The strange duo emerged from the treeline to be greeted by the glaring midday sun. Wasn't it night time in the forest just a moment ago? Pinkie shook her head, her usually bouncy mane laying flat over her muzzle as「Dancing Queen」cradled her towards the town. On her way past Fluttershy's house, she thought about calling out to her sensitive friend before noticing the shut curtains, which either meant that she wasn't home or she didn't want to be disturbed. After several... Heated complaints about Pinkie's occasional home invasions (all in the spirit of laughter, she assured them) she had taken to being very cautious about matters involving houses. Yes, this put a dent in her party planning, but a true master always found a way. Pinkie considered herself to be a level above master.
"We are going to Twilight Sparkle's tree, correct?" the porcelain ghost said, staring down at her mistress in her arms. Speaking of whom, the pink mare spent a solid minute nestling into a more comfortable nook in the lacking bosom of「Dancing Queen」, as the feeling of resting against china, cloth-laden though it may be, was hard to make functional.
"Yup yup! Wait, how'd ya know about Twilight? Do you know her?! Ooh goodie, you already have a friend, that's so great!" Pinkie said excitedly, forehooves gesticulating wildly in the air to accentuate her enthusiasm. After a moment of further thought, she realised that didn't make sense, which was swiftly confirmed by a shaking of the doll's head. Stiff, like any movement that wasn't punching, where Pinkie noticed she really became animated.
"In a certain manner of thinking. I am literally part of you. Your desires, emotions, thoughts. I'm privy to all of them; it's how you were able to make me act the way I did during the encounter with the Timberwolves. Your anger, and fear, while hard to bring forth, made me furious in turn." The china lady explained calmly, just beginning to enter the boundaries of Ponyville. The few ponies that glanced their way just raised an eyebrow or two at the seemingly floating mare, but were so used to dealing with Pinkie's oddities that they disregarded her in exchange for getting on with their day as normally as possible.
Pinkie, meanwhile, was uncharacteristically deep in thought. She wasn't sure how to feel about someone she just met being so intrinsically linked to her thoughts, even if she had just saved her life. It was a distinct pride of hers that she was hard to read, and harder to comprehend. Queenie just bypassed all of the work she'd put into her personality, and she wasn't yet sure what to make of that. Either way, the fact remained that she did just save Pinkie's life, so she let it go for the time being.
As they drew ever closer to the town's centre, they first came upon the market in full swing, the sound of bartering and murmuring customers who felt they'd been ripped off emanated like a chorus through the square. There was Berry Punch, manning her stall of adult beverages; Doctor Whooves engaged in a heated conversation with another stallion seemingly pertaining to the merits of clockwork versus the newly emerging digital technology; and most happily of all, Applejack was stationed in her usual spot, cart already half-emptied of fruit as her little sister bounced up and down, pointing Pinkie out to her somewhat distracted older sibling.
"Well howdy there Pink- golly! What 'n Equestria's happened t'yer leg?!" The farmer cried, circling her cart to examine closer, gesturing for Applebloom to remain seated. It was a testament to how long they'd been friends that the hovering wasn't even questioned. "Teeth marks. Were y'all snoopin' around the Everfree again? I told ya b'fore, that place is bad news! How'd ya get away, anyhow?" the questions came in rapid succession, the mare's protective nature coming out in full force.
"Hey, hey! Calm down frowny-face, i'm fine! Queenie here got me away just fine! Right, Queenie?" Pinkie defended, briefly turning her head to look up at the blank expression of her tall companion. Applejack for her part stood, mouth in a straight line, eyebrow arched as she examined the air that her pink friend was looking at, too polite and knowing of her antics to call her out on it. Applebloom was not quite so indoctrinated.
"Aint nopony there, Pinkie. Ya sure yer ok?" the small voice spoke up, concerned as to the mental health of the older mare, much like anyone who had ever come into contact with the party master.
