Day 2
The morning sun glows softly on Twilights face. She shifts onto her side, not wanting to be completely woken up after being so comfortable.
A loud knocking on the door startles Twilight so much that she falls off her bed. She stands up, grumbling, heads downstairs and opens the door.
Almost half of Ponyville is standing outside of Twilight's house, all of whom are behind her friends. The four ponies rush inside and close the door quickly.
"Wh-what in Celestia's name is going on?" Twilight asks.
Applejack, catching her breath, says, "Well, ah hate to break it to you, sugarcube, but we ain't the only ones wondering where Pinkie Pie is."
Well, it's morning now.
Woke up earlier than normal because of my tummy. It really hurts.
Where are my friends?
"Ok, so who's gonna go on which path?" Twilight says to the group. They are all sitting around a table with the map of the forest in the center.
Rainbow says, "Me and Fluttershy will look through the path up the small mountain. All we'll have to do is fly around and see if we can find anything."
"So that means it'll be Applejack, Rarity, and I on the flater path." Twilight rolls up the map before continuing, "oh, and Rainbow Dash, fly out to Pinkie Pie's rock farm. She still might be there, remember?"
Rainbow Dash gives Twilight an intense glare. The rest of the group looks down at the table somberly.
The rabble from outside grows louder. Fluttershy speaks up, "I think it's time we let everypony else know what's going on."
Seriously, where are my friends?
I mean, this is getting ridiculous.
Every hour, it's getting more and more painful.
Where are they?
Where are they???
"I assure you, everypony, that we'll find our favorite pink mare soon enough," Twilight says to the crowd.
One pony shouts out, "Where do you think she is?"
"We are not certain on her exact location, but we'll be looking for signs of wilderness survival."
Another pony shouts out, "Are you sure she isn't still at her rock farm?"
"That is another strong assumption we have made, and we will be investigating Pinkie Pie's rock farm. Rest assured, we will handle this situation accordingly."
WHERE ARE THEY?
"Is this the right trail?" Rarity asks.
"Yeah," Twilight responds, "I remember coming here to say goodbye to Pinkie."
"Well, no point standin' around," Applejack says. The group begins their hike.
Twilight hears Fluttershy from behind, "I wonder how far out the forked paths are from Ponyville?"
Rainbow says darkly, "Far enough out to get lost."
Is this some kind of joke?!
Really, did they pull a mean prank on me?!
'Hey, y'know what would be funny? Trapping Pinkie Pie in a hole with no food!'
THAT'S NOT FUNNY!
My stomach HURTS.
I sick and tired of this hole!
"Ok, this where the path splits," Twilight says, the map levitating in front of her. "Remember, girls, to look for for things like broken down campfires, clothing strung up high in the trees, and any sign of hoof-prints leaving the trail. Got it?"
"Yes, Twilight," Fluttershy says. "But, um, we need to hurry. There's going to be a storm soon."
You know what? I take it back.
I bet they know that I'm down here.
And they don't care.
They just got so tired of me that they would rather leave me in a hole than to be with me.
Great. Yeah.
Really great FRIENDS, I have.
And it's raining again.
Yeah, AMAZING TIME I'M HAVING.
"How much further, Twilight?" Applejack shouts through the storm.
"I don't know! I can't point out where we are on the map!"
"Well, we better be close! The storm feels like it's picking up!"
"I'm sure the storm will pass soon!"
Do you know what this is doing to me?!
Do you know what's it's like to sit in a hole, each hour crawling by?
Your stomach punching you each and every time you think of food.
Your mind feverish from the humidity and from the anger.
IT'S NOT FUN IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WONDERING.
IT'S MAKING ME GO CRAZY!
Seriously! I've been stomping around the hole all day, screaming and shouting at the walls! I've been yelling at the stick figures I drew yesterday, thinking they'll respond, and when they didn't I threw myself at them like a crazy-pony!
BUT I'M NOT!
I'M NOT CRAZY!
"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow Dash shouts from above.
"Rainbow Dash?! What are you doing-"
"You guys have to go back NOW! We're right under a supercell! Anything and everything could kill you at any moment!"
MY FRIENDS THINK I'M CRAZY!
"What about-"
"I can you look for Pinkie Pie on my own! I already sent Fluttershy back to the library! You need to teleport yourselves there right now!"
"But Rainbow!" Twilight is cut off by the sound of a lightning bolt striking a tree nearby.
THEY ALL HATE ME!
"NOW" Rainbow Dash screams.
Twilight's horn glows and a magic field envelops around the three ponies.
AND I HATE THEM, TOO!
I HATE EVERY ONE OF THEM!
A bright flash and Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack finds themselves in the library. They all feel a slight disorientation before feeling normal again.
