//------------------------------//
// Cherry Fizzy and a Rock Farm 
// Story: A War 
// by Comma Typer 
//------------------------------//

"...and, that's when the lettuce said, 'Let us in! It's raining here!'"
The ponies there laughed as Pinkie grinned, taking it all in.
Some sat on their bunk beds, others sat on chairs or boxes or just the floor. As the storm outside thundered on, raindrops pittering on the roof, they all watched Pinkie; a single lantern illuminated her face and the faces of those who were closest to her including Maud who sat beside her.
"I've got a challenge for you, Pinkie!" a Wonderbolt among them spoke as he raised a wing. "Can you make a joke about bricks?"
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that, Silver Zoom," she replied. "Besides—" snickering "—I don't have a punchline to build upon."
And even more laughter filled the room.
Pinkie smiled. "Did you hear the story of the alarm clock? Because, I don't remember hearing it before, but it really rings a bell."
Still more laughter, with some slapping their knees as they burst into guffaws.



Back inside the cafeteria, Pinkie and Maud ate alone at the only table with occupants. The pony at the food station closed her eyes—then woke up, looking around her, almost panicking and almost hyperventilating as she finally settled on checking the light switches. The windows were all closed but the storm howled above the fans' whirrings.
"You know, Maud," Pinkie said as she dropped a loaf of bread in her mouth—then a gulp, "I've been thinking about it. Everypony knows that my destiny is to make them smile." She smiled and pointed at her smile. "And I was more than OK with it when I discovered that. But, this whole fighting thing made me realize something deeper about my destiny."
Maud looked on. "I'm listening."
"This is a very dangerous job," Pinkie continued before she drank some water. "If you go in, you're not gonna get out so easily. You better hope you win or else you'll be a slave to an evil king for a very long time! And even if we win, how many ponies will get badly hurt before we get there?"
Maud blinked.
"Those are serious thoughts," Pinkie said, scratching her chin. "All of us are at risk of getting injured or worse. No wonder there's so few smiles down here." She scratched her head. "Which is why I'm glad the both of us are here." She grabbed Maud. "With my sense of humor and your stand-up comedy, we can keep making these ponies smile! You agree?"
"Yeah, I agree!" a voice shouted.
The food station pony sneezed.
"Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked, seeing Rainbow hover her way to their table.
"Definitely!" she said, putting on a dashing expression, still flapping her wings. Then, frowning a bit: "What are you doing out here this late, anyway? You're having midnight snacks, too?"
"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It's the first midnight snack I've had in months!"
Rainbow looked at the snacks.
Some loaves of bread, some candies, and glasses of water.
"That's not all, is it?" Rainbow asked.
"That's all!" Pinkie replied.
Rainbow then sat down.
"Uh, how are you?" Rainbow began. "Are you nervous about the whole attack tomorrow?"
"You mean 'later'?"
"Yeah, 'later'."
Pinkie placed a hoof on her head. "Not much. We're all confident that we're going to make it and protect Manehattan!"
Rainbow nodded. "That's good."
"Hey, you're not getting snacks!" Pinkie said, pointing at her with an accusing hoof. "Are you trying to do something?"
"N-No, Pinkie! I wanted to get snacks, but when I saw that you were here—and, uh, you, too, Maud—" looking at Maud "—I could keep 'em waiting."
Pinkie smiled. "So, are you nervous?"
"About tomorrow?"
"About 'later'."
Rainbow groaned. "Not too nervous. Except for Spitfire."
"You mean the Wonderbolts' leader?" Pinkie asked. "Why?"
"Spitfire's very concerned about the push tomorrow—"
"Later." And she smiled.
"About the push later," Rainbow said, a bit exasperated, "because she's thinking about what the rest of the Wonderbolts were doing recently. One of us is suspected to be crying during his sleep, the second-in-command drenched his latest family letter in tears, and I even caught some others welling up before I got here. It's...I don't know what you call it, but it's weird and—"
Pinkie gasped. "Rainbow Dash! How dare you!" She pointed at her again. "They're not weird! Is crying all night because you're afraid you might not come back to your family and friends weird?"
"Well, I understand if it's some lowly ground soldier, especially if he's new. But, we're the Wonderbolts! We're supposed to survive everything!"
"How are you so sure?!" Pinkie said, raising her voice further.
"We've been trained in the most grueling way, we've learned almost every flying technique known to pegasi, and we're just that good!"
"What if the enemy's as good as you?" Pinkie asked.
"Impossible." Rainbow smirked and leaned closer. "They've been back for less than a month. They may have trained all day long since then, but we've been training for years."
Pinkie half-closed her eyes and looked at the food. "Rainbow...they're not bad. That's the bad part. If they end up hurting you and place you inside a clinic or hospital, it's not because you're bad."
"I hope to not make a single mistake," Rainbow replied.
Pinkie sighed. "What if they take out one of your wings?"
Rainbow looked surprised. "Now that's impossible. Only other pegasi can do that!"
"The Crystal ponies have pegasi, Rainbow Dash."
"Oh." Rainbow glanced left and right.
"Your leader is right to be concerned for all of you," Pinkie said. "That's why she's not telling you to attack and attack and attack again all the time." Then, after a gulp of water: "She knows she's responsible for lives, for ponies who have their own friends back at home. Trust me. Everyone, even us Rock Troopers, have a leader who's like her."
Rainbow furrowed her brows. "And?"
Pinkie gave her a loaf. "You're not hurt or worse off at all because you have Spitfire."
Rainbow snapped her mouth open.
"But, if you want some more bread—" and added another loaf to the one on her hoof.



