Friendship is Magic (and also cupcakes)by bahatumayChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9EpilogueChapter 1Celestia hadn’t even woken up let alone raised the sun when Ruby Pinch’s eyes snapped open. She blinked once and then a smile spread across her face as she remembered what she was so excited about. Today was a special day! She pushed the covers off, then slowly slid out of bed and crept down the stairs. Her heart pounded in her chest as she nudged open the kitchen door with her muzzle. She gasped as the door fully opened. “She came!” She scampered back and rapped on the door to Berry's bedroom. “Mommy! Mommy! She came! She came!” Berry Punch woke up, squinting. Who came? Was Minuette here already? What time was it? She pushed herself up and turned on the lamp so she could see. This was a mistake; her eyes quickly clamped themselves shut against the harsh light and she groaned. Ruby continued, urging her mother up. “The birthday pony came! She came! Come see!” Reaching out, she grabbed her mother's hoof and tried physically dragging her into the living room. Eyes still crimped shut, Berry Punch let herself be pulled along. Ruby went straight for the kitchen. “See?” Berry Punch forced her eye open, and she couldn't help but tear up as she saw the cake there. She hadn't forgotten, but she hadn't gotten anything ready for her daughter this early in the morning. Though the legend of the birthday pony seemed to be real enough, it was comforting to know Ruby would have a special morning. “It looks amazing. So, cake for breakfast?” she asked with a smile. “Yeah!” Ruby cheered. Up in the trees nearby, a pony watched as Berry Punch cut them both generous slices. The pony smiled, revealing sharp little fangs… Later that afternoon, high in the cloudy sky, a purple unicorn in a chariot rested her head on the chariot and exhaled. “Look on the bright side, Twilight,” Spike said encouragingly. “The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn't that make you happy?” Twilight brightened. “Yes, yes it does. You know why? Because I'm right! I'll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Nightmare Moon's return.” Spike sighed. Twilight really needed something better to focus on, like, oh, maybe her other assignment from the princess? That whole making friends thing? Still, he knew he'd have more luck conversing with a brick wall than Twilight when she was in one of her moods, so he settled for looking down at the ponies walking below. They soon landed, and after thanking the pegasi who had pulled her chariot, they continued on their way. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched from the shadows by a pair of brilliant blue eyes… Twilight looked around. “Yes. This should do nicely.” She lit her horn and began pulling books off the shelves. “What about the preparations?” Spike asked. “Or, you know, the other thing?” “It’s late tonight,” Twilight said, which was true. “I’ll get started on that first thing in the morning. Right now, I’m going to do some research.” Spike shrugged. “Knock yourself out.” Twilight awoke with a groan. She lifted her head and the page of notes she was working on last came with her, only to drop off a moment later. She’d fallen asleep on the table studying, so she was surrounded by stacks of books, a few pages of notes, a cake, and- Wait. Startled into alertness by the unexpected presence, she took another look. There was a pink cake on her table that had not been there last night. On top, the words ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’ were piped in loopy purple frosting that looked eerily similar to her coat color. She looked up, tilting her head back towards the bedroom. “Spike? Where did you get this?” Spike poked his head in. He leaned against the doorframe and rubbed his eyes blearily. “Get what?” he asked. “This cake.” “What cake?” Spike opened one eye, and then both shot open. “Ooh, cake!” He eagerly reached for it. Twilight blocked his claw with one of the books. “Not before breakfast,” she scolded. “And probably not at all, honestly.” Spike could see his chances of eating cake quickly vanishing. “It's not every day a cake shows up. I think…” He tapped his claws together. “I think the universe wants us to eat it.” “The universe does not go around leaving cakes willy-nilly,” Twilight said. “The amount of energy that would require would be astronomical, to say nothing of the entropy that would need to be overcome.” “But you can’t deny the fact that a cake has appeared here,” Spike pointed out. “And cakes are meant to be eaten.” “It’s far more likely that somepony has left it here,” Twilight snorted. “Then it stands to reason that that somepony wants us to eat it,” Spike said, his claws eagerly moving. “Spike!” Twilight protested. “What if it's poisoned?” “Then I'll die happy,” Spike said, licking his lips and reaching for it. Twilight sighed and teleported him to the edge of the kitchen. “Nopony is going to eat this cake until I’m certain it’s safe and I’ve figured out where it came from,” she said firmly. “And I’m going to start with the one place in town where I know cakes come from.” “Ok,” Spike said, unable to completely hide his excitement. “And while you do that…” “Nice try,” Twilight said, lighting her horn and picking him up. “You’re coming with me.” Mrs. Cake looked up as the bell over the door jingled. “Good morning,” she greeted her. “Good morning,” Twilight answered. “The strangest thing happened last night.” Mrs. Cake laughed lightly. “Don’t tell me. A cake mysteriously appeared in your house?” “Something like that,” Twilight said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Oh, dearie, there’s nothing to worry about. You were just visited by the Birthday Pony!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “The Birthday Pony?” “That’s the one! She makes a cake to welcome every new pony and one for every birthday. She’s a Ponyville legend.” Twilight pursed her lips. She had long since given up believing in mysterious, nightly-visitor beings like the tooth breezie. She’d scientifically proven it. She’d set traps, and all she’d caught was her brother. “How do you know it's a she?” Twilight had to ask. Mrs. Cake seemed slightly taken aback that that had been her first question, but she quickly recovered. “Just a guess,” she said. “Her writing is very loopy.” Twilight narrowed her eyes further. Something was still off here. Mrs. Cake tittered. “You have nothing to worry about,” she reassured her. “Trust me. Enjoy the cake, because you’ll have to wait for your birthday to get another.” Spike looked at her and nodded, clearly satisfied with this explanation, but Twilight was not thoroughly convinced. “And ‘she’ does this for the whole town?” “Sure does! Ask anypony you’d like,” Mrs. Cake said. Well, she did have a couple ponies to talk to about the Summer Sun Celebration. Maybe she could take care of two things at once. Chapter 2“First on the list, banquet preparations. Location: Sweet Apple Acres. You know, we could be eating cake right now,” Spike said. “Location: the library. That would be a good way to prepare. Just saying.” “We’re gathering information, Spike,” Twilight said pointedly. “This is important.” “I’m just glad you covered it and didn’t just leave it out,” groused Spike. He did not want to let this cake go to waste and he was not about to let this go. “Well, there’s always a right way to do things,” Twilight said. “Like right now, if we can get through this fast enough, we can go back to the library for more research.” They made it to Sweet Apple Acres, and their attention was quickly drawn by an orange earth pony kicking trees to knock apples down. Twilight sighed. “Let’s get this over with.” The farmer’s ears pricked, seemingly sensing a new pony approaching. She spotted Twilight and approached. “Howdy, newcomer! How was your cake?” “My what?” The orange pony misunderstood Twilight’s look of suspicion for confusion. “Haha! Let’s just say you’re in for a tasty surprise tomorrow. The Birthday Pony gives everypony a nice Ponyville welcome.” She laughed. “And we here at Sweet Apple Acres do, too.” She gave Twilight’s hoof a firm shake. “I’m Applejack.” “Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight answered. “Pleased to meet you! We sure do like making friends here at Sweet Apple Acres.” Twilight pointedly ignored Spike’s nudge. “That’s… nice, but I’m actually here on business. I’m here about the food preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.” “Yep, that’s us!” Applejack said proudly. “Care to sample some? We’re just about to eat, actually.” Twilight suddenly became very aware that she had accidentally forgone breakfast this morning. “I mean, if it doesn’t take too long,” she said. Twilight realized too late what she’d talked herself into when Applejack began banging on a triangle and a flood of ponies appeared seemingly out of thin air. Applejack proceeded to quickly name multiple family members that all had apple-themed names. Twilight hadn’t realized there were so many apple-themed foods in the world, and she had forgotten them all by the time she got to Granny Smith, who was a type of apple and somehow seemed out of place among the dumplings and the fritters. She glanced around. She had to get out of here, and fast. “Well, I’d say everything’s well-taken care of, so I’ll just be moving on.” But as she turned, she met the brilliant orange eyes of a little yellow filly. “Aren’t you gonna stay for brunch?” Twilight swallowed. It really was good, but there was a lot of it. She wasn’t even sure what the name of the apple baked good she was eating now was, and she definitely didn’t want to know how much butter was in it. “So,” Applejack said, bringing over yet another tray of food balanced on her back and sliding it onto the table, “you got a favorite yet?” Twilight, who by now couldn’t remember the difference between a dumpling and a fritter (nor how many she’d actually eaten), tried to be tactful. “I… couldn’t decide,” she said. “Heh, sometimes I can’t, either,” Applejack said modestly. “We aim for top-notch food here at Sweet Apple Acres, for any event.” “Too bad you can’t just ask the Birthday Pony for help,” Twilight needled. “The Birthday Pony only does birthdays and move-ins,” Applejack explained. “But I bet she could! If we could find her,” Apple Bloom added. “You can’t find her?” Twilight prompted. “Nopony’s ever seen her,” Apple Bloom said mysteriously. “She arrives in the night and leaves you a cake, like she’s a shadow.” Twilight was about to say something about how illogical that was when another family member brought something else to their table. “Yeah,” Twilight groaned. “The food situation is just fine.” “And just think, we have more cake at home,” Spike added. “How can you think of cake right now? We have a lot of work we need to do, and that’s still not counting preparing for the return of Nightmare Moon.” A snort made them look up. A pegasus pony with a multi-colored mane and a cerulean coat rolled over from her cloud. “It’s not noon. It’s only 10,” she protested. “Not noon, Nightmare Moon,” Twilight corrected. “She was banished to the moon for a thousand years, but she’s going to escape, and we’ve got to be ready.” She chuckled and rolled back over. “Yeah. Sure.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Alright. Who’s next, Spike?” “A pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash is supposed to be clearing the clouds.” They both glanced up at the cloudy sky. “Yo,” the pony said, waving a hoof without rolling over. Twilight drew the connection immediately. “Well, you’re not doing a very good job, are you?” she said snippily. “I can,” the pony who could be none other than Rainbow Dash said. “I was just doing more important things, like practicing for the Wonderbolts.” “The Wonderbolts?” Twilight repeated dubiously. “Ah, I see you’re familiar with Equestria’s greatest flying team,” Rainbow Dash said warmly, now engaged in this conversation. “I know they wouldn’t take a weatherpony who can’t even keep the sky clear,” Twilight said. Rainbow narrowed her eyes. Then she took off so fast Twilight suddenly found herself sprawled in a nearby puddle. With a frustrated groan, she pushed herself up. “See?” Rainbow said proudly. “Ten seconds flat.” Twilight looked up and realized that the sky was clear. But as her vision was currently obscured by wet mane, this was but a small comfort. Rainbow suddenly noticed what she’d done. “Oh. Sorry about that. Here.” There was another whoosh. “There! My patented Rain-blow dry. Good as… n- new.” Twilight looked at her flatly. She could feel her mane standing on end and was certain she looked ridiculous. Rainbow shoved a hoof in her mouth to suppress her laughter, but it didn’t last; she burst out laughing so hard she fell to the ground. Spike quickly joined her. Twilight shook her head. “Don’t worry,” Rainbow said, forcibly suppressing her laughter. “Maybe the Birthday Pony will bring you a brush along with your cake.” She started cackling at her own joke. Twilight rolled her eyes, but found this segue useful. “You believe in the Birthday Pony, then?” “Sure do. Got a cake delivered in my cloudominium the night after I moved in.” Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “It just seems odd to me.” “Wait. You’re saying you believe in this Nightmare Moon thing, but not the Birthday Pony?