s going with this?” Cozy Glow asks the others.

“I don’t know, but I’m oddly mesmerized,” Tirek responds. Chrysalis grunts and walks several yards away.

“… so I finally had a potion, and I came here to try it out on you, but nothing happened. But that’s OK, I’ll just try again, which I did, even thought that try didn’t work either. And neither did Try Number 3 or Try Number 4, or for that matter, Numbers 5, 6, 7, and a bunch of other ones, I kinda lost track once I got to 20 or so, but today, oooh today, I finally got it right, and HERE YOU ARE!!!”

“Wonderful!” Tirek sarcastically announces. “Now tell us why in Tartarus you bothered freeing us, knowing full well who we are?”

“She probably just wanted a new friend,” Chrysalis snidely remarks. “As if I would forget all that’s happened to me, all because of you and your do-gooder friends, if you think for one second that I would just forgive you for that—”

Pinkie bursts into laughter again, irritating Chrysalis while confusing the others.

“What’s so funny?” Cozy Glow asks.

“You got it all backwards, that’s what’s funny. You think you need to forgive me!”

The comments stuns Chrysalis into silence. Tirek speaks: “Exactly what are you getting at?”

Pinkie clears her throat and assumes a serious tone: “As the only remaining creature in Equestria, I now represent all ponykind … really, all creaturekind. And as the representative for all creaturekind, I, Pinkie Pie, hereby forgive Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow of any and all wrongdoings.”

Easier Said

Tirek, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow … all three stare in disbelief as Pinkie Pie beams and waits for a reaction.

“Yep … I forgive all three of you in the name of Equestria and all the world! You are all forgiven!”

The threesome continue to stare as Pinkie’s smile begins to fade.

“Come on now, they’re forgiven … time for something to happen now, right? …”

Pinkie gazes up at the sky, her exuberance giving way to confusion.

“That had to be it, right? I forgave them … we forgave them! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???”

Pinkie’s gaze shifts from the sky to the three confused former foes. Tears form in her eyes.

“I don’t understand,” she says between choked sobs. “I did all that work, freed you all, forgave you … for, for nothing? …” She crumples to the ground and sobs quietly.

“I’ve had enough of this,” Chrysalis curtly states as she spreads her wings.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Tirek asks incredulously.

“Back to the hive to take back what’s rightfully mine!”

“Didn’t you hear what Pinkie Pie said?” Cozy Glow adds.

“Like I’m going to take the word of a madpony! This could be just another trick, for all we know! Well, you two can stick around if you like, but I have more important things to attend to.” Chrysalis takes one final look at Pinkie, shakes her head in disgust, and flies off.

Tirek gazes at the changeling for a moment, then walks towards the entrance to the courtyard.

“Tirek, where do you think you’re going?” Cozy Glow asks.

“Chrysalis could be right, you know. In any case, there’s nothing for us here.”

“But what about Pinkie Pie?”

“Not my concern … and she shouldn’t be yours, either.” Tirek turns away from the two ponies and heads out.

Cozy Glow watches as the centaur disappears from her sight, then turns her attention to Pinkie, still sobbing and inconsolable. She flutters over to Pinkie and addresses her.

“Uh … Professor Pinkie?”

The jarring address momentarily snaps Pinkie out of her funk. She wipes away the moisture from her eyes and makes eye contact with the young pegasus.

“When you said that you ‘forgave’ me and Tirek and Chrysalis … did you really mean that, or did you do that because you thought that would bring everypony back?”

Pinkie opens her mouth to answer but remains silent, unable to respond. She buries her head into her forehooves and sobs anew.

“So you really don’t believe we can be forgiven,” Cozy Glow quietly concludes. “It’s OK; I understand.”

Pinkie’s head shoots up. “No, no … I didn’t mean to … I do believe … honestly …”

“Do you?” Cozy’s demeanor stiffens as her eyes narrow. “I was responsible for you and your friends being locked away in Tartarus. Tricked you into imprisoning yourselves. Captured Counselor Starlight. Drained all the magic from Equestria. I coerced an army of students to attack non-ponies! So tell me Professor … WHY DO YOU BELIEVE A PONY LIKE ME CAN BE FORGIVEN???”

Pinkie’s tears quickly dry as she rises to her hooves to address Cozy’s question. “Why do I believe you can be forgiven?” she repeats with renewed determination. “Why don’t I start with your counselor, who took away the cutie marks from an entire village and forced them to serve her?”

Pinkie’s question catches Cozy off-guard. “Counselor Starlight? She …”

“Oh, she didn’t stop there; she took away MY cutie mark as well, along with Twilight and all my other friends! But let’s just skip past that and get to the part where she nearly destroyed Equestria by blocking my friendship with Twilight!”

“That can’t possibly be—”

“It’s all true! Every word of it! And what did we do once Starlight finally came around? Did we send her to Tartarus? Turn her to stone! No … we forgave her. Twilight became her mentor. And look how that turned out! So why would it be that she could be reformed and not you?”

To this, Cozy has no response.

“Oh, but you’re different, right? Of course you are; you’re a filly! We would lock up a filly in Tartarus rather than try to bring her around to the true power of friendship. Maybe … maybe that’s why everycreature disappeared; because we forgot a basic tenet of friendship: forgiveness. Well I see it now, and I am truly sorry for how everything turned out … not because of the effect on my life, but because of the effect on yours!”

“But what I did … the way I acted …”

“You mean like how you failed a test because you thought it would help the CMCs?”

Cozy is again silenced by Pinkie’s question.

“That’s right … I know all about that. You didn’t do that to be hateful or hurtful, and you didn’t do that in an attempt to gain power. You did that because you cared for them. Because you wanted to help them. It was a selfless act, and you know it.”

“I … I …”

“I don’t know when or how you came into contact with Tirek. And I don’t know how much your actions were affected by him and how much was your own doing. And yes, what you did was horrible … but what pony is completely without fault? You made a big mistake, and all of us were hurt by your actions … but there were better ways to handle things, and we messed up. ‘We’, as in me and Twilight and Celestia … we messed up.”

Fresh tears start to form, but this time from the young pegasus. “Professor, I’m sorry for everything,” she wails as she hugs Pinkie. “I promise, I’ll be better. I swear to you and …”

“It’s OK,” Pinkie calmly replies. “We’ve both made mistakes … a lot of us have, really. But we’ll get through this.”

“But … but how?” Cozy asks. “It’s only the four of us left in the world now, right?”

“I don’t know anymore,” Pinkie responds in earnest. “But we’ll figure something out.”

“OK … uh, Professor?”

“You can just call me Pinkie; all my friends do.”

“Um, OK … uh, Pinkie? Did Counselor Starlight really do all that?”

“Oh yeah … and once, she brainwashed me and the others to complete a friendship test.”

Cozy laughs. “Are you serious?”

“Eh, we got time. It all started when Twilight had to go to a conference right here in Canterlot …”

Psycho Analysis

“… and then Rainbow Dash flooded the entire castle with storm clouds! It was a complete fiasco!”

Pinkie Pie laughs at the recollection as Cozy Glow takes in the whole story with shock, awe, and fascination.

“You know, at the time it was super-horrible what happened, but now I look back at the whole thing and I just laugh. It’s strange how the worst moments in one’s life can become the best memories.”

“Didn’t you once teach us that comedy is just tragedy plus time?” Cozy Glow asks.

“It sure sounds like me, but I dunno. Maybe? Anyway, I remember while telling off Starlight that I never burn cakes, and what do you think happens a week later? I go on a trip with Applejack and Rarity, have another rough time of it, and burn another batch of cupcakes while telling Twilight about my trip! Can you believe it?”

”What the devil are YOU two talking about???”

Pinkie and Cozy turn to see Tirek standing mere feet from them. “Oh hey Tirek,” Pinkie cheerfully says. “How long have you been hanging around here?”

