“Hey Twilight, ya’ll goin to Pinkie Pie’s?” Twilight smiles as Applejack approaches.

“Yes I am, I’m trying to get there early since I have nothing else to do today. Did she give you the singing telegram song too?” She nods, “Thought so, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how eccentric Pinkie is, especially when it comes to parties.”

“Just gotta take it in stride. Gummy turns one only once ya know.” The two now walk side by side through the bustling streets. Ponies of all size and color seem to be moving at a brusque pace. Though, with the large amount of armored ponies now patrolling the roads, who could blame them?

Guards now stand watch at every other crossroad, while others trot about the perimeter. What was once a dozen or so guards have now become sixty. It didn’t help that they appeared almost out of thin air. This has caused the ponies in town to be on edge, Celestia wouldn’t order this many to such a small town if there wasn’t something dangerous around.

Any questions asked get the populace no answers other than to report to them if they see anything strange. What used to be a happy go lucky town of friendly ponies, now has an air of uncertainty and suspicion hanging like a thick fog. The sun doesn’t seem to shine as brilliantly in the sky as before.

The stress is so pungent that even the regular estrus cycles of the mares seem to have been made erratic at best. While some still try to court stallions, the majority seem to be too scared to do anything other than get to where they need to be. The smell of a light musk is in the air; it’s gone unnoticed by the rather distracted populace.

Colts and fillies now stick close to their mother’s side, while fathers keep on the lookout. The incredible change in attitude, though sudden, has not gotten by the attentive nature of the two mares. Both desperately want to say something, but due to royal orders, they’re forced to remain silent.

“This ain’t right Twilight, look at em.” Applejack whispers, “They’re trotting about all spooked. We gotta tell them somethin. It ain’t even been a day and they already look plum ready to start havin heart attacks. Besides, this whole mess is throwin everypony off. Ain’t no one gonna be getting a good ruttin with this goin on.”

Twilight’s cheeks turn a bright shade of pink upon mentioning what she thinks to be a vulgar act. This doesn’t go ignored by her friend. Her snickering and smarmy grin only cause Twilight’s blush to deepen in color. She furrows her brow and shouts.

“Applejack, that’s inappropriate! Chapter six of “Socializing Equines” specifically states in paragraph seven that estrus is meant to be private!” The farm mare’s response is to point a hoof towards a couple nuzzling one another for a few moments before a pair of guards tell them to move along.

“Oh come on Twilight, its natural. No one cares except the guards. It’s not like they’re doin the deed in the middle of the street.” She nudges her friend and a sly smirk spreads across her lips, “I bet you gotta colt friend waiting on ya’ll back at the library don’t ya?” This time Twilight’s embarrassment seems to spread across her entire face.

Applejack chuckles at her display before wrapping a hoof around her neck. Unfortunately, this action isn’t met with anything friendly from the unicorn. Instead Twilight grumbles while moving out of Applejack’s reach. The Stetson hat wearing mare shakes her head.

“Don’t be like that Twi, I’m just messin. Don’t get your mane in a bunch ya hear?” Twilight cuts her off so she can’t say anything else about it.

“Anyway,” she starts, trying to get back on the matter at hand, “The Princess said that if we told every pony what was going on, they’d panic. We can’t let that happen.” Applejack huffs, disappointed that her friend is so insistent on changing the subject. Regardless, Ponyville’s current state is much more important than what she was talking about.

“I know, but they look like they’d panic now. Besides, how they gonna help us if they can’t tell what to look for? I mean, none of us knew what a changeling looked like till the Princess showed us that head last night.” She gags before adding, “That thing was darn disgustin too.” Twilight places a comforting hoof around her friend.

“We have to trust her, Applejack. Celestia knows what’s best, I’m confident everything will be fine. Just try to keep your mind on Gummy’s party okay?” Her eyes widen when she realizes a very important bit of information. “That reminds me, Pinkie said she was going to give Anon an invite.”

Applejack scoffs, “How she gonna do that? Didn’t Celestia cut him off from Ponyville?” Twilight merely shrugs in response.

“I have no idea, but if there’s anything that’s certain, it’s that Pinkie Pie knows her way around things. If she’s going to give Anon an invite, she’ll find a way to get it to him.” As the two continue their chat, they slowly but surely make their way to Sugarcube Corner.

“Oh wait, ain’t it Pinkie’s birthday tomorrow?” Both mares stop in their tracks.

