After what seemed like an eternity, the three ponies finally made it to the bottom of the slide.
Sparknite's shocked screaming is cut off, as he lands face first into a pile of multicolored pillows, with Pitch Blaze landing beside him with a light flutter of his wings. Even though his unicorn friend seemed less than pleased by the surprise trip, Pitch had thoroughly enjoyed it despite the initial startle.

"Ugh...Gina warn us next time you do something like that!" Sparknite groaned, getting up from the pillows he fell on.

"Come now Sparknite, that was pretty fun! Besides, we had a soft landing!" Pitch pointed out as he stood up, helping Sparknite up onto his hooves.

"Y-Yeah...I noticed that too." Sparknite nodded slowly, turning to the fluffy maned mare, who had offered a place to them.
Sparknite hated surprises, however, he was willing to make an exception once in a while. Besides, this strange mare didn't need to help them, yet she did! Despite her...unusual methods, she was doing him and Pitch Blaze a service. With this in mind, Sparknite sighs, swallowing his pride.

"Sorry...I was just a bit shocked. I really am grateful that you brought us here! And had us a soft landing for that slide no less." Sparknite apologized, attempting to help Gina up, just as Pitch had done for him.

The pink earth pony giggles sweetly, taking the unicorn's hoof with a grateful nod.

"You're welcome! But that was just the entryway. This…" Gina began, trotting over to another door in the small room, and opening it.

"...is where you're staying for the night!" Gina announced, as she ushered the two ponies into a massive room.

It was designed like a big main room of a church, but without the chairs and had many ponies and other creatures hanging out and getting comfortable in sleeping bags, air mattresses, and even hammocks. There was even music playing in the background that ponies could dance or simply relax to. It was like a giant slumber party!

"Wow Gina! Did you set all of this up?" Sparknite asked in awe, eyeing everything in wonder.

"It is simply amazing! This can't be free, it's too much!" Pitch added in shock, feeling a bit bad for not needing to pay even a bit for any of this.

"I wasn't the only one. Me and my cousin Aquaria set all of this up! And the only payment I need, is your guys' happiness. So I really don't mind." Gina explained with a warm grin.

"Thank you...this means so much!" Sparknite responded happily., still in awe of their temporary sleeping quarters.

"Yes, this is beyond generous! And you don't even know us." Pitch Blaze piped up in agreement.

"Well, that's changing now. How about you two gentlecolts introduce yourselves to me?" Gina Bowvie requested joyfully.

"Oh yeah! Excuse my manners; my name is Sparknite." Sparknite held his hoof out for Gina to shake politely.

"And I am Pitch, good to meet you." Pitch Blaze dipped his head respectfully.

“Nice to meet you both. By the way, your names are awesome! Especially yours Pitch, it reminds me of a certain super model." Gina winked, making the two friends chuckle nervously.

"Alright. Next order of business: where would you two like to have your sleeping quarters? I have some hammocks available and sleeping bags, unfortunately I am out of air mattresses at the moment so you'll have to pick between the other two." Gina offered expectedly as she took out a clipboard.

"I think we could do with hammocks, what do you think Pitch?" Sparknite turned to his friend as he said this.

"That sounds perfect!" Pitch voiced in affirmation.

In response to this, the pink earth pony happily scribbles down their requests with playful hum, before turning around. But, not before giving them a parting wave.

"Great! Just wait here for a minute while I get your hammocks ready." Gina advised before heading to a different area of the room.

“Pitch isn't this awesome?! And to think, Gina did all of this for free." Sparknite grinned enthusiastically.

"Indeed. She is very sweet, we will definitely find a way to pay her back though! Regardless of what she thinks, she deserves to be rewarded. Just look at all of this." Pitch gestured to the expanse before them in emphasis.

"Um...excuse me..?" A soft voice sounded from beside the two ponies, prompting them to turn their heads towards the source. It was a shy looking, blue, female pegasus, with a wavy grey mane and tail, and turquoise colored eyes.

"C-Can I get you anything to drink or snack on while you wait for your hammocks?" The pegasus asked sweetly.

"Oh, we ate before we came here, so I'm good." Sparknite said with a smile.