Tirek grumbles. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Canterlot is utterly deserted. No ponies, no woodland creatures … not even so much as a bug.”

“Hey, I know I’m not the Element of Honesty, but I did say so.”

Tirek’s focus shifts from Pinkie to Cozy. “And since when did you get so chummy with this … this, psycho?”

“Hey, Professor … I mean, Pinkie Pie is a really good friend when you get to know her better, and I’m thrilled that she’s forgiven us. It feels great to be able to start over.”

Tirek puts a forehoof to his head in exasperation. “You don’t really believe her words, do you?”

Pinkie turns to address Tirek. “OK, full disclosure: even I didn’t really believe my words at first … but the more I thought of it, the more I realized how true those words really are. And I mean it when I say it, Tirek: I do forgive you … and I hope you can forgive me for all that’s happened.”

Incredulous, Tirek turns to Cozy Glow. “And you just swallow this up, don’t you?”

“She is very persuasive. You should try it; you’ll feel so much better.”

Cozy’s comment elicits a laugh from the centaur. “All right,” Tirek says, “seeing as we may be stuck with each other for all eternity. So, ‘Pinkie Pie’, you say I can be forgiven.”

“Uh huh.”

“Right … so in case you’ve forgotten who I am: I came to Equestria with my brother with the intent to suck all the magic from this world; my threat was so great that I was sent to Tartarus for eternity after my brother betrayed me. Then I escaped and carried out my plan a second time, nearly succeeded in draining every pony including you, in case you’ve forgotten. And THEN I orchestrated a coup upon your land with Cozy Glow as my protégé. And let’s not forget: together with Chrysalis, the three of us nearly conquered the world before the Princesses and that fool Discord turned us all to stone! So I ask you again … HOW DO YOU COME OFF SAYING THAT I CAN BE ‘FORGIVEN’ FOR ALL THAT???”

Pinkie ponders Tirek’s story for a minute. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

Before Tirek can reply, Pinkie’s silhouette turns into a puff of smoke that slowly dissipates. “Wait, where did she—”

An instant later, Pinkie returns with Rarity’s well-worn couch. She prods Tirek onto the couch, causing him to fall on his back and lie facing the sky; she then pulls a pad of paper and a pencil from her mane and sits down on the ground. “So … vhere zhould vee begin?” she asks in a bizarre accent.

Tirek sits up and stares at Pinkie. “What … how … where did you …”

“Eh, remnants of my time as Fillisecond. Now where were we?”

“But … but …” Unable to continue a sensible conversation, Tirek lies back down and concedes. “Whatever, let’s just get this charade over with. What do you want to know?”

“Well … why don’t you tell me a bit about your family. What were you like when you were young?”

“This is ridiculous!” Tirek reiterates.

“Ah ah ah … you’re blocking. We need to get to the root of the problem before the healing can really begin.”

Tirek sighs. “Fine … since you refuse to let anything go, my father was Lord Vorak and my mother was the gargoyle Haydon. I also had a miserable brother, Scorpan.”

Pinkie raises an eyebrow. “Interesting … why would you refer to your brother as ‘miserable’?”

“He stabbed me in the back! We could have ruled Equestria together, but he had to befriend your Starswirl the Bearded and those other ‘ponies’.”

“Interesting,” Pinkie replies as she scribbles into her pad. “And why were you so bent on world domination? From what I’ve gathered recently, it’s a real chore to rule.

“What kind of question is that?” Tirek asks, astounded. “The chance to rule over all, and show everyone that you’re fit to do so!”

“ ‘Everyone’? Is there someone in particular that you were trying to show?”

Tirek turns his neck to face Pinkie, then turns back to face the sky. “My father held me back. Said he was ‘concerned’ about how I would turn out. But I knew … indeed, I knew more than anyone …”

“Hold on, let’s back up a second,” Pinkie suggests. “While you and Chrysalis and Cozy Glow had us locked up, Discord got under your skin; he caused you to lash out … didn’t he mention your father?”

“ENOUGH!”

Tirek rises with a start and flips the couch in a rage. He turns to Pinkie, fuming with anger. Pinkie drops the pencil and notepad and stares back at Tirek, her smile piercing his soul. “I think we’re close to a breakthrough!” she declares.

“WHAT BREAKTHROUGH???”

“It was never about ‘world domination’ with you, was it? It was always about trying to make your father proud of you.”

Tirek blinks.

“I was lucky; my father was very much an ‘old-school’ type. Simple living, off the land, …” She chuckles. “My family worked on a rock farm. And that’s great for my sisters and my parents, but it just wasn’t me. I knew my path in life would lead in a different direction … but I always knew that my father would support me and be proud of me with whatever I did with my life.”

“I … you’re …” Tirek stammers.

“And my sisters … well, they’re always there for me. Maud, of course, but also Limestone and Marble. I remember feeling so low when I thought I was losing Maud to her boyfriend, but then Limestone and Marble showed me the error of my thinking and helped me appreciate Mudbriar and what he offered Maud. You know, I was really blessed with a loving, supportive family. I wish you could have had the same.”

“That’s … that’s enough now,” Tirek quietly states.

“So let me see if I have all this figured out: you grow up having special talents, but rather than nurture those talents or steer you to a common good, your father restricts you. So you feel the need to show him what you’re ‘really’ capable of, and you set out for world domination. And no, I can’t condone enslaving a population of ponies … but when your brother turns on you, that had to be heartbreaking. Meanwhile, once you’re stopped by those who you were trying to enslave, rather than try to educate you on the power of friendship and find a way for your talents to be put to the greater good, they toss you into a prison and pretend you no longer exist.”

“That’s not how it went at all! …”

Pinkie ignores Tirek’s statement. “All that time, locked away, no friends, no family … all you can think about is how your father and brother hurt you. And even if they did had a change of heart, they couldn’t even tell you.”

“Stop bringing up my family,” Tirek pleads.

“And then there’s the Tirek I know, the one who escaped Tartarus, knowing nothing of friendship and strong family bonds, knowing only that you want to ‘show everyone’ … Tirek, you need to hear this from someone who cares:” Pinkie walks up to Tirek and embraces him. “It’s not your fault.”

“That’s enough out of you …”

“It’s not your fault.”

Tirek turns away. “Don’t do this to me …”

Pinkie maintains her grasp. “Hey … it’s not your fault.”

“I’m the most powerful foe you’ve ever …” Tears begin to form in the centaur’s eyes.

“Tirek … it’s not your fault.”

Cozy Glow, having quietly watched the entire scene unfold, feels a surging sensation. She floats over to the pair and joins the embrace. “Tirek, it’s not your fault,” she echoes.

“Stop it, both of you …”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Unable to contain himself any longer, Tirek crashes to the ground and weeps. “I … I can’t do this anymore … I’m sorry …”

“It’s OK,” Pinkie reassures. “We’re both here for you now. We can start over; it’s a whole new world now.”

“I promise, I’ll be good … I’ll use my powers for the benefit of creaturekind … I’ll make you proud, father!”

“We know,” Pinkie says, “and we’ll be right there with you.”

For what seems like an eternity, the three embrace as the tears flow …

… but soon, they detect the sound of wretching. Pinkie turns her head and sees Chrysalis hacking and choking.

“Oh hey Chrissy, how long have you been hanging around here?”

Once More, With Feeling

“UNBELIEVABLE!”

Chrysalis pauses before continuing, her focus trained on Tirek. She waves a forehoof at Cozy Glow: “Her, I could believe falling for such sap; she’s just a stupid foal, but YOU … you’re TIREK, one of the greatest foes to all of ponykind! For YOU to get all sentimental …”

The former changeling queen suppresses another gag reflex.

“It’s like I told him,” Cozy Glow states, “Pinkie Pie can be very persuasive.”

“Oh, put a plug in that muzzle!” Chrysalis snaps back.

“Whoa, calm down now, everycreature,” Pinkie requests, drawing dagger-stares from Chrysalis.