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “Yes,” Twilight said insistently. “Ok, but the Birthday Pony is real,” Rainbow said slowly. “Cakes don’t just appear out of nowhere.” “That’s what I’m saying,” Twilight said. “I don’t follow,” Rainbow said. Twilight shook her head. “Never mind. Go back to your nap.” “Nah, I’m awake now. Gotta get more practice in. See ya!” And she took off again, bowling Twilight over into the puddle once more. Twilight shook her head, spraying water everywhere. “Yeah,” she said. “I hate it here.” “It’s not that bad,” Spike said as he helped her up, trying to sound comforting. “Not bad at all,” Spike said dreamily as the door to Carousel Boutique closed behind them. Twilight shook her head. Even Rarity had been in on it. “It sounds like everypony believes in this mysterious ‘Birthday Pony’,” she said, making air quotes with her hooves. “It’s so universal, it almost makes you think that they’re on to something, right?” Spike floated. “Yes, but consider: all the ponies in this town are crazy.” Spike wisely did not comment further on this. They made their way back to the library and Twilight retrieved the cake. She gave it one more inspection and then exhaled. “Well, I guess it’s fine,” she said, and she took a small bite of cake. “Oh,” she breathed. It was delicious. She found herself taking another bite, and then another. Spike quickly joined in on the other side, and before long, the cake was gone. But delicious or not, that didn’t change the fact that there was no such thing as the Birthday Pony. And she intended to prove it. Chapter 3Twilight put her plan into motion the next morning as she picked up a couple apples at Applejack’s street stand for breakfast. “It’s kinda funny that your birthday is so close to when you came,” Applejack said as she slid the apples in her bag. “Heh. Birthday Pony’s going to be coming to visit you back to back.” “Mm-hm. I’m counting on it,” Twilight said, the light seemingly coming from beneath her face. There was a brief pause. “Well, that wasn’t ominous at all,” Applejack said concernedly. Twilight nodded, pleased with her work. While she hadn’t found anything about Nightmare Moon yet, she’d laid out plenty of traps. All that was left to do was wait until they were set off. She’d figure out who this ‘Birthday Pony’ was. With a contented huff, she headed up the stairs and back to her bedroom, ready for sleep. The next morning, Twilight came downstairs and glanced around. None of her traps had been tripped. But her smile faded slightly as she saw a card sitting on the table. She looked back over her shoulder. “Spike?” she called. “Hm?” “Did you touch my traps at all?” “No?” he said questioningly. Twilight pursed her lips. She lit her horn and pulled the card over and opened it. A small pile of multi-colored confetti fell out. On the inside, four words were written in loopy writing. No birthday? No cake! And on the other side, there was a drawing of a pony sticking her tongue out. Twilight snorted. Oh, was that how it was? Alright. Two could play this game. To start with, she’d need some better bait. Mr. Cake nodded. “Hosting parties is one of the many things we offer here!” he said proudly. “We offer all-in-one packages for birthdays, cuteciñeras, retirement, any event! Our regular party room can host up to fifteen ponies, but our large party room can hold fifty-one.” Twilight nodded knowingly, but she couldn’t imagine knowing that many ponies, let alone wanting them all to come to a party. He checked a clipboard under the counter. “It looks like Liza Doolots has her party scheduled for tomorrow, but-” “Perfect,” Twilight said. Now with the information she’d come for, she spun around and headed out the door, leaving Mr. Cake mid-sentence (and a little confused). Now that she had a name, she just needed an address. And Mayor Mare was perfectly fine with her poking around the Town Hall Archives. After all, property records were public records. Not that anypony had been here for a while, judging by the thick layer of dust that coated everything. “It sure is nice and friendly of you to organize all these records for Mayor Mare,” Spike floated. “I’m not making friends,” Twilight said insistently. “I’m doing research on the Birthday Pony.” “Ok,” Spike said slowly, “but you’ve met two new ponies today and you’re helping out here. I think you’re giving the impression that you’re trying to become part of the town.” “Don’t be silly, Spike,” Twilight said. “It’s not like I’m going to be here very long.” She brightened as she lifted up a paper. “Doolots, Liza. Got it.” She copied the address down. “Now, back to researching more on Nightmare Moon.” She marched out of the room. Spike watched her go, waiting. He tapped his foot, waiting, knowing what was about to happen. There was a brief pause. And as expected, Twilight walked back in. “If I don’t finish organizing these, it’s going to bother me,” she grumbled, lighting her horn and starting to put the records away. Later that night, as the moon shone overhead, Twilight sat in a bush, leaning against a tree, holding binoculars trained on the house. All she had to do now was wait. Her Nightmare Moon research today had turned up nothing, so she was hoping to put this one to rest here tonight. Her current theory was that it was just the parents doing the birthdays, with a secret network of ponies covering for visitors. Probably some pony with a love of gossip. Maybe multiple ponies. But as she kept watch, the night seemed to drag on. Her eyelids grew heavy, and though she would try and shake herself awake, the call of sleep was just too strong for the tired unicorn. She quickly sat up, but it was too late. She’d fallen asleep. To her annoyance, she realized she’d missed it. Through the window, she could see a cake already resting on the table. She glanced down, snorting… and then her eyes fell on a little cupcake next to her. It was small, chocolate, with purple frosting in a swirl on top. Her brow furrowed. She sniffed at it, and then hesitantly poked at it with the tip of her hoof. It was clearly fresh, so it must have been left here. Left for her. This was an unexpected development. Chapter 4“It sure is nice of you to get these cupcakes for your friend Spike,” Mrs. Cake said. “Yeah, sure,” Twilight said, trying to not show her frustration with the small talk. “Could you write the card for me? Hoof sprain,” she explained, holding up her crooked pastern. Mrs. Cake’s eyes flicked briefly up to her horn, but her smile never faded. “Certainly,” she said, and she quickly wrote the words. As soon as she was outside, Twilight pulled the card out and compared it with the one she’d found on her table that first night. The writing didn’t match. A brief scowl flickered across her face. But this wasn’t a dead-end. Not at all. She’d just need to figure out which house to watch next. A whoosh of air overhead made her look up. Rainbow Dash hovered above her. “Hey, Twilight,” she said. “Rumor has it you’re trying to catch the Birthday Pony.” “I am,” Twilight said, a little surprised. “Guess word spreads around fast in a little town. My current theory is that she’s a powerful unicorn using teleportation.” “Yeah?” Rainbow asked. “How does she deliver cakes to cloudominiums?” “Levitation, Rainbow,” Twilight said flatly, demonstrating with a nearby rock. Rainbow blinked. She clearly hadn’t thought of that. Still, she brushed it off casually. “Heh. If you say so. But if you ask me, nopony is going to tell you when their birthday is.” “Why is that?” Twilight asked. “Because,” Rainbow said as if it were obvious, “the Birthday Pony knows when you’re asleep. She doesn’t come if you’re awake. If you’re watching, you’re awake, and she won’t come. And if she doesn’t come, no cake.” “That sounds an awful lot like Santa Hooves, who, needless to say, is not real, either,” Twilight said. Rainbow blinked. “Wait. What?” “Come on, Rainbow. You’re a grown mare. There’s no way you still believe one pony can deliver a present to every single foal in Equestria in a single night.” She glanced over at Rainbow and slowed to a stop. Rainbow dropped to the ground and sank to her haunches. “I thought I was just a little too naughty for presents,” she said, her eyes wide and unseeing, “but I thought playing pranks was just worth it.” Twilight inhaled through her teeth. Oops? “If there isn’t really… if it’s… I’m…” She grabbed Twilight. “Have I been being good for nothing?” she howled. Twilight lit her horn and pushed her away. “There are a lot of ethical questions there that I am nowhere near ready to unpack,” she said uncomfortably as she slowly backed up. As soon as she was out of reach, she turned and ran away. “What have I been doing with my life?” Rainbow wailed behind her. Shattered worldview aside, Rainbow was right on one count. Now that word had spread that she was trying to find the Birthday Pony, the foals were giving her sideways looks as she walked by, and even the adults seemed to be hesitant to make eye contact, as if they didn’t want to reveal a common secret. Which, of course, only made Twilight want to dig in deeper. Any detective book, even that tacky and romantic hack Shadow Spade, had a scene where a detective had to stay silent and unobserved to gain some new information. Armed with a newspaper and a hat, Twilight sat on a wall next to the schoolhouse and gave it a try. And she soon hit pay dirt. Spike watched her adjust her hat. “Heading out again?” “I’m going to put this to rest, Spike,” Twilight said firmly. “It’s clearly somepony in Ponyville. Maybe multiple someponies. But there is a simple explanation for this.” “I’m still not sure why you’re so determined to explain this,” Spike said, suppressing a yawn. “Can’t ponies just have fun delivering cakes?” “Because I’m right, Spike,” Twilight said firmly. “And I’m going to prove it.” “Alright,” Spike said, knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument. “Just make sure you’re back before that scheduled storm hits.” Spike awoke the next morning. He glanced towards the window. Rain still poured down from last night’s rainstorm, but it was lightening up. Twilight’s bed was made, so she was either already awake or she hadn’t made it back upstairs. “Hope it’s the first one,” he mumbled as he climbed out of his basket. But it was the second. He saw a lump covered by a blanket on the couch. Quickly figuring it was not the Birthday Pony crashing for the night, he gently tapped where he guessed her shoulder was. “Hey, Twilight,” he started. Twilight sneezed. That answered his unasked question, but he asked anyway. “Guess you didn’t make it back before the storm.” “No,” she said irritably. “I was certain I’d see something before it hit.” She sniffled. “But?” Spike prompted. “Somepony tapped me on the shoulder, and when I looked, I didn’t see anypony, but there was a cupcake wearing a party hat.” Spike imagined this, a cupcake with a tiny party hat cocked at a jaunty angle. “Wearing a-?” “Under,” she corrected herself with another sniffle. “And it was just a generic one, so no clues there.” “You’re sick and you’re still worried about finding more clues?” Twilight sat up. “I’m going to figure this out, Spike,” she said, before laying back down. “Once the room stops spinning,” she amended. Spike nodded. He’d leave her alone for a bit. Spike was keeping himself busy dusting the bookshelves when he heard Twilight call him. “Spike? Who did you let in?” Spine looked at the door, which had remained closed all morning. “Uh, nopony?” he said, heading back into the bedroom. “Why?” He realized what had prompted that question when he saw another card on her side table, sitting next to one of their mugs, which was now full of a steaming liquid. “Well, now she’s just showing off,” Twilight grumbled. Spike tilted his head to read the card. “‘I do more than just cupcakes!’,” he read. “And in the same loopy writing,” Twilight mused, wiping her muzzle. Distractedly, she lit her horn and pulled the mug over to take a sip. Her eyes widened. “Oh, that’s good,” she said, taking another sip. “So that’s it then, right?” Spike said hopefully. Twilight inhaled the steam deeply. “Not a chance,” she said. “There’s somepony behind this, and I’m going to figure out who.” Chapter 5Spike poked his head out of the bedroom, his nose crinkling. “Uh, Twilight?” “Yes, Spike?” “Are you making coffee?” He slowed to a stop and squinted hesitantly. “And… what’s with all the traps?” “I’m thinking she’ll come back to see if her tea worked, and when she does, I’ll be ready for her.” Spike looked at the card on the table that Twilight was using as bait. He frowned. “I don’t think you should be tricking somepony trying to do something nice for you,” he said. “I just want answers, Spike,” Twilight said. “That’s it.” She sniffled one more time, but she was definitely sounding better than before. “Alright. I think that coffee is almost ready. I’m ending this tonight.” Spike shook his head. He was fairly certain she would not, but that was not a conversation he wanted to have right now. Twilight patrolled around the library, her ears up and swiveling. She’d seen the guards in Canterlot move constantly, making sure there were no gaps in their coverage. She was by herself, but she’d plotted out a pattern to make sure that there wouldn’t be a noticeable pattern in her stops. Just when she was starting to consider that she might have overplanned this whole thing, she heard movement overhead. She quickly looked up, but didn’t see anything. “Spike?” she called softly. A soft snore answered her. He was asleep. Her heart started beating fast. This could be it! Slowly, she crept closer, ears still swiveling to try and pinpoint the sound’s source. Then she heard it again, but from the other side of the room. Her eyes narrowed. She knew there was a rational explanation for all of this. Was it a bird? Maybe an owl? She tried to slow her breathing. There! That time was definitely something. Eyes up, she stepped in small circles, moving backwards as she tried to spot whatever had made the sound. Her hooves hit something different. She looked down and realized with a start that she’d been so distracted by looking up that she’d accidentally spun herself outside. And then the door shut and locked behind her. Twilight let out a startled whinny. It took her a moment to realize that not only was something here, but it was teasing her. She scowled and grit her teeth, and with a quick flash of magic, teleported back inside. But the library was silent. And a little cupcake sat on the center of the table, next to a different card. Twilight lit her horn and opened it, and another little shower of confetti fell out. This time, there were no words, but there was a little drawing of a pony, winking playfully. She scowled again. The next afternoon, Spike watched as Twilight set up her traps again. She had more this time, and had even set up a few redundant traps, just in case. “How do you know she’ll be back?” he asked. “I don’t,” Twilight admitted. “But I’m hoping she’ll see it as a challenge.” “Ok,” Spike said uncertainly. “But I mean, don’t be surprised if she doesn’t.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I mean, she likes delivering cakes. Maybe she doesn’t want to fight. And it’s not like she’s hurting anypony. Maybe just… leave her be?” “I’m finding out the truth, Spike. About the Birthday Pony and Nightmare Moon. Ugh, I have so much to study!” Twilight had adjusted her plan for tonight. She would do no patrolling. Instead, she would just watch quietly. She’d found a box about her height and placed it in a corner that would provide the perfect vantage point. A simple cut flap let her see out while keeping herself hidden from view, and a strategically-placed mirror let her see behind and above her. And this time, she would do it with no coffee. She didn’t want an ill-timed bathroom run messing with her results. She had expected it to be a long night, but as it turned out, she didn’t have to wait long at all. There was a soft clicking by the door, and Twilight waited with bated breath. And there she was, stepping into the moonlight. The mysterious Birthday Pony. The first thing Twilight noticed was that she was pink, with an even pinker mane, and it was curly and poofy. But she was no regular pony. Her ears were fluffy-tipped and larger than the average pony ear. And on her back, she bore two leathery wings. Twilight shoved her hoof into her mouth to suppress her squeal of excitement. Unbelievable! Incredible! She’d known the Birthday Pony was just a pony, but she could never have imagined this. She was like nothing she’d ever seen before! She looked like some kind of… bat pony! She sniffed. “Eee,” she murmured under her breath, as if musing to herself. She scanned the room and took a step forward. To Twilight’s surprise, she walked around the first trap, gingerly stepped over a tripwire, ducked under the laser, and spun around the rope loop on the ground, as if intrigued. Her hoof steps were light, inaudible as she almost casually danced around all of Twilight’s traps. How? She was very sneaky. But what did she want? Twilight wasn’t expecting her to stop and deliver a dramatic monologue breaking down her motives to thin air, but a little hint would have been nice. She poked the card and retracted her hoof quickly. Twilight’s brow furrowed. That was one trap she had tested multiple times. And then, casually, she flicked her tail. The tip hit the edge of the rope loop on the ground, brushing it to the side just enough that it set itself off, but as it did, it clipped one of the other tripwires, setting it off as well. She easily stepped out of the way of the swinging net, which knocked the trapped book off the shelf, and