"Learn." I nodded to myself. How had I forgotten that? More modern than the other drives, but quite central to how humans worked, and how they had done all they had done.

I wiped my hooves off on each other. "Alright, I think I have quite a collection of chapters." I whistled a soft victory ballad. "That's something, I think."

Twinkle clopped her hooves with a smile. "Great. That's a nice one." She inclined her head. "I don't think I can say that's a pony-wide drive, just an individual one. I like learning quite a bit." She put a small hoof on her chest. "As I'm enjoying doing right now. Now, enough for today."

She hopped to the ground. "You've had a hard day's work. Let's get a snack, maybe do something fun afterwards?"

I chuckled as Twinkle pivoted swiftly from the studious prodding back towards youthful priorities like snacks and playtime once more. Still, apples sounded good before dinner. Was that a pony urge?

Scooping her up, we made our way to the kitchen where fresh harvest bounties awaited thanks to Spike's gathering. "Thanks, Spike."

Spike looked up. "Hm?" He spotted the apples was busy picking up. "Oh. I just stopped by the market. Big Mac was selling them today and we were running low."

"So, thanks." I offered an apple over for Twinkle before taking my own juicy bite as late sunlight slanted through the window glass. I felt... good. Yes, good. The usual pressures were gone for the moment.

Twinkle nestled against me after her last nibble. "Shall we tell the others about your strange magic next?" she murmured around fruit bits. "I bet Pinkie has insights on Fun..."

I chuckled at that. "Are we asking Pinkie for insights, or talking about my magic? I don't think both are--"

"--Tell me what?" Pinkie leaned in from behind me.

I yelped in surprise, dropping Twinkle to the ground in my shock.

Twinkle gathered herself up, glaring at Pinkie. "I was comfortable. Hello, Pinkie."

Pinkie winced as Twinkle righted herself, clearly abashed realizing her sudden appearance had Twinkle to the ground.

"Whoopsie my bad, didn't mean to spook you right out of your cozy cuddle nook!" Pinkie hastened to assure. In a blink she whip-snatched a fluffy pillow from elsewhere in the room wordlessly offering it as replacement cushioning.

I regained my own balance, one hoof still pressed dramatically to my chest as adrenaline eased. But Twinkle simply rolled her eyes accepting the peace pillow-offering before directing a wry smirk Pinkie's way.

"Startle reflexes aside, those are just hazards of your unique talent keeping everypony on their hooves after all!" She flapped up to reclaim her a roost across my back. "To what do we owe the pleasant popping-in then?"

Pinkie beamed back clearly relieved by the swift absolution. "Well I was just bakin' up some yummy welcome wonderfulness for our newfound pal here when my tail started going all a-twitcha-twitch!" Her curly hair vibrated in emphasis. "And a twitchy tail means stuff's astir, so here I am! Hi!"

She loomed in eagerly. "Soooo what friendship fun times are brewing in this neck of the woods anyhow?" Noticing my lingering wide-eyed stare, she winked playfully. "C'mon, out with it!"

I had to laugh at her flawless bouncing between impromptu party planner, fate-sensor and chipper questioner all within seconds. Truly, Pinkie danced to the beat of her own drum - or twitching tail rather - heedless hindering limited mortal realities. Perhaps that made her the perfect pony to broach deeper dimensional truths with!

"Well to catch you up real quick..." I began slowly. "It seems awakening my own magic accidentally tapping old childhood imagination games. Twinkle thinks certain...concepts...could unlock more advanced spells intuitively." I cleared my throat self-consciously with a half-grin her way. "She suggested Fun and Games are your wheelhouse for inspiration if you follow me...?"

Pinkie's gasped loudly, cotton candy mane somehow extra poofing in her sheer delight! "You're accessing foalhood creativity fields anchored to higher harmonies? And looking for my fun Thoughts to catalyze bigger breakthroughs?" She seized my head smooshing overexcited nuzzles into both cheeks at once! "David you brilliant blank flank, count me SO in!!"

On one hoof, I was being grabbed. All my danger sensors were blaring. Being touched was dangerous. On the other hoof, it was Pinkie.

She was grabbing my face with a big smile and she radiated happiness. I wanted to be held like that... forever. Was that an option?

I realized I was just being quiet. "Sorry! Oh, Pinkie. Do you know magic? Did you try to push past earth pony?"

Pinkie blinked at that. "Push past earth pony?" She gigglesnorted at the idea. "As if earth pony was a simple thing you just worked right on past." She swooshed with an arm. "Not hardly. I know tons of earth pony magic. It runs in the family." She hiked a brow at me. "And you too, from what I'm hearing. Are you sure you're not a long-lost Pie?"

Still partially flattened under her casual smoosh, I shot Twinkle a helpless but amused glance. Twinkle simply smirked back from my shoulder, clearly quite content witnessing Pinkie's peerless persona in action herself.

"Well you've got me - I can't actually prove or disprove any latent Pie lineage..." I admitted finally with a snort and self-conscious hoof scritch. "Though I expect most family trees don't cross across whole realities."

I perked up at her confident earth pony assertions however. "But if you're familiar with the fundamentals yourself, maybe you can help me stop fumbling my way through ad hoc spell slinging blind?" I leaned in eagerly. "What does it feel like tapping the bedrock magics most ponies seem to take for granted?"

Pinkie preened proudly. "Why it feels like playtime and happy jigs with an extra oomph of glowy zig-zag zings inside always itching up for more fun!" She clasped her hooves dreamily clearly reminiscing brighter innocent days. "Mama Pie called it satisfying an itch by itching ever more till suddenly POOF - pie to the skies!"

