Element of Faith

The Morning after the Zecora incident, Shadow and I got to talking about the old times. Back when I was a blank-flank filly and he was a blank-flank batpony. We talked about the day we first became friends and the few years after. I got on to explaining how I began painting and my move to Ponyville, he got started on... nothing. Shadow told me little to nothing of his life since we last saw each other.

So, for the most part the night was alright.

One Week Later

Waking up that morning, I made sure to make sure my saddlebag was packed for the day. Twilight’s habits had rubbed off on me a little, that or they had been forced on me from the many hours of hanging around the library. I had a lot to do today, and Celestia’s coming over didn’t completely alter it.

Finishing off my muffin, I looked over at the painting sitting in the Art Room. The weird green eyes still kept staring, like they were alive. Sent shivers up my spines.

Running outside, I saw hysteria. Ponies were running around the town, decorating it and making it look beautiful. All for the arrival of Celestia.

“Okay, today was a bad day for fix-up that old room.” I grumbled, taking a look at all the chaos.

Walking down the street, I began to look for the first shop I needed.

Bed, Bath and Backyards, Sofas and Quills and a quick stop at Sugarcube Corner to say hello to Pinkie Pie.

Walking inside the sweet shop, I noticed a long table filled with eaten cakes and treats, Fluttershy, Twilight and Pinkie Pie.

“I could take one of your hooves.” I heard Twilight say.

Trotting over, I saw a bunch of cute little creatures in the hooves of my friends. One yellow, one blue, one brown and one green.

“What are these?” I asked Fluttershy.

The pegasus opened her muzzle to answer, but Pinkie jumped in front of me.

“They're parasprites! They're the worstest kind of pest there is!” She warned me.

“Really!” I gasped, “but they look so cut-” Pinkie cut me off.

“I know! They look supercutelicius, buts that's how they get you to let them in! And now i have to find a tambourine!” Pinkie yelled.

“Ugh…Fairy, you don't have to listen to that. I'm sure it's just another pony tale that Pinkie made up.” Twilight suggested.

A look of shock came over my face. I stared Pinkie right in the eyes, unwilling to listen to Twilight at the moment.

“What else do you need?”

Pinkie looked serious for a moment, she nodded. “A drum, a trumpet, a banjo, a harmonica, maracas, a tambourine, a tuba and an accordion.”

“I think I have a drum in my attic and the maracas.” I cheered.

“Then hurry! Who know how long until those things infest the town!” Pinkie yelled.

I nodded to my pink friend, shopping would have to wait. I have to help Ponyville!

As I walked with Pinkie, I couldn’t help but ask what was so wrong about those little creatures. Pinkie happily explained.

“Parasprites are pests, just like I said back at Sugarcube Corner. The only problem is that they eat everything! When they eat then they make another parasprite by burping one. It keeps going until the place is out of food then goes to the next town. I found a way to distract them so they leave the town before tearing it up, cause that’s not nice and I don’t think Princess Celestia would like it all of her sweets were gone before she even had a chance to eat them.”

I nodded, a bit of my brown mane falling on my face as I did. “How do you know all this?”

Pinkie went into storyteller mode again .”Easy! Once I left my home on the Rock Farm to go find a place to use my special talent I found a nice small town (not really small or else I wouldn’t be living in it) but then a huge herd of parasprites came! Crunchy Nutty thought she could fix it by making them parasprites not want to eat food, but the spell made her eat the whole town! I found a bunch of instruments from one of the houses they had already eaten and made a bunch of noise using them. The parasprites followed me into a nearby forest and we fixed up the town til it was all hunky doory!”

“Huh, that’s cool-wait...did you say you lived on a rock farm?” I asked Pinkie Pie. She nodded.

“Yep! But that story won’t be coming for another thirteen episodes, so you’ll just have to wait til then!”

“Episodes? Pinkie what are you-” Pinkie shoved a hoof in my mouth before I could say more.

“No time! We need to find all the stuff before it’s too late and the Princess’ Special Visit is ruined!”

With that, I ran off towards my house.

Rummaging thru the many dusty boxes in my attic, I found my old maracas stored in my boxes from college. The drum was a little harder. Looking out a nearby window, I saw it was nighttime and I had only one of the two objects I had to find.

It was going to be a long night.

The next morning, I trotted into Sugarcube Corner with my maracas and large drum in my magic. Going up to Pinkie’s apartment, I saw she was playing a harmonica.

“Look Fairy, Applejack loaned me her harmonica!” Pinkie said before playing a few notes.

