"So, who wants to go first?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she glanced at all five of her friends in the room. All six ponies were huddled around a small candle in the middle of Twilight's bedroom, its flame barely illuminating their gleeful faces. Applejack waved an enthusiastic hoof in front of her.
"Oh, me! I'll go first." She whispered, before clearing her throat. "My best fillyhood memory was when me and Big Macintosh climbed all the way to the top of Mount Applezest. Not many ponies can say they've done the whole thing."
The six of them laughed softly, then it was Rarity's turn.
"When I was a filly, me and my schoolfriends used to race to find gems for our prom dresses." She giggled and gave a cheesy grin.
Pinkie Pie was still thinking about what she would say when it was her turn; she couldn't remember much of her childhood at all. She remembered getting her her cutie mark at her old silo home, and the song Nana Pinkie sang to her to help overcome her fears, but other than that she didn't really have much for reminiscing. She felt so frustrated at not being able to remember the past very well. She had always lived life in the fast lane, never allowing herself any time for reflection.
After a few minutes of ponies sharing stories and Pinkie Pie trying to come up with a story, Twilight's voice snapped her out of her train of thought.
"Pinkie?"
Pinkie blinked in bewilderment. "Huh?" She uttered.
Twilight smiled sweetly at her and tilted her head. "It's your turn now, Pinkie."
Pinkie Pie frowned and rubbed her forehead with her hoof. "I... can't think of anything."
Rainbow Dash gave her a concerned frown. "Seriously? You throw the hardest parties in Equestria! There's gotta be something you can think of."
"No...I-I can't remember anything." Pinkie whispered, becoing anxious at her lack of memory.
"Come on, darling," said Rarity, "You agreed to come to Twilight's slumber party, so you have to play the game."
Pinkie Pie glanced around the room at each of her friends, all of them grinning at her excitedly. Being unable to play a game with her friends properly made her panic more than anything else.
All five ponies' eyes were fixed on her. She was starting to hyperventilate.
Applejack's smile dropped, and she put a hoof on Pinkies shoulder. "Whoa, sugarcube. calm down there, girl!" She whispered reassuringly, but Pinkie didn't seem to hear her.
Rainbow Dash hovered in front of the pink pony. "Pinkie! Get a grip on yourself..." Dash's voice trailed off as she realised she wouldn't get through to her. Pinkie's breathing was spiralling out of control, growing into loud panting and she began to shake uncontrollably.
Fluttershy squealed as she retreated to the corner of the room, terrified by Pinkie's sudden panic attack.
Rainbow Dash turned to the purple unicorn, who simply stared at Pinkie, astonished. "Twilight! Do something!"
Twilight stood up and lowered her head, aiming her horn straight at Pinkie. Sweat trickled down the purple unicorn's face as her horn began to spark and glow as she focused her energy into it. "Everpony, stand back!"
The other four ponies in the room stared shocked at Pinkie as her panic attack continued to escalate into an emotional frenzy. Her pink mane twitched violently, shifting in a quantum state between frizzy and straight, and blood began to pour profusely from her nose.
A blast of energy emitted from Twilight's horn, deafening everypony in the room, a flash illuminating the entire house.
Twilight glanced up at her friends, breathing a sigh of relief. She had hit her target.
Pinkie lay unconscious on the floor, her nose and mouth coated in blood, mucus and saliva from her nosebleed and panic frenzy. The other five ponies stared silently at the pink party mare slumped on the purple carpet.
"Twilight, what did y'all just do to her?" asked Applejack, worried.
"Sleeping spell," gasped Twilight, trying to get her breath back, "I...had to...sedate her before...somepony got hurt."
Applejack was about to protest, but was reassured by Pinkie's sudden loud snoring. Fluttershy re-emerged,whimpering and trembling as tears rolled down her face. Rarity and Rainbow Dash stared speechless in bewilderment at the now unconscious Pinkie, mouths agape with shock.
"Come on, girls," said Twilight, levitating Pinkie towards the bed, "let's just call it a night and get some sleep." She laid Pinkie on the bed, slid the blankets over her, and her horn glowed once again as the red stains vanished from the pink mare's face.