the shelf collapsed and dumped the other books off, but she was too far away for them to bury her as intended. Instead, once bounced close enough to the laser to set off that trap. Twilight’s jaw dropped as every last one of her traps harmlessly set itself off in a chain reaction like the strangest Roan Goldberg machine, leaving the pink intruder standing unharmed and untrapped in the middle of the room. “Eee,” she said, clearly proud of herself. And then she turned and looked towards Twilight. Her head tilted slightly. Blue eyes with slitted pupils scanned across the box. Twilight remained as still as possible. She didn’t even breathe. There was no way- And then she winked. Twilight’s eyes widened. She could see in the dark?! She smiled playfully, revealing her tiny fangs again. She casually pulled a cupcake out of her mane, traded it for the card, and then she flapped her wings and flew up into the shadows and out the window. Twilight slowly emerged from the top of the box and stared. “Well,” she said slowly. “This has been an enlightening night.” Chapter 6Spike’s eyes flickered open. The first thing he heard was a strangely familiar scraping. After checking the window to make sure it wasn’t a stray branch, he crawled out of his basket and made it to the doorway before slowing to a stop. He looked over all the tripped traps, the empty nets, the books littering the ground, the cupcake wrapper on the table, and then at over Twilight, who had nearly filled a blackboard with scrawls and a drawing of a pony in the middle. “Ah, Spike,” Twilight said, turning towards him, her smile a bit too wide, her mane askew and pointing in all directions. “I had quite the productive night last night.” “You had… something,” Spike agreed uncomfortably. He had the sudden impression that he was about to be on the receiving end of a lecture. And he was right. She gestured at her board. “The Birthday Pony is real, but she’s not like any other pony I’ve seen. With her ears, wings, and fangs being so divergent from a typical pony’s, we are limited to two options. I had originally theorized her to be a mutant, but my current hypothesis is that she is actually a member of a hitherto undiscovered tribe, and I have decided to designate them for the time being as batticus poniecus.” “Can you designate some time for Princess Celestia’s ‘make friends’ assignment?” Spike jabbed. “Don’t be silly, Spike. And please don’t interrupt me while I’m in lecture mode.” As if on cue, her stomach growled. She scowled down at it, as if annoyed that it, too, would interrupt her while she was in lecture mode. Spike knew an out when he saw one. “I’ll get into breakfast mode, then,” Spike said, heading for the kitchen. “Fine, but I’m not done yet. I will not believe in anything I cannot explain!” “One of us needs more sleep, and I don’t think it’s me,” Spike grumbled under his breath. Spike opened the door to the library and was completely unsurprised to see Twilight surrounded by books. “Where have you been?” Twilight asked. “Checking on a couple of the other ponies on your list,” Spike said, holding it up. “That Fluttershy mare in charge of the music seems really nice.” He straightened up a bit as he finished, “And she appreciates my natural dragon beauty.” Spike was semi-serious, but this didn’t get any reaction from her besides a soft murmur of acknowledgement and lowering her head again. Spike sighed. “Come on, Twilight. I really think you should give it a try. Princess Celestia did say-” “I’ll have time later,” Twilight said. “The Summer Sun celebration is in a week and I still have no idea what to do about Nightmare Moon, but I do know that the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends.” “If you say so,” Spike said. Twilight’s ears flicked as she woke up. She let out a soft grunt. It didn’t feel like morning. Her eyes slowly opened. And her vision was suddenly filled with blue. Now very much awake, she yelped and fell out of bed, scrambling back to the wall. The Birthday Pony was there, smiling widely, ears pricked and featherless wings spread. “Hi,” Twilight said hesitantly, mostly because she wasn’t sure what else to say. She hoped that this wasn’t a bat pony threat in body language she didn’t understand. “What… what are you doing in my house?” “Ee,” she chirped as she bounced in place. Spike sat up. “I think she came to play,” he said. “Maybe she liked your traps after all.” Twilight looked at the darkened sky. “A bit late for that, isn’t it?” she asked dryly. She looked at the sky, too. Her brow furrowed. Something occurred to Twilight. “Right, you’re probably nocturnal, like the vast majority of Chiroptera,” Twilight realized. “It’s probably early morning for you.” She suppressed a yawn. “I mean, it’s not for me...” “Come on, Twilight,” Spike wheedled, clearly seeing a friendship opportunity here. She looked at her with those big blue pleading eyes. And it worked. Twilight sighed. “Fine,” she groaned as she pushed herself up. “What do you want to play?” She pointed to a poster of a tailless pony on the wall that definitely hadn’t been there when Twilight had gone to bed. “Pin the tail on the pony?” Twilight repeated dubiously. “A little foalish, don’t you think?” Her hopeful smile remained, but her ears dropped a little bit. “Wait. She probably hasn’t played it before,” Spike realized. “She’s been hiding for years. She probably only watches parties, but never gets to go.” Twilight didn’t think going to a party sounded terribly inviting, especially not an impromptu one in her bedroom, but she obligingly took the blindfold Pinkie held out. She lit her horn and tied it on, and let Pinkie spin her around. Any irritation that Twilight had felt at being awoken quickly evaporated. It wasn’t often that the subject of your research willingly appears in your room. And it wasn’t often that Twilight was placing a tail on a wall like a filly half her age, but she would leave this part out of her report, anyway. She took the chance to surreptitiously examine her when it was her turn to be blindfolded. She certainly looked like any other little pony, regular coat, fluffy mane, and flanks decorated with a cutie mark that looked like balloons with bat wings. The wings were different, tucked against her side, but they may have been larger than a typical pegasus’s? She resisted the urge to ask to measure them and spun her around so she could take her turn. Before long, the poster (or rather, the wall around it) had multiple tails, most of them far from where a tail would normally be. But the Birthday Pony didn’t seem to mind. The whole time, she was very enthusiastic, with wide, sweeping body language, but the only thing she said was ‘eee’, whether by choice or because she couldn’t form ponish words was still unknown. But Twilight knew better than to frighten away her singular specimen, so she played along. And in spite of the late hour, Twilight found that she didn’t hate it. Even when she accidentally pinned the tail on the wrong wall entirely. “Well, that explains your giggles,” she said flatly as she pulled the blindfold off. The Birthday Pony managed to get her next tail on the flank. “Eee!” she cheered, jumping and spinning once in place in celebration. Spike held out his claw for a bump. She didn’t recognize this at first, but she quickly figured it out, which made her even happier. “Ok, that was a little fun,” Twilight conceded. “Mm-hm,” Spike agreed. The bat pony giggled, then looked up at the moon. She winced. “Eee,” she murmured softly, taking a slight step back. Twilight looked up but didn’t see anything. Spike figured it out first. “Do you need to leave?” he guessed. She nodded regretfully. “Yeah, we should probably get to sleep,” Twilight agreed. She glanced at the clock and winced, too. It was late. She pushed open the window, paused to retrieve a pair of cupcakes from her mane, left them on the bedside table, and then disappeared into the night. “Tomorrow,” Twilight said shortly, cutting off Spike’s question. Spike didn’t push back, but that might have also been because he yawned. “Maybe friendship isn’t so bad,” Spike floated as he climbed back into his basket. Twilight threw a pillow in his general direction, but she couldn’t suppress a little smile. Chapter 7Twilight flipped through the next book. She glanced over at the calendar and quickly looked back, hoping she would find something about Nightmare Moon or the Elements of Harmony before the Summer Sun Celebration in two days. And then she stopped. There was a drawing of Nightmare Moon, with bats around her. Twilight paused and reread it. There wasn’t much description. Just that it was said she was attended by bats. She’d flipped a few pages before something else occurred to her. Could that mean bat ponies? Everlasting night would fit right in with a nocturnal species. She needed to ask. She glanced outside, and her first Birthday Pony hypothesis came floating back into her mind. Normally, she wouldn’t think much about it. But she was running out of time, and desperate times called for desperate measures. Even if Celestia didn’t believe her, she knew she was right. Twilight knocked on the door of Sugarcube Corner. “I hope you’re right about this,” Spike mumbled, clearly concerned about offending the ponies who ran the only bakery in town. “Honestly, me too,” Twilight murmured back. The door eventually opened. “Oh, Twilight,” Mrs. Cake said, surprised. “It’s… rather late.” “I know. I was hoping you could tell me a little more about the Birthday Pony.” “There’s not much to tell,” Mrs. Cake said with a little chuckle. “If you’re new in town or it’s your birthday, she’ll leave you a cake.” “But why a cake?” Twilight asked. Mrs. Cake shrugged. “Ponies like cake,” she said simply. “But then again, I am a little biased,” she added, gesturing towards her cutie mark, the trio of cupcakes. “I’m sure there’s more to it,” Twilight pressed. “Maybe,” Mrs. Cake said evasively. “I’m sure we could discuss this more later. Or earlier, I suppose.” She made to shut the door. Twilight teleported past her and inside the bakery. “Mrs. Cake, please,” she said, hoping she sounded completely sure of herself. “You don’t need to be so evasive when we both know she’s here now.” Mrs. Cake laughed, and this time it sounded confident enough that Twilight felt a slight twitch of hesitation. “She certainly is not,” she said. Twilight inhaled, trying to think of some way she could salvage this, but the next thing she knew, she’d been tackled to the ground. And the pony they’d just been discussing was on top of her. “Eee!” she cheered, rubbing the top of her head against Twilight’s cheek. “Well, now she is,” Mrs. Cake amended. The Birthday Pony nearly dragged her over to the table and pushed a cupcake from somewhere into her hoof. Spike got one as well, which he gleefully bit into. “She must really like you,” Mrs. Cake said, a little amused. “She’s not usually one for letting anypony else know she exists. She must think you’re a good friend.” Twilight felt a slight pang of guilt, because she was mostly hoping for information tonight. Friendship hadn’t really occurred to her. “So, uh, how did you meet her?” she asked, hoping for a distraction. “We found Pinkie outside one night,” she explained. “We think she came through the Everfree Forest, because she was injured, exhausted, and starving. We nursed her back to health.” She smiled a pained smile. “Apparently, pink isn't a popular color for bat ponies.” Pinkie shook her head, a wry smile flitting across her face. “She limped down the stairs the first night. She shouldn't have been up…” here she gave Pinkie a motherly look, and she grinned innocently. Now her fangs were really visible, and they looked cute, somehow. “…but she smelled our baking and she got curious. She watched for those first two nights, and then she wanted to help. She seemed to have a nose for it.” Pinkie nodded happily. “She adapted quickly, and became a big help in the kitchen. She was very quiet. She didn’t seem to understand money, but she liked fruit. She helped test that new fruit tart. “And then one day, I slipped and sprained a hoof. There was no way I could make a cake on time, let alone do a delivery across town, so I had to turn down an order. “That didn’t sit too well with her. So she baked a cake herself, on her own, I might add, and delivered it. She didn’t want to be seen. How a bright pink pony made it across town while holding a cake I’ll never know.” Twilight glanced over. Pinkie put on an innocent smile and looked up. If there was an explanation, she wasn’t going to give it. “That’s where the rumors started. Cakes appearing, mysteriously. She thought it was fun and did it again, and again. They kept spreading over time, and we just never said anything.” “Doesn’t that get a little costly?” Twilight asked. Spike glared at her, feeling like she was missing the point here. “A little,” Mrs. Cake conceded, “but I noticed we're selling more sheet cakes and cupcakes since she’s started doing it. I think ponies like sharing something good.” “And this is good,” Spike said, licking the frosting off his claw. Pinkie beamed. “So,” Twilight said, looking for an escape. “Do you want to come over and play a game or something?” Pinkie nodded eagerly. She glanced over at Mrs. Cake, as if asking for permission. She shrugged easily and smiled. “Have fun,” she said. Pinkie gave Mrs. Cake an affectionate nuzzle as well, and with a cheerful “Eee!”, disappeared into the night. “So, what game do you want to play?” Spike asked. Twilight paused. “I didn’t think that far ahead,” she admitted. She paused. “And she’s right behind me, isn’t she?” Spike nodded. Sure enough, Pinkie stood there, smiling expectantly. Twilight smiled sheepishly. Thankfully, Spike had an idea. “How about Go fish?” he suggested, retrieving an old deck of cards from a library desk. Pinkie cocked her head. “Ee?” she asked. Spike tapped on the table three times. “Any threes?” Her ears pricked and she sat down excitedly. She could play! Twilight tried not to look too impatient as Spike dealt the cards. When it was her turn, she looked at Pinkie. “Actually, I was hoping I could ask you something else. What do you know about Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie flinched. She closed the distance between them almost instantly, placed her hoof on Twilight’s mouth, and shook her head slowly, looking uncharacteristically serious. Twilight hesitated. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it hadn’t been this. She didn’t know Pinkie very well, but this seemed unlike her. And then, as soon as it had happened, it was over. Pinkie was all smiles again. She looked at Spike and tapped five times hopefully, to which he scoffed and slid the card over. Twilight felt there was more to this, and faked a large yawn. “I think this is our last game,” she said, even though they had barely started their first game. “Gotta get enough sleep for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow.” Pinkie scrunched up her face like she’d just eaten a lemon. Apparently, she didn’t care much for the sun. Spike narrowed his eyes, knowing Twilight was just trying to get rid of her, but he didn’t say anything. The game soon finished, and as Twilight climbed into bed, she looked up at the sky. “’Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night’,” she repeated. “I hope it really is just an old pony tale.” Twilight burst into the library, her heart pounding in her chest. Nightmare Moon had returned, just like she knew she would! And she still had no idea how to stop her because she didn’t know what the Elements of Harmony were! She paused just long enough to make sure Spike was safe in bed before rushing back out. Desperately, she pulled books off the shelves, hoping to find something she’d missed. Then, the door burst open. “How did you know who she was?” Rainbow Dash demanded, getting up into Twilight’s face. “Are you a spy?” Applejack yanked her back. “Simmer down, Rainbow,” she said. “I don’t think she’s a spy.” She looked over at Twilight. “But I do think she knows what’s going on,” she said pointedly. “I read about her. Nightmare Moon. The legends said she would return after a thousand years, attended by bats, but I think that could mean bat ponies.” “What’s a bat pony?” Rainbow asked. Thump! Pinkie landed on the table next to the bust statue, her leathery wings spread. She was clearly apprehensive, her tail flicked nervously and her fluffy ears were almost vibrating, but she was here and clearly determined to be a part of this. For a moment, nopony moved. “That,” Twilight finally said. “That is a bat pony.” Fluttershy fainted. Chapter 8Rainbow flew up into her face. “Are you a spy?” she demanded. “She’s not a spy either… I don’t think,” she added under her breath. “She’s the Birthday Pony.” There was a brief pause. “I knew you were real!” Rainbow said, grabbing her in a tight hug, one Pinkie gleefully returned, before Rainbow realized how uncool this might look and quickly pulled back with a sheepish smile. Pinkie glanced between them all and seemed to relax a little bit as they looked at her with less animosity and more curiosity. “Alright,” Applejack said gamely. “You know us, let’s get to know you. What’s your name?” “Eeeee,” she sang. Applejack’s brow furrowed. Her mouth opened and then closed, unsure how to even start to make a sound like that. “I’m…. not sure what that means, but she answers to ‘Pinkie’,” Twilight explained. Pinkie nodded. Fluttershy had recovered. Now awake and very curious, she neared and looked at her wings. “I’m no expert on bats,” she said, “but your wings look very long. You probably have a great wing loading ratio. I can also see that you have long and pointed wingtips. Your morphological design probably means you’re a fast flier, right?” There was a brief pause. Pinkie flapped her wings. “Ee,” she said blithely, clearly not understanding a word Fluttershy had just said. “We can study batticus poniecus later,” Twilight said, realizing as she said it how unlike her it was. “Right now, we have a bigger problem on our hooves. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!” There was a soft thump. Pinkie had knocked a book off the shelf, looking somewhat like an enormous pink cat, and she was smiling expectantly. “Pinkie,” Twilight grumbled as she lit her horn and slid it back on the shelf. Pinkie met her eyes, narrowed hers slightly, and deliberately knocked the book off again. “Eee,” she said. “Pinkie, stop doing that,” Twilight said, picking the book up. She paused as the cover caught her eye. “Wait. ‘The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide’,” she read, astounded. “How did you-?” “Eee,” Pinkie explained with a smile, tapping the spine. Twilight scowled, unsure how she hadn’t found this book in all her searching, but she quickly brushed it off. “There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now-” “The Everfree Forest?” The gathered ponies stared. The Everfree Forest seemed to stare back. Pinkie bounced forward, crossing the threshold. She smiled and gestured with her head that they should follow. “I don’t think so,” Twilight said, lighting her horn and pulling her back out. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own.” Applejack chortled. “No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain't letting any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone.” Twilight didn’t think they were quite to ‘friends’ yet, but she didn’t feel like fighting it, so with a sigh, she started walking. Rarity sighed. “No. My eyes need a rest from all this icky muck.” She paused as she realized that the whole forest had suddenly grown darker. “Well, I didn't mean that literally,” she amended. Twilight glanced around. It had gotten really dark really fast, and after the cliff and the manticore, she wasn’t looking for any new surprises. She lit her horn, but there was only so much her light could do. It almost seemed like this darkness was magical, somehow. Or maybe it was just the forest. As they kept walking, it felt like they were being watched. Even the trees seemed to be… No, that one looked real. Too real! The ponies screamed. Scary faces peered out from the forest, the bark becoming open mouths with sharp, pointed teeth; branches becoming spindly arms reaching out to grab little ponies and take them away, and that looked like… a pony doing a headstand? Twilight swung her horn around to illuminate it better and sure enough, it was Pinkie. “Pinkie?!” Pinkie giggled and dropped back to the ground. With an out-of-place and cheerful “Eee!”, she bounced around the group, bobbing her head. “What are you doing?” Twilight demanded. “Run!” But Pinkie had no intention of doing that. Instead, she pulled a silly face at the nearest tree, flipped over to stick her tongue out at another, and then pulled a cupcake from… somewhere, and kicked it, making it arc in the air before splattering another tree with frosting. Rainbow chuckled, and that cracked the ice. Soon, everypony was laughing at Pinkie’s antics. Twilight rolled her eyes, but she had to admit that she did seem to brighten the path a little bit, and the trees looked like regular trees once again, and the atmosphere seemed to lighten again. The Castle of the Two Sisters loomed in front of them. “We made it,” Twilight said as she climbed the steps. That journey had taken a long time. It seemed like every one of these ponies had had to solve a problem tonight. “But we’re not out of the woods yet,” Applejack said. “Uh, metaphorically speaking, I mean.” “Right. We still need to find the Elements, and we’re not even sure what they look like.” “I don’t know,” Rainbow said. “It’d be cool if we just walked in and they were just sitting there, you know?” Twilight pushed open the door. “Huh,” she said slowly, as they looked at the Elements sitting there. There was a brief pause. “It’d be cool if Spitfire invited me to join the Wonderbolts, right here, right now,” Rainbow said quickly, looking around as if hoping that would miraculously happen, too. Applejack bumped her with her elbow. The three ponies with wings flew up to retrieve them. “Careful,” Twilight warned. “Eee,” Pinkie said nervously, looking at the gathered orbs. Rainbow noticed what she’d seen. “There are only five. Where’s number six?” Twilight nodded. “The book said that when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.” She lit her horn. “I’m not sure what that means, but I’m going to try some magic.” “Just to clarify,” Rarity, the other unicorn of the group, interjected daintily. “You’re about to cast magic on an unknown artifact and you have no idea how it’s going to respond?” Twilight winced. “Oh. Right. Uh, stand back, everypony?” Applejack led the way out, giving Twilight room to work. Pinkie looked at Applejack. “Ee?” she asked hopefully, picking up her hooves and placing them down again in the same spots. “Are you asking if she’ll be ok?” Applejack guessed. Pinkie nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be-” A burst of magic rocked the night, and light flashed. “Twilight!” Chapter 9Twilight stared in shock as the shards of the Elements fell around Nightmare Moon’s hooves. “N- no,” she breathed. “Where’s the sixth Element?” Nightmare Moon laughed and lit her horn. She launched a burst of magic at Twilight, who teleported out of the way, but she fired again, this time at the ceiling. Rocks fell, and Twilight found herself trapped. But as she lit her horn to return fire, the sound of voices made her look back. The other ponies approached, eager to help. As Applejack started to pull the rocks down, Pinkie flew in front of Twilight. Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened. “Oh, one of my noctrali.” Pinkie crouched. She was clearly quivering, but stood strong. “Good.” She gestured towards Twilight. “Take her down,” she ordered. Pinkie shook her head. “Eeee,” she said softly. “What was that?” Nightmare Moon asked, her voice dangerously quiet. “Eeee,” Pinkie repeated, a bit more firmly this time, placing her hoof down firmly. “You’d stand against me?” Nightmare Moon said, affronted. “How dare you! I gave you life! The noctrali belong to me!” “Eee!” Pinkie retorted, and she pulled a cupcake from her mane and threw it at her, sticking her tongue out. “Where are you getting all of those?” Twilight had to ask. But Nightmare Moon had another trick in store. She lit her horn and began to chant. Her voice seemed to carry a haunting aura. Pinkie suddenly bent over, shaking her head, as if trying to shake off the song. Her eyes flickered purple, and she turned around to face Twilight, ears pinned, teeth bared. “What are you doing to her?” Rarity demanded. “Nothing,” she said innocently. “She was born to serve me. The noctrali are my soldiers, my servants, my teeth in-” But she didn’t get much further than that, because a sizable rock bounced off her helmet, throwing off her concentration. Applejack pawed at the ground; it had been she that had bucked the rock. “Let her go!” Nightmare Moon gestured with her head, and Pinkie leaped away from Twilight and tackled Applejack. She snapped at Applejack, teeth flashing, and Applejack pushed up, keeping her face away. “Hey now,” Applejack protested. “It’s me! I’m your friend! Honest!” Honesty… Rainbow Dash swooped in, knocking Pinkie away. She crouched in front of Applejack, wings flared defensively. “Come on, Pinks,” she urged. “Fight it! I know you’re in there and I’m not giving up on you.” Loyalty… “That’s it,” Twilight realized, looking over at the ponies… at her friends. “Those weren’t the Elements! They’re not rocks, they’re you!” “Us?” Rarity asked. Twilight quickly recounted their experiences in the forest, lining out how they had embodied the Elements. “Touching,” Nightmare Moon said coldly. “But that’s still only five, and your little spark didn’t work.” “Is it?” Twilight challenged. “Because I felt it. I’m feeling it now.” She looked at her friends, even Pinkie. “I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. And that friendship is magic!” The Elements suddenly burst into colors. The shattered Element rocks swirled around the five ponies, washing the room with light and color, and breaking her hold on Pinkie instantly. A new orb formed, the missing Element of Magic, and swirled around Twilight. “No!” Nightmare Moon cried, but it was too late. The rainbow of light erupted upwards and then bent down, surrounding Nightmare Moon. There was a burst of color, and then everything went white. Applejack was the first to sit up. “Everypony alright?” she asked. Pinkie sat up, rubbing painfully at her eyes. That had been bright! “Rarity, it’s beautiful,” Fluttershy said. Rarity waved her newly-restored tail happily. “I know! I’ll never part with it again.” “No, your necklace. It matches your cutie mark.” She looked at Pinkie. “Yours does, too!” Pinkie looked down and her ears pricked as she realized what Fluttershy was talking about. “Eee,” she purred with no small pride, looking down at the blue gem on her chest and gently buffing it with a hoof. “Huh,” Applejack said, examining her own. “I guess you were right. I guess we really do represent the Elements of Harmony.” “You certainly do,” another voice broke in. And then the room brightened further as Princess Celestia appeared. The ponies bowed. “I knew you could do it,” she said warmly. “I thought you said it was an old pony’s tale,” Twilight said. “I said you needed to make friends,” Celestia said gently. “And Twilight, you succeeded, just like I knew you would. I knew you had the magic inside you, but without all of your friends, I knew it wouldn’t be enough.” Twilight looked around and noticed that Pinkie was gone. Twilight’s brow furrowed. “All six of you,” Celestia said, with a meaningful look at the wall. For a moment, nothing happened. And then Pinkie slowly poked her head out from her hiding space. Hesitantly, and still squinting at the bright light, she pointed a hoof at herself. Celestia nodded. “Especially you,” she said. “Even from the shadows, you’re a true friend.” She gingerly stepped out, with slow steps to start, then as she realized she was serious, she leaped, rejoining the group, smiling widely, and squinting in the light. Applejack let her borrow her hat to shield her eyes. The pony that had been Nightmare Moon slowly raised her head. She was now much smaller, and more blue. Pinkie approached, slowly, forelegs bent as if in preparation to flee if needed. “Eeee?” she asked. “Yes, she did,” Celestia said softly. “But I don’t think she’ll be casting that spell again anytime soon. Right, sister?” “Sister?!” Twilight and Rainbow repeated. Celestia neared. “Princess Luna,” she started. “It’s been a thousand years since I’ve seen you like this. We were meant to rule together. Will you accept my friendship?” There was a breathless moment. Luna leaped up and grabbed her into a hug. “I’m so sorry! I missed you so much!” Celestia quickly returned it. “I missed you, too,” she said. Pinkie approached, stepping carefully. “Eee, eeee?” she asked, her voice a low whisper. Luna broke the hug to look at her. “No,” she said firmly. “Pay no heed to the words of that madmare. Regardless of your origin, you are your own pony. You have your own destiny. And you are beautiful.” Pinkie smiled. “Are you… crying?” Rainbow asked. “Ee,” Pinkie denied shortly. Rainbow chuckled, and then they were all laughing, in relief, in happiness, as release, all of these things; but all together as friends. EpilogueThough her contributions had been essential to their success, Pinkie had tried to stay out of the spotlight. So naturally, all of Ponyville knew that the Birthday Pony was real, and that she was no regular pony. To her pleasant surprise, she had been welcomed as she’d welcomed others, and the party rooms at Sugarcube Corner had been booked later in the night to give her a chance to join in the parties she’d only ever been able to watch from afar. But that wasn’t the only change in Ponyville. As it turned out, the bat ponies had had their own legends of Nightmare Moon as a fearsome tyrant who would once again return and control them to use them as her own personal army. As a pony instrumental in cleansing her, Pinkie had become a noctrali celebrity overday. Before long, a few other daring noctrali had emerged from their hiding places to see if they could be part of Ponyville, too, and their first stop was always Sugarcube Corner. So thus it was when Twilight stepped inside Sugarcube Corner a few weeks later, it was still bustling despite it being early evening. The tables were all full of ponies, their coats varying shades of gray and dark purple. Pinkie was behind the counter, wearing a uniform more befitting of her status as an official employee. With practiced motions, she switched the menus over to the noctrali side. Their diet was more fruit-based, and Applejack had been more than happy to help supply the apples. “Eee,” Twilight said, giving the greeting she’d been practicing. She knew her voice was a little lower than typical, but apparently the inflection was the most important part. Either