“What are you doing back here, anyway?” Tirek asks, his composure finally regained.

Chrysalis groans. “The pink ball of crazy was correct … no changelings at the hive, no ponies on the ground … no nothing on the ground, in the air, or anywhere. It seems as though I have nowhere else to turn.”

“Nowhere else to …” A realization hits Cozy Glow: “You came back to drain our lifeforce!”

“Again, find a plug!” Chrysalis reiterates. “Yes, I thought about that … but you and Tirek combined wouldn’t last me a day, and I doubt I’d get much more from that delusional pony. Maybe a week … not that I even know what a week is anymore,” she adds, glancing up at the sky.

“Then I don’t understand,” Tirek says. “Why did you return?”

Chrysalis lets out a cry of anguish. “FINE … if it will undo whatever it is you or anyone else has done …” She turns to Pinkie, swallows, and bows her head: “I humbly accept your apology.”

…

“… Why isn’t anything happening?”

Pinkie replies to Chrysalis’s query: “It doesn’t work like that. You have to really mean it.”

“BUT I DON’T MEAN IT!” Chrysalis rages. “You break me out of that stone prison just to watch me wither and die, and I’m supposed to be grateful to you for that?”

“Easy, Chrysalis, we just have to—”

“ENOUGH OF YOUR INCESSANT BLATHER!” Chrysalis takes several paces around the courtyard, stops, and sighs. “So this will be how it ends for me … not with a bang, but with a sad, sorry whisper …”

Pinkie takes several steps closer to the changeling, careful to keep a respectful distance. “It’s never too late for true redemption,” she starts. “Take Discord …”

“Do NOT compare me to the likes of that bumbling oaf!”

“Well, what about Starlight?” Chrysalis’s icy stare causes a quick backtrack: “Got it, no comparisons. But that doesn’t mean you can’t change!”

“I’ve drained the lifeforce out of kittens,” Chrysalis admits while staring at the ground.

“OK, bad optics there … maybe we need to see where all this began. What were you like when you were young?”

“I was never ‘young’,” Chrysalis answers.

“Wait, you never had a childhood?” Pinkie exclaims. “That’s awful … so you never went to school, or had classmates, or birthday parties.”

Chrysalis looks up in disgust. “Do you have anything to offer besides more bile?” she tiredly asks.

“My point is, many aspects of friendship are built in your early years … and you never had any! See, now there’s a starting point. You never got to experience friendship at a time when it’s most critical; that’s not your fault!”

Chrysalis looks down at her hooves; she bends over, takes a bite of grass, reaches her head back up and spits it out. “Why don’t grasp some of that along with your straws?” she snidely asks.

Pinkie turns to the others, who each shrug. She turns back towards Chrysalis. “Well, the journey to Canterlot began with a single trot. We just need to find some place as a jumping off point. Let’s start with something pleasant … anything pleasant … that you like. Maybe, the smell of wild flowers?”

Chrysalis rolls her eyes and groans. “You’re wasting your time.”

“She likes cupcakes!”

Pinkie and Chrysalis turn to Cozy Glow. “What was that?” Pinkie asks.

“Well … when Grogar asked us to find common ground …”

“That wasn’t Grogar!” Chrysalis interrupts.

“Whatever,” Cozy replies. “Anyway, I took it upon myself to bring those two together, and Chrysalis agreed to join us when she found out I made cupcakes.”

“That’s incredible,” Pinkie exclaims. “I like cupcakes, too! And see, that’s where we can start!”

“That,” Chrysalis points out, “is an incredible stretch, even for you! But fine, whatever … yes, I like cupcakes. I needed some reason to be coerced into teaming up with those two.”

“We appreciate you too, Queen Chrysalis,” Tirek sarcastically responds.

“Oh, go find a second plug!”

“Hey, hey, hey … calm down, both of you!” Pinkie states in an effort to keep the two foes civil. “It’s not like I can drop any more large cupcakes on you … come to think of it …” She becomes eerily silent for several seconds.

“Now what?” Chrysalis asks.

“Well it’s just that … me and Twilight and the others had a long talk over donuts after our last meeting, and she was talking about that bell you had. Princess Celestia spoke about how well-protected that bell was, so nopony could ever retrieve it. So how did you three pull it off?”

“Oh, I can tell you!” Cozy Glow starts, before Pinkie gently brushes the attempt aside.

“I love your enthusiasm right now, Cozy, but actually, I want Chrysalis to trot me through this.” She turns her attention back to the changeling. “So, in your own words, how’d the three of you do it?”

Chrysalis pauses for reflection. “I remember … allowing Tirek to usurp my lifeforce so he could garner enough strength to break through the force shield put in place by that mage Starswirl. But even them, Tirek only had enough strength to pry a small opening into the cavern; then Cozy Glow rushed in, grabbed the bell, and got out.”

“I see,” Pinkie says, “but how did you get your lifeforce back from Tirek?”

“He … he gave it back, willingly,” Chrysalis concedes.

Pinkie opens her mouth to respond, but Chrysalis quickly snaps back: “DON’T SAY IT!”

“Don’t say what?” Pinkie innocently replies.

“I see what you’re up to. ‘Oh, the Power of Friendship’ …” she turns away from the others and spits. “It’s just like I told those two; friendship is a disease, a virus that infiltrates creatures and makes them weak.”

“And you’re not about weakness at all, are you?” Pinkie replies.

“Might makes right! I never needed anyone else to get to where I was. I took on all who would defy, rose to become queen of all changelings … and I didn’t need ‘friends’ to do it. Everything I had, I earned through effort and cunning. And I did it all on my own!” she proudly concludes. “I did it all, alone!”

“Gee … that is a really sad story.”

“What?” Chrysalis runs up to Pinkie and stares her down. “What do mean by that comment?” Her eyes narrow: “And I suggest you choose your next words … carefully.”

“Well, I mean, all that success and no one else to share it with?”

Chrysalis flashes a quizzical look.

“I joined a buckball team with Fluttershy and Snails, and we were really good. So good that we played in a tournament with some of the best buckball teams in all of Equestria, and we ended up winning. That was such a fun time, but it was only fun because we had so many others sharing the victory. Not just my teammates, but all the fans back in Ponyville, cheering us on during the games, throwing a big celebration for us when we returned … we were all part of that victory. Otherwise, it would have been, I dunno, just something to do to pass the time.”

“Now listen here, Pinkie Pie: just because you need validation for your successes doesn’t mean every other creature in the world needs it! I didn’t need celebrations or parties, or a bunch of phonies leeching off my successes.”

Pinkie Pie giggles, adding to Chrysalis’s ire. “Now what?”

“You called me ‘Pinkie Pie’ just now.”

“So what if I …” Chrysalis pauses for a moment. “That proves nothing.”

“I suppose it doesn’t,” Pinkie agrees. “But let’s continue: you said you earned everything you ever got on your own, right?”

“Everything,” Chrysalis emphasizes.

“And you claim it has everything to do with power, right?”

“All of it! I wielded the power to control the changelings, and together we formed the most formidable army this world had ever seen!”

“And when you imprisoned Princess Cadence and revealed yourself to us during the wedding, you were so strong that you bested Princess Celestia in a show of power.”

“The pinnacle of all my successes!”

“And your army captured me and the other Elements.”

“Another victory …” Chrysalis pauses for a second. “Where are you going with this?”

“Well … then what happened? How come you’re not the ruler of Equestria now?”

Chrysalis grumbles. “Rotten luck!”

Pinkie replies with a sarcastic tone of her own: “Really? That’s the best you can come up with?”

“Silence, foal!”

“The most powerful creature in the world, with the most powerful army, on the verge of total victory, and you lost it all because of bad luck? Come on, Chrysalis, there has got to be more to it than that, right?”

“It was … an unforeseen burst of energy that undid our plans. There was no way we could have—”

“And what about this ‘we’, hmm? You admit that your power came from the other changelings, don’t you?”