I giggled, “Great, I found my old maracas and drum. Are they alright?”

Lowering the two instruments in front of my friend, she gave them both careful looks (with a very serious face) and smiled at me.

“They’re perfect! Now we just need to find all the other stuff and we’re good to go!” Pinkie cheered.

Nodding at Pinkie, I went off in search of a tambourine, the accordion and banjo.

Once I finished with Lyra (she apparently had an accordion on hoof) I went in search of Pinkie and instead found the rest of my friends herding a huge ball of those cute little parasprites.

I ran up to Twilight and saw her in a conversation with Pinkie Pie.

“We don’t have much time!” Pinkie yelled.

“You’re telling me! The Princess could arrive at any moment!” Twilight yelled. I kept looking between them and the giant ball behind us.

“Exactly! That’s why I need you gals to drop what you’re doing and help me find some maracas!”

“Pinkie I already gave you mine!” I yelled. Pinkie laughed.

“Oh yeah, then I need your help in finding a tuba!” Pinkie told Twilight, who groaned loudly.

“We have bigger problems than finding some tuba!” Twilight yelled.

“You’re right! An accordion has to be our biggest priority!” Pinkie yelled before running off, I followed.

We soon went back, upon finding none of the others followed us. Pinkie going backwards and I going frontwards.

“I said follow me.” Pinkie instructed.

“We don’t have much time remember!” I added.

“Pinkie you are so random and Fairy, you’re nearly as random.” Rainbow said from above us.

“Ugh! And you are all so stubborn!” Pinkie yelled. “Come on Fairy, let’s go see if  the music store has some cymbals.” Pinkie and I then ran off towards the music shop in Ponyville. We had only a few more things to find.

And a few hours to find them.

Pinkie and I left the store a while back with the cymbals. After some discussion, Pinkie ended up carrying the symbols around her neck and banging them together every few seconds. Soon, a large breeze began and blew my mane in the wind. Looking around I saw a very big and dull tornado in Fluttershy’s yard.

“Looks like all our problems ‘er solved!” Applejack yelled.

“They will be with these new cymbals!” Pinkie cheered, before they too became swept up in the breeze and inside the tornado.

It soon broke, letting nearly twice as many parasprites as the ball and a very dizzy Rainbow Dash.

“Pinkie Pie! Fairy Wishes! You’re ruining our chances of saving Ponyville!” Twilight yelled while the others gave us death glares.

While taking a fear gulp, I saw Pinkie gasp next to me.

“Us? Ruin? We’re not the ruiners! We’re the Ruinees! Or is it Ruinest?!” My partner in crime yelled. She slumped down onto the ground, trying to find the right way to describe us. “Ruinettes?”

“Come on girls,” Applejack ordered as she galloped next to us. “There’s no reasonin’ with these two. They’re a few apples short of a bushel.” Applejack whispered the last part, but I could still hear it and I felt insulted.

“Hey!” I yelled, Pinkie joined me,

“We’re trying to tell you the ruining is on the other hoof!” Pinkie yelled at our friends as they ran off. “IF YOU JUST SLOW DOWN AND LISTEN TO US!”

But our warning came to deaf ears, the mares kept on running towards the giant herd of parasprites. Leaving myself and a slightly upset Pinkie alone.

I gave my friend a careful pat on the back.

“Come on Pinkie Pie, I’ll go find those cymbals. You go and get the rest and I’ll meet you back at your place. Sound alright?” The party pony’s foul mood left and quick as it came. Her large smile appeared on her face.

“You’re right! We still haven’t found an accordion or tuba or a flute or those tambourines!” Pinkie then ran off towards the town.

Looking around the wooded area, I began searching for the lost cymbals.

Before me, sat a pair of maracas, a tuba, some cymbals, an accordion, a tambourine, my drum, a trumpet, a banjo and a harmonica. Pinkie stood across from me and was quickly putting the strange contraption together.

I had to make sure that all the parts would fit on Pinkie so she could play them all, I was given the task of playing the maracas. Such an honor!

Quickly, I noticed Pinkie’s anger. She wasn’t smiling but the frown wasn’t from sadness. Maybe, mild irritation was a better word.

“Pinkie Pie, are you okay?” I asked her. She nodded.

“Of course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be alright Fairy?” A few hard smacks from the hammer she was using told me she wasn’t.

“Because none of our friends listened to us.”

My sentence made Pinkie stop, her head moved up and swirled towards myself. The lighting made it easy to see her sad look.