way, Pinkie understood. “Eee!” she cheered, leaping over the countertop to give her a hug. “It’s good to see you, too,” Twilight said, patting her withers. When she separated, she found herself holding a tart. “Ee!” Pinkie chirped. “It’s one of the new ones?” Twilight guessed. Pinkie nodded, eager for her to try it. Gamely, Twilight levitated a fork over and took a bite. “Eee?” Pinkie prompted, her eyes wide and hopeful. “That’s delicious,” Twilight said earnestly. “The others will love these at our game night this weekend.” Pinkie chirped happily, bouncing in place. Twilight smiled as she took another bite. She had never imagined her life would turn out like this, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 1Celestia hadn’t even woken up let alone raised the sun when Ruby Pinch’s eyes snapped open. She blinked once and then a smile spread across her face as she remembered what she was so excited about. Today was a special day! She pushed the covers off, then slowly slid out of bed and crept down the stairs. Her heart pounded in her chest as she nudged open the kitchen door with her muzzle. She gasped as the door fully opened. “She came!” She scampered back and rapped on the door to Berry's bedroom. “Mommy! Mommy! She came! She came!” Berry Punch woke up, squinting. Who came? Was Minuette here already? What time was it? She pushed herself up and turned on the lamp so she could see. This was a mistake; her eyes quickly clamped themselves shut against the harsh light and she groaned. Ruby continued, urging her mother up. “The birthday pony came! She came! Come see!” Reaching out, she grabbed her mother's hoof and tried physically dragging her into the living room. Eyes still crimped shut, Berry Punch let herself be pulled along. Ruby went straight for the kitchen. “See?” Berry Punch forced her eye open, and she couldn't help but tear up as she saw the cake there. She hadn't forgotten, but she hadn't gotten anything ready for her daughter this early in the morning. Though the legend of the birthday pony seemed to be real enough, it was comforting to know Ruby would have a special morning. “It looks amazing. So, cake for breakfast?” she asked with a smile. “Yeah!” Ruby cheered. Up in the trees nearby, a pony watched as Berry Punch cut them both generous slices. The pony smiled, revealing sharp little fangs… Later that afternoon, high in the cloudy sky, a purple unicorn in a chariot rested her head on the chariot and exhaled. “Look on the bright side, Twilight,” Spike said encouragingly. “The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn't that make you happy?” Twilight brightened. “Yes, yes it does. You know why? Because I'm right! I'll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Nightmare Moon's return.” Spike sighed. Twilight really needed something better to focus on, like, oh, maybe her other assignment from the princess? That whole making friends thing? Still, he knew he'd have more luck conversing with a brick wall than Twilight when she was in one of her moods, so he settled for looking down at the ponies walking below. They soon landed, and after thanking the pegasi who had pulled her chariot, they continued on their way. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched from the shadows by a pair of brilliant blue eyes… Twilight looked around. “Yes. This should do nicely.” She lit her horn and began pulling books off the shelves. “What about the preparations?” Spike asked. “Or, you know, the other thing?” “It’s late tonight,” Twilight said, which was true. “I’ll get started on that first thing in the morning. Right now, I’m going to do some research.” Spike shrugged. “Knock yourself out.” Twilight awoke with a groan. She lifted her head and the page of notes she was working on last came with her, only to drop off a moment later. She’d fallen asleep on the table studying, so she was surrounded by stacks of books, a few pages of notes, a cake, and- Wait. Startled into alertness by the unexpected presence, she took another look. There was a pink cake on her table that had not been there last night. On top, the words ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’ were piped in loopy purple frosting that looked eerily similar to her coat color. She looked up, tilting her head back towards the bedroom. “Spike? Where did you get this?” Spike poked his head in. He leaned against the doorframe and rubbed his eyes blearily. “Get what?” he asked. “This cake.” “What cake?” Spike opened one eye, and then both shot open. “Ooh, cake!” He eagerly reached for it. Twilight blocked his claw with one of the books. “Not before breakfast,” she scolded. “And probably not at all, honestly.” Spike could see his chances of eating cake quickly vanishing. “It's not every day a cake shows up. I think…” He tapped his claws together. “I think the universe wants us to eat it.” “The universe does not go around leaving cakes willy-nilly,” Twilight said. “The amount of energy that would require would be astronomical, to say nothing of the entropy that would need to be overcome.” “But you can’t deny the fact that a cake has appeared here,” Spike pointed out. “And cakes are meant to be eaten.” “It’s far more likely that somepony has left it here,” Twilight snorted. “Then it stands to reason that that somepony wants us to eat it,” Spike said, his claws eagerly moving. “Spike!” Twilight protested. “What if it's poisoned?” “Then I'll die happy,” Spike said, licking his lips and reaching for it. Twilight sighed and teleported him to the edge of the kitchen. “Nopony is going to eat this cake until I’m certain it’s safe and I’ve figured out where it came from,” she said firmly. “And I’m going to start with the one place in town where I know cakes come from.” “Ok,” Spike said, unable to completely hide his excitement. “And while you do that…” “Nice try,” Twilight said, lighting her horn and picking him up. “You’re coming with me.” Mrs. Cake looked up as the bell over the door jingled. “Good morning,” she greeted her. “Good morning,” Twilight answered. “The strangest thing happened last night.” Mrs. Cake laughed lightly. “Don’t tell me. A cake mysteriously appeared in your house?” “Something like that,” Twilight said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Oh, dearie, there’s nothing to worry about. You were just visited by the Birthday Pony!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “The Birthday Pony?” “That’s the one! She makes a cake to welcome every new pony and one for every birthday. She’s a Ponyville legend.” Twilight pursed her lips. She had long since given up believing in mysterious, nightly-visitor beings like the tooth breezie. She’d scientifically proven it. She’d set traps, and all she’d caught was her brother. “How do you know it's a she?” Twilight had to ask. Mrs. Cake seemed slightly taken aback that that had been her first question, but she quickly recovered. “Just a guess,” she said. “Her writing is very loopy.” Twilight narrowed her eyes further. Something was still off here. Mrs. Cake tittered. “You have nothing to worry about,” she reassured her. “Trust me. Enjoy the cake, because you’ll have to wait for your birthday to get another.” Spike looked at her and nodded, clearly satisfied with this explanation, but Twilight was not thoroughly convinced. “And ‘she’ does this for the whole town?” “Sure does! Ask anypony you’d like,” Mrs. Cake said. Well, she did have a couple ponies to talk to about the Summer Sun Celebration. Maybe she could take care of two things at once.
Chapter 2“First on the list, banquet preparations. Location: Sweet Apple Acres. You know, we could be eating cake right now,” Spike said. “Location: the library. That would be a good way to prepare. Just saying.” “We’re gathering information, Spike,” Twilight said pointedly. “This is important.” “I’m just glad you covered it and didn’t just leave it out,” groused Spike. He did not want to let this cake go to waste and he was not about to let this go. “Well, there’s always a right way to do things,” Twilight said. “Like right now, if we can get through this fast enough, we can go back to the library for more research.” They made it to Sweet Apple Acres, and their attention was quickly drawn by an orange earth pony kicking trees to knock apples down. Twilight sighed. “Let’s get this over with.” The farmer’s ears pricked, seemingly sensing a new pony approaching. She spotted Twilight and approached. “Howdy, newcomer! How was your cake?” “My what?” The orange pony misunderstood Twilight’s look of suspicion for confusion. “Haha! Let’s just say you’re in for a tasty surprise tomorrow. The Birthday Pony gives everypony a nice Ponyville welcome.” She laughed. “And we here at Sweet Apple Acres do, too.” She gave Twilight’s hoof a firm shake. “I’m Applejack.” “Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight answered. “Pleased to meet you! We sure do like making friends here at Sweet Apple Acres.” Twilight pointedly ignored Spike’s nudge. “That’s… nice, but I’m actually here on business. I’m here about the food preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.” “Yep, that’s us!” Applejack said proudly. “Care to sample some? We’re just about to eat, actually.” Twilight suddenly became very aware that she had accidentally forgone breakfast this morning. “I mean, if it doesn’t take too long,” she said. Twilight realized too late what she’d talked herself into when Applejack began banging on a triangle and a flood of ponies appeared seemingly out of thin air. Applejack proceeded to quickly name multiple family members that all had apple-themed names. Twilight hadn’t realized there were so many apple-themed foods in the world, and she had forgotten them all by the time she got to Granny Smith, who was a type of apple and somehow seemed out of place among the dumplings and the fritters. She glanced around. She had to get out of here, and fast. “Well, I’d say everything’s well-taken care of, so I’ll just be moving on.” But as she turned, she met the brilliant orange eyes of a little yellow filly. “Aren’t you gonna stay for brunch?” Twilight swallowed. It really was good, but there was a lot of it. She wasn’t even sure what the name of the apple baked good she was eating now was, and she definitely didn’t want to know how much butter was in it. “So,” Applejack said, bringing over yet another tray of food balanced on her back and sliding it onto the table, “you got a favorite yet?” Twilight, who by now couldn’t remember the difference between a dumpling and a fritter (nor how many she’d actually eaten), tried to be tactful. “I… couldn’t decide,” she said. “Heh, sometimes I can’t, either,” Applejack said modestly. “We aim for top-notch food here at Sweet Apple Acres, for any event.” “Too bad you can’t just ask the Birthday Pony for help,” Twilight needled. “The Birthday Pony only does birthdays and move-ins,” Applejack explained. “But I bet she could! If we could find her,” Apple Bloom added. “You can’t find her?” Twilight prompted. “Nopony’s ever seen her,” Apple Bloom said mysteriously. “She arrives in the night and leaves you a cake, like she’s a shadow.” Twilight was about to say something about how illogical that was when another family member brought something else to their table. “Yeah,” Twilight groaned. “The food situation is just fine.” “And just think, we have more cake at home,” Spike added. “How can you think of cake right now? We have a lot of work we need to do, and that’s still not counting preparing for the return of Nightmare Moon.” A snort made them look up. A pegasus pony with a multi-colored mane and a cerulean coat rolled over from her cloud. “It’s not noon. It’s only 10,” she protested. “Not noon, Nightmare Moon,” Twilight corrected. “She was banished to the moon for a thousand years, but she’s going to escape, and we’ve got to be ready.” She chuckled and rolled back over. “Yeah. Sure.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Alright. Who’s next, Spike?” “A pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash is supposed to be clearing the clouds.” They both glanced up at the cloudy sky. “Yo,” the pony said, waving a hoof without rolling over. Twilight drew the connection immediately. “Well, you’re not doing a very good job, are you?” she said snippily. “I can,” the pony who could be none other than Rainbow Dash said. “I was just doing more important things, like practicing for the Wonderbolts.” “The Wonderbolts?” Twilight repeated dubiously. “Ah, I see you’re familiar with Equestria’s greatest flying team,” Rainbow Dash said warmly, now engaged in this conversation. “I know they wouldn’t take a weatherpony who can’t even keep the sky clear,” Twilight said. Rainbow narrowed her eyes. Then she took off so fast Twilight suddenly found herself sprawled in a nearby puddle. With a frustrated groan, she pushed herself up. “See?” Rainbow said proudly. “Ten seconds flat.” Twilight looked up and realized that the sky was clear. But as her vision was currently obscured by wet mane, this was but a small comfort. Rainbow suddenly noticed what she’d done. “Oh. Sorry about that. Here.” There was another whoosh. “There! My patented Rain-blow dry. Good as… n- new.” Twilight looked at her flatly. She could feel her mane standing on end and was certain she looked ridiculous. Rainbow shoved a hoof in her mouth to suppress her laughter, but it didn’t last; she burst out laughing so hard she fell to the ground. Spike quickly joined her. Twilight shook her head. “Don’t worry,” Rainbow said, forcibly suppressing her laughter. “Maybe the Birthday Pony will bring you a brush along with your cake.” She started cackling at her own joke. Twilight rolled her eyes, but found this segue useful. “You believe in the Birthday Pony, then?” “Sure do. Got a cake delivered in my cloudominium the night after I moved in.” Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “It just seems odd to me.” “Wait. You’re saying you believe in this Nightmare Moon thing, but not the Birthday Pony?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “Yes,” Twilight said insistently. “Ok, but the Birthday Pony is real,” Rainbow said slowly. “Cakes don’t just appear out of nowhere.” “That’s what I’m saying,” Twilight said. “I don’t follow,” Rainbow said. Twilight shook her head. “Never mind. Go back to your nap.” “Nah, I’m awake now. Gotta get more practice in. See ya!” And she took off again, bowling Twilight over into the puddle once more. Twilight shook her head, spraying water everywhere. “Yeah,” she said. “I hate it here.” “It’s not that bad,” Spike said as he helped her up, trying to sound comforting. “Not bad at all,” Spike said dreamily as the door to Carousel Boutique closed behind them. Twilight shook her head. Even Rarity had been in on it. “It sounds like everypony believes in this mysterious ‘Birthday Pony’,” she said, making air quotes with her hooves. “It’s so universal, it almost makes you think that they’re on to something, right?” Spike floated. “Yes, but consider: all the ponies in this town are crazy.” Spike wisely did not comment further on this. They made their way back to the library and Twilight retrieved the cake. She gave it one more inspection and then exhaled. “Well, I guess it’s fine,” she said, and she took a small bite of cake. “Oh,” she breathed. It was delicious. She found herself taking another bite, and then another. Spike quickly joined in on the other side, and before long, the cake was gone. But delicious or not, that didn’t change the fact that there was no such thing as the Birthday Pony. And she intended to prove it.