She loomed closer right up to my muzzle, narrowed eyes belying her fixed grin's mania. "Course too much scratch n' sniff without respectin limits lands you straight in the muddy goop...or upside-down over the barn!" She burst into cackles likely recalling such slapstick escapades before sobering slightly. "But watch'n'learn the safe bubbly way sure is a blast!"

I stared back wide-eyed as Pinkie rattled off her rather unorthodox takes on earth magic's essences in explosions of enthusiasm and folksy kitchen wisdom both. I struggled to dig through it. "That... sounds like you do you." I was still held, but I wasn't resisting.

Pinkie squealed with laughter. "Wow, most ponies struggle a lot harder to get that." She leaned in, smooching me on the nose. "Yep. If you can do that, the magic should come. Oh! Oh! You can do some right? I wanna see! I wanna see an alien doing earth magic. C'mon!"

My cheeks flushed faintly at the playful smooch even as elation swelled inside at her eager request. "I'd be happy to demonstrate if you're sure you want a face full of flying pebbles..." I chuckled. "Gotta warn you though - I've barely got the one trick so far. Not exactly fireworks and lightshows here." I scuffed a self-conscious hoof glancing her way. "Still wanna spectate my fumbling baby steps getting schooled by a real earth pony dynamo?"

Pinkie just waved a dismissive hoof. "Pffbt, pebble schmebbles! You're accessing whole new planes of potential - that's WAY more exciting than any old lightshow." She straightened with an authority belied by her frizzy bedhead. "Now c'mon Professor Pie is waiting! I gotta see what alien magic looks like up close and personal."

She leaned in with a manic giggle. "What if your spells come out rainbow colors or make cats appear or fill the room with cotton candy clouds?!" Clearly fantasizing every more improbable outcome, Pinkie vibrated and grinned wider with each thought. "Only one way to find out - on with the show already!"

I doubted any of her options, since I already knew throw rock, well, threw rocks. I finally seperated from her hold, turning fror the door. "We'll be back."

"See you later." Spike waved gently. "You know, most people don't say bye like that."

They didn't? "I say hi, I say bye... Um, sorry?"

"Nah." Spike shrugged. "Get going before Pinkie explodes."

Twinkle tapped at my shoulder. "Go on. I'd like to see you accessing your magic too."

"Going, going." I trotted out after Pinkie, leaving the library. There was plenty of space there, so I looked for a good target. But what wanted to have a rock slapping against it?

"Right here!" Pinkie reared up, a catcher's mit at the end of her arm, covering her hoof. "Throw it!"

Well... That worked? I pointed at the mitt. "Please be good at catching. I'm not promising to be a good thrower." I focused on the image of the spell as the magic whelled up from my hooves upwards. A rock that hadn't been there a moment before surged from over my shoulder at Pinkie.

I winced instinctively as the conjured stone hurtled with greater velocity than intended right towards Pinkie's eagerly outstretched mitt. But in a blur of bubblegum pink, the party pony easily snagged the projectile out of the air with a resounding smack of leather on mineral!

"Nice heat, Uncle D!" she cheered, not even seeming to notice the force behind the wild throw. Tossing the rock casually skyward again with nonchalant confidence, it *poofed* out of existence seconds later at the arc's peak. "Solid spell slingin for just gettin' those basics down - OOH, watch the glittery trail when it goes!"

She pointed wildly in the air, where indeed the faintest shimmer of dissipating magic could be seen wafting in the fading projectile's wake. My eyes widened mildly, taking in the sight of the faintly glimmering remains of the spell in little swirls!

"Ha, take THAT, you stuffy unicorns!" crowed Pinkie gleefully. "Normally, only horns get glowy signature traces, but lookit what we earth ponies can cook up too with some creativity juice flowin!" She danced eagerly around me. "Again again! What else'ya got stashed in that crazy brain book of secret spells, huh?"

I smiled a little at her mocking bravado towards the mystical aristocracy, finding her flippant flaunting of social propriety as amusing as it was infectious. "I only have one spell, right now."

"So far," sang out Twinkle. "But the flow of that spell was nice. I feel you've got it down fairly well. It's time to flip to a new page, I think."

"Ooo." Pinkie pronked closer. "You, where? Where's this book? I wanna see!"

I pointed at my own head. "Hard to look at it. It's in there."

That's when Pinkie shoved her head right in one of my fuzzy ears for a peek.

I could feel her moving around, peeking around as if my head were much larger, but I could also feel her brushing around, tickling fiercely. Violating was barely the start of it, but it was... Pinkie... as I had mentioned. It was Pinkie being 100% Pinkie. I didn't want to be mad at her, so I just stood there and hoped it would end shortly. I'd suffered greater things.

Pinkie popped her head back with a big gasp as if she had been holding her breath. "Wow... Interesting." She tapped at her chin. "It's... like you got ouchies in there."

I raised a brow at Pinkie. "Who needed an MRI with Pinkie on the case."

"What's that?"

Twinkle echoed the sentiment. "A human invention? I feel like you've mentioned it before..."

"A machine to look inside someone, without doing what you just did." I rubbed just in front of my ear. It was like I changed elevations too quickly. "I had Multiple Sclerosis as a human. That caused literal brain damage. Not too surprising there are still hints of it, even if I don't have it as a pony."

"Bummer." Pinkie pouted, just to smile. "Glad you're fixed now!"

Twinkle leaned against me. "I suppose it's better that it isn't repaired, or you'd have arrived in Equestria changed. Which you still did, technically..."

How far that went, I couldn't know. Every day, a person died.

Author's Note

Pinkie is a good pony. Could you resist her urgent joy?

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