The following morning found the three Pie sisters sitting around the breakfast table. The second youngest of the three, a purple-grey mare with a short and straight grey mane and tail, with scroll on top of a pile of gems for a cutie mark, who was named Dust, was dividing a large stack of pancakes between the three of them.
"So Pinkamena are you ok with how things have been since I saw you last?" Diamond asked and placed a hoof over her sister's in concern.
"Oui Pinkie has made considerable progress with her friends, despite how much trouble she was having trying to stay consistent with her behaviour during the Canterlot wedding" Pinkamena explained.
Dust looked at the pink mare in a mix of worry and confusion in the midst of fixing up her own pile of pancakes.
"You know that's not what she meant right?"
"I know soure...I know" Pinkamena replied with a sigh.
you're doing it again... Pinkie warned with a hint of worry in her thoughts.
It was then that the conversation and Pinkamena's depressing mood changed with the sudden occurence of the pinkie sense.
Twitcha-twitch.
The pink mare's tail jerked slightly and surprised the three sisters with the unprecidented movement.
"If another dragon lands on the barn again I'm personally gonna ask Princess Celestia to send us some pegasi guards or something.." Dust grumbled.
The three sisters walked towards the front door and ever-so-carefully opened and poked their heads out Just a blur of grey and yellow fell from the sky and landed in front of them.
Pinkamena gave a sigh a relief and helped the crashed pony, a grey pegasus with a sandy blonde mane and tail with bubbles for a cutie mark, to her hooves.
"Derpy..." Pinkamena sighed. "You forgot about the safe zone again didn't you?".
"Sorry guys a few of other post ponies* are off duty with a cold so I have to pick up their slack and that means covering ponyville, Canterlot, here and Las Pegasus as well as Cloudsdale and Trotting Ham today" the famous wall eyed mail mare, Derpy replied.
"Well stay safe, Celestia knows you're the best at what you do" Pinkamena replied as Derpy handed her the day's mail.
"That's only because the other lay abouts don't have cloud portals as a talent" The grey pegasus scoffed and took off after a hasty goodbye.
Pinkamena sorted through the days mail as she walked back into the kitchen*
"Bill, bill, ad, another ad...a message from Canterlot?"
Surprised at the unexpected letter, the pink mare sat down at the table and read through its contents.
"Uh-oh"
"Uh-oh what?" Diamond asked.
"A number of creatures have escaped from Tartarus, and since our farm is the closest settlement to pony hell, we've been asked to keep an eye out" Pinkamena replied.
"What kind of creatures?" Dust asked nervously.
"A family of harpies, a wyvern named Carbros, a couple of hydras, a roc and a gorgon"
"Uh a rock?" Dust asked.
"No, a Roc, a giant carnivourous crow from Zebrica**" Pinkamnea explained. "A bird so large it could carry a fully grown bull elephant in each talon".
"And it escaped!?" Diamond exclaimed.
"I'm sure the princesses can handle it" Dust said.
"I don't doubt the power of the princesses," Pinkamena began. "But we should be on the lookout, with our parent's out at the quarry selling the first batch of stone for the season, we need to make sure this place is safe, a lot of ponies rely on us".
"Um sis? I don't think we can stand up to pony-eating birds, a poisonous reptile, and a giant crow" Dust said nervously.
"I know, you two can't, Pinkie and I however can" the serious mare replied.
"There's no stopping you, is there?" Diamond stated flatly.
"Non"
"I thought as much..."
--------------------------------
Pinkamena cantered across the western field, scanning the skies, in an effort to seek any of the airborne creatures that had escaped Tartarus. A strange screech filled the air as her tail twitched and the pink mare rolled to the side to avoid the sharp talons that would've embedded themselves in her flank if she hadn't done so***.
She whirled around to see a creature twice the size of a pony with the body of a vulture, the neck and head of a blue coated, black maned stallion and the teeth of a dragon circling her in an effort to get a second shot at attcking her.
"A harpy huh?" Pinkamena muttered. "And a male one at that, so his mate should be..."
Another demonic screech pierced the silence of the rock as another harpy, this one with the neck and head of a grey furred, dark grey maned mare, also sporting the teeth of a dragon. the pair of bird-like monsters began to circle Pinkamena, slowly closing in on her.
The male had the courage to make the next swoop.
TO BE CONTINUED!