Chapter 3Twilight put her plan into motion the next morning as she picked up a couple apples at Applejack’s street stand for breakfast. “It’s kinda funny that your birthday is so close to when you came,” Applejack said as she slid the apples in her bag. “Heh. Birthday Pony’s going to be coming to visit you back to back.” “Mm-hm. I’m counting on it,” Twilight said, the light seemingly coming from beneath her face. There was a brief pause. “Well, that wasn’t ominous at all,” Applejack said concernedly. Twilight nodded, pleased with her work. While she hadn’t found anything about Nightmare Moon yet, she’d laid out plenty of traps. All that was left to do was wait until they were set off. She’d figure out who this ‘Birthday Pony’ was. With a contented huff, she headed up the stairs and back to her bedroom, ready for sleep. The next morning, Twilight came downstairs and glanced around. None of her traps had been tripped. But her smile faded slightly as she saw a card sitting on the table. She looked back over her shoulder. “Spike?” she called. “Hm?” “Did you touch my traps at all?” “No?” he said questioningly. Twilight pursed her lips. She lit her horn and pulled the card over and opened it. A small pile of multi-colored confetti fell out. On the inside, four words were written in loopy writing. No birthday? No cake! And on the other side, there was a drawing of a pony sticking her tongue out. Twilight snorted. Oh, was that how it was? Alright. Two could play this game. To start with, she’d need some better bait. Mr. Cake nodded. “Hosting parties is one of the many things we offer here!” he said proudly. “We offer all-in-one packages for birthdays, cuteciñeras, retirement, any event! Our regular party room can host up to fifteen ponies, but our large party room can hold fifty-one.” Twilight nodded knowingly, but she couldn’t imagine knowing that many ponies, let alone wanting them all to come to a party. He checked a clipboard under the counter. “It looks like Liza Doolots has her party scheduled for tomorrow, but-” “Perfect,” Twilight said. Now with the information she’d come for, she spun around and headed out the door, leaving Mr. Cake mid-sentence (and a little confused). Now that she had a name, she just needed an address. And Mayor Mare was perfectly fine with her poking around the Town Hall Archives. After all, property records were public records. Not that anypony had been here for a while, judging by the thick layer of dust that coated everything. “It sure is nice and friendly of you to organize all these records for Mayor Mare,” Spike floated. “I’m not making friends,” Twilight said insistently. “I’m doing research on the Birthday Pony.” “Ok,” Spike said slowly, “but you’ve met two new ponies today and you’re helping out here. I think you’re giving the impression that you’re trying to become part of the town.” “Don’t be silly, Spike,” Twilight said. “It’s not like I’m going to be here very long.” She brightened as she lifted up a paper. “Doolots, Liza. Got it.” She copied the address down. “Now, back to researching more on Nightmare Moon.” She marched out of the room. Spike watched her go, waiting. He tapped his foot, waiting, knowing what was about to happen. There was a brief pause. And as expected, Twilight walked back in. “If I don’t finish organizing these, it’s going to bother me,” she grumbled, lighting her horn and starting to put the records away. Later that night, as the moon shone overhead, Twilight sat in a bush, leaning against a tree, holding binoculars trained on the house. All she had to do now was wait. Her Nightmare Moon research today had turned up nothing, so she was hoping to put this one to rest here tonight. Her current theory was that it was just the parents doing the birthdays, with a secret network of ponies covering for visitors. Probably some pony with a love of gossip. Maybe multiple ponies. But as she kept watch, the night seemed to drag on. Her eyelids grew heavy, and though she would try and shake herself awake, the call of sleep was just too strong for the tired unicorn. She quickly sat up, but it was too late. She’d fallen asleep. To her annoyance, she realized she’d missed it. Through the window, she could see a cake already resting on the table. She glanced down, snorting… and then her eyes fell on a little cupcake next to her. It was small, chocolate, with purple frosting in a swirl on top. Her brow furrowed. She sniffed at it, and then hesitantly poked at it with the tip of her hoof. It was clearly fresh, so it must have been left here. Left for her. This was an unexpected development.
Chapter 4“It sure is nice of you to get these cupcakes for your friend Spike,” Mrs. Cake said. “Yeah, sure,” Twilight said, trying to not show her frustration with the small talk. “Could you write the card for me? Hoof sprain,” she explained, holding up her crooked pastern. Mrs. Cake’s eyes flicked briefly up to her horn, but her smile never faded. “Certainly,” she said, and she quickly wrote the words. As soon as she was outside, Twilight pulled the card out and compared it with the one she’d found on her table that first night. The writing didn’t match. A brief scowl flickered across her face. But this wasn’t a dead-end. Not at all. She’d just need to figure out which house to watch next. A whoosh of air overhead made her look up. Rainbow Dash hovered above her. “Hey, Twilight,” she said. “Rumor has it you’re trying to catch the Birthday Pony.” “I am,” Twilight said, a little surprised. “Guess word spreads around fast in a little town. My current theory is that she’s a powerful unicorn using teleportation.” “Yeah?” Rainbow asked. “How does she deliver cakes to cloudominiums?” “Levitation, Rainbow,” Twilight said flatly, demonstrating with a nearby rock. Rainbow blinked. She clearly hadn’t thought of that. Still, she brushed it off casually. “Heh. If you say so. But if you ask me, nopony is going to tell you when their birthday is.” “Why is that?” Twilight asked. “Because,” Rainbow said as if it were obvious, “the Birthday Pony knows when you’re asleep. She doesn’t come if you’re awake. If you’re watching, you’re awake, and she won’t come. And if she doesn’t come, no cake.” “That sounds an awful lot like Santa Hooves, who, needless to say, is not real, either,” Twilight said. Rainbow blinked. “Wait. What?” “Come on, Rainbow. You’re a grown mare. There’s no way you still believe one pony can deliver a present to every single foal in Equestria in a single night.” She glanced over at Rainbow and slowed to a stop. Rainbow dropped to the ground and sank to her haunches. “I thought I was just a little too naughty for presents,” she said, her eyes wide and unseeing, “but I thought playing pranks was just worth it.” Twilight inhaled through her teeth. Oops? “If there isn’t really… if it’s… I’m…” She grabbed Twilight. “Have I been being good for nothing?” she howled. Twilight lit her horn and pushed her away. “There are a lot of ethical questions there that I am nowhere near ready to unpack,” she said uncomfortably as she slowly backed up. As soon as she was out of reach, she turned and ran away. “What have I been doing with my life?” Rainbow wailed behind her. Shattered worldview aside, Rainbow was right on one count. Now that word had spread that she was trying to find the Birthday Pony, the foals were giving her sideways looks as she walked by, and even the adults seemed to be hesitant to make eye contact, as if they didn’t want to reveal a common secret. Which, of course, only made Twilight want to dig in deeper. Any detective book, even that tacky and romantic hack Shadow Spade, had a scene where a detective had to stay silent and unobserved to gain some new information. Armed with a newspaper and a hat, Twilight sat on a wall next to the schoolhouse and gave it a try. And she soon hit pay dirt. Spike watched her adjust her hat. “Heading out again?” “I’m going to put this to rest, Spike,” Twilight said firmly. “It’s clearly somepony in Ponyville. Maybe multiple someponies. But there is a simple explanation for this.” “I’m still not sure why you’re so determined to explain this,” Spike said, suppressing a yawn. “Can’t ponies just have fun delivering cakes?” “Because I’m right, Spike,” Twilight said firmly. “And I’m going to prove it.” “Alright,” Spike said, knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument. “Just make sure you’re back before that scheduled storm hits.” Spike awoke the next morning. He glanced towards the window. Rain still poured down from last night’s rainstorm, but it was lightening up. Twilight’s bed was made, so she was either already awake or she hadn’t made it back upstairs. “Hope it’s the first one,” he mumbled as he climbed out of his basket. But it was the second. He saw a lump covered by a blanket on the couch. Quickly figuring it was not the Birthday Pony crashing for the night, he gently tapped where he guessed her shoulder was. “Hey, Twilight,” he started. Twilight sneezed. That answered his unasked question, but he asked anyway. “Guess you didn’t make it back before the storm.” “No,” she said irritably. “I was certain I’d see something before it hit.” She sniffled. “But?” Spike prompted. “Somepony tapped me on the shoulder, and when I looked, I didn’t see anypony, but there was a cupcake wearing a party hat.” Spike imagined this, a cupcake with a tiny party hat cocked at a jaunty angle. “Wearing a-?” “Under,” she corrected herself with another sniffle. “And it was just a generic one, so no clues there.” “You’re sick and you’re still worried about finding more clues?” Twilight sat up. “I’m going to figure this out, Spike,” she said, before laying back down. “Once the room stops spinning,” she amended. Spike nodded. He’d leave her alone for a bit. Spike was keeping himself busy dusting the bookshelves when he heard Twilight call him. “Spike? Who did you let in?” Spine looked at the door, which had remained closed all morning. “Uh, nopony?” he said, heading back into the bedroom. “Why?” He realized what had prompted that question when he saw another card on her side table, sitting next to one of their mugs, which was now full of a steaming liquid. “Well, now she’s just showing off,” Twilight grumbled. Spike tilted his head to read the card. “‘I do more than just cupcakes!’,” he read. “And in the same loopy writing,” Twilight mused, wiping her muzzle. Distractedly, she lit her horn and pulled the mug over to take a sip. Her eyes widened. “Oh, that’s good,” she said, taking another sip. “So that’s it then, right?” Spike said hopefully. Twilight inhaled the steam deeply. “Not a chance,” she said. “There’s somepony behind this, and I’m going to figure out who.”
Chapter 5Spike poked his head out of the bedroom, his nose crinkling. “Uh, Twilight?” “Yes, Spike?” “Are you making coffee?” He slowed to a stop and squinted hesitantly. “And… what’s with all the traps?” “I’m thinking she’ll come back to see if her tea worked, and when she does, I’ll be ready for her.” Spike looked at the card on the table that Twilight was using as bait. He frowned. “I don’t think you should be tricking somepony trying to do something nice for you,” he said. “I just want answers, Spike,” Twilight said. “That’s it.” She sniffled one more time, but she was definitely sounding better than before. “Alright. I think that coffee is almost ready. I’m ending this tonight.” Spike shook his head. He was fairly certain she would not, but that was not a conversation he wanted to have right now. Twilight patrolled around the library, her ears up and swiveling. She’d seen the guards in Canterlot move constantly, making sure there were no gaps in their coverage. She was by herself, but she’d plotted out a pattern to make sure that there wouldn’t be a noticeable pattern in her stops. Just when she was starting to consider that she might have overplanned this whole thing, she heard movement overhead. She quickly looked up, but didn’t see anything. “Spike?” she called softly. A soft snore answered her. He was asleep. Her heart started beating fast. This could be it! Slowly, she crept closer, ears still swiveling to try and pinpoint the sound’s source. Then she heard it again, but from the other side of the room. Her eyes narrowed. She knew there was a rational explanation for all of this. Was it a bird? Maybe an owl? She tried to slow her breathing. There! That time was definitely something. Eyes up, she stepped in small circles, moving backwards as she tried to spot whatever had made the sound. Her hooves hit something different. She looked down and realized with a start that she’d been so distracted by looking up that she’d accidentally spun herself outside. And then the door shut and locked behind her. Twilight let out a startled whinny. It took her a moment to realize that not only was something here, but it was teasing her. She scowled and grit her teeth, and with a quick flash of magic, teleported back inside. But the library was silent. And a little cupcake sat on the center of the table, next to a different card. Twilight lit her horn and opened it, and another little shower of confetti fell out. This time, there were no words, but there was a little drawing of a pony, winking playfully. She scowled again. The next afternoon, Spike watched as Twilight set up her traps again. She had more this time, and had even set up a few redundant traps, just in case. “How do you know she’ll be back?” he asked. “I don’t,” Twilight admitted. “But I’m hoping she’ll see it as a challenge.” “Ok,” Spike said uncertainly. “But I mean, don’t be surprised if she doesn’t.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I mean, she likes delivering cakes. Maybe she doesn’t want to fight. And it’s not like she’s hurting anypony. Maybe just… leave her be?” “I’m finding out the truth, Spike. About the Birthday Pony and Nightmare Moon. Ugh, I have so much to study!” Twilight had adjusted her plan for tonight. She would do no patrolling. Instead, she would just watch quietly. She’d found a box about her height and placed it in a corner that would provide the perfect vantage point. A simple cut flap let her see out while keeping herself hidden from view, and a strategically-placed mirror let her see behind and above her. And this time, she would do it with no coffee. She didn’t want an ill-timed bathroom run messing with her results. She had expected it to be a long night, but as it turned out, she didn’t have to wait long at all. There was a soft clicking by the door, and Twilight waited with bated breath. And there she was, stepping into the moonlight. The mysterious Birthday Pony. The first thing Twilight noticed was that she was pink, with an even pinker mane, and it was curly and poofy. But she was no regular pony. Her ears were fluffy-tipped and larger than the average pony ear. And on her back, she bore two leathery wings. Twilight shoved her hoof into her mouth to suppress her squeal of excitement. Unbelievable! Incredible! She’d known the Birthday Pony was just a pony, but she could never have imagined this. She was like nothing she’d ever seen before! She looked like some kind of… bat pony! She sniffed. “Eee,” she murmured under her breath, as if musing to herself. She scanned the room and took a step forward. To Twilight’s surprise, she walked around the first trap, gingerly stepped over a tripwire, ducked under the laser, and spun around the rope loop on the ground, as if intrigued. Her hoof steps were light, inaudible as she almost casually danced around all of Twilight’s traps. How? She was very sneaky. But what did she want? Twilight wasn’t expecting her to stop and deliver a dramatic monologue breaking down her motives to thin air, but a little hint would have been nice. She poked the card and retracted her hoof quickly. Twilight’s brow furrowed. That was one trap she had tested multiple times. And then, casually, she flicked her tail. The tip hit the edge of the rope loop on the ground, brushing it to the side just enough that it set itself off, but as it did, it clipped one of the other tripwires, setting it off as well. She easily stepped out of the way of the swinging net, which knocked the trapped book off the shelf, and the shelf collapsed and dumped the other books off, but she was too far away for them to bury her as intended. Instead, once bounced close enough to the laser to set off that trap. Twilight’s jaw dropped as every last one of her traps harmlessly set itself off in a chain reaction like the strangest Roan Goldberg machine, leaving the pink intruder standing unharmed and untrapped in the middle of the room. “Eee,” she said, clearly proud of herself. And then she turned and looked towards Twilight. Her head tilted slightly. Blue eyes with slitted pupils scanned across the box. Twilight remained as still as possible. She didn’t even breathe. There was no way- And then she winked. Twilight’s eyes widened. She could see in the dark?! She smiled playfully, revealing her tiny fangs again. She casually pulled a cupcake out of her mane, traded it for the card, and then she flapped her wings and flew up into the shadows and out the window. Twilight slowly emerged from the top of the box and stared. “Well,” she said slowly. “This has been an enlightening night.”