"Huh? But she's right there! Come on, wave at 'em, Queenie!" the now slightly frowning pony asked of her friend, the doll doing as told to seemingly no effect. When the two in front of her didn't react except with even more raised eyebrows, Pinkie decided that it was time to keep going onwards, as Twilight's massive crystal castle was just a short walk away. Hopping off of「Dancing Queen's」arms feeling a lot less fatigued than before, Pinkie trotted away, leaving behind two very bemused apple farmers. It wasn't surprising that they, like the Timberwolves, couldn't see Queenie, but it was a little upsetting. She was so polite and caring, Rarity would love her! Maybe Applejack would have found her a bit weird, though. A little too mechanical. Twilight would hopefully love her, but now she'd never know. Although maybe it was a good thing. Fluttershy would be completely horrified at the huge china doll, especially at what it did to the Timberwolves.
Her distraction caused her to bump her muzzle into the door of her intended target. Rubbing her nose for a moment, Pinkie got Queenie to hold the arrow out, ready to show Twilight, and knocked once on the door. No response. Two knocks. Nil. Pinkie, reasonable as always, decided that non-stop knocking would work where she'd previously failed. Knock knock knock knock knock. Twilight's face appeared, only for a pink forehoof to plant itself directly into her face. Knock. "HEY Twilight!" Pinkie chirped loudly, still holding her hoof against Twilight's forehead.
"Pft! P-Pinkie!" The Librarian spluttered, batting the hoof away with one of her own. Sighing and obviously bedraggled, her wings curled and unfurled several times, as though just waking up from a year of being unused. "W-what," a heavy yawn passed the Princess' lips, "What do you want, Pinkie? It's too early."
"Uh, Twilight, it's... About one in the afternoon." Pinkie spoke, covering her ears in an instant as Twilight immediately seemed to straighten bolt upright, eyes widening as her pupils dilated. Oh dear. Pinkie already knew what a tired Twilight meant this late in the day. She'd overslept, or not slept enough, thanks to a project, and would now...
"ONE O'CLOCK!? B-BUT, B-BUT...I...I went to bed at a perfectly reasonable time last night, I made sure!" The Alicorn cried, hooves tangling in her mane, pulling uncomfortably hard as she panicked. Pinkie was quick to rush to her aid, pulling her hooves away and holding the sides of Twilight's face, staring into her eyes.
"Nope! I can tell, yooooou slept for exactly three point one four hours!" The pink pony exclaimed, pointing a dramatic hoof at her friend. "I can't belieeeeeve it! We had an intervention! We talked about this! And to hear you've gone back to your...Your...addiction!" she sobbed heavily, collapsing against her awake and very confused friend.「Dancing Queen」knew better than to intervene.
"Pinkie it's not an addiction! And how'd you even know how long I was sleeping? And why did the digits correlate to pi?! And why did- how did you?! I...Ugh, forget it. What do you want, Pinkie?" The sensible mare gave up swiftly, knowing that to question the madness was to be drawn into it. At her words, the pink mare stood up straight, previous sadness one hundred percent wiped from her expression.
"Oh, well, I found this weird magic arrow in the Everfree Forest with my super duper magical arrow sensing power, I have that now by the way, and accidentally cut myself on it which didn't actually hurt that much you know and then when I looked around there was this ghost doll thing which called itself Dancing Queen but I thought that was too long so I call her Queenie and-" The tirade of insanity was cut off by Twilight's own hoof mirroring Pinkie's earlier motion, the latter mare still mumbling for a second or two before realising she'd been cut off.
"Well it sounds like you've had an...Experience. Come inside and we'll get it sorted out, hm?" The lavender Alicorn spoke calmingly, having not paid attention to any of what Pinkie had just said. As she reached out to hold Pinkie's side in order to gesture her inside her castle, the arrow currently being held by the china apparition seemed to hum, shaking wildly in the ghost's grip before seeming to shoot outwards, burying into Twilight's outstretched fetlock before「Dancing Queen」could even hope to react.