"I think I'm alright as well. But thank you for the thought, by any chance...is your name Aquaria?" Pitch asked curiously.

The blue pegasus blushed, before nodding shyly.

"...Gina must have told you, right?" Aquaria questioned with a small smile.

"Yeah, she did. Your cousin is a real nice pony to be doing this for so many people!" Sparknite commented.

"You are as well, I hear?" Pitch said with a knowing grin.

"Oh, m-me? I'm just helping, i-it's no big deal. Gina is the one that does most of the work around here. A-Anyways, I'll be over that way if-if you need anything. Bye." Aquaria quickly blurted in embarrassment, before rushing to another group of ponies.

"...She was sweet." Pitch chuckled, feeling sympathy for the timid pegasus.

"And self conscious. Poor thing, I know she does just as much as Gina, she's just too shy to admit it." Sparknite sighed, feeling just as bad.

A few more minutes had passed before Gina Bowvie returned to where Sparknite and Pitch were, to escort them to where their hammocks were.

"Here you are! Two hammocks for two kind young patrons! You guys need anything else before I go?" Gina asked the two friends.

"No, we're fine. But I do have a question Gina...it's something I've been wondering ever since we came here." Sparknite started.

"What is it?" Gina asked curiously, once again ready to help her new customers.

"Why is this place hidden underground?" Sparknite brought up in slight puzzlement.

Sparknite initially wanted to stay silent about this, but his curiosity was gnawing at the back of his head, like a hungry timberwolf. Not to mention, he hated seeing his best friend worried about anything. The unicorn hoped to quell those worries here and now.

This seemed to work, as his pegasus friend relaxed visibly with relief, at this topic finally being brought up.

"Yes, and why did you not want us to inform the Princess of this place? I mean, we're still keeping it a secret as promised. But I can't help but feel concerned by this." Pitch Blaze added, his eyebrows furrowing as he inspects Gina's next reaction.

Gina's reaction in question...is unexpected. Up until now, she had kept a vibrant smile and positive attitude around the two stallions. However, as soon as these questions came up, her ears immediately drooped and her face darkened, the corners of her lips losing their jovial upturn.

"...I knew it. You guys don't even live in Equestria, do you?" Gina Bowvie asks them both, almost hesitant to answer them.
Despite her reservations, she knew she couldn't keep them in the dark forever. So, after seeing their affirmative nods, she sighs deeply, and begins to explain.

"Ok, the reason this place is hidden...is because Princess Twilight doesn't want ponies or any other creatures for that matter to make friends or be with anyone they care about, including families. She passed this law many years ago, shortly after her friends passed on." Gina Bowvie informed miserably, looking as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

Sparknite's blood runs cold at this revelation...no, not Princess Twilight. His role model. His friendship idol? The one he aspired to be, and read books upon books about, since he was a young colt? Doing something this anti-friendship-like?! It couldn't be, this had to be a cruel prank.

"G-Gina…you can't be serious! Princess Twilight wouldn't…" Sparknite stuttered with a heartbroken tone.

"Yes Sparknite! Yes she would! And she did. You know how I know this? I live in Equestria, while you live outside of it and are actually free to be with the ones you love! I don't have that freedom, none of us do. So don't try to defend certain things or ponies you aren't personally familiar with!" Gina inhaled deeply before continuing in a much gentler tone.

"Sorry. I just...I've just been through a lot and it's taking a tole on my patience. You were probably raised to think that Princess Twilight was an amazing ruler, who adored friendship, so I won't hold it against you. But Sparknite, that's just not the way it is anymore. Now, if we're done here…" Gina is about to say more, but her speech is merely background sound, as the blue unicorn in front of her begins seeing red.

"Not personally familiar with"?! Oh no...no, Sparknite just about had enough of this mare. She didn't know anything about him. She didn't know the countless nights he spent researching and recounting stories of Princess Twilight and her friends' adventures! Yes, she was his idol, but she was also so much more to him than that. In a way, he felt as though she was a long distance friend, despite never meeting her. The alicorn's inspirational stories had always lifted Sparknite up when he was down. Heck, she had served as the remedy for the hole in his heart, even before he met Pitch. Before meeting the white pegasus, he had no one to turn to. At the time, even his own mother was going through her own issues. No one except Twilight. Or rather, her stories printed on all those precious pages.

