THE SLEEPOVER
A unicorn ran down a dark path in the Everfree forest breathing heavily as she ran for fear of her life only to trip on a rock and hit the ground with a short skid, looked up behind her and gasped in horror. “No, Please! I didn't do anything!” The unicorn exclaimed as she frantically scrambled back to all four hooves and continued running.
The unicorn continued running for her life as tree limbs slapped against her face, bush thorns scraped her, and mud caked onto her hooves from the moist ground she now ran upon until she came to a dead in with no way out, turned around with a horrified gasp and stared at what was chasing her.
“W-W-Why? Why are you doing this?! I have done nothing to you!” The unicorn exclaimed fearfully as the unknown figure stepped forward and in the next moment the unicorn felt herself being lifted up in the air but some unknown force.
“No! Don't! Please!” The unicorn pleaded only to have her pleas fall on deaf ears as she felt all four legs being spread out so that her underside was completely exposed now as her hooves now seemed to be clasped onto some unseen object.
Sorry, it's nothing personal I assure you, but we need your magic.
“Wha-What?! My magic?” The unicorn asked fearfully only for the object she was mysteriously restrained on to now appear as if it had phased into existence. The unicorn looked frantically about herself at what seemed to be a huge golden cross.
The cross began to glow brightly with a red aura...
AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
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“So how do these cars work again?” Pinkie Pie asked curiously as Ericka and her sat in her bedroom only for the dark blue Pegasus to not respond. “Equestria to Ericka!” The pink mare exclaimed with a smirk which snapped her out of her daze.
“Oh, sorry. I zoned out for a moment there.” Ericka apologized with a sheepish giggle. “I'm not a mechanic, but I can tell you that they run on a chemical in our world known as gasoline.” Ericka replied only to earn yet another confused expression from the earth pony.
“What's Gaz-zel-leen?” Pinkie Pie asked with a confused expression as she failed to sound out the word Ericka had just said.
“What am I? A scientist?” Ericka deadpanned and sighed. “Lets just move onto something else. Any other questions?” Ericka asked curiously.
The frizzy maned mare thought for a few moments, tapping a hoof on her chin as she tried to think of a decent question until her eyes lit up. “Oh! Here's one! Do you have ponies like us in your world?” Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
Well that was a loaded question. Of course she did, but how to answer was the problem. In her world, Ponies couldn't talk, and were mostly pets to humans. She didn't want to offend the mare, but she didn't want to lie either. “That's a hard question to answer Pinkie.” Ericka replied finally after a few more moments of silence.
“What's so hard about it?” The pink mare inquired curiously.
“Well, I guess the simple answer is yes, but they aren't like you. We also don't have Pegasus' or unicorns in our world either.” Ericka replied choosing her words carefully as she spoke.
“What are they like then? What do they say? What do they do?” The hyperactive mare shot all three questions out one after the other as if they were all prepared in her mind but Ericka knew they weren't.
Ericka opened her mouth to speak, exhaled and closed it, took a breath and opened it again, exhaled and closed it, took yet another breath as she opened her mouth, and this time sighed. “Pinkie, do you really want to know? Because what I can tell you about the ponies in my world might offend and even scare you.” Ericka said after a few moments with a serious look in her eyes as she spoke now.
“Wow, you're really worried you're going to upset me huh?” Pinkie Pie asked with a warm smile to which Ericka nodded. “Go ahead and tell me, I asked so I can take whatever you throw at me!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a smirk.
“Okay...” Ericka replied, took a deep breath, began to explain about the horses from her world, told her how they could not speak, how they were mostly pets to humans, and how they were sometimes used for sport for the amusement of other humans. By the time Ericka was finished explaining everything, she had already regretted doing so as the pink mare's normally puffy mane had seemingly deflated on the spot.
“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you.” Ericka remarked in a soft tone as she placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder.
“No,No...It's okay. I asked after all. It's just that I never really thought about what ponies would be like in any other world than mine. It's really sad. Do all humans in your world think of ponies as nothing more than animals?” Pinkie Pie asked curiosuly.