Twilight then took four blankets from the cubpoard above her window, and gave one to each of her friends, who all settled down on the floor by the candle. Twilight lay down on the floor beside the bed, and stared up at Pinkie, and smiled as the pink pony giggled quietly to herself and twitched gently, enjoying a pleasant dream.
Before long, Twilight's eyes grew heavy and she drifted off into the darkness.
Pinkie Pie awoke the next morning, feeling groggy from passing out the night before and rubbed her eyes, trying to coax her world into view. As she hoisted herself to sit upright she realised she was in Twilight's bed. As she looked around the room she saw Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow dash, Fluttershy and Rarity stood a few feet away from her, all looking at her with expressions of confusion and anxiety. An awkward silence fell upon the six ponies in the room, almost deafening them until Pinkie Pie croaked with a dry throat, "Twilight, what am I doing in your bed?"
Twilight Sparkle sighed with relief. Thank Celestia, her memory's intact, she thought to herself. She stepped towards Pinkie and threw her hooves around her in a gentle hug, the early morning sunlight beaming through the window, and their eyes glistened in the glow.
"You gave us quite a scare last night, Pinkie." said Twilight, a warm smile returning to her face. A tear rolled down Fluttershy's face as the sudden shift between anxiety and relief became too much for her to bear, and Rarity ran a reassuring hoof through the yellow pegasus' pink mane, prompting a sudden embrace between herself and Fluttershy. Applejack and Rainbow dash high-hoofed in triumph, and Applejack turned her attention to Pinkie Pie. "You feelin' alright?" She asked, tilting her head with a friendly grin.
"I guess so," pinkie replied, rubbing her head with her hoof as she tried to comprehend what had happened. "One minute we were playing a game of fillyhood memories, the next..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes filled up with tears.
"Darling, whatever's the matter?" Rarity asked as she released her hold from Fluttershy.
Pinkie Pie's lip quivered as she struggled to hold back her tears. "I-I still can't remember anything."
Twilight, still clutching the pink pony in an embrace, ran a hoof through Pinkie's mane in an effort to console her. "It's ok, Pinkie," she hushed, "We're not playing anymore."
Pinkie pushd Twilight away slowly, and glanced into her eyes before looking at the other four of her friends. "But... I want to remember," She said, a tear rolling down her cheek, "I want to know what my fillyhood was like."
Her friends exchanged awkward glances as they tried to come up with a suggestion. Rainbow Dash finally broke the silence. "Uh, your parents... they still live at the rock farm you grew up at, right?"
Pinkie frowned and glanced down at the floor. "I-I think so... I never heard of them leaving the farm..." She mumbled, still trying to shake off the fatigue.
"Maybe..." said Fluttershy, attempting a weak smile, "Maybe you could go and visit them?"
Pinkie got off the bed and stretched her legs one by one, and shook her tale in an effort to wake herself up. "Oh, yeah," she giggled, a smile beaming on her face, "I never thought of that."
"Do you want us to take you there later?" asked Twilight softly, starting to pack the blankets back into the cupboard.
Pinkie shook her head slowly. "Thanks, Twilight," she replied, "but this is something I have to do alone." She opened the curtains and looked out of the window, shielding her eyes from the sudden burst of sunlight. "I'm sorry, girls," she said, walking down the stairs, "I have to go." Twilight frowned at her, confused. What's gotten into her? she thought. "But aren't you going to have some breakf-" She tried to yell after her but it was too late. Pinkie pie had left the house, leaving five confused ponies in her wake.
Pinkie Pie made her way down Fetlock Lane, humming a tune to herself as she bounced enthusiastically down the road. The sky was a clear blue thanks to the hard work of the weather pegasi that morning, and other ponies were enjoying leisurely strolls in the summer glow.
Pinkie climbed the hill after several minutes of bouncing, and saw her goal in the distance. The rock farm looked exactly how she remembered it- the barren field of grey and brown, stretching for miles through the rocky valley into the distance, and the rusty iron silo where she lived as a filly still stood against the elements, and its small murky windows dotted the walls.
"This is it, Pinkie," she said to herself. She took a deep breath and began to gallop into the valley. It wasn't long before the pink mare found herself at the entrance of the farm.
