Family Ties.

Strange tides bring me out of the dark. Time passes and I float through it. My family . . . is still there, at the edge. I escaped them, but they still hunt. I could stop them, but at what cost. Nopony should have to make this choice, and for that reason I run.

It was a quiet day in Ponyville, Spring was in full bloom. Winter Wrap-up had been right on time, and all the snow was gone, and every nest had a family of birds. The only excitement was in Dr. hooves' office, the crusaders had attempted bungee jumping as their talent. As the Doctor finished patching up scootaloo's hoof, The door burst open and Mr. and Mrs. cake came running in carrying Pinky Pie, who was writhing around and chewing her tail.

"What happened to her?" the Doctor asked, trying to calm Pinky down.

"We don’t know," replied Mr. cake. "One moment we were in the kitchen and the next we heard Pinky, in the lobby, scream something about a Pinky promise, at first we ignored it because well . . . it's Pinky. but then somepony called for help and we came out and saw this!"

"I see, where is this other pony?"

"Oh gosh, she might still be at the shop," exclaimed Mrs. cake "I'll go find her."

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"Pinky, calm down Pinky. It's all right" said Dr. hooves as Mrs. cake came back in with a young, crimson  Pegasus, with a dark red mane and tail that had light pink streaks running through them.

"Poor dear was still sitting in the shop," said Mrs. cake "She was so confused"

"Ah, now my friend please tell us what exactly happened before Pinky started, this?" Asked Dr. Hooves.

"Well, um I was looking for directions so I stopped into Sugercube Corner and, uh, right went I walked in Pinky, that’s her name right, ran up to me, startled me actually, and began saying hello and talking about how she greets everypony here and she hadn't seen me yet, um is there another room we can go talk in?" Pinky had started yelling at herself, the ceiling, and even the cotton balls on the counter."No you broke a Pinky Promise!"

"…Of course lets go into my office" said the doctor. Once they were in and had shut the door the young Pegasus continued." Well, where was I? oh right, um, so Pinky was talking about greeting ponies and then she asked how long I had been here, and I told her I flew in five days ago and had just now gotten out to see the town. Well, then she just stared at me with a, well um, silly smile on her face and then she started talking so fast I couldn't understand her until she jumped up and yelled something about breaking her Pinky promise, and then well, that started and I called for help, that when you two came and ran her out, I was so confused."

"Well my dear, that at least explains her behavior," Explained the doctor. "Pinky is very concerned about greeting each and every pony that comes to Ponyville. If she missed you then she is undoubtedly annoyed at herself. But I have never seen her like this before."

"Well she might calm herself down eventually, we will just have to keep her from hurting herself" Mr. cake said as he looked in to the room where Pinky was. "She is very upset" The four looked in and saw Pinky repeatedly crossing one hoof over her heart, then tapping her eye, over and over, crying the whole time. She apparently had also knocked most of the bottles on tongue depressors, bandages, and cotton balls on the floor. Mr. and Mrs. cake loaded her into a wheelchair and took her home, while Dr. hooves and the young Pegasus picked up the mess. "So." said the doctor "I didn't get your name?"

"Oh sorry, my name is Skywander" replied the Pegasus

"Skywander, eh, I'm Dr. hooves pleasure to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too, wish it had been under better circumstances"

"Ha ha, yeah…" The doctor chuckled in agreement, he look over at Skywander and for the first time, he noticed the gold ridge along the outer edge of her wings and the strange gold shoe-like caps on her hoofs that clinked quietly as she walked. He was about to ask her about them when she said goodbye, but she left before he could. "Oh well," he thought. "not important."

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Mother, father, are you there? No, of course not, it's the whispers in the darkness, the dark shadows in the corner. They speak strange words to me. Tell me things that I do not understand. I should be scared, but with all the things I've seen, they are hollow , without source or purpose and they disappear once I start to pay attention. I am still lost. At least I am living up to my name, well my real one at least.

"Oh Skywander can you please come, we have no idea what else to do to help her." Mr. Cake begged.

"But seeing me might make her worse," Skywander answered "besides, even if I didn't make it worse, how could I make it better?"

"I don't know, but we have tried everything else. We even had Twilight try to make her forget the whole thing with her magic, but nothing seems to work."

"Okay, fine but I still don't think it will work."

"Just go in and talk to her," Mr. cake said "It can't hurt to try" Sky shyly pushed open the door to Pinkies room, and as she walked in she could almost see the anger and frustration emanating from the pink ball in the corner. The room was covered wall to wall to ceiling to floor, with strings and maps and pictures. All of them connecting together on one picture of, Her. Skywander gasped when she saw the photo of herself on the wall above Pinkies head, with hundreds of read strings all pointing right at it. She had no idea how Pinky had gotten her hoofs on it. Suddenly Pinky wiped her head around and stared right at Sky, and then rushed over so she was nose to nose with the Pegasus.