Fluttershy is off to the side, looking out the window.
"H-hey, Fluttershy," Twilight says. "What're you doing?"
"Waiting."
"Do you, uh, have any suggestion on what we should do?"
"Wait."
The storm rolls over the dense forest at a brisk pace.
Down in the hole, Pinkie Pie sits with her journal open in front of her. Her mane has fallen straight down, almost covering her sullen face. She stares up the hole.
"Oh," she whispers, "oooooooaaaooh....nooooo..."
She closes her eyes and buries her head in her hooves.
An hour and a half goes by without any sign of Rainbow Dash. Each of the ponies in the library sit around anxiously, with Twilight near the back looking at the map.
Without any warning, the door opens, Rainbow Dash, soaking wet, walks inside, and kicks the door shut behind her, hard. She walks foreward, staring angrily at Twilight.
"Rainbow! You're back!" Rarity says. She levitates a towel towards the pegasus. She takes the towel by the teeth and throws it to the ground, still walking toward Twilight.
"Um, Rainbow-"
"Not now," she responds, "Twilight and I need to chat." She stops right in front of the unicorn, who stares very nervously back at Rainbow.
They look at each in silence for several moments. Twilight finally stutters out, "D-d-did you, uh, did you-"
"Did I look for her? Yes, yes I did." Rainbow's responses are sharp and intense. "I looked through both paths. Even through a frickin' supercell, I looked, and I looked thoroughly."
"A-a-and-"
"And I didn't find her," she says harshly. "But, I did go to the rock farm. Her family was really frickin' nice to me. They told me Pinkie did take the longer path. I asked them what would somepony find if they walked off the trail." Rainbow leaned in to Twilight. "Do you know what they told me? What somepony, anypony, could stumble across very quickly if they go off the trail?"
Rainbow leans in closer and whispers, "Ask me."
Twilight sits, sweating. "I-I don't-"
"ASK ME!" Rainbow shouts, causing Twilight to jump. She looks to her other friends for help, but none of them seem willing, or brave enough, to intervene.
"Wh-what's out there, R-r-rainbow dash?"
"Mines. Old, abandoned mines. The kind that goes straight down. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of them, off that trail, and they are old enough that the wilderness just covers them up. The deepest of those mines goes down 100 meters."
Twilight feels her stomach clench. She feels sick, but Rainbow is not done with her yet.
"After that, I told them that their family member was missing out in that forest, and guess what? They're devastated. You know why? Do you know why they are devastated?" Rainbow returns to full shout. "Do you?!"
"Rainbow-"
"NO, don't talk! You've done enough talking!" Rainbow pushed Twilight against the wall. "They know where exactly where she is! It's exactly the same place I know where she is! See, I'm not 'assuming' anything, like you! No! I know that she is down one of those mines RIGHT NOW! And she's been down one of those mines since YESTERDAY, all of TODAY, and she will still be down there TOMORROW because the REAF doesn't file a missing pony report until 24 hours after a reported case! Which means, our friend is down a mine, probably very, very injured, having to go THREE DAYS without any food or water, waiting for a rescue team that isn't even confident that they will find her in time, all because you wanted to assume that she was alright. Hey! Guess what? SHE'S ISN'T! THAT'S A FACT! SHE'S NOT ALRIGHT!"
"RAINBOW DASH," Rarity finally shouts, "that is ENOUGH! Do you see what you're doing?"
Rainbow whips around and gets in Rarity's face. "Oh! You want to defend her, huh?! Did you honestly believe her this entire time? You know damn well that I'm telling the truth! You know-"
"That's not my point, Rainbow Dash! Look at her!"
Everypony turns to Twilight, and all at once everything is silent again.
Twilight eyes are staring off in the distance, not looking at anything, not moving. Her mouth hangs open, quivering. Her breath is short and ragged. Her face is in complete shock.
Rarity speaks softly, "Twilight?"
Twilight tries to respond. The only sound that comes from her are coughed up sobs. Her eyes begin to water.
Rainbow turns away from the group. " I can't deal with this," she says under her breath. She exits the library, slamming the door behing her as she leaves.
The rest of the group turn their attention back to Twilight, whose face is now dripping with tears.
Rarity approaches her. "Twilight, honey, it's alright, she's gone." As soon as Rarity puts a hoof on her shoulder, Twilight collapses, falling limp into Rarity's embrace. Her breath is now heavy and fast.
"WHAT HAVE I DONE?" she cries out, as if she was in pain. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"
Rarity attempts to soothe her, "Y-you haven't done anything wrong."
"Sh-she was right! I've left her out there! I'VE LEFT HER OUT THERE! I-I-I'VE JUST KILLED MY FRIEND!" Twilight sobs unintelligibly before