“Y-yes it is,” Twilight stammers out, “Is she really planning on having two parties so close together? That doesn’t seem like a very good idea.” Applejack waves a hoof dismissively.

“Poor thing probably forgot. She’s so focused on Gummy I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow went over her head.”

“We need to get her something! Pinkie’s our friend after all. It’d be horrible if we didn’t get her anything. But, what sort of gift do you give someone like her?” The two think to themselves for a moment, until Applejack shoots Twilight a smarmy grin.

“I know the perfect present.” Twilight gives the apple farmer her full attention, “We find Anon, strip off his clothes, and tie him up with a big red bow.”

Twilight shakes her head, “Applejack that’s not—”

“It’ll solve our problem of finding a gift—”

“Applejack.”

“And Pinkie’ll have someone for estrus.”

“Applejack!” Twilight screams, causing her to jump.

“What in tarnation?” She looks to her friend, eyes wide, “What’s the matter Twi?”

“We can’t do that. You're already on bad terms with him. Do you really think it's a good idea to do anything against his will?" Applejack sighs, turning her eyes to the road ahead.

“I know, it was a joke anyways. I still feel bad about how I acted the other day. I’m kinda hopin he’ll be at the party so I can talk to em. I want to apologize. Maybe he won’t hold a grudge since all we did was yell and throw out empty threats.”

She turns back to her friend before adding, “Don’t suppose you got any friendship advice or something on trying to make up with somepony do ya?” Twilight smiles, happy at the prospect of helping someone with something pertaining to friendship.

“Of course Applejack, you could always—”

As Twilight begins her explanation, something rather important evades their gaze. A small group of pegasi just a few feet away talks among themselves in hushed whispers. Their odd blue eyes dart back and forth as they speak, making sure that no one else can hear what any of them are saying…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, did you?” Eris’ silence and guilty look in her eye is only making you mad at this point. While you do sympathize with her current condition, that doesn’t mean she can do as she pleases. Eris opens her mouth to answer, but shuts it immediately. Her nervousness has caused her to start sweating.

She knows that as soon as she admits to transforming that star, the agreement she has with Celestia would be over. Nothing would stop the alicorn from forcing Eris off of the planet, other than the draconequus herself. The truth of the matter is she knows she’s made herself out to be the culprit. It doesn’t matter how she answers, Eris has made it obvious. The real issue is her inner conflict.

On one hand, she doesn’t show any concern towards ponies, or anything else. But the other is a different matter. A part of her doesn’t want to make your stay in Equestria any rougher than it’s been. She believes that you’ve dealt with enough.

Eris didn’t want to make it worse just because she’s selfish. Yes she talks big, but actually following through doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore. For once, following the rules seems to have better rewards. But, she’s already broken them, and it’s time to confess. Eris may be a lot of things, but she’s yet to be a liar… today.

“Anon, I–” a series of sharp, rapid knocks stop her. It’s not because there’s a knock, there’s nothing off putting about those, it’s about where it’s coming from. All three of you turn your heads towards the hallway. The source of the noise is coming from the pitch black portion of it.

“There’s no door there,” you state, your voice full of worry. “That shouldn’t be happening.”

“What is this sorcery?!” Screwball cries while leaping over the side of the couch to hide.

“Celesetia told us we couldn’t use that path anymore. So who could be knocking?” Eris turns to you; Screwball looks up over the arm of the sofa. Your gaze shifts between them.

“What?”

“Are you gonna answer it?” Screwball asks.

“Why does it have to be me? Eris should get it.” You point to her.

“What?” She shakes her head, “Are you crazy? No! You do it.”

“No!”

“Yes!” The sisters say in unison while pushing you off the sofa, and towards the hallway. Their first reaction to something strange is to throw you under the bus. Typical of two siblings it seems. Though, as you get further down the hallway, your fear is quickly consumed by annoyance from being pushed.

“Alright, alright I’ll get the damn thing!” You shoo their limbs away. When you look to the door then back you find that both Eris and Screwball are watching from behind the couch. Only their eyes and manes are visible. “Thanks for having my back,” you mutter before turning to the abyss.

Your chest grows heavy and the blood runs cold in your veins as you approach. There’s no way that anything knocking from just beyond the darkness is anything normal. Only something that could defy the very laws of physics could be pulling this off, but what could possibly be doing that?

Your hands feel about, hoping to find a door of some kind. You scoff at the thought until your fingers trace along the hard brass of a doorknob. In fact, there’s hardwood separating you from your bed in Ponyville now. Celestia said she cut you off, she mentioned nothing about this.

