//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - The Calm After the Storm // Story: Pinkie The Match-Maker // by Ficta_Scriptor //------------------------------// Chapter 7 – The Calm After the Storm Three days later “Applebloom! Ah won’t say it again!” “Ah’m comin’, Ah’m comin’,” the filly groaned, trotting down the stairs. “It’s not like Ah want to miss dinner.” Applejack sighed. “Well, sorry little sis. Ah’ve just been a mite stressed is all.” The farm pony trotted from chair to chair, placing down a steaming apple pie in front of each one. Granny Smith was already sat at the table, (which was only because she’d fallen asleep while reading the newspaper) and Applebloom had just jumped up to her seat. That only left one more… “Applebloom, have you seen your brother?” “Sure haven’t,” the young filly answered, already delving into her meal. “Unless you count seein’ him mope off up the fields this mornin’. What is up with him, anyway? Ah knew he might be nervous ‘cause of his upcomin’ duties, but what gives?” “Ah’m not entirely sure,” Applejack replied. In fairness, it wasn’t a complete lie. The Element of Honesty was too good for that. Big Mac had been awfully quiet ever since the night of the party, and every attempt at an inquiry was met with either stone cold silence or some casual comment about ‘being fine’. She could assume that things didn’t go quite so well with Pinkie Pie, but that only answered half of the question. Just what happened on that night? She could try visiting Pinkie herself, but that wasn’t something she was willing to do right now. All things considered, she was actually relieved that the two of them hadn’t gotten together. To think that her friend would… No. It was too weird to even imagine. Still, Applejack couldn’t help but be worried. She’d never seen her brother like this. Even when their parents died, her brother had at least talked to her about his pain. Why wasn’t he doing the same thing now? What would it take to lift his spirits back up? Surely a friendly pat on the back and “better luck next time,” would solve the problem? It didn’t seem that way, though. And if she was honest, (which she almost always was) she didn’t know if she wanted to hear about his problems. Heck, he had more important things to be thinking about, like... There was a knock at the door. “Well it’s about time,” Applejack called as she left the dining room, leaving her sister and grandmother to scoff their dinner. “Ah don’t so much appreciate you runnin’ off all the time. It’s hardly nice for us if we don’t know where in the hay you are.” Applejack unbolted the front door and opened it. “Now come on in. Your dinner is… Oh my…” “Is Big Mac home?” the other mare asked nervously. “I… I was hoping I could speak with him.” Two days earlier The first thing she noticed that morning was the pain. Fierce, throbbing pain across her forehead. Fluttering her eyelids open and feeling the oppressive burn of sunlight, Twilight recoiled, holding both fore-hooves to her temple. “My head...” she groaned, trying to force the pain into submission by burying herself into her pillow. “I know. I feel like I’ve been run over by a chariot.” “Yeah, I know what you mean. Wait, what!?” Twilight sprung up, startled by the familiar voice. It was then that she saw who was lying next to her. “Octavia!?” “Twilight!? How did I…? Oh, gooseberries,” the hung-over cellist responded with, mirroring Twilight’s actions and clasping a hoof around her forehead. After a few moments, she locked eyes with the unicorn once again. “Where am I? Is this… Am I in your bed?” she asked, her cheeks glowing. “Does that mean…? Did we…?” Twilight rested back onto the pillow. “I honestly don’t know. The last thing I remember is being at the party and having a round of shots, and then talking to you. Everything after that is just a blur. How about you?” Octavia exhaled deeply, making some kind of effort to rack her brains but wincing with each attempt at thought. “Pretty much the same. I remember having a few drinks with you, but after that it’s all fuzzy.” She sighed disappointedly. “I think I kissed you, but… I can’t really recall whether it was real or just a dream. I… I hope it was real.” Twilight smiled sheepishly and gave the mare a brief peck on the lips. “Did that feel like a dream?” Octavia blushed, bringing a hoof to her mouth and brushing over where Twilight had just kissed her. “I… I’m not sure. Maybe we should try again?” Without another word, the pair entered one another’s warm embrace, indulging in an uninhibited, wholly passionate smooch. Their bodies entwined and their tongues wrapped around each other’s, Twilight could feel Octavia’s heartbeat against her own chest. She knew then that whatever had happened the previous night, the two of them were now far beyond the reaches of ‘just friends.’ “I think we can establish that that was totally real,” Octavia whispered as she pulled back, unable to resist the temptation to lock lips once again and run a hoof through the unicorn’s luscious mane. “I can’t believe we’re actually together. Before I went to the party I was so nervous. I practiced lines to myself in front of the mirror and everything.” “Well it worked,” Twilight replied with a chuckle. “And if I’m completely honest, I was so close to bringing a bunch of roses along, but about five minutes before leaving I freaked and threw them away.” “That’s… a shame,” Octavia said, looking downhearted. “I’ve never been given a bunch of flowers before, and it’s such a sweet gesture. Were they red roses?” “The reddest of the red,” Twilight declared proudly. “They’re probably not in the greatest condition anymore, being at the bottom of a waste bin. I’ll have to surprise you with some fresh ones once I get the chance. At least now I won’t have anything to hide when I go to Roseluck’s place again.” “So I guess we’re officially together then, right?” Octavia asked despite knowing the answer. “Of course we are,” Twilight replied cheekily, shuffling a few inches closer. “Well my luck definitely seems to have taken a rather welcome turn. I just hope that… that we—” “That we what?” “I hope we didn’t… you know. Do anything beyond kissing,” Octavia said nervously, her face glowing red. “I wouldn’t have wanted my first time — especially with such an amazing pony like you — to slip by as a forgotten memory.” “I… guess you’re right,” Twilight agreed glumly, not having thought of it until that point. “I wouldn’t want that either. But… if neither of us know, and neither of us could possibly remember, can we really consider it to have happened?” The earth pony mare mulled this over, a small smile creeping across her face. “Perhaps not,” she noted cheerfully. “So, for all intents and purposes, it never happened?” “Right! Though talking about it when we’re both huddled up together like this is a little weird,” the unicorn chuckled. “Well I’m afraid that we’re both in a position to use the old ‘headache’ excuse at this moment in time.” “No kidding. We’re hardly in the best of conditions. Not to mention the fact that Spike would—” Twilight sat bolt upright, a sudden wave of fear washing over her. “Spike would… oh buck.” “What? What is it?” Twilight leapt out of bed, taking one glance towards the other end of the room and another towards an antique clock. “Oh buck,” she repeated, this time with a more worried expression. “Would you please tell me what’s going on?” Octavia asked, rubbing her eyes and clambering to her hooves. “This is bad. Then again, maybe it’s not so bad. Spike’s a pretty heavy sleeper, so maybe he just slept through everything. Yeah, that’s right! Everything’s fine!” Twilight exclaimed, a nervous grin on her face. “OK, now you’re scaring me.” “Nothing to be afraid of! Nothing at all!” Twilight replied unconvincingly, making her way towards the staircase. “Would you care for some tea? Light refreshments?” “Well, I guess we could both use a little pick-me-up,” Octavia said with a nod, trying to ignore her filly-friend’s apparent hysteria. “I don’t suppose you have any Earl Hay tea?” “Sure! Of course! Nothing but the finest!” Twilight trotted cautiously down the stairs, looking to every corner of the library. There didn’t seem to be anypony else around, so she sighed with relief and walked over to the kitchen. She opened up one of the cupboards, grabbed two ceramic mugs and closed the cupboard door shut. Just as she did so, a figure appeared as if from nowhere on the worktop. “Sleep well?” Spike snarled. “Spike!?” Twilight shrieked in surprise, losing her telekinetic grip on the mugs and letting them drop to the floor with a smash. “Twilight? What happened?” Octavia asked as she turned the corner. “Did you drop something? Oh—” “Well, well, well,” Spike continued, hopping to the floor and shooting a menacing glare at the two mares. “If it isn’t Twilight’s new friend.” Twilight was blushing uncontrollably, finding it difficult to even keep eye contact with her faithful assistant. “Spike, there you are! I, um… was just wondering where you were, and here you are! All safe and sound!” “Me? I’ve been better,” the young dragon shot back, plumes of hot steam escaping his nostrils. “Had a little trouble sleeping last night, you see. There were these two ponies who kept making noises throughout the night.” Both mares were now dumbstruck under Spike’s gaze, their cheeks glowing red. Twilight gulped nervously, wanting nothing more than to just get away. Under normal circumstances she could have activated some kind of teleportation spell and bolted from the library, but under such immense pressure she could barely even think straight, let alone cast that kind of magic. “Spike… we’re sor—” “For over an hour, all I heard was high-pitched moaning.” At that word, the jaws of the two mares dropped, rendering them completely speechless. “How’s a dragon