“Yeah? That was only because they tried fixing it the same way Crunchy Nutty did. I wasn’t mad at Crunchy so I’m not mad at Twilight or the others.” Pinkie cheered. Her familiar cheeriness clear as day.

“But-you know Pinkie, just like Applejack and lies, I can usually see when somepony doesn’t believe in something. You don’t even believe your own sentence so how can I?”

Pinkie looked shocked, she blinked a couple times before lowering her head.

“Am...am I really to random like Rainbow said? Is that why or was it because none of them had any of the instruments? Or is it what Applejack said about me being short on apples. I still have a lot in the kitchen so I knew she didn’t mean it that way so I thought what other way she meant. I figured it out, and I didn’t like it.” Pinkie picked up the blow torch and began working again. This time a little faster.

Walking up to her, I placed a hoof on her shoulder. “She said it about me too Pinkie, but I know she was stressed so I let it go. Sure, it might come up in an argument later, but I won’t let that stop me from being friends with her. And you know what else helped me see that?” Pinkie shook her head.

“Nope, was it special goggles?” Pinkie asked, slowly turning off the blow torch. I wasn’t sure if she meant it, but I gave a small laugh.

“No, it was this moment here. You’re putting a lot of random instruments together. You made that party cannon which I know was probably no easy task. Back with Gilda, you thought of the party to improve her mood. All of those, so I that’s how I knew Applejack was stressed.”

Before Pinkie could say anything, I hugged her. She hugged back.

“Thanks Fairy Wishes.” Pinkie said as we ended to hug.

“It was no trouble Pinkie, now, what do you say we fix this thing and save the town?”

Pinkie winked at me, going back to working on the large costume made of instruments.

Huh, so this is what happens when parasprites are turned to eating buildings. Ponyville looked like a complete wreck; carts toppled over, buildings missing walls, bits of apples and other foods scattered everywhere, ponies running away from the parasprites.

Pinkie stood next to me, wearing the instruments we had both gathered throughout town.

“It’s now or never.” I told Pinkie, holding the maracas with my lilac magic next to me.

“I know Fairy. This is our only chance. Let’s party!” Pinkie cheered, beginning to play the instruments all at once.

We began walking across the town, playing the instruments into a nice song as we did. After a solid minute, I began to notice the bugs trailing us. All dancing in tune with the song.

“Pinkie we got ‘em!” I told her.

Pinkie’s only response was turning towards the Everfree Forest, being careful to make sure none were left behind.

As we approached, I notice the Princess flying down. We just barely made it in time.

The two of us played our little song until all the little critters were safely inside the Forest. We noticed the others right after.

“Hey, what happened to the Princess?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Emergency in Fillydelphia.” Twilight explained quickly.

Ah, we manage to save the town but we still missed the Princess’ visit.

“Some sort of infestation.” Rainbow Dash explained, a knowing look in her pink eyes.

Pinkie and I gasped.

“Oh no! Did parasprites get there too!” Pinkie cried.

“We have the solution!” I cheered, we both began playing our instruments.

Twilight stopped us.

“I think the Princess has it covered.” Twilight said.

I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn’t in the mood to go to Fillydelphia.

“So ya’ll knew what them critters were all along huh Pinkie Pie and Fairy Wishes?” Applejack asked.

“Actually, only Pinkie Pie knew. She explained it all to me so I decided to help.” I explained Pinkie nodded.

“It was why I was so frantic to get all of this stuff! I tried to tell you!” Pinkie added.

“We know Pinkie,” Twilight started, “And we’re sorry we didn’t listen.” The others gave their apologies. “You’re great friends. Even if we don’t always understand you.”

“Thanks guys! You’re all great friends too!” Pinkie smiled, but her face changed from the big smile. “Even we I don’t understand me.”

“You both saved my reputation with Princess Celestia, and more importantly you two saved Ponyville!”

We all stood in the center of the disaster, smoke was rising from a few areas and it looked a lot worse once I was able to get a better look at it all.

“Or not...” Twilight grumbled.

Up ahead of us, Pinkie Pie played the trumpet. Making me laugh.

A day or two later, the shops were all fixed and I was able to get all the things needed for my guest room. Dark blue curtains, new black bed sheets, a nightstand I’m planning to paint black, new lightbulbs and finally a newer supply of black and dark purple paint.

Once I was done with the designing, the walls were black with Shadow’s cutiemark painted on random spots around them, the bed was made with the new sheets, curtains were placed and the nightstand was drying. It should be done in plenty of time for Shadow’s return. And return he would, after all...

He made a Pinkie Promise.