“It was my leadership that carried our kind to its heights!” Chrysalis snaps.

“Of course,” Pinkie agrees, “and when the time came that you saw another opportunity, you seized it, didn’t you? When you went after me and Twilight and all the Princesses? That was all you, was it not?”

“Of course it was all me! You think those changeling cogs could have orchestrated anything like that on their own! No … that was all me! We had it all …”

“So again, what happened?”

Seething, Chrysalis walks away from Pinkie; the latter presses on.

“What stopped you then? What stopped you during the wedding? What stopped you the last time our paths crossed? You had all the power, Chrysalis, so why didn’t you succeed?”

“BECAUSE I SCREWED UP, OKAY???”

Chrysalis takes several deep breaths as her declaration grabs the attention of the others. “I’m sorry,” Tirek says, “but could you repeat that?”

“I SCREWED UP! I … I underestimated the power of … the world around me.” She turns to Pinkie. “Is THAT what you wanted to hear?”

“Almost … come on, you can say it …”

“I underestimated …” she says between clenched teeth, “… the power of friendship.”

Tirek and Cozy stare at Chrysalis in dumbfounded silence. “I never thought I’d hear her say that,” Cozy remarks.

“You speak of friendship as a weakness,” Pinkie continues, “but it’s not. It’s a strength. It promotes camaraderie and boosts morale when both are needed most. An army can succeed or fail, but an army equipped with friendship can take on any challenge. You see, Chrysalis … friendship brings power.”

“That’s what I’VE been saying!” Cozy interrupts.

Pinkie turns to Cozy, smiling as she continues: “Ah, but there’s a catch, Cozy Glow: the power that friendship brings is greater than any other, but it only works if that power flows both ways. You must be willing to give all that you receive; then, and only then, can the true power of friendship be unleashed.”

Cozy ponders Pinkie’s words as Chrysalis silently broods.

“Chrysalis, you were so close to defeating us … you and Tirek and Cozy … but how did you ever get that close in the first place. How did you retrieve that bell? How did you even know what to do with it? …” Pinkie pauses for a moment. “Actually, how did you know what to do with it?”

“We … may have used one of your pony celebrations as a backdrop,” Chrysalis confesses.

“Does that mean what I think it does?”

“We worked together … you made your point, Pinkie Pie, but so what? I’ve taken so much from this world, done such deeds, to no avail. There is no place in a world such as this for one such as myself. This whole thing was just an exercise in futility,” she dejectedly concludes.

“It’s funny … every time you start to see it, you lose it again.”

The last remnants of anger now gone, Chrysalis turns to Pinkie. “What are you going on about now?”

“You think noccreature wants anything to do with you, but they don’t know the you now; they only know the you then. If the you now has changed, there’ll be a place for that you.”

Chrysalis sighs. “Do you ever make sense?”

“Do you ever admit to being wrong?”

“I AM NOT … I never thought … it doesn’t matter. There’s no place for me now.”

“Not even the hive?”

“Especially not the hive … now that they all know what I was, now that they no longer need me …”

“You blame Thorax for that, right?”

A momentary fire ignites with the changeling; it dissipates just as quickly. “I labeled him a traitor to our kind.” She utters a quiet chuckle and looks to the ground. “Now, I’m the one branded as much. None of them would want me back, even if I were changed.”

“Did you know Thorax has a brother? And did you know that brother misses you?”

“And how would you know this?”

“From Starlight, when she and Trixie visited the hive. His name is Pharynx; he was the last changeling to change, and it took a lot of effort for that to happen. And from what I’ve heard since, he still misses parts of the old days. He could use someone to talk to, someone who has stories about the old ways. He could use …”

Chrysalis’s lips pucker. Resigned, she sighs again: “… a friend,” she finishes.

“And if you honestly want to travel down this new path … to get a feel for what so many of us take for granted every day … you’ll have a guide with you every step of the way.”

“I still think it’s too late …”

“And if it is, then it’ll be the four of us for as long as possible. But isn’t that better than spending your last days alone? For the first time, Chrysalis … be my friend?”

“… OK … but no hugs!”

“Deal!”

“Fine …” Chrysalis struggles for one final moment before continuing, “… and for whatever it is worth, I am sorry.”

An instant later, a singularity appears in a corner of the courtyard. Pinkie maintains her position between the singularity and the threesome as Chrysalis creeps closer to Tirek and Cozy. The brightness of the singularity intensifies, causing the foursome to shield their eyes; bright silhouettes begin to form from the source, their shapes becoming more detailed. A flash of light causes the foursome to turn away. They turn back and their jaws drop, as Princesses Celestia and Luna, along with Discord, blankly stare around the courtyard.

“Sister, what just happened?” Luna asks. “Why are the sun and moon both up?”

“I can explain that part,” Celestia replies, “but not what we’re doing here.”

“I think I can explain that,” Discord states, pointing a hoof towards the threesome behind Pinkie.

“I should have known!” Celestia states, her words bitter and angry. “I don’t know how you three broke free of our spell, but this ends NOW!”

Celestia and Luna each lower their heads as their horns pulsate, their brightness intensifying …

The Other Trio

Celestia and Luna each lower their heads as their horns pulsate, their brightness intensifying …

“NOOOO!!!”

The sisters’ horns flicker and darken as the two lose concentration. Each looks up to see Pinkie Pie reared up on her hindlegs, her forehooves spread-eagled in front, blocking their view of the three villains.

“Pinkie Pie, get out of the way!” Celestia commands, her tone a combination of irritation and determination.

“I can’t let you do this!” Pinkie implores.

“Well at least somepony cares,” Discord comments.

Luna turns her head toward the draconequis. “You agree with her?”

“Of course … you think I’m going to let the two of you have all the fun?” A sly grin forms on Discord’s face as his own horn glows.

Instinctively, Pinkie leaps towards Discord and tackles him to the ground. “No, no, no … all of you, back off!”

As the scene unfolds in front of them, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow exchange glances of both confusion and astonishment. Each silently watch the scene unfold before them.

Discord gets up off the ground and dusts himself off. “I suppose even the Lord of Chaos is allowed to have a moment of confusion,” he plainly admits as Pinkie scrambles to her hooves and again places herself between the two threesomes.

“You can’t turn them to stone!” she declares. “They’re our friends now!”

Pinkie’s use of the F-word takes the threesome aback. “What do you mean by that?” Luna asks.

“I mean that they’re reformed. They’ve been forgiven … I forgave them, on … on behalf of all of you.”

Celestia, Luna, and Discord all pause for a moment, taking in Pinkie’s answer. Suddenly, the three burst into laughter, causing Pinkie’s ears to droop.

Celestia quickly regains her composure. “There is a time for everything, Pinkie Pie, but now is not the time for humor.” Her horn glows anew as she continues: “Whatever they did to cause the disappearance of all of ponykind cannot be allowed to be repeated.”

“But it will repeat,” Pinkie exclaims. “They didn’t cause all the disappearances … YOU did!”

Celestia’s horn darkens again as she eyes Pinkie. “We … caused this? As in, myself, Luna, and Discord?”

“I mean, you didn’t mean to … but yeah, I think so.”

Celestia takes another looks towards the three foes, then returns her gaze towards Pinkie. “This is a strong accusation you make towards us,” she calmly states, “but you have always been a faithful and trusted friend. We shall listen to what you have to say, but it will take a rather convincing argument to sway me.”

Cozy Glow blurts out, “Don’t worry about that, Celess … I mean, Princess Celestia. She’s very persuasive!”

Celestia’s focus turns again to the threesome behind Pinkie. “And the two of you … do you agree with Cozy Glow’s assertion?”

Tirek and Chrysalis silently nod.

“I must say,” Celestia says as she turns to Pinkie, “I was not expecting such a respectful response. Very well … what reasoning do you have to believe that we caused the disappearance of everycreature?”