When you open the door you’re greeted by a nearly blinding expanse of pure white. No objects, or sky, or anything else. Just the absence of color, it isn’t until you look down do you find your guest. The messy pink mane and wide smile give it away.

“P-Pinkie Pie?” she doesn’t bother answering. Instead, she takes in a lungful of air and bounces over you. You’re forced to duck in order to avoid her colliding with your skull. As you get to your feet you can hear notes of a piano playing in repetition. Is Pinkie going to sing or something?

“This is your singing telegram, I hope it finds you well!” she prances into the living room, grinning from ear to ear. Well what do you know, she is. She’s suddenly eye to eye with the sisters. “You're invited to a party 'cause we think you're really swell!” When she pokes Eris’ snout she suddenly disappears from sight, but you can still hear her singing. It echoes throughout the room.

“Gummy's turning one year old, so help us celebrate.” The sudden pop of a party popper goes off right behind Eris and Screwball, causing them to yelp and leap away. “The cake will be delicious, the festivities first-rate!” In a blur of pink, she closes the distance between you and her. She looks up to you, her eyes sparkling with joy. She moves from side to side with the piano.

“There will be games and dancing, bob for apples, cut-a-rug!” As soon as the words leave her mouth she leaps into the air, opens her mouth, and somehow manages to produce a kazoo from the back of her throat. The following noise scares you, and you hold out your arms on instinct in order to catch her. “And when the party's over, we'll gather 'round for a group hug.”

She wraps her hooves around your shoulders and nuzzles your cheek. Going with the motions, you hug her back. “No need to bring a gift being there will be enough.” She pulls away, and her eyes seemingly bore into yours with their cheer. ”Birthdays mean having fun with friends,” Pinkie pokes your nose and giggles, “not getting lots of stuff.”

The pink ball of fluff leaps from your arms and continues her song while bouncing to your sofa. “It won't be the same without you, so we hope that you say "yes.” So please, oh please, RSVP and come and be our guest!”

She ends her song by getting on top of your couch, standing on her hind hooves, and throwing up her front hooves in a celebratory pose. Streamers and balloons rise up from behind her, it isn’t until now do you notice Gummy hanging on for dear life on the end of her curly tail. He looks at you with those soulless eyes of his, causing a shiver to travel down your spine.

“P-Pinkie, I, what, but, how,” you can’t find the right words. How does one ask a pony how she managed to defy the laws of physics, manage to make balloons, streamers, and a kazoo appear out of nowhere?

“Tee hee, you look so silly Nonny! So, are you coming to Gummy’s party? You could totally RSVP right now since I’m right here. The party’s in a few hours!” You don’t return the smile. In all honesty, you didn’t need another bout of surprise or confusion today. Your stress addled mind can only take so much.

Pinkie’s reality defying stunt drove the final nail into the coffin. Changelings that want to capture you, your friends’ well-beings being at stake due to those insects, Earth having to deal with Discord, a lying draconequus that transformed a star, Screwball randomly coming back, and now this?

The lightheadedness you’re feeling intensifies, it’s becoming rather hard to stand. So, to stop yourself from falling over you make your way to the sofa. Thankfully, Pinkie notices and helps out by guiding you the rest of the way. As soon as your rump hits the cushion she takes a seat, her face marked with concern.

“Are you okay Nonny?” You manage to nod and answer.

“That was too much excitement. Give me a moment will ya?”

“D-did I do something wrong? Was it the streamers?” You shake your head, “What about the balloons?”

“It was a little bit of everything Pinkie. How did you even get here?” Pinkie puts a hoof to her chin in thought before a smile comes back. A shrug follows after.

“I dunno Non-Non. I just wanted to see you and I ended up at your door.”

“Is that it?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So, no odd unicorn magic to bring you to that place?”

“Nope!”

“What about the party stuff?” You ask while motioning to the discarded objects in the floor. Her giggling seems to resemble that of an excited school girl as she looks at the small mess she’s caused.

“I always have that with me.” In hopes of changing the subject she puts her front hooves on your thighs and her hope-filled eyes stare directly into yours. “So are you coming to Gummy’s party?” A small huff escapes you and that smile of hers seems to droop ever so slowly.

“Didn’t the Princess tell you what happened? I can’t leave my house.” She adopts the same thinking posture as before, though while one eye is shut in concentration, the other is looking to your ceiling.