In one of the bedrooms, the rows of bunk beds was what made up most of the room. Boxes and trunks of ponies' things lay at the front of each bed.
The storm howled on; the windows were closed.
Many snored and most of them were sleeping.
The only one who was not sleeping was Pinkie Pie.
At her bed, below Maud's, she scribbled a letter under lantern light on a small table. She stuck out her tongue, saying nothing as the quill streaked across the paper.



Special Delivery finally landed on the ground and wiped the sweat off of his face.
It was a dry gray land. No grass except some weeds scattered about. Rocks were everywhere.
He looked up to the sky—dark blue with a hint of purple. "Half an hour 'till morning. Looks like I'm early."
The pegasus turned back to the house in front of him and the simple mailbox made out of stone.
It was a cottage with a chimney.
He placed an envelope inside, closed it, and flew away.



The sun arrived, lighting up the sky with a welcome warmth and a colorful blue.
The door slammed open, revealing a pony with a gray mane and a coat of desaturated blue. Limestone Pie walked over to the mailbox, yanked the envelope out, and walked back inside while slamming the door shut.
She walked through the hallway of drab colors—gray, brown, and blue. Dull paintings of mountains and rocks adorned the walls while more rocks were on display on varous tables and shelves—smooth and rough stones, minerals, even several crystals.
Then, she turned left and entered the dining room.
At the center was a wooden table where the rest of the family present was: the father, Igneous Rock Pie, of brown coat, sober tie, black hat, and gray sideburns; the mother, Cloudy Quartz, of gray coat, bunned mane, and yellow glasses; and, the youngest sibling, Marble Pie, of gray coat and mane more than long enough to cover one of her eyes at times.
On the table, bowls of rock soup. Thin green liquid with a rock inside.
"What are the events that happen within the realm for today?" Igneous asked. "May I peruse this day's news?"
"I must state that," Cloudy Quartz began, "if it is the daily newspaper, then it has arrived to us at an unusual hour. Are thou knowledgeable of the reason behind this?"
Marble glanced at her parents, then looked at her sister. She nodded. "Mm-hmm."
"It's not the news," Limestone said in a rough voice, raising the piece of paper. "Some letter."
The parents looked at it, Cloudy adjusting her glasses. Marble shuddered and tilted a little away.
"I'll read it." Then, she ripped the envelope open, threw it at the trashcan, and unfolded the letter.
Marble leaned closer to the letter.
Igneous and Cloudy sat still on their chairs, though their gaze was still intently on the paper.
Limestone read the letter:
Dear Mom, Dad, Limestone, and Marble (you baby sis!),
It's been a while since the last letter. That's because we were busy with some things back at the front. I'm sure you've seen the success of our unit even though they just made it up almost two weeks ago or something like that. If it weren't for us, those bad Crystal ponies would've taken over Canterlot by now. Also, they would be a lot closer to you guys.
I'm writing this for no big reason at all. At least, not a unique big reason. Telling you that I and Maud are still OK and fine and good is a big reason. I don't want to leave you guessing about where we were. To let you know, we're just outside Manehattan.
By the time you read this letter, we'll be smashing and smacking Crystal ponies left and right and up and down and other ways as well! Maud's gotten even better at splitting large rocks open and even breaking down defences like walls! (I don't want to say the word 'boulder' because Maud doesn't want Boulder to get hurt. That rock has saved more than a few lives at this point!) I also got better, too, and I don't just mean the 'beating evil ponies up' part. I continue spreading joy and cheer to our comrades with jokes, parties, and even music! Did you know that there was this pony—not even a part of the guard!—who gave me an accordion? Well, I already had an accordion, but having two accordions?! Maud's gonna learn and we'll be the traveling accordion duo when this is all over!
Anyway, I know you guys are still OK and fine because the Crystal Empire hasn't gotten there yet. Just remember that we're doing our best for you and all of Equestria.
Maud would like to say 'Hello' to you, but she's sleeping, silly!
We love you!
From,
Pinkie (and Maud)
P. S.: Limestone, you made sure you got the rocks in order? Your reminder for the week!
Limestone groaned, then muttered, "She knows that I remember."
Igneous nodded and placed his hat down beside his soup. "It brings a great sense of relief to my heart, to know that all of our children are unhurt. Thou deserves thanksgiving and gratitude."
Cloudy nodded, too, and then took a sip of her soup.
Marble made a small smile and chewed on her rock.