"Howdidyougetpastmeforsolong?!?!?! Don'tyouknowthatIhavetogreateveryponythedaytheycomeintoPonyville!?!?!" Pinky exclaimed at the Pegasus, hardly taking the time to breath.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I technically only enter the town of Ponyville the day you saw me, I had been wandering around the sky for the past five days before I landed" Sky interjected hopefully. Her statement was regarded by a long stare from Pinky, and then you could almost hear a light bulb go off above her head.

"Well in that case my promise to myself is intact! Nopony brakes a Pinky Promise" Pinky declared. "since you only set hoof in Ponyville the night I saw you and I greeted you then… WAIT!!! We haven't had your welcome PARTY!" Pinky shouted before dashing out of the room in a pink blur.

"My what?"

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Just shy of two hours later, around 11:30 pm, Pinky came dashing back to Sugercube corner. Spying her target sitting in the corner of the shop playing talking with Mrs. Cake and playing with the little filly Pound. Pinky bolted over, picked up Skywander, and ricocheting off the wall, shot back off down the road carrying the stunned Pegasus off toward sweet apple acres.

Once Skywander's head stopped spinning she noticed that she was sitting outside a barn, and Pinky was hopping in an excited circle around her.

"Yippie you're awake! I think you fainted, but I had to get you here for your' welcome party! Because of the short notice I was only able to get my closest friends to come, I would have invited everypony in Ponyville, maybe even Canterlot( They never show up, but maybe if I keep inviting them they will!), but there was no time! Anyway let's go in!" With that Pinky opened the barn door. Sky looked in and saw five ponies standing around a small table playing cards, and a hay bale with a punch bowl and glasses sitting behind them. "Everypony this is Skywander she's new in town. Sky this is Twilight, Rarity, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, Flutter shy, and the little ball of scales sleeping in the corner is Spike." Sky looked over to the indicated corner and saw what appeared to be a short, pudgy lizard snoring away.

"Um… thanks, but this isn't necessary. Especially at this late hour." Sky apologized.

"No problem, beside after I heard how you…uh… "fixed"… Pinky I wanted to meet you! Also I would just be studying still if not for this party" Said the purple unicorn Pinky had indicated was Twilight.

"Shucks if'n it warn't for this shindig I wouldn't have done anythin' fun in weeks!" Said the earth pony pointed out as Applejack.

"Plus Pinky's parties are something you do not want to miss!" Said the light blue Pegasus, Rainbow something, sky didn't quite catch the last part(Pinky did talk fast).

"Oh, I know you!" Fluttershy suddenly gasped, causing everypony to look right at her. "Well…um…I mean… I saw you, well almost flew into you. Two days ago, above the fields right outside ponyville. I was helping the young butterflies that where too scared to fly over the river. I nearly crashed right into you, I though you where just in a rush so you did not have time to stop. I almost forgot about it…"

"Oh, I'm sorry I get lost in thought sometimes, I just tune out the whole world without realizing it. Mostly I only snap out of it when I realize I haven't eaten for a few days, it lasts that long…" Sky explained.

"We all know what it's like to see that happen, Right Twilight?" Rainbow joked. Everypony laughed at that, except Sky. She just smiled a nervous little smile that faded quickly back to her normal sad/concerned look.

"Well my dear, do come and sit down. You look positively EXHaaausted." Rarity proclaimed.

As the night drew on, the seven ponies sat around and talked, laughed, played games, and basically just enjoyed the company of friends. All of them oblivious to the four dark figures that where slowly circling around the barn, two Pegasus, one unicorn, and one earth pony. The unicorn's horn dimly lit up, signaling the others and the moved into positions around the barn. A nearly invisible, black flow of energy shot out of the unicorn's horn and connected to pendants on the other three ponies armor. Once the connection was complete, the unicorn nodded signaling  the others again. They dipped their heads, concentrating deeply. There was a low hum, and the unicorns eyes glowed a pale green. The hum stopped, and the unicorn sent a telepathic message to the others: "She is in there, brain patterns confirm it. There are six other mares in there; two unicorns, two pegasus, two earth ponies…. wait… there are two reptilian brain patterns, one is more advanced… shouldn’t be a problem. Let's move in!"

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"Y'all hear that hummin'?" Applejack asked lifting her ear. Everypony listened, but the humming had stopped. "Huh, maybe this here ciders gettin' to me." Suddenly Skywander gasped but before she could say anything, a strong force pulled everything towards the center of the barn for a split-second then forcefully exploded out, shattering the barn and flinging the ponies out in all directions. Sky was stunned by the loud boom, she could barely hear it echoing through Ponyville, that last thing she remembered seeing was a small crocodile with no teeth fly by. "I must be hallucinating" Sky though just before she passed out