supposed to sleep when all he can hear is moaning?” Spike continued, taking a step towards them. “I don’t know of any way. Do you? I mean, it’s bad enough to hear you two crash through the door and come bumbling up the stairs, but the moaning…” Spike shook his head angrily. “I don’t want to hear that, do I?” “I’m… sorry,” Octavia whispered, trying her best to give a friendly smile. “Oh, I’m sure you are,” he snapped back, turning his attention to Twilight. The usually calm unicorn looked as if she was going to melt into the floorboards. “As for you,” he growled, pointing a lone claw towards her face. “When I heard you saying my name over and over...” Twilight’s jaw somehow dropped even further, sweat pouring from her forehead. She wanted nothing more than to just disappear out of existence. Nothing could possibly rectify the intense shame and embarrassment that she felt in that moment. I will never live this down, she thought. I’ll have to change my name to Sunset Shimmer and move to Manehattan, never to be heard from again. Goodbye, Ponyville. Goodbye, friends. “It hurt my feelings, you know?” Spike finally said, now looking more upset than furious. “I don’t go moaning to everypony about your mistakes, so to hear you moaning about all the things that I get wrong was just painful! I’m your number one assistant, and that’s how you repay me!?” Twilight blinked, taking a moment to register what Spike had just said. “S-so… when you said we were moaning you meant—” “—that we were complaining about things,” Octavia finished. “What else would I mean!?” Spike fumed. “Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. I was just talking about you saying all kinds of bad things about me to your new sleepover buddy! Take them back right now!” “Sure!” Twilight replied cheerily, winking to Octavia. “It was wrong of me to say things about you behind your back, and even though I was drunk I had absolutely no excuse. You have my sincerest apologies, oh greatest assistant of mine.” Twilight bowed gracefully to the young dragon. “Laying it on a little thick, but I guess it’s better than nothing,” Spike huffed, strutting past with an air of defiance. “And I think I deserve a little nap time for once. You can dust your own shelves.” “Absolutely. You deserve a nice rest after we kept you up so late,” Twilight called back, barely able to keep a straight face. The two mares watched as Spike paced up the stairs. Once he was out of sight, their eyes met each other’s once more. “Moaning,” Octavia whispered, and the pair fell about in fits of laughter. “Darn it!” Rainbow Dash cussed under her breath after another failed attempt at building up speed. So much for fresh air and the wind in your wings curing a hangover, she thought as she soared above the village. Why did I even get so drunk? What happened last night? I remember chatting with Big Mac on the way to the party. I was surprised to see him there. Then Twilight started hooking up with that musical snob. And I’m the one who gets ripped on for being a lesbian! Then there was something about dings, dongs and the prince being dead, but what else? It was no use. Every attempt to remember anything else just made Rainbow Dash’s head hurt. As if trying to zoom through the skies wasn’t accomplishing that by itself. Normally, she’d just try and sleep off her hangover, but the last time she did that she ended up sleeping through the entire day and spending the night wide awake, bored out of her brains. Flying aimlessly was doing an excellent job of keeping her awake, but without the energy to do any kind of awesome tricks, it wasn’t much fun either. She sighed, finding herself looking down over Ponyville. Pony watching was a kind of secret hobby of Rainbow Dash’s, and she couldn’t help but silently judge others as they went about their day. It wasn’t perverted… at least, most of the time it wasn’t. Spotting Fluttershy’s cottage, the cyan pegasus considered dropping by. At least she’d be able to find out what horribly embarrassing things she’d done while under the influence, and since Fluttershy could barely even finish a single glass of wine she’d at least be getting her information from a sober source. That, and Fluttershy was the last pony who would lash out at her for whatever stupid stuff she might have done. Though the bruise from Rarity’s hoof had long since healed, the phantom pain remained. Hopefully, her yellow friend might still have a batch of that herbal tea. It wasn’t something that Rainbow Dash found particularly appetising, but it just might be the quick fix that she needed to beat back the headaches. For a moment, she thought she could remember something about Fluttershy from the previous night, but her memory was hazy. It wouldn’t matter, though. She could find out right now. Rainbow Dash landed just shy of the doorstep, taking a moment to comb back her mane. She knocked lightly on the door and stood