“Yeah, you’re right.” There’s a slight pause, then she snaps her hooves. She doesn’t have fingers! “I’m gonna go talk to Celestia! I’ll be right back Nonny-kins!” She’s quick to hope into your lap and place her lips against yours.

Though, what you thought would be an innocent and awkward kiss turned out to be something much more. She’s pressing her muzzle against you a bit hard, keeping you from parting. Her breath comes out in short bursts as her tongue dances along your closed lips, then prods them, almost begging for a way to get past.

Eris’ and Screwball’s jaws hit the floor at such a display. And as it continues, Eris’ body starts to shake. While she may be reflecting utter shock, what is going on inside her is a completely different story. The rage seems to surge from her like a wild fire, and the only one capable of knowing this is the pony sitting right beside her.

The surprisingly passionate kiss didn’t last long, but it left quite the impression on you. When she parts and leaps off of your lap you’re left panting. Your heart’s left beating like a drum in your chest, and your senses seem to have trouble registering what just transpired. Though, one thing catches your attention quite quick: Eris didn’t like that little display one bit.

When you glanced her way you swear there was fire and brimstone lying within her eyes. Her posture is rigid, like she was ready to tear into the little pony. Sharp, pearl white fangs along with lion claws and griffin talons made for a very deadly combination indeed.

Pinkie didn’t even acknowledge it. In fact, she seemed completely oblivious to the furious creature right behind her. Instead she waves goodbye and starts to worm her way under your couch. Eris let out a low growl and flies after the pink pony. As soon as Eris’ tail disappears under it both you and Screwball look to find that both have disappeared.

“Oh no, she’s mad.” Screwball giggles nervously as sweat pours down her face. Her mannerisms, along with Eris’ are a cause of concern, especially if the two of them are going to be in the main portion of Canterlot Castle. With your head having cleared you get to your feet. Though, being able to stand did little to dispel the nervousness welling in your chest, or your hair starting to stand on end.

“Sh-should we go after them?” Screwball rapidly shakes her head.

“Are you crazy?! We’re not doing anything. I’m going to wait and so are you. Last thing we need to do is get in on what’s going on. Let the Princesses handle it.”

“But what about the—” She puts a hoof to your lips.

“Trust me Anon, it’s better to let Eris blow off some steam,” she lets her hoof drop. “Besides Pinkie will be fine, I think.” While you’re concerned for her sake, you know she’ll be fine.

“Pinkie’s not the one who’s in danger.” You mutter while staring at the crotch of your pants. A very prominent wet spot seems to cover the zipper and button area, offsetting the overall color. It seems like Pinkie wanted a bit more than she let on. Screwball’s voice catches your attention.

“Then who is?”

“Everyone in the castle…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’ve got a lot of nerve you horse.” She locks eyes with the party pony and snarls. It took Eris less than thirty seconds to corner Pinkie. Then again, Pinkie didn’t struggle to get away. There isn’t a hint of fear on her face, even with Eris’ muzzle is touching hers, and her fangs mere centimeters away she’s got a goofy grin.

“What do you mean?” Pinkie asks innocently, “and I’m not a horse. I’m a pony!”

“You know exactly what I mean!” Pinkie’s response is to whistle. Eris gasps when Pinkie’s hooves stretch her mouth into a comically wide grin. It’s like looking into the maw of a shark at this point.

“Oooh your teeth are sharp!” Eris’ eyes twist in fury before slapping her hooves away. Her lips act like rubber bands and slap her, then they return to their normal shape. “I wouldn’t wanna get caught by those thingies!” When Eris shakes away the stinging sensation she finds that Pinkie is no longer cornered.

Now they’re a few feet away from each other, both have their backs to a rather extensive hallway. Canterlot Castle always impressed with its sheer size, and its majesty isn’t lost, even with a goofy pony and a chaotic creature having a standoff. It’s now Pinkie realizes that Eris is mad about something. She tilts her head to the side, showing she’s confused.

“What’s wrong Eris? Did somepony get you a bad cake? You should have gone to Sugarcube Corner, we sell the best ca—” The Draconequus silences her by pinching her lips closed with her talons.

“You kissed Anon you little shit!” She hisses. When she’s sure Pinkie understands what was said, she releases her lips. Her first reaction is to gasp.

“Oooh, you said a bad word!” The sound of a mirror shattering can be heard while Eris’ left eye twitches. Her body begins to shake with rage while Pinkie backs away.