Limestone stood in front of the house and behind a table.
She sweltered under the noonday sun. Before her were the vast fields littered with rocks and stones ready to be moved. Beyond that were gray hills holding no grass and nothing else green. Yet, she stood.
A sign written in crude hoofwriting told: "Rocks and crystals! Get them or else!" On the table were rocks and crystals, a good range of them. From pebbles to small boulders, from bits to groups of shiny crystals, from small to large collections of minerals—these were priced accordingly with more signs in front of them.
She groaned again, pouting.
Then, a spot over the hills.
Limestone straightened up, keeping track of that spot as it approached.
She watched it walk on the fields.
"Hey!" Limestone screamed. "You don't do that! You hear?!"
And the figure galloped sideways, out of the field, around the field, and then came into clearer view.
A light brown Earth pony with cherries as his cutie mark.
"What do you want?!" she yelled, banging the table with a hoof.
"Ordering some rocks for my rock collection," Cherry Fizzy said. "I live in Ponyville, but I keep it in Appleloosa."
"And why?" Limestone gave him a suspicious glare.
"Safety reasons. You never know when your house gets destroyed by negligence!"
"Wait, negligence?" She shook and scratched her head in confusion.
"It's a long story," he said, frowning a bit.
Limestone pushed the table closer. "Take your pick but make it quick! I don't have all day!"
He looked up. "But, it's noon—"
A hoof in front of his eyes. "Do you want to get to Appleloosa without a bruise?!"



Outside the train's windows, one could see the dismal landscape change into something somewhat livelier: a dry and hot desert. After swaths of such land, there appeared fields of apple trees flourishing on meager stretches of grass. One apple tree in particular stood on a hill, already filled with apples at its branches.
The train stopped at the station.
Cherry Fizzy huddled outside, hopped over to the rough and sandy ground, and crossed over the railroad. He rubbed his black eye—"Ow!"
Appleloosa was a small frontier settlement. Dispersed about were colorful buildings that differed wildly from the monotonous ground, and some fences were here and there; the houses could be distinguished from the stores by their roofs: the houses had slanted roofs, the stores had flat roofs.
A hat shop was booming with business as could be seen by the long line of ponies past the door. The clock tower, the tallest building in the town, also doubled as the town hall; Sheriff Silverstar, wearing a hat and a mustache and a red bandanna, was shaking hooves with some guards in armor before they parted ways.
He galloped as fast as he could to the sheriff, running past ponies and wagons and carts, kicking up dust clouds and making some cough and shake their hooves at him.
Silverstar noticed the galloping pony. "What do you think you're doing?!"
And he skidded to a stop. He flung a bag at the clock tower—it landed on a bench. "That goes to my collection, sheriff."
"Next time, you better be—" and his eyes went wide. "What happened to you? Who punched you in the face?! Was it the enemy?!"
"I may have annoyed a rock farmer back in Rockville," he said, smiling and revealing a broken tooth.



He plopped down on the chair and breathed a sigh.
"Uh, what happened to your eye?" Mr. Cake asked behind the counter.
"Not much," he said, waving it off. "I'm in your bakery, and that's good enough for me."
"Huh. You're still pushing through with your order, right?"
He nodded.
Then, the door opened.
"You must be Mr. Cake—" and the newcomer turned to Cherry Fizzy at a table. "Hey! I recognize you!"
He stood up. "Professor Top Marks?"
"Aww, you don't have to be formal with me!" Top Marks said as he shook his hoof—a blue unicorn, clothed in a collar, tie, and shirt.
"That means you're still in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?"
"Yes." He smiled as he levitated a photo out of a pocket. "I took this picture only yesterday. It's like I never changed my attire."
"You never did!" Cherry said, poking him.
"Well, don't blame me. At least I had a flexible job that required some mental exercise."
"I was content with pushing the cart every time! I was always at the door and listening to the lectures, remember?"
The two laughed beside each other at the thought.
"Uh, should I make that two cakes?" Mr. Cake asked, a bit worried in his tone; a cheesecake was already on the counter.



"And, here!"
The massive double doors glowed a light blue and opened.
A checkered floor of blue and black, polished and shiny. The windows towered over the two ponies as they walked, giving them a broad view of Canterlot at twilight—a purple sky, stars twinkling in, the moon just above the mountains over there, and the castle as a dim silhouette. A big chalkboard with some chalk and erasers on the side plus some blueprints; stairs at the other end with rows of chairs on each step. A lectern, with a globe on it, was in front of a window.
"Do you remember this?" Top Marks said, watching Cherry Fizzy looking around with an open mouth and eyes that took in everything again.
"Yeah, I remember!" he said. "This is where you did those tests with the dragon egg!"
"You mean where we observed potential students as they tried to do what can't be done," the professor corrected. "You also remember all the times you pushed the dragon egg inside?"
"Is Apple Stars still the one operating the cart?" Fizzy asked.
Top Marks shook his head. "She got bored of doing the same thing over and over again so she quit before her first year was up. It's now technically an open position. Whoever feels like it does the job."
The two returned to admiring the room, beholding it as they walked over precious objects, familiar things.
Top Marks walked up the stairs to the highest and final row of seats. Turning to Fizzy who was still down there at the bottom: "Remember when I was here and you were over there?" The question echoed through the room.
"Certainly!" he replied. Then, after looking up, he asked, "Say, do you know where some of the ponies who passed here went to after I was gone?"
"I think you know what happened to Lyra Heartstrings," he said. "She's in Ponyville, right?"
Fizzy nodded. "What about Moon Dancer?"
"Still lives in Canterlot," he answered. "She's with good friends—all of them her classmates, too. Most of them even live in the same block."
"Anypony else?"
Top Marks rubbed his chin. "Hmm. I couldn't remember all their names. All I know is that they've gone to other places. There were some interesting moments that I do remember quite clearly: a colt who brought some construction tools and tried to crack the dragon egg open that way, and there was this filly who got that burst of magic right after she passed the test—still didn't open the egg, though."
"You mean the Princess's personal student?" he asked with a gasp. "I completely forgot about her! What happened to that filly? I've never seen her ever since I left."
"No one knows," he said. "I checked the records and the archives some months ago. What we do know is that she's not in Canterlot. Perhaps on a secret mission from the Princess that she won't talk about."
"Did you ask her? What did she say?"
The professor shook his head—slower, a bit weighty. "I did, but she refused to give up any information about her whereabouts and what she was doing. Probably researching spells in some secluded place. Princess Celestia and maybe Princess Luna are the only ones who know where she is now—her parents, too."
Fizzy looked down.
"A mystery, yes," Top Marks said as he went down the stairs, now level with him. "But, as long as we don't think about it too much, it'll be fine. Princess Celestia has good reasons for keeping this all a secret."
The professor looked out the window, seeing the sky with even more stars than before and with the moon a little higher.