“Well …” Pinkie struggles with appropriate words to use. “I mean … take Starlight.”

“This would seem an unusual starting point,” Luna states.

“No,” Pinkie replies, finding self-confidence, “she’s the perfect place to start. Because she … she was them,” she states as she waves a hoof towards the three former foes. “She was once them.”

“Twilight has told us about Starlight Glimmer’s past deeds,” Celestia states. “but all that’s in the past now.”

“Exactly! And why is that? Why wasn’t Starlight sent to Tartarus? Or turned to stone? Can you honestly say her past deeds were any less threatening to all of Equestria?”

“We only learned of Starlight Glimmer through Twilight,” Luna admits. “It was never our decision to make.”

“It was Twilight’s decision,” Pinkie adds. “Twilight, a pony who had her cutie mark ripped from her. A pony who experience first-hoof one horrible alternate world after another. And after all that, she chose to mentor Starlight, take Starlight under her wing … I mean, not literally her wing, but you know what I mean. And think about how much Starlight has done since then, for all of us.”

“I can appreciate the work she has done for us,” Celestia states. “I doubt that I will ever forget the night I took over Luna’s responsibility in the dreamscape. But you talk as though these three haven’t had the option to embrace friendship; we both watched as Chrysalis rejected Starlight’s invitation. And of course, there’s her more recent plot along with Tirek and Cozy Glow. These are not the actions of one who believes in friendship.”

Pinkie’s head lowers as she thinks about Celestia’s last sentence. Suddenly, her eyes grow wide as her head snaps back up.

“You’re wrong, Princess Celestia. Their plot to take over Equestria … that whole plot proves they now believe in friendship!”

Celestia and Luna both gasp as Discord bursts into a fit of laughter.

“I’m serious,” Pinkie pleads; Discord pays no mind as he continues laughing at the thought.

Pinkie’s eyes narrow as she assumes a mischievous grin. “Whenever you’re done,” she states.

Discord’s laughter dies down. “Oh, so now you’re going to try to convince me about seeing the good in them,” he says as he waves a hoof at the three behind Pinkie.

“Why not? I mean, Fluttershy saw the good in you, didn’t she?”

The smile quickly fades from Discord’s mouth as his eyes turn red. “Tread carefully, Pinkie Pie,” he quietly threatens.

“YOU were once them,” she counters. “YOU were once the greatest threat to all Equestria. So what changed with you, Discord? Did you suddenly say to yourself ‘Hey, I should be good now.’ … is that how it happened with you?”

Discord hems and haws at a response. “Well, not in so many words, but …”

“You’re able to bring together the most evil and powerful threats that Equestria has ever known. You could have taken out Sombra any time you wanted; I know, I was there. You could turn all of us into unicycling puppets in an instant if you wanted to … but you don’t. You’re the Lord of Chaos!!! … and still, you respect all of us not to go back to the way you were. Why is that?”

Discord bows his head in silence, allowing Pinkie to continue.

“Because not too long ago, somepony saw a different Discord from the one everypony else knew. She saw someone that just needed a little freedom, a little understanding. She saw someone who just needed a friend.”

Silence pervades during a period of contemplation for all.

“Could you backtrack a bit?” Luna finally asks. “You’re saying that the efforts that Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow had … involving Grogar’s bell, attacking and imprisoning us … all of that …” She shakes her head. “I am sorry, I am still very much in the dark with regard to your reasoning.”

“Their actions were all for the wrong reasons,” Pinkie states. “None of us can argue that; at this point, I don’t even think they would argue that.”

“We’re really sorry,” Cozy Glow pleads with sincerity in her voice; Tirek and Chrysalis remain silent but close their eyes and bow their heads.

Celestia snorts. “How can we know whether this is all just another act … a longplay, to get us to let our guards down yet again? I still see little reason why they should not return to their previous stone state.”

“But what about Discord?” Pinkie presses. “What reason did you have to believe he should be released?”

Celestia sighs. “You remember when Cerberus left his guard of Tartarus, correct?”

Pinkie nods.

“By the time Twilight brought Cerberus back, Tirek had already escaped. I said nothing at the time, as I did not wish to bring panic to Equestria … at the same time, I believed we needed someone capable of defeating Tirek and bringing him in. That was why I came up with the idea of freeing Discord.”

Pinkie looks at Celestia curiously. “So, the only reason you had us try to reform Discord was … you wanted to use him? Not because you felt he deserved another chance? That’s …”

The revelation stuns Pinkie into silence.

Discord turns to Celestia, who bows her head. “I am sorry you had to find out this way,” she quietly states.

Discord stutters in response: “So … so when Fluttershy …”

Quickly, Celestia interrupts: “She knew nothing of my true intentions. None of them did; not Twilight, not Pinkie Pie … I know you have little reason to believe me now, but this is the truth.”

Discord turns away and quietly takes a few steps away.

“Wait!” Pinkie calls out, causing him to turn around. “Think about what all this means. Fluttershy befriended you not out of a sense of duty or some scheme; she genuinely wanted to be your friend. And that’s what matters most. You can’t tell me you don’t miss her right now.”

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Discord admits. “I hadn’t thought much of anything since I was brought to this spot; I still don’t know what any of this means.”

“But you would do anything to bring her back, wouldn’t you?”

“… I would,” he quietly accedes.

Pinkie turns her attention back to the Princesses. “Think about what all of this means. Discord reformed himself, not because you had plans for him, but because somepony cared about him just for who he was. He learned true friendship … but you’re saying these three can’t?” she asks, again pointing a hoof towards the threesome behind her.

“Pinkie Pie …” Celestia pauses again as she shakes her head. “I can’t believe I still have to say this, but … they stole our magic. They imprisoned us. They destroyed the castle. They … they nearly destroyed us all!!!.”

“I know … I know all of it,” Pinkie states. “But how did they get there?”

“They used that ancient relic,” Luna answers.

“Yes, yes … but how did they ever get it in the first place? How did they learn how to control it? How did they fool Discord, who was the only reason they were able to work together in the first place?”

“Pinkie Pie, please—”

“ASK YOURSELF!” Pinkie shouts, again surprising Celestia. “I’m … I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t talk to you this way, but I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t reeeally important. Please … how did they get so close?”

“Pinkie Pie, lest you forget, these three wield extreme power.”

“But were they so powerful recently? I mean, Tirek and Cozy Glow were locked away in Tartarus, and Tirek was really showing his age.”

Tirek grumbles to himself.

“And Chrysalis … the last time we saw her, she had lost her home, her army … she lost everything.”

“And thank you for reminding everyone of that,” Chrysalis hisses.

“And yeah, Discord did bring them together, but were they going to be any match for him under those conditions? Seeing how easily Discord could have dealt with Sombra?”

“Is this leading to anything good for us?” Cozy Glow asks.

“They were still strangers, knowing nothing of the power of friendship. I mean, Cozy Glow saw friendship only as a means to gain power … and for Tirek and Chrysalis, friendship wasn’t even a concept they could grasp. But then …”

Pinkie turns to Discord. “You told us that they had that bell and used it to take your magic. So why did you give them any information about the bell at all?”

“I was playing a part,” Discord responds. “And I knew they would never actually succeed! Or at least … I thought they would never succeed.”

“Why were you so sure?”

“I know enough of the olden days, back when they were current events. I knew about Starswirl’s enchantments, and how nopony could ever find a way past them.”

“So how’d they do it, huh? How did three complete strangers with so little regard for each other pull it off?” She turns to the threesome. “Go ahead, tell them.”

Tirek turns to Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, then back to the others. “Chrysalis allowed me to usurp her lifeforce to give me enough additional strength to break a small hole in the force shield Starswirl had put in place … and Cozy Glow was small enough to fit through that hole and retrieve the bell.”

“Wait,” Luna says. “Chrysalis, you allowed yourself to be used by Tirek in this fashion?”

Chrysalis nods.