Chapter 6Spike’s eyes flickered open. The first thing he heard was a strangely familiar scraping. After checking the window to make sure it wasn’t a stray branch, he crawled out of his basket and made it to the doorway before slowing to a stop. He looked over all the tripped traps, the empty nets, the books littering the ground, the cupcake wrapper on the table, and then at over Twilight, who had nearly filled a blackboard with scrawls and a drawing of a pony in the middle. “Ah, Spike,” Twilight said, turning towards him, her smile a bit too wide, her mane askew and pointing in all directions. “I had quite the productive night last night.” “You had… something,” Spike agreed uncomfortably. He had the sudden impression that he was about to be on the receiving end of a lecture. And he was right. She gestured at her board. “The Birthday Pony is real, but she’s not like any other pony I’ve seen. With her ears, wings, and fangs being so divergent from a typical pony’s, we are limited to two options. I had originally theorized her to be a mutant, but my current hypothesis is that she is actually a member of a hitherto undiscovered tribe, and I have decided to designate them for the time being as batticus poniecus.” “Can you designate some time for Princess Celestia’s ‘make friends’ assignment?” Spike jabbed. “Don’t be silly, Spike. And please don’t interrupt me while I’m in lecture mode.” As if on cue, her stomach growled. She scowled down at it, as if annoyed that it, too, would interrupt her while she was in lecture mode. Spike knew an out when he saw one. “I’ll get into breakfast mode, then,” Spike said, heading for the kitchen. “Fine, but I’m not done yet. I will not believe in anything I cannot explain!” “One of us needs more sleep, and I don’t think it’s me,” Spike grumbled under his breath. Spike opened the door to the library and was completely unsurprised to see Twilight surrounded by books. “Where have you been?” Twilight asked. “Checking on a couple of the other ponies on your list,” Spike said, holding it up. “That Fluttershy mare in charge of the music seems really nice.” He straightened up a bit as he finished, “And she appreciates my natural dragon beauty.” Spike was semi-serious, but this didn’t get any reaction from her besides a soft murmur of acknowledgement and lowering her head again. Spike sighed. “Come on, Twilight. I really think you should give it a try. Princess Celestia did say-” “I’ll have time later,” Twilight said. “The Summer Sun celebration is in a week and I still have no idea what to do about Nightmare Moon, but I do know that the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends.” “If you say so,” Spike said. Twilight’s ears flicked as she woke up. She let out a soft grunt. It didn’t feel like morning. Her eyes slowly opened. And her vision was suddenly filled with blue. Now very much awake, she yelped and fell out of bed, scrambling back to the wall. The Birthday Pony was there, smiling widely, ears pricked and featherless wings spread. “Hi,” Twilight said hesitantly, mostly because she wasn’t sure what else to say. She hoped that this wasn’t a bat pony threat in body language she didn’t understand. “What… what are you doing in my house?” “Ee,” she chirped as she bounced in place. Spike sat up. “I think she came to play,” he said. “Maybe she liked your traps after all.” Twilight looked at the darkened sky. “A bit late for that, isn’t it?” she asked dryly. She looked at the sky, too. Her brow furrowed. Something occurred to Twilight. “Right, you’re probably nocturnal, like the vast majority of Chiroptera,” Twilight realized. “It’s probably early morning for you.” She suppressed a yawn. “I mean, it’s not for me...” “Come on, Twilight,” Spike wheedled, clearly seeing a friendship opportunity here. She looked at her with those big blue pleading eyes. And it worked. Twilight sighed. “Fine,” she groaned as she pushed herself up. “What do you want to play?” She pointed to a poster of a tailless pony on the wall that definitely hadn’t been there when Twilight had gone to bed. “Pin the tail on the pony?” Twilight repeated dubiously. “A little foalish, don’t you think?” Her hopeful smile remained, but her ears dropped a little bit. “Wait. She probably hasn’t played it before,” Spike realized. “She’s been hiding for years. She probably only watches parties, but never gets to go.” Twilight didn’t think going to a party sounded terribly inviting, especially not an impromptu one in her bedroom, but she obligingly took the blindfold Pinkie held out. She lit her horn and tied it on, and let Pinkie spin her around. Any irritation that Twilight had felt at being awoken quickly evaporated. It wasn’t often that the subject of your research willingly appears in your room. And it wasn’t often that Twilight was placing a tail on a wall like a filly half her age, but she would leave this part out of her report, anyway. She took the chance to surreptitiously examine her when it was her turn to be blindfolded. She certainly looked like any other little pony, regular coat, fluffy mane, and flanks decorated with a cutie mark that looked like balloons with bat wings. The wings were different, tucked against her side, but they may have been larger than a typical pegasus’s? She resisted the urge to ask to measure them and spun her around so she could take her turn. Before long, the poster (or rather, the wall around it) had multiple tails, most of them far from where a tail would normally be. But the Birthday Pony didn’t seem to mind. The whole time, she was very enthusiastic, with wide, sweeping body language, but the only thing she said was ‘eee’, whether by choice or because she couldn’t form ponish words was still unknown. But Twilight knew better than to frighten away her singular specimen, so she played along. And in spite of the late hour, Twilight found that she didn’t hate it. Even when she accidentally pinned the tail on the wrong wall entirely. “Well, that explains your giggles,” she said flatly as she pulled the blindfold off. The Birthday Pony managed to get her next tail on the flank. “Eee!” she cheered, jumping and spinning once in place in celebration. Spike held out his claw for a bump. She didn’t recognize this at first, but she quickly figured it out, which made her even happier. “Ok, that was a little fun,” Twilight conceded. “Mm-hm,” Spike agreed. The bat pony giggled, then looked up at the moon. She winced. “Eee,” she murmured softly, taking a slight step back. Twilight looked up but didn’t see anything. Spike figured it out first. “Do you need to leave?” he guessed. She nodded regretfully. “Yeah, we should probably get to sleep,” Twilight agreed. She glanced at the clock and winced, too. It was late. She pushed open the window, paused to retrieve a pair of cupcakes from her mane, left them on the bedside table, and then disappeared into the night. “Tomorrow,” Twilight said shortly, cutting off Spike’s question. Spike didn’t push back, but that might have also been because he yawned. “Maybe friendship isn’t so bad,” Spike floated as he climbed back into his basket. Twilight threw a pillow in his general direction, but she couldn’t suppress a little smile.
Chapter 7Twilight flipped through the next book. She glanced over at the calendar and quickly looked back, hoping she would find something about Nightmare Moon or the Elements of Harmony before the Summer Sun Celebration in two days. And then she stopped. There was a drawing of Nightmare Moon, with bats around her. Twilight paused and reread it. There wasn’t much description. Just that it was said she was attended by bats. She’d flipped a few pages before something else occurred to her. Could that mean bat ponies? Everlasting night would fit right in with a nocturnal species. She needed to ask. She glanced outside, and her first Birthday Pony hypothesis came floating back into her mind. Normally, she wouldn’t think much about it. But she was running out of time, and desperate times called for desperate measures. Even if Celestia didn’t believe her, she knew she was right. Twilight knocked on the door of Sugarcube Corner. “I hope you’re right about this,” Spike mumbled, clearly concerned about offending the ponies who ran the only bakery in town. “Honestly, me too,” Twilight murmured back. The door eventually opened. “Oh, Twilight,” Mrs. Cake said, surprised. “It’s… rather late.” “I know. I was hoping you could tell me a little more about the Birthday Pony.” “There’s not much to tell,” Mrs. Cake said with a little chuckle. “If you’re new in town or it’s your birthday, she’ll leave you a cake.” “But why a cake?” Twilight asked. Mrs. Cake shrugged. “Ponies like cake,” she said simply. “But then again, I am a little biased,” she added, gesturing towards her cutie mark, the trio of cupcakes. “I’m sure there’s more to it,” Twilight pressed. “Maybe,” Mrs. Cake said evasively. “I’m sure we could discuss this more later. Or earlier, I suppose.” She made to shut the door. Twilight teleported past her and inside the bakery. “Mrs. Cake, please,” she said, hoping she sounded completely sure of herself. “You don’t need to be so evasive when we both know she’s here now.” Mrs. Cake laughed, and this time it sounded confident enough that Twilight felt a slight twitch of hesitation. “She certainly is not,” she said. Twilight inhaled, trying to think of some way she could salvage this, but the next thing she knew, she’d been tackled to the ground. And the pony they’d just been discussing was on top of her. “Eee!” she cheered, rubbing the top of her head against Twilight’s cheek. “Well, now she is,” Mrs. Cake amended. The Birthday Pony nearly dragged her over to the table and pushed a cupcake from somewhere into her hoof. Spike got one as well, which he gleefully bit into. “She must really like you,” Mrs. Cake said, a little amused. “She’s not usually one for letting anypony else know she exists. She must think you’re a good friend.” Twilight felt a slight pang of guilt, because she was mostly hoping for information tonight. Friendship hadn’t really occurred to her. “So, uh, how did you meet her?” she asked, hoping for a distraction. “We found Pinkie outside one night,” she explained. “We think she came through the Everfree Forest, because she was injured, exhausted, and starving. We nursed her back to health.” She smiled a pained smile. “Apparently, pink isn't a popular color for bat ponies.” Pinkie shook her head, a wry smile flitting across her face. “She limped down the stairs the first night. She shouldn't have been up…” here she gave Pinkie a motherly look, and she grinned innocently. Now her fangs were really visible, and they looked cute, somehow. “…but she smelled our baking and she got curious. She watched for those first two nights, and then she wanted to help. She seemed to have a nose for it.” Pinkie nodded happily. “She adapted quickly, and became a big help in the kitchen. She was very quiet. She didn’t seem to understand money, but she liked fruit. She helped test that new fruit tart. “And then one day, I slipped and sprained a hoof. There was no way I could make a cake on time, let alone do a delivery across town, so I had to turn down an order. “That didn’t sit too well with her. So she baked a cake herself, on her own, I might add, and delivered it. She didn’t want to be seen. How a bright pink pony made it across town while holding a cake I’ll never know.” Twilight glanced over. Pinkie put on an innocent smile and looked up. If there was an explanation, she wasn’t going to give it. “That’s where the rumors started. Cakes appearing, mysteriously. She thought it was fun and did it again, and again. They kept spreading over time, and we just never said anything.” “Doesn’t that get a little costly?” Twilight asked. Spike glared at her, feeling like she was missing the point here. “A little,” Mrs. Cake conceded, “but I noticed we're selling more sheet cakes and cupcakes since she’s started doing it. I think ponies like sharing something good.” “And this is good,” Spike said, licking the frosting off his claw. Pinkie beamed. “So,” Twilight said, looking for an escape. “Do you want to come over and play a game or something?” Pinkie nodded eagerly. She glanced over at Mrs. Cake, as if asking for permission. She shrugged easily and smiled. “Have fun,” she said. Pinkie gave Mrs. Cake an affectionate nuzzle as well, and with a cheerful “Eee!”, disappeared into the night. “So, what game do you want to play?” Spike asked. Twilight paused. “I didn’t think that far ahead,” she admitted. She paused. “And she’s right behind me, isn’t she?” Spike nodded. Sure enough, Pinkie stood there, smiling expectantly. Twilight smiled sheepishly. Thankfully, Spike had an idea. “How about Go fish?” he suggested, retrieving an old deck of cards from a library desk. Pinkie cocked her head. “Ee?” she asked. Spike tapped on the table three times. “Any threes?” Her ears pricked and she sat down excitedly. She could play! Twilight tried not to look too impatient as Spike dealt the cards. When it was her turn, she looked at Pinkie. “Actually, I was hoping I could ask you something else. What do you know about Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie flinched. She closed the distance between them almost instantly, placed her hoof on Twilight’s mouth, and shook her head slowly, looking uncharacteristically serious. Twilight hesitated. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it hadn’t been this. She didn’t know Pinkie very well, but this seemed unlike her. And then, as soon as it had happened, it was over. Pinkie was all smiles again. She looked at Spike and tapped five times hopefully, to which he scoffed and slid the card over. Twilight felt there was more to this, and faked a large yawn. “I think this is our last game,” she said, even though they had barely started their first game. “Gotta get enough sleep for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow.” Pinkie scrunched up her face like she’d just eaten a lemon. Apparently, she didn’t care much for the sun. Spike narrowed his eyes, knowing Twilight was just trying to get rid of her, but he didn’t say anything. The game soon finished, and as Twilight climbed into bed, she looked up at the sky. “’Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night’,” she repeated. “I hope it really is just an old pony tale.” Twilight burst into the library, her heart pounding in her chest. Nightmare Moon had returned, just like she knew she would! And she still had no idea how to stop her because she didn’t know what the Elements of Harmony were! She paused just long enough to make sure Spike was safe in bed before rushing back out. Desperately, she pulled books off the shelves, hoping to find something she’d missed. Then, the door burst open. “How did you know who she was?” Rainbow Dash demanded, getting up into Twilight’s face. “Are you a spy?” Applejack yanked her back. “Simmer down, Rainbow,” she said. “I don’t think she’s a spy.” She looked over at Twilight. “But I do think she knows what’s going on,” she said pointedly. “I read about her. Nightmare Moon. The legends said she would return after a thousand years, attended by bats, but I think that could mean bat ponies.” “What’s a bat pony?” Rainbow asked. Thump! Pinkie landed on the table next to the bust statue, her leathery wings spread. She was clearly apprehensive, her tail flicked nervously and her fluffy ears were almost vibrating, but she was here and clearly determined to be a part of this. For a moment, nopony moved. “That,” Twilight finally said. “That is a bat pony.” Fluttershy fainted.