back, trying not to look as dishevelled as she felt. No response. She tried again, this time calling through the keyhole. “Hey, Fluttershy. It’s me, your pal Rainbow Dash!” Still no response. Well, great. The impatient pegasus was almost about to fly away in annoyance when a terrible thought crossed her mind. Fluttershy always answers her door… What if she didn’t make it home last night!? What if she was attacked!? “Fluttershy! Are you in there!?” she hollered worriedly, banging loudly once more. She placed her ear to the door but couldn’t make out any voices or hoof-steps. “Right, that does it!” Rainbow Dash darted backwards, lining up a straight path to the door. Pumping her wing muscles, she barrelled forward, ready to bust her way into the cottage. However, just a moment after setting off the door began to creak open. Taken by surprise, the pegasus mare tried to slow herself down, screeching her hooves across the ground. Unable to keep herself upright, she tumbled her way across the path, eventually planting herself on Fluttershy’s doorstep chin first. “Son of a gelding!” she screamed. Thanks to her little stunt, her headache was now even worse than it already had been. “Fluttershy, can you…” Strangely, it wasn’t Fluttershy who stood in the doorway. Angel the bunny peered out, looking even more displeased than normal. He paused, taking a moment to look Rainbow Dash over. “Hey Angel, can you ask Flut—” The disgruntled rabbit shook his head solemnly and slammed the door in Dash’s face. She got to her hooves, sighing deeply. “Wow. I must’ve done something really bad if even Fluttershy won’t speak to me,” she said aloud, some part of her hoping that her friend would hear her plea and grant some sympathy. It didn’t work, however, and Rainbow Dash simply flew away, already making plans for apologies to whatever she may have done. “I’m never drinking again,” she muttered for the third time that month. “Not much of a sweet-talker then, are you?” Octavia taunted, taking a sip of tea. The pair were slumped down on Twilight’s kitchen floor, leant against some cupboards. “Getting a mare into bed just so you can talk about your dragon-sitting problems.” “Don’t,” Twilight pleaded, covering her face with shame. “Somehow I think I’d have preferred it if we’d bucked each other’s brains out. At least that wouldn’t have been as embarrassing.” Octavia frowned. “That’s… a rather crude way of putting it, but I see your point.” “I wonder what my friends will think of this,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I can’t help but imagine Rarity yelling ‘eww!’ at the sight of two mares kissing. Rainbow Dash would probably be the first to crack jokes, and Applejack’s kind of old-fashioned in that regard. Heaven knows what Spike is gonna think once I tell him the truth.” “It’ll be difficult for the both of us, but if our friends are truly our friends they would support us no matter what we do.” Octavia wrapped a foreleg around Twilight’s left hoof. “After spending so many years trying to convince myself that I was straight, and now sitting here with you…” The earth pony rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder. “I could get used to this.” “You’re not wrong there,” Twilight grinned bashfully. “But I’d rather not risk falling into temptation, especially not right here on the kitchen floor. I’ve not even talked to Spike about the birds and the bees, so I don’t think he’s ready for a first-hoof showing of the birds and the… um, birds.” “Then perhaps we should go for a little stroll,” Octavia suggested, perking up. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. We could grab a bite to eat at Sugarcube Corner. They do the most amazing blueberry muffins, and it’d be nice to see Pinkie Pie again. We do kind of owe it to her that we even hooked up in the first place.” “That sounds positively wonderful,” Octavia replied, the two smitten mares trotting gleefully out into the streets of Ponyville. Vinyl Scratch stretched out her limbs and yawned. She slipped her signature sunglasses on and looked over at the clock by her bedside. “Half twelve?” she said aloud. I guess it’ll do me good to have an early start once in a while. Up an’ at ‘em! The pearly white unicorn dragged herself out of bed, shaking her unkempt mane back to its usual frazzled self. She was perkier than normal after a night’s partying, though it hadn’t exactly been the most usual of experiences. Plodding into the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of apple juice and grabbed a cress sandwich from the sideboard. Something’s missing, she thought as she walked back through the house, accompanied by nothing but silence. Or maybe someone… Without knocking, she waltzed into Octavia’s room to find it completely empty. “Tavia!” she called. “You here?” Taking another look around the house yielded no sign of the musical mare. In fact, everything looked as it had been since Vinyl