“And Tirek,” Celestia continues, “you relinquished your control of Chrysalis’s lifeforce once the task was complete?”

Tirek likewise nods.

The Princesses turn to each other, surprise in their eyes.

“But there’s more to it, isn’t there?” Pinkie asks. “How would they have known how to use that relic?” She turns again to Discord. “You didn’t give them any instructions, did you?”

“I didn’t even know they had it,” he responds. “And I certainly wouldn’t have told them anything about it.”

“So where could they have gotten that information?” Pinkie asks the Princesses.

“They would have had to infiltrate Canterlot,” Celestia answers. “But that’s impossible. All those defenses we put up … you know about all those, you tested them.”

“So I ask again: how could they have gotten past all of that, on their own …”

Celestia’s gaze shits from Pinkie to those behind her. “Well?”

“During one of your … ‘pony celebrations’ … I may have gotten the earth ponies to doubt themselves,” Tirek admits.

“And I may have caused the unicorns to revolt,” Chrysalis adds.

“I may have had a hoof in the pegasi causing havoc with the weather,” Cozy Glow says.

“And amidst the confusion,” Tirek continues, “the three of us may have found a way to break in and find the information we needed.”

“You see?” Pinkie says. “Working together got them that ancient bell relic. Working together got them to gain the information they needed. And working together got them to overpower Discord and take his magic. Yes, all of that is evil … but they only came close to succeeding by learning the true power of friendship!”

Chrysalis winces upon hearing Pinkie’s final word, but remains attentive with the others.

“It is quite a tale,” Celestia states, “but I still don’t see your point.”

“My point, is that with the help of everycreature in Equestria … maybe everycreature in the world, we were able to overcome all that. It took a joint effort from all of us, with Twilight leading the way, to defeat them. And we succeeded … and brought them down to normal. And … and …”

“And what, Pinkie Pie?” Luna asks.

“And … at that point, they were defeated. But they were defeated after having seen what true friendship was capable of, for their own benefit. Friendship allowed them to become more powerful together than they ever could have apart … and the friendship of everycreature stopped them. That was the moment, when they were at their weakest … when we could have done more.”

Celestia starts anew: “Chrysalis had an opportunity—”

“But she didn’t know, she hadn’t experienced friendship back then … it was too soon. But she knows it now … all three of them know it now. And maybe … if we offered that one last chance … instead of …”

“Hold on,” Celestia says, shaking her head anew. “Let me make sure I’m understanding you: you’re suggesting that every creature in all of Equestria … throughout the world … disappeared because we turned these three to stone?”

“Is that really so hard to believe?” Pinkie asks. “I mean, every time we’ve been close to defeat … Tirek, Chrysalis, Discord, Sombra, Nightmare Moon … hasn’t the Power of Friendship always come through for us? No matter how dark things appeared? I can’t explain it … I don’t think anyone could really explain ‘why’ all this is what it is … but it IS. It just IS. And for all the times we’ve forgiven, for all the times we’ve given our foes one more chance … is it so far-fetched to think that, in a moment when our foes were at their weakest and in greatest need of … of someone to help them … that not offering help could cause something bad?”

All parties go silent. A minute passes.

Celestia eventually breaks the silence, addressing the threesome behind Pinkie Pie: “Have you anything to say?”

Chrysalis starts: “Maybe … maybe if things were different, I could find my place with the changelings … and be more respectful to all who once served me.”

“And maybe I could try again at the School of Friendship,” Cozy Glow adds. “Well, if there was anycreature still there, I guess.”

“I honestly don’t know what I could do,” Tirek says, “but perhaps with some guidance, I could find a place here … as my brother once did.”

Celestia turns to Luna and Discord, who each nod in tacit approval of her forthcoming actions. She turns again to address the threesome. “Pinkie Pie said that she forgave you on behalf of myself and all of Equestria.”

The threesome each nod.

“I cannot say what the future will have in store for us … but if you each are indeed ready, we can help. Are you all prepared for this new journey?”

The threesome each nod again.

Celestia smiles. “Then far be it for me to overrule what has already been decided. Perhaps it was shortsighted of us to turn you to stone at that moment, and for that I apologize.”

Luna and Discord step up and bow in agreement.

“Whatever tomorrow brings, let us all face it together.”

An intense flash of light blinds everycreature as a sudden burst of energy knocks them to the ground. Pinkie is the first to get back on her hooves; the sight of familiar faces brings tears to her eyes.

“TWILIGHT!!!”

Pinkie rushes her alicorn friend, plowing into her and the other Elements. She sobs as she squeezes the group like a vice. “I-MISSED-YOU-I-MISSED-YOU-I-MISSED-YOU-…”

*OOF* “Pinkie, calm down!” Rainbow pleads. “You’re suffocating us!”

“I’M-SORRY-BUT-I-MISSED-YOU-I’M-SORRY-BUT-I-MISSED-YOU-I’M-SORRY-BUT-I-MISSED-YOU-…”

“Okay, okay now,” Applejack declares as she eventually untangles herself from the others. Gradually, the remaining Elements get on their hooves; Twilight in particular catches a glimpse of …

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight sighs with relief, before noticing others around her. “Oh no, they’re back!” she exclaims, lowering her head and pointing her horn towards Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow.

Celestia walks up to Twilight and spreads a wing around her. “There is no need, Twilight,” she calmly asserts.

Quizzically, Twilight looks up at Celestia. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a long story … one that I’m sure Pinkie Pie will be more than happy to tell.” She turns her attention to Rainbow Dash: “Could you fly above these gardens and take a quick look around Canterlot?”

“Uh, sure thing … but why?”

“Call it a hunch,” Celestia replies.

Nodding, Rainbow takes to the air and flies off.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight starts, “what’s going on? The last thing I remember—”

“DISCORD!!!”

Twilight feels a blur rush past her and watches as Fluttershy dives at the draconequis, embracing him tightly.

“I thought you were gone!” she cries.

“I was … I mean, I think I was, but then … oh, who cares?” Discord quickly reciprocates, squeezing just as tightly.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight starts again, “what is going on around—” An instant later, Rainbow returns.

“OK, somepony owes us an explanation: ponies seem to be appearing out of nowhere, all over the city.”

“Wait a minute,” Applejack says. “Ah’m rememberin’ what happened to us now … we was, like, ‘gone’, right?”

“And now you’re back!” Pinkie enthusiastically replies.

Twilight turns her sights from Celestia to Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, and back again. “I don’t understand; what happened?”

“In due time,” Celestia states. “There will be much to explain … but first, I must address the ponies of Canterlot.” She turns to the threesome. “I will need you to join me; this may take some explaining, but I assure you, you have nothing to fear and everything to gain.”

Apprehensive at first, Tirek eventually walks up to Celestia, with Chrysalis and Cozy Glow following. Together with Luna, the fivesome walk out of the gardens.

Twilight turns to Pinkie Pie. “What does Celestia mean that you tell the story?”

Pinkie shrugs. “Eh … I’m a good storyteller. Just ask the Cake twins.” Beaming, she pronks her way towards the garden’s entrance. “Anypony else feel like taking the long way home?”

Twilight shakes her head, but laughs at the absurdity of the scene. “Guess we have something to look forward to when we get back.”

As Twilight and the others head for the entrance, one peculiar sight catches Rarity’s eyes:

“Is that my couch?”

One Week Later

Pinkie Pie hadn’t slept so well in a long time.

Not under the darkness of a starry sky, and not within the comfortable confines of her bed in Sugarcube Corner.

Regardless, the first beams of sunlight shining through the window quickly remove any semblance of tiredness; she bounces out of bed and pronks over to the window.

“Good morning, sun!” she calls out the window. “Say ‘hello’ to the moon for me!”

Pinkie glances over her shoulder as Gummy stares blankly in her direction. He blinks once.

“That’s what I like about you, Gummy; you’re not as judgmental as Boulder and Twiggy were. But seriously: guess what today is!”