“Well, no. There are actually many animal rights activist groups and many humans in our world who treat ponies like member of the family. So not every human thinks of them as dumb animals.” Ericka replied hoping this would cheer the mare up.
“Did you think of ponies as nothing more than dumb animals before you met me and the others?” Pinkie Pie asked as she looked at Ericka now whom bit her lip.
To be honest, before she became a pony, learned what she has so far about this world, she was no different from the rest of those humans. “No Pinkie, of course not.” Ericka lied and felt a ping of guilt in her chest as she spoke now. “A little white lie, that's all it is. I can't tell her the truth, it would crush her.” Ericka thought to herself guiltily.
As suddenly as her mane had deflated, it poofed back into it's frizzy state upon hearing these words. “Oh that's great to hear! I knew you weren't like all those other silly humans!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she hugged the dark blue Pegasus who bit her lip even harder now the guilt swelling inside her.
“Okie-doki-loki! You told me stuff about your world, now I’ll tell you about mine! Ask away!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a wide smile now.
“Well the first question I have to ask is, Did you fight against Nightmare moon? I was reading a book in Twilight's library a few days ago and came a crossed a book which told me six mares freed her from the darkness in her heart. And well, Princess Celestia told me that you, Twilight, and the others have saved Equestria more than once. So I had to ask.” Ericka asked curiously.
“Yep!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly.
“With the elements of harmony?” Ericka asked curiously.
“Uh-huh, see I'm the element of laughter, Rainbow Dash is the element of loyalty, Applejack is the element of honesty, Rarity is the element of generosity, Fluttershy is the element of kindness, and Twilight is the element of magic!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a wide smile as she began to hop around the room.
“Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, and Magic? Those are the elements of harmony?” Ericka asked incredulously. Something that simple allows them to power what that book referred to as the most powerful magic in their world? It was almost unbelievable. Then again, just about everything in this world is unbelievable by her world's standards.
“Yep. It's the magic of friendship that allows us to use their power to defeat the meanie pants bad guys!” Pinkie Pie replied as she stopped hopping around the room, dove into her sleeping bag, and somehow managed to turn around so that her head popped out where her tail had been moments before.
“The magic of friendship? Well, I guess that makes sense. After all, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, and Kindness do represent what friendship should be, and I suppose Twilight's element is the one that binds the other five together to form this magic of friendship that powers the elements power right?” Ericka asked curiously.
“Now your getting it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a wide smile.
“Okay, so next question. Who was Nightmare Moon before she became that mare of darkness that the book spoke of?” Ericka asked curiously.
“Princess Luna, she's Princess Celestia's younger sister.” Pinkie Pie replied to which Ericka nodded having her theory now confirmed.
“You might get to meet though! Nightmare Night is coming up soon! And Princess Luna always likes to make an appearance on Nightmare Night!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with wide smile.
“Nightmare Night?” Ericka asked curiously. It was obvious to her that this was some sort of holiday they celebrated but what she wasn't sure of.
“Oh, it's when we all dress up on costumes and go ask for candy from other ponies! It's mostly fillies and colts though, the adults usually just have fun playing games in town square.” The pink mare replied with a wide smirk.
“So in other words, it's the equivalent to my world's Halloween. Heh, you know Pinkie, our world's may not be so different after all.” Ericka replied with a smile.
“Maybe not, well except for the cars, trucks, planes, computers, sports, ho-mmph,mmph!” The hyperactive mare began to say however Ericka by now knew when to cut the mare off when she started to go on these rambles and shoved her hoof in the frizzy maned mare's mouth to quiet her. “I get it Pinkie.” Ericka remarked aloud with a sigh.
“How about we get some sleep? It's pretty late and Rainbow Dash wanted to help me get the basics of flying down tomorrow.” Ericka said after a few moments.
“Okie-doki-loki! Nighty-night Ericka!” Pinkie Pie replied, laid down and seemed to have fallen instantly to sleep.
The dark blue Pegasus just stared at her for a few moments in shock of how she could fall to sleep so quickly until she gave a light laugh. “Hehe, Nighty-night you hyperactive mare.” Ericka remarked aloud with a smile, laid her own head down, and went to sleep.