had left for the party. Well I’ll be a walking trough, she mused, smiling to herself. That posh little prude sure doesn’t hang about. Tavia and Twilight? Spelunking already? Buck me, it feels weird just thinking that, but I’d better get used to it. Can’t say I’m not proud of her, though. Vinyl took a minute to look back on the night just passed. It had been fun for the most part, and seeing her best friend find what seemed to be the perfect filly-friend was just amazing. She could almost feel herself begin to tear up again just by thinking about it. But then her daydream carried her forward, towards the end of the night. The party had been cut short… “Poor Fluttershy,” she muttered, shaking her head solemnly. It didn’t matter if she didn’t know the mare personally; seeing that angelic beauty fall into the depths of despair was almost heart-breaking. After both Pinkie and Big Mac had left, Fluttershy was all on her lonesome, curled up into a ball with tears streaming down her cheeks. Vinyl had rushed to comfort her, and the distraught pegasus latched onto her, bawling loudly into her shoulder. “It’s OK,” the DJ had whispered. “It’s alright.” But it wasn’t alright and she knew it. She knew all too well just how much damage heartbreak could do to a pony. The party ended shortly after, Vinyl shutting off the music and tending to the poor mare. Everypony else stumbled out of Sugarcube Corner, Twilight and Octavia having to use each other for balance to even make it out the door. She was left stroking through the mane of this innocent pony, wishing that she could make everything better. But she couldn’t. In the end, Fluttershy walked home, refusing to accept any more assistance. Despite waiting for another half an hour, Pinkie never showed up, so Vinyl had been forced to simply close the door behind her and walk home. Not the greatest end to a party by any means. “It’s all bucked up,” she muttered, relaxing into a leather chair. “Twilight, I can see it in your eyes. Stop trying to pretend.” “I’m not buying you roses today,” the unicorn affirmed. “It won’t be special if I don’t make it a surprise.” The pair cantered on past the florists and towards the village centre. In truth, they were both struggling with anxiety as they walked side by side. For Twilight, the prospect of being the first of her friends to find a partner (not counting Rarity’s ‘encounters’) was a little daunting, and she considered just how much her life could change. For Octavia, the simple idea of being ‘together’ with another pony – and a beautiful mare like Twilight, no less – both excited and terrified her. As much as she just wanted to run her hooves over the unicorn’s soft fur and hold her close all day and night, she knew that they could have something more, something deeper than just affection. But when would that time come? Baby steps, baby steps, she told herself. As they reached Sugarcube Corner, Twilight opened up the door with her magic and gestured with one hoof. “After you, pudding.” Octavia blushed as she walked into the bakery. “Um… Pudding? ” Twilight slapped a hoof over her face. “What was I thinking!?” she exclaimed, pottering on alongside her new filly-friend. “Sorry. I was trying to think of cute little pet names, and… It sounded a lot better in my head than it did out loud, really. I’ll… I’ll stick to calling you Octavia from now on.” “That’s alright,” the flustered earth pony replied with a chuckle. “I can be your pudding if you really want me to.” Twilight’s face turned a stark beetroot as she joined the queue of customers. No, don’t you dare do that, brain, Twilight scolded in thought. The queue lurched forward, taking them closer to the main desk. Stop thinking of all the connotations, and definitely stop thinking all those lewd thoughts. Only one more pony in front. Almost time to be served. Octavia deserves to be respected, and you should treat her as such. Front of the queue. Just relax, and don’t say anything stupid. “Hello!” Mrs Cake beamed. “What can I get for you today?” “Hello, I’d like a fish pudding…” Oh, why oh why oh why!? “Twilight? It… it’s alright. It’s kind of funny when you think about it.” The purple unicorn slumped her head to the table. Ha ha ha. My sides. Oh how they’re splitting. Oh, what in the name of Equestria is wrong with me? “Twilight? Would you please just say something?” Octavia asked, taking a small bite from her blueberry muffin. She’d been half-tempted to ask for a ring doughnut, but that joke probably wouldn’t have gone down very well. “If you could just dig a hole somewhere and bury me that would be great.” Octavia snickered and leant over to the other mare, brushing back her mane. “I have to be honest; you’re ever so cute when you’re embarrassed.” “I’m glad you find it funny,” Twilight said sarcastically, but quickly changed her tone as she noticed Octavia’s pained expression. “Sorry! Sorry… Gosh, I really am bad at this, aren’t I? I just wanted everything to be perfect but now… Hang on, wait a second, what’s that behind you!?” Octavia quickly turned, but couldn’t see anything out of place. “What? What is it? I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking at. Twilight, whatever d—” “Surprise!” Twilight exclaimed, looking as cheerful as ever. Octavia was stunned. Led on the table was a bouquet of five, thin, red roses wrapped in a pink bow. A small note read: ‘For you, pudding!’ “How did you…?” The earth pony took the flowers in her hooves, feeling her heart throb with emotion. Not even the stares from various customers (and Mrs Cake) could ruin the moment. She took a deep breath and cradled the bouquet against her face. “They’re so beautiful. But… where did they come from?” Twilight tenderly placed a hoof on her lover’s foreleg, beaming from ear to ear. “I’ve been preparing them secretly this whole time. Any time I was using my horn to open doors or lift objects I was doing a little something to get them ready. While I didn’t technically buy them from Roseluck per se, I did leave a stack of bits on her desk. Getting the roses together was easy. The hard part was writing the note without you noticing and teleporting them into the room.” “You can do that!?” Octavia gasped in surprise. “I knew you were good with magic, but… My goodness, you’re simply wonderful.” Twilight smirked. “I know you are, but what am I?” The once awkward atmosphere was completely gone and the two mares soon began chatting excitedly, discussing their lives, hobbies, likes and dislikes among other things. Strangely enough, they’d already covered most of the topics the night before, but simply couldn’t remember. It wasn’t long before they were laughing and joking amongst themselves, feeling much more at ease. “For a first date, this really hasn’t turned out all that bad,” Octavia sighed sleepily. She couldn’t help but think about hopping back into bed and cuddling for the rest of the afternoon. “I guess not!” Twilight chimed, blushing slightly. “Though perhaps next time I can treat you to somewhere a bit…” The unicorn leant closer. “A bit nicer,” she whispered. “If you’re planning on spoiling me, I must warn you, Twilight Sparkle. I happen to be rather susceptible to candlelit dinners, flattery, and constant attention.” “I’ll make a note of it,” Twilight chuckled, refraining to mention her plans to actually make notes once the date was over. “Oh, there’s something we’ve forgotten though, isn’t there? We were going to thank Pinkie Pie.” “Oh yes, I’m afraid I swiftly forgot about that after the whole ‘pudding’ drama. I do agree that she’s earned our thanks. Where would she be?” Twilight furrowed her brow. “I’m not so sure, actually. She’s usually either at the desk or flurrying about in the kitchen making cakes. I was honestly expecting her to pounce on us as soon as we got inside. Mrs Cake?” “Yes, how can I help you, Twilight?” the sky blue earth pony replied. “Is Pinkie on break or something? We were hoping to stop by and say hello.” Mrs Cake forced a pained grin as her face turned sour. “Actually… I didn’t want to say anything before and risk ruining your little outing, but you wouldn’t mind seeing to her, would you? She said this morning that she felt awfully ill and I haven’t seen her all day. It’s just not like her, you know?” “Really? Oh, goodness,” Twilight exclaimed, receiving an equally worried look from Octavia. “Of course we’ll see how she is. I do hope she’s OK…” The pair took Mrs Cake’s directions and trotted up the stairs behind the main desk, passing through a hallway plastered in an array of family photographs. Never one to act ‘normal’, Pinkie could be seen jumping, somersaulting, or just plain popping up out of nowhere. Even in still image form she looked as though she might leap out of the picture. She was always so lively and energetic, so for her to not even leave her room… Twilight knocked gently on a brightly coloured pink door marked ‘Pinkie Pie’. “Pinkie? It’s Twilight and Octavia. We just wanted to see how you were.” The pair stood together, waiting for a response. But it never came. Sharing another nervous glance, Octavia decided to call through. “Pinkie? We wanted to thank you for the party last night.” No response. Twilight took a quick look down the hallway, wondering if her friend might be hiding somewhere. This isn’t like her. This isn’t like her at all. She knocked on the door once again, this time twisting the door handle. The door wouldn’t budge. “Pinkie!” she called once again. “Pinkie, this isn’t funny!” A chill crept down her spine as she had a horrible thought spring to mind. Charging her horn, she sent a bolt of purple lightning at the door handle, wrenching the lock until it pried open and splintering the wooden frame. The two of them barged in, stopping dead in their tracks after just a few steps. What they saw shook them to their very core.