Gummy blinks again.

“Today’s the day Twilight returns from her three-day conference in Canterlot! That’s deserving of a celebration; I got so much to do and so many to see, but it’ll all be worth it to see Twilight’s reaction! Oh, I can’t wait!”

Gummy stares.

“Well of course you can help! Come on; we got some baking to do!” Pinkie’s tail wraps around her pet gator and gently places him on her back. She joyously pronks down the stairs to the main area …

… and gasps as her eyes grow. “Twilight! You’re here … as in, ‘here’ here!”

“Pinkie Pie, I’m glad I caught you before you left Sugarcube Corner; we’re meeting at the Castle right now.”

“Oh …” Pinkie silently gulps, thinking about how far behind she may get with her plans. She maintains a strong exterior: “No problem,” she replies as her tail carefully wraps around Gummy and lifts him off her back, placing him on the ground. “Ready to go,” she states as she starts towards the door.

“Allow me,” Twilight replies; her horn glows, and in an instant, the two disappear in a flash.

Pinkie looks around the Cutie Map room, surprised to see nopony other than herself and Twilight. “Hey, where are the others?”

“They’ll be here any minute,” Twilight assures. “There’s a lot to get through, regarding the reformation processes. But I wanted to ask you, in private before anypony else got here …”

An uneasiness comes over Twilight. “Is everything OK?” Pinkie asks.

“Yes, everything is fine … but the stories you told us on the way back from the gardens, they were … powerful.”

Pinkie giggles. “I never said I was Supermare,” she states.

“Not that kind of …” Twilight chuckles at the response, before continuing: “It’s just so incredible; what you had to endure, what you were able to accomplish on your own … I don’t think anypony else could have done what you did.”

“I’m sure you could have,” Pinkie suggests. “You’re so much smarter than me … though maybe I know a bit more about cockatrices now, after all the research I put in at the archives.”

“You’re missing the point. Maybe I could have returned Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow from their stone state, but I don’t think I ever would have convinced them that they could be redeemed. And I certainly could never have convinced Princess Celestia as much … I’m still taking it all in now, to be honest … so what convinced you? How did you come to that conclusion?”

Pinkie ponders Twilight’s question as she thinks back to her time in the archives. “I remember finding the work you put in, trying to find a counterspell. I thought I blew it by not coming to Canterlot sooner … but Sans Smirk, he assured me that it was OK, that it wasn’t my fault. It was a dark moment for me, and he was there when I needed a friend the most … and, well, that was when it occurred to me, maybe the Key was the act of forgiveness itself. And who else was there to forgive but Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. That was the moment for me when …”

Pinkie pauses.

Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Everything OK?”

“Yeah, it’s just that—”

The sound of numerous hooves clomping from down the hallway intensifies. “Maybe later,” Twilight says as three ponies trot into the room … and one pegasus flies in, coming to rest at her designated spot at the table.

“Everything’s going as planned,” Rainbow states; her comment draws mean looks from Applejack and Rarity. “Uh, I mean … we’re all here now, just as planned.”

Twilight nods. “Now I can update all of you on the events of the last several days. But before I start … it is great to see all of you here again, together!”

“It’s certainly an experience I never wish to have again,” Rarity states. “And even that thought is rather selfish, compared to what poor Sweetie Belle had to endure; apparently, she was one of the last to disappear … she could only watch as all her friends vanished right in front of her.”

“Do we know any more ‘bout what caused all this?” Applejack asks.

“No more than what Pinkie Pie described,” Twilight responds. “As far-fetched as the notion may be, that our … world … was trying to teach us all a lesson … I mean, we’ve all seen firsthoof the powers that we all hold within us, particularly in the darkest of times.”

The others all turn from one neighbor to the other, shrugging in acceptance.

“We may never know the full facts,” Twilight continues, “but if nothing else, it gives me something else to research in my spare time.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow says, “because if there’s one thing you don’t have enough of in your life, it’s studying.” Her comment elicits chuckles from the group.

“So what’s to become of the … Terrible Trio?” Fluttershy asks.

“We … probably need to stop referrin’ to them like that,” Applejack points out.

“Indeed,” Twilight adds. “That was one of the first points Celestia made to the populace of Canterlot during her speech to the town.”

“You mean the speech where she stood side-by-side with Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow?” Rainbow asks. “How’d that go over?”

“Better than you’d think,” Twilight responds. “For sure, there were many who still won’t accept their redemption as sincere …” She looks up and eyes each of her friends. “… and I won’t judge anypony here who is in that camp … but from what I’ve witnessed, I think they’re really trying. I honestly think that those three, maybe for the first time ever, are giving friendship … true friendship … a chance.”

“Oh really,” Applejack drawls. “How ‘bout startin’ with Chrysalis. We’ve seen time ‘n again what she’s capable of … you really think she’s givin’ ‘true friendship’ a sportin’ chance?”

“Considering her first task, I’d say so.”

“Oh? And what task would that be?”

“Traveling back to the Hive, on hoof, with Starlight and Trixie.” Twilight’s response draws gasps from the others.

“You must be joking!” Rarity insists.

“I kid you not. Just yesterday, I had a chance to speak with Starlight.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Rainbow says, “you didn’t say you were traveling with them.”

“I didn’t … Starlight’s improving on her teleportation abilities, and she popped over to where I was staying in Canterlot yesterday evening. She couldn’t stay long; she had to return to the Hive … but we had a good chat about how things have been going.”

“And?” Fluttershy asks.

Twilight’s eyes roll back. “Well, the three of them found a common bond. They all have stories … about me, actually … I was grateful that she didn’t go into any details. But by the time they arrived, they shared several good laughs … mostly at my expense, I guess …”

“Well that’s wonderful!” Rarity exclaims.

“Yeah … ‘Great!’ …” Twilight shakes off her feelings of self-consciousness and continues: “They arrived, and though there were some dirty looks from some of the changelings, Chrysalis does have a powerful ally.”

“Thorax?” Rainbow asks incredulously.

“Almost … his brother, Pharynx. According to Starlight, Pharynx had difficulties adapting to the new changeling lifestyle. He was very quick to share his experiences with Chrysalis; from what Starlight says, that bonding led to others opening up about their own insecurities with the new changeling normal.”

A thought crosses Applejack’s mind: “Do you think there’s a chance all that bondin’ with their former queen could lead to another attack?”

“I don’t think so. Thorax is still their ruler; maybe Chrysalis will need more time to fully accept that, but for her, the process has just begun. And besides: the main reason for their attacks on Equestria was the need to fill their insatiable hunger, and that’s no longer a concern.”

“Well then …” Applejack ponders Twilight’s update. “Ah guess we’ll just see how it goes from here, then.”

“Let’s move on,” Twilight says. “I understand that Cozy Glow is back in Ponyville now, and she will be re-admitted to the School of Friendship, hopefully with a new perspective on friendship.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy says. “Trying to get all her old classmates to believe in her might be more difficult than what Chrysalis is going through.”

“I know it will be a hard sell for some ponies … and nonponies, for that matter,” Twilight replies, “but she does have some support.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asks in surprise.

“Yeah, this here’s a case Ah know more about,” Applejack responds. “Apple Bloom ‘n the other CMCs are giving her some guidance; plus, they’re offerin’ to talk with any student who still got concerns.”

“Tolerance is good,” Fluttershy adds, “but finding someone to bond with like Chrysalis did with Pharynx might be tough.”

“Actually,” Rarity says, “the CMCs have someone in mind already.” She turns to Twilight. “You’re not the only one whose turned enemies into friends, you know.”

“Wait,” Twilight says. “You mean …”

“… Diamond Tiara,” Rainbow answers. “And believe me, I was there with AJ and Rarity when the CMCs introduced those two to each other; they could have been sisters in another life.”