Chapter 8Rainbow flew up into her face. “Are you a spy?” she demanded. “She’s not a spy either… I don’t think,” she added under her breath. “She’s the Birthday Pony.” There was a brief pause. “I knew you were real!” Rainbow said, grabbing her in a tight hug, one Pinkie gleefully returned, before Rainbow realized how uncool this might look and quickly pulled back with a sheepish smile. Pinkie glanced between them all and seemed to relax a little bit as they looked at her with less animosity and more curiosity. “Alright,” Applejack said gamely. “You know us, let’s get to know you. What’s your name?” “Eeeee,” she sang. Applejack’s brow furrowed. Her mouth opened and then closed, unsure how to even start to make a sound like that. “I’m…. not sure what that means, but she answers to ‘Pinkie’,” Twilight explained. Pinkie nodded. Fluttershy had recovered. Now awake and very curious, she neared and looked at her wings. “I’m no expert on bats,” she said, “but your wings look very long. You probably have a great wing loading ratio. I can also see that you have long and pointed wingtips. Your morphological design probably means you’re a fast flier, right?” There was a brief pause. Pinkie flapped her wings. “Ee,” she said blithely, clearly not understanding a word Fluttershy had just said. “We can study batticus poniecus later,” Twilight said, realizing as she said it how unlike her it was. “Right now, we have a bigger problem on our hooves. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!” There was a soft thump. Pinkie had knocked a book off the shelf, looking somewhat like an enormous pink cat, and she was smiling expectantly. “Pinkie,” Twilight grumbled as she lit her horn and slid it back on the shelf. Pinkie met her eyes, narrowed hers slightly, and deliberately knocked the book off again. “Eee,” she said. “Pinkie, stop doing that,” Twilight said, picking the book up. She paused as the cover caught her eye. “Wait. ‘The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide’,” she read, astounded. “How did you-?” “Eee,” Pinkie explained with a smile, tapping the spine. Twilight scowled, unsure how she hadn’t found this book in all her searching, but she quickly brushed it off. “There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now-” “The Everfree Forest?” The gathered ponies stared. The Everfree Forest seemed to stare back. Pinkie bounced forward, crossing the threshold. She smiled and gestured with her head that they should follow. “I don’t think so,” Twilight said, lighting her horn and pulling her back out. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own.” Applejack chortled. “No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain't letting any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone.” Twilight didn’t think they were quite to ‘friends’ yet, but she didn’t feel like fighting it, so with a sigh, she started walking. Rarity sighed. “No. My eyes need a rest from all this icky muck.” She paused as she realized that the whole forest had suddenly grown darker. “Well, I didn't mean that literally,” she amended. Twilight glanced around. It had gotten really dark really fast, and after the cliff and the manticore, she wasn’t looking for any new surprises. She lit her horn, but there was only so much her light could do. It almost seemed like this darkness was magical, somehow. Or maybe it was just the forest. As they kept walking, it felt like they were being watched. Even the trees seemed to be… No, that one looked real. Too real! The ponies screamed. Scary faces peered out from the forest, the bark becoming open mouths with sharp, pointed teeth; branches becoming spindly arms reaching out to grab little ponies and take them away, and that looked like… a pony doing a headstand? Twilight swung her horn around to illuminate it better and sure enough, it was Pinkie. “Pinkie?!” Pinkie giggled and dropped back to the ground. With an out-of-place and cheerful “Eee!”, she bounced around the group, bobbing her head. “What are you doing?” Twilight demanded. “Run!” But Pinkie had no intention of doing that. Instead, she pulled a silly face at the nearest tree, flipped over to stick her tongue out at another, and then pulled a cupcake from… somewhere, and kicked it, making it arc in the air before splattering another tree with frosting. Rainbow chuckled, and that cracked the ice. Soon, everypony was laughing at Pinkie’s antics. Twilight rolled her eyes, but she had to admit that she did seem to brighten the path a little bit, and the trees looked like regular trees once again, and the atmosphere seemed to lighten again. The Castle of the Two Sisters loomed in front of them. “We made it,” Twilight said as she climbed the steps. That journey had taken a long time. It seemed like every one of these ponies had had to solve a problem tonight. “But we’re not out of the woods yet,” Applejack said. “Uh, metaphorically speaking, I mean.” “Right. We still need to find the Elements, and we’re not even sure what they look like.” “I don’t know,” Rainbow said. “It’d be cool if we just walked in and they were just sitting there, you know?” Twilight pushed open the door. “Huh,” she said slowly, as they looked at the Elements sitting there. There was a brief pause. “It’d be cool if Spitfire invited me to join the Wonderbolts, right here, right now,” Rainbow said quickly, looking around as if hoping that would miraculously happen, too. Applejack bumped her with her elbow. The three ponies with wings flew up to retrieve them. “Careful,” Twilight warned. “Eee,” Pinkie said nervously, looking at the gathered orbs. Rainbow noticed what she’d seen. “There are only five. Where’s number six?” Twilight nodded. “The book said that when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.” She lit her horn. “I’m not sure what that means, but I’m going to try some magic.” “Just to clarify,” Rarity, the other unicorn of the group, interjected daintily. “You’re about to cast magic on an unknown artifact and you have no idea how it’s going to respond?” Twilight winced. “Oh. Right. Uh, stand back, everypony?” Applejack led the way out, giving Twilight room to work. Pinkie looked at Applejack. “Ee?” she asked hopefully, picking up her hooves and placing them down again in the same spots. “Are you asking if she’ll be ok?” Applejack guessed. Pinkie nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be-” A burst of magic rocked the night, and light flashed. “Twilight!”
Chapter 9Twilight stared in shock as the shards of the Elements fell around Nightmare Moon’s hooves. “N- no,” she breathed. “Where’s the sixth Element?” Nightmare Moon laughed and lit her horn. She launched a burst of magic at Twilight, who teleported out of the way, but she fired again, this time at the ceiling. Rocks fell, and Twilight found herself trapped. But as she lit her horn to return fire, the sound of voices made her look back. The other ponies approached, eager to help. As Applejack started to pull the rocks down, Pinkie flew in front of Twilight. Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened. “Oh, one of my noctrali.” Pinkie crouched. She was clearly quivering, but stood strong. “Good.” She gestured towards Twilight. “Take her down,” she ordered. Pinkie shook her head. “Eeee,” she said softly. “What was that?” Nightmare Moon asked, her voice dangerously quiet. “Eeee,” Pinkie repeated, a bit more firmly this time, placing her hoof down firmly. “You’d stand against me?” Nightmare Moon said, affronted. “How dare you! I gave you life! The noctrali belong to me!” “Eee!” Pinkie retorted, and she pulled a cupcake from her mane and threw it at her, sticking her tongue out. “Where are you getting all of those?” Twilight had to ask. But Nightmare Moon had another trick in store. She lit her horn and began to chant. Her voice seemed to carry a haunting aura. Pinkie suddenly bent over, shaking her head, as if trying to shake off the song. Her eyes flickered purple, and she turned around to face Twilight, ears pinned, teeth bared. “What are you doing to her?” Rarity demanded. “Nothing,” she said innocently. “She was born to serve me. The noctrali are my soldiers, my servants, my teeth in-” But she didn’t get much further than that, because a sizable rock bounced off her helmet, throwing off her concentration. Applejack pawed at the ground; it had been she that had bucked the rock. “Let her go!” Nightmare Moon gestured with her head, and Pinkie leaped away from Twilight and tackled Applejack. She snapped at Applejack, teeth flashing, and Applejack pushed up, keeping her face away. “Hey now,” Applejack protested. “It’s me! I’m your friend! Honest!” Honesty… Rainbow Dash swooped in, knocking Pinkie away. She crouched in front of Applejack, wings flared defensively. “Come on, Pinks,” she urged. “Fight it! I know you’re in there and I’m not giving up on you.” Loyalty… “That’s it,” Twilight realized, looking over at the ponies… at her friends. “Those weren’t the Elements! They’re not rocks, they’re you!” “Us?” Rarity asked. Twilight quickly recounted their experiences in the forest, lining out how they had embodied the Elements. “Touching,” Nightmare Moon said coldly. “But that’s still only five, and your little spark didn’t work.” “Is it?” Twilight challenged. “Because I felt it. I’m feeling it now.” She looked at her friends, even Pinkie. “I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. And that friendship is magic!” The Elements suddenly burst into colors. The shattered Element rocks swirled around the five ponies, washing the room with light and color, and breaking her hold on Pinkie instantly. A new orb formed, the missing Element of Magic, and swirled around Twilight. “No!” Nightmare Moon cried, but it was too late. The rainbow of light erupted upwards and then bent down, surrounding Nightmare Moon. There was a burst of color, and then everything went white. Applejack was the first to sit up. “Everypony alright?” she asked. Pinkie sat up, rubbing painfully at her eyes. That had been bright! “Rarity, it’s beautiful,” Fluttershy said. Rarity waved her newly-restored tail happily. “I know! I’ll never part with it again.” “No, your necklace. It matches your cutie mark.” She looked at Pinkie. “Yours does, too!” Pinkie looked down and her ears pricked as she realized what Fluttershy was talking about. “Eee,” she purred with no small pride, looking down at the blue gem on her chest and gently buffing it with a hoof. “Huh,” Applejack said, examining her own. “I guess you were right. I guess we really do represent the Elements of Harmony.” “You certainly do,” another voice broke in. And then the room brightened further as Princess Celestia appeared. The ponies bowed. “I knew you could do it,” she said warmly. “I thought you said it was an old pony’s tale,” Twilight said. “I said you needed to make friends,” Celestia said gently. “And Twilight, you succeeded, just like I knew you would. I knew you had the magic inside you, but without all of your friends, I knew it wouldn’t be enough.” Twilight looked around and noticed that Pinkie was gone. Twilight’s brow furrowed. “All six of you,” Celestia said, with a meaningful look at the wall. For a moment, nothing happened. And then Pinkie slowly poked her head out from her hiding space. Hesitantly, and still squinting at the bright light, she pointed a hoof at herself. Celestia nodded. “Especially you,” she said. “Even from the shadows, you’re a true friend.” She gingerly stepped out, with slow steps to start, then as she realized she was serious, she leaped, rejoining the group, smiling widely, and squinting in the light. Applejack let her borrow her hat to shield her eyes. The pony that had been Nightmare Moon slowly raised her head. She was now much smaller, and more blue. Pinkie approached, slowly, forelegs bent as if in preparation to flee if needed. “Eeee?” she asked. “Yes, she did,” Celestia said softly. “But I don’t think she’ll be casting that spell again anytime soon. Right, sister?” “Sister?!” Twilight and Rainbow repeated. Celestia neared. “Princess Luna,” she started. “It’s been a thousand years since I’ve seen you like this. We were meant to rule together. Will you accept my friendship?” There was a breathless moment. Luna leaped up and grabbed her into a hug. “I’m so sorry! I missed you so much!” Celestia quickly returned it. “I missed you, too,” she said. Pinkie approached, stepping carefully. “Eee, eeee?” she asked, her voice a low whisper. Luna broke the hug to look at her. “No,” she said firmly. “Pay no heed to the words of that madmare. Regardless of your origin, you are your own pony. You have your own destiny. And you are beautiful.” Pinkie smiled. “Are you… crying?” Rainbow asked. “Ee,” Pinkie denied shortly. Rainbow chuckled, and then they were all laughing, in relief, in happiness, as release, all of these things; but all together as friends.
EpilogueThough her contributions had been essential to their success, Pinkie had tried to stay out of the spotlight. So naturally, all of Ponyville knew that the Birthday Pony was real, and that she was no regular pony. To her pleasant surprise, she had been welcomed as she’d welcomed others, and the party rooms at Sugarcube Corner had been booked later in the night to give her a chance to join in the parties she’d only ever been able to watch from afar. But that wasn’t the only change in Ponyville. As it turned out, the bat ponies had had their own legends of Nightmare Moon as a fearsome tyrant who would once again return and control them to use them as her own personal army. As a pony instrumental in cleansing her, Pinkie had become a noctrali celebrity overday. Before long, a few other daring noctrali had emerged from their hiding places to see if they could be part of Ponyville, too, and their first stop was always Sugarcube Corner. So thus it was when Twilight stepped inside Sugarcube Corner a few weeks later, it was still bustling despite it being early evening. The tables were all full of ponies, their coats varying shades of gray and dark purple. Pinkie was behind the counter, wearing a uniform more befitting of her status as an official employee. With practiced motions, she switched the menus over to the noctrali side. Their diet was more fruit-based, and Applejack had been more than happy to help supply the apples. “Eee,” Twilight said, giving the greeting she’d been practicing. She knew her voice was a little lower than typical, but apparently the inflection was the most important part. Either way, Pinkie understood. “Eee!” she cheered, leaping over the countertop to give her a hug. “It’s good to see you, too,” Twilight said, patting her withers. When she separated, she found herself holding a tart. “Ee!” Pinkie chirped. “It’s one of the new ones?” Twilight guessed. Pinkie nodded, eager for her to try it. Gamely, Twilight levitated a fork over and took a bite. “Eee?” Pinkie prompted, her eyes wide and hopeful. “That’s delicious,” Twilight said earnestly. “The others will love these at our game night this weekend.” Pinkie chirped happily, bouncing in place. Twilight smiled as she took another bite. She had never imagined her life would turn out like this, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