"Yeah. You can go now." Sparknite roughly interrupted, making the mare give a shocked, yet saddened look towards the blue unicorn, before leaving.

"Sparknite, you didn't have to be so rude…" Pitch cleared his throat sternly.

"She had to be shut up Pitch! I mean can you believe her?! Making up this lie about the Princess, like she was some horrible ruler. Do you think I'm supposed to just listen to her story and accept it?! After all my years of studying and reading up about how amazing she is? Princess Twilight does too care about friendship! Gina was probably just being a jealous jerk." Sparknite ranted angrily, pacing the floor in frustration.

"But that's the thing...I don't think she was lying." Pitch Blaze began nervously, bracing himself for the impending backlash.

"What?!" Sparknite snapped his head towards Pitch in shock.

"Hear me out Sparky, she is from Equestria, and it is safe to verify that she knows much more about the Princess since she does live under her rules. And didn't you hear how upset she sounded when she talked about not being allowed to be with her loved ones?" Pitch Blaze pointed out firmly.

Sparknite couldn't believe Pitch's audacity...to believe a stranger's words right away? Just like that?!

"It's easy to say something like that Pitch, it's a whole other thing for it to actually be true! And that 'upset' tone was just jealousy! Nothing more, nothing less." Sparknite argued irritably.

"How could you be so insensitive?! Sparknite, I understand that you've always admired Princess Twilight. But you need to accept the fact that ponies can change overtime, even the Princess! In fact, maybe we should just go back home in the morning." Pitch Blaze shouted in frustration.

"..Wh-?! Pitch why?! I was so excited for this trip and on top of it, you offered this opportunity to me as a surprise! Don't tell me you're cancelling this just because somepony said her ruler, the one I look up to mind you, had gone crazy because her friends died!" Sparknite glared at Pitch with utter despair.

"Sparknite, you ignorant foal! That's not the only reason why I want to leave! I don't want to lose you!" Pitch cried, stomping one of his hooves stubbornly.

The two friends were silent for about a minute, before Sparknite finally said something.

"Pitch…how would you lose me?" Sparknite asked softly.
Despite how stupid he felt his friend was being at the moment, he couldn't ignore his distress.

"If-If what Gina says is true, the invitation I received is most likely a trap that Princess Twilight set up in order to...separate us somehow. Sparky, if anything happened to you because of this stupid trip I planned, I would never forgive myself." Pitch Blaze whimpered fearfully, as his blue eyes gloss over slightly.

Sparknite is silent for a moment. His rational side wanted to admit that Pitch had a point...yet his stubborn side one out, as he grits his teeth.

"This isn't a "stupid" trip, Pitch. Just get over yourself!"
At Pitch's wince, Sparknite sighs, realizing he went too far. The unicorn then tries softening his tone, despite the anger still boiling inside of him.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, we'll be extra careful when we visit the Princess, ok? And if she tries anything, I can just teleport us out of there with my magic and we can head home. Just please give this a chance, I still really want to meet the Princess!" Sparknite pleaded with his friend.

This attempt at changing tone, didn't work however, as it only served to make Pitch stiffen even more. Sparknite never seemed to see reason, clinging too much to his own emotions and refusing to see the bigger picture.
"Ever since we were foals...he never seems to learn." Pitch mentally laments to himself.

"Fine." Pitch grunted, before heading over to his hammock to turn in for the night.

"Thank you Pitch! I knew you would understand." Sparknite grinned in satisfaction before heading to his own hammock.

"Sparknite. Can I ask you something?" Pitch suddenly said, his voice slightly shaky due to the growing lump in his throat.

"Sure. What's up?" Sparknite asked, oblivious to the hurt in his friend's voice.

"Do you even care about what happens tomorrow between us?" Pitch questioned, his voice cracking slightly.

"No. Because nothing's going to happen Pitch. Now go to sleep." Sparknite groaned in annoyance, before turning away from his friend.

"Oh. I-I see…" Pitch whispered tearfully, turning away from Sparknite in return as he quietly cried himself to sleep.

Author's Note

Oh Sparknite, you've done it now...