“There sure wasn’t any shortage of talkin’ points with those two,” Applejack adds. “And Diamond introduced Cozy to Silver Spoon; now they’re talkin’ friendly rivalry with the CMCs themselves. But Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are more than happy to have ponies to challenge them. All the same,” she warns, “Ah’ll be keepin’ a closer eye on all of ‘em, just to be safe.”

“A place for everypony, I guess,” Twilight concedes. “Which brings me to my final update: Tirek.”

“Seems to me that Tirek is the squarest peg to fit into a round holes,” Rarity admits. “What place could Celestia possibly find for him?”

“Honestly,” Twlight says, “she doesn’t … not yet, anyway. But somepony else has plans … Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Wow,” Rainbow says, “first Scorpan and now Tirek. Starswirl’s gonna be able to name-drop with the best of anypony.”

“What plans does Starswirl have?” Rarity asks.

“Remember that Starswirl is new to the modern world himself,” Twliight reminds the group. “He’s still learning a lot … but he plans to share his experiences with Tirek. And Starswirl has somepony in mind as well, when it comes to sharing experiences.”

“Who’s even left?” Applejack asks.

“Stygian. He’s acclimated himself well to the modern age, but he hasn’t forgotten about his experience as the Pony of Shadows.”

Rainbow pauses for a moment. “So what do you do when all your enemies are friends?”

“There will always be enemies,” Twilight says. “Enemies to individuals, or threats to Equestria or even the world. We don’t know when or how these will appear to us … we’ve dealt with so much over so many moons … but we know that together, we’re strong enough to face any challenge. And the more friends we can add to our ranks, whatever their histories, the stronger we will be.”

For a minute, all is silent.

“You’ve been really quiet this whole time,” Rainbow says as she looks to Pinkie. “Everything OK?”

Pinkie looks up. “Huh? Oh, sorry Rainbow Dash. Just thinking about things, you know?”

Rainbow opens her mouth to respond; Rarity quickly interjects.

“Pinkie Pie’s been through so much, Rainbow Dash. I don’t think any of us can even begin to imagine the ordeal she’s been through. And how can we ever show our appreciation for all she did for us … as well as for the world?” she asks with a nod.

As if on cue, Rainbow nods, spreads her wings, and quietly soars out the door.

“Hey, where’s Rainbow Dash off to?” Pinkie asks; a moment later, the pegasus returns and nods.

Twilight turns to Pinkie. “I think we’re done here. After you, Pinkie Pie.”

“After me? What’s going on?” Pinkie asks.

“Seems like your Pinkie sense might need to be recharged,” Applejack suggests with a grin.

“I feel fine,” Pinkie replies, “but why should my Pinkie sense be going off now?’

“Hold on a second,” Twilight says as she closes her eyes. Instantly, the group of six disappear … and reappear at the entrance to the castle. “After you,” Twilight repeats.

Pinkie takes one final look at Twilight, then turns to the door. She opens the door and sees …

*SURPRISE!!!*

Pinkie’s eyes widen as she observes all of Ponyville laced with ribbons, balloons, and banners bearing her beaming likeness. Confetti rains from the clouds, washing over the populace of Ponyville; the crowds cheer with delight upon seeing Pinkie at the doorway.

“Whaaaaa???” Pinkie exclaims in astonishment.

Applejack turns to Rainbow Dash. “Glad we were able to avoid the issues we had the last time we threw her a surprise party.”

“Well, we did have help this time,” Rainbow responds.

Pinkie turns her attention from the celebration to her friends. “This is incredible … but how did you all do this? I mean, if it was anypony else, I’m sure I would have been the one to throw this party. But this party is for me and I didn’t throw it for myself, so who …”

Pinkie gasps enthusiastically as one pony quickly comes to mind. An exclamation of “Surprise!” comes from behind; even before turning around, she knows …

“CHEEEEEESE!!!!”

Pinkie embraces Equestria’s preeminent party-planner, causing audible cracking sounds to come from Cheese Sandwich’s body.

The last of the cake had been eaten.

The last of the confetti had been swept up, along with any remnants of glass.

The balloons had been deflated, the banners taken down, the lace and ribbon lovingly undone and put away for another time.

The streets of Ponyville lay empty under the moonlit sky, save for two earth ponies seated on the grass, looking up at the sky.

“I’ll never forget this day,” Pinkie states.

“I’ll never forget you allowing us to have this day,” Cheese replies.

“Well I’ll never forget that comment,” Pinkie counters with a grin.

“And I’ll never forget you promising to remember my comment,” Cheese responds in kind.

Pinkie laughs, unwilling to stretch the joke any further. She sighs. “Thank you again. You really are a special party pony.”

“I learned from the best.”

“But you did things that I would never have thought of. How did you get those clouds to rain confetti?”

“That strange draco-like friend of Fluttershy’s … that part was his doing. I had an idea for that for some time, but he was able to just snap his fingers and make it reality. Well, that’s just one more task to let ol’ Sans figure out next time I see him.”

At the mention of Sans’s name, Pinkie turns her head towards Cheese. “You’ve seen him recently?”

“We both returned where we last were, which was in Sans’s office. Funny story there, too … well, funny now, I guess I should say.”

“I like funny stories.”

Cheese turns his head to address Pinkie face-to-face: “I was stopping by the factory to relate my latest ideas to Sans and his team. We were in his office and he was nodding at all my ideas. Then his glasses just fall off and he ducks behind his desk. But he never comes back up!”

Pinkie’s eyebrows raise as Cheese continues.

“So I shout out, ‘Hey, great trick! Now the room is ‘sans Sans!’ ’ And I’m just waiting for him to reappear, but he never does. I walk over to behind the desk and find his glasses there on the floor, but he’s just gone. And then I started hearing screaming coming from the factory floor,” he says, the smile fading from his face. “I started running back down the hallway, but I never made it … next thing I remember is me and Sans being back in his office, wondering what happened.”

Pinkie shakes her head in disbelief.

“Hey, it’s OK, Pinkie; we’re back now … all of us, and all thanks to you.”

“But Sans … he couldn’t have disappeared, he was … he came to Ponyville, after everyone else vanished. He was with me.”

Cheese recollects. “No, he went ‘poof’ like the rest of us. Maybe the first one.”

“He was here!” Pinkie staunchly responds as she scrambles to her hooves. “He came all the way to Ponyville, he had an apple lunch with me at Sweet Apple Acres, it was his idea to go to Canterlot, his idea to check out the Archives, without him … without him …” She turns away and closes her eyes.

Cheese gets to his hooves and eyes Pinkie. “Is there anything I can do? Maybe we should speak to Twilight.”

“No … no, I’ll be OK … but is it really possible that … the trip to Canterlot, the time in the archives … could I really have done all that … alone?”

“You were alone for so long … who’s to say how anypony’s mind would react?”

“I guess …”

…

“Wanna go exploring?” Pinkie asks.

Cheese strikes a curious glance. “What do you mean?”

“Like last time … see Equestria, plan more parties, maybe … see where that path takes us?”

“I would be thrilled … but what about your friends in Ponyville?”

“Twilight has a lot of last-minute planning in Canterlot coming up, and the School of Friendship is still a couple weeks away from reopening. And the others all have their own plans right now. I got some downtime at the moment, and … I want to spend it with you.”

“Well you know,” Cheese responds, “as a self-employed party planner, I set my own vacation time. Maybe I could use a break, too. Hey, have you ever been to Las Pegasus?”

“Not with you,” she replies.

“No time like the present, right? Let’s go!”

“Let’s!”

The two start walking down the road.

“You know, your life would make for one heck of a story,” Cheese states.

“I hope it has a happy ending, then,” Pinkie replies. “I like stories with happy endings.”

“Every story has a happy ending,” Cheese replies, “you just have to know where to end it.”

Author's Note

If you've made it this far, I wish to thank you for taking the time to read my piece of FimFiction.

If you liked what you read (and are OK with a shameless plug), perhaps I can interest you in a couple other Fics that I created:

Equal Measures

The Crass Menagerie