“Don’t change the subject! Didn’t Celestia tell you why I’m able to stay?” The party pony nods. “Then you know Anon’s my colt friend.” She nods yet again, and the playful smile drops from her face.

“Yes I know, and I also know Anon doesn’t have a choice. Because if he isn’t your special somepony you’re gonna do all the stuff Discord did.” Eris smirks and nods, “I think that’s really really really mean Eris.” The draconequus’ smile widens, showing off her fangs.

“Well, I don’t care what you think.” Is her response, “The only thing I do care about is you getting close to him. He’s mine, not yours. So you better back off.” Eris shuts her eyes, crosses her arms behind her head, and reclines in the air. She thinks she’s won, but that’s not the case. Her eyes snap open when she feels Pinkie sit on her stomach. The pony leans in and pokes her snout, her smile’s back.

“Silly filly Anon isn’t an object! He’s a human, you can’t own him. And he shouldn’t be with somepony who thinks they can.” Eris’ smile slowly starts to leave her face as Pinkie continues, “So, no I’m not gonna give up and back off. Besides, I think I might be a teensy bit better for Nonny than you.” She giggles. As soon as she finishes, any semblance of tranquility Eris seemed to have dissipates.

“Okay, no more Ms. Nice Girl!” she growls while reaching out to try and grab Pinkie. The pony is much too quick for her though. She leaps off her stomach and takes off down the hall, leaving Eris with empty claws. She takes off after her. “You won’t get away you little pest!”

When she rounds the corner, she finds Pinkie looking back at her. She blows raspberries and turns back to watch where she’s running. Eris shrieks out in anger before speeding up her pursuit. Though, this anger seems to be completely ignored by the pink pony.

While Eris flies overhead bent on hurting her, Pinkie’s running with a huge smile plastered on her face. The two manage to stay just a few feet away from each other. Neither of them gains nor closes the distance.

Once Pinkie makes it to the end of the hallway she takes a sharp left down the next one. Eris, whose going a little fast, is forced to grab hold of the wall near the end in order to swing her body around the corner. She seems to slither through the air, her wings doing nothing more than just adding weight at this point.

Suddenly, Pinkie stops, opens one of the many doors along the hall, and runs inside. The door shuts just as Eris is getting to it, causing her to slam headfirst into the wood. She shakes off the stars surrounding her head and snarls. She opts to phase through the door rather than open it, in hopes of taking the party pony by surprise.

She scans the room, hoping to find any trace of pink, only to be disappointed by the lack of it. Eris managed to stumble upon one of the dozens of generic bedrooms placed throughout the castle. But, there’s no way Pinkie could have escaped without her noticing. When she slithers through the door she creeps upon the ground like a snake, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Under the bed and dresser she looks, trying to cut down on the improbable places she could be hiding. But when her search yields no results she decides to start opening drawers, checking in dressers, and of course under the covers and in the pillow cases.

But, Eris doesn’t find Pinkie anywhere, until she hears the faucets turn on water in the adjacent bathroom. An evil smile spreads across her lips as she sneaks over to the door. With her ear against the oak she can hear Pinkie singing while taking a shower.

“Heh, you’re so stupid,” Eris murmurs. With a quick spell she’s able to shrink herself down and slide through the crack under the door frame. As soon as she crosses the threshold she notices that the room is not only thick, heavy, and humid, but it’s in black and white. She rubs her eyes a few times to no avail. It’s almost as though something has completely sucked all of the color out of the room, even her own body is affected by it. From this point on, she treads carefully.

Grr, when I get my claws on you, you’ll be sorry you even showed your face around me, Eris’ thinks to herself as the moves through the room. And the best part of it is, I know exactly what I’m going to do to you too. Just you wait Pinkie, you and Lyra are going to be the best of friends. All it’ll take is a little magic.

Her twisted thoughts center around Pinkie, her coat grey in color, forced to bend to Eris’ every whim. No thoughts are her own anymore. Anything that made the party pony who or what she was, gone. She cackles to herself as she pictures Pinkie kneeling down, kissing her hooves, begging for forgiveness from her new master.

To her, the best part will be when she has the real Pinkie conscious for each and every happy moment you and Eris spend together. She’ll be forced to watch as your relationship blossoms. All the smiles the two of you will share, and it’ll be because of her, not Pinkie.

Author's Note

Hope you guys don't mind this being another two parter. Just wanted to get something out for you guys. The next portion of this chapter should be done soon. And I'll eventually combine the two... at some point.