//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Lapis comes to town // by Dudofall //------------------------------// "Maybe she left the caves," Maude suggested. Twilight nodded slowly. "She might have gone back to the Ponyville Crater. Speak Softly, why don't you and your guards set up camp near the train station? If Lapis got lost she would want to take the train back to Yakyakistan." The guard sighed heavily. "Alright, you heard the princess, let's go." With that, he left with Head and Foot. Twilight cast a spell. Maude looked at the floor. "Well she's definitely not behind that waterfall," the princess softly stated. "What?" Maude asked. The alicorn walked over to the cell. "It's okay Lapis, you can come out now," she called. The geologist raised an eyebrow as the waterfall turned into two hands, which bent open the bars of the cage. "Why is there a-" Twilight started to ask. "Don't question it, it's Maude Pie." "Fair enough," she shrugged. Lapis stepped past the bent bars. "You could have told me to hide in there. I would have understood." Maude glanced around lethargically. "It was force of habit after what happened with Pinkie Pie." She covered her mouth. "Pinkie Pie?" Lapis asked. "Pinkie Pie!" Twilight exclaimed. With a squeak and a rain of confetti, said pony shot out through the waterfall with two balloons in her hooves and one tied around her middle. "Yes, yes, it is I, your beloved Pinkie Pie!" she grinned. "It's been a while since I was summoned by somepony saying my name three times!" "Pinkie! You're okay!" Twilight exclaimed, rushing over to give her a hug. "Of course I'm okay! Maude and I hid from the gems down here after I pretended to drink her sleeping poison and fall asleep!" "Hey, Twilight?" Lapis said. "Not now Lapis. Sleeping poison?" Twilight gave Pinkie a questioning look. "Yeah, after she sold out all our friends in Ponyville we came down here and she offered me some tea but you know how little I like tea that isn't drugged, so I just pretended like I do with Celestia." "Twilight, this is important," Lapis urged. "What could be more important than learning that Maude is working with the enemy?!" Twilight screeched. "She walked away," Lapis told her. "After her!" the alicorn yelped. They rushed out of Maude's home. The cave outside had walls of dark gray stone with a matte texture, and the light of Twilight's horn reflected off them in tiny twinkles. Lapis sped ahead of the ponies. Twilight sped up to run parallel with Lapis. Pinkie, despite bouncing no faster than usual, led the way. They swept past the stone and into the autumn night. "Where is she?" Lapis asked. "I don't know," Twilight panted, "she's harder to track down than a unique alien like you." "If only we had some other way of sensing things," Pinkie chimed in. Twilight's eyes widened. "Pinkie!" "What? Oh yeah!" "You can sense Maude?" Lapis questioned, "How?" "It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it," Twilight rattled off by rote. "The thing is, Pinkie Sense doesn't usually tell me where somepony is," Pinkie said, "unless they're about to open a door or drop something or get to a surprise party early." Lapis sighed, "That's-" "It!" she interrupted. "We'll just plan a surprise party for Maude! That way, she won't be sad when she gets arrested!" The gem stared. "Why would she come to a party? She knows we know she's working for the other gems." "Maude never misses one of my parties," Pinkie promised. She didn't make a Pinkie Promise, you understand. Just a regular promise. "But-" Twilight held up a hoof. "If Pinkie says she'll be there, she'll be there. I'll go tell Speak Softly about the plan. Lapis, why don't you help plan the party?" She sighed. "Fine." "Hooray!" Pinkie said exuberantly, "I can't wait to throw the best 'Sorry You're Getting Arrested' party ever!" "What could possibly go wrong?" Lapis asked. She was being rhetorical, so neither pony answered, resulting in something of an awkward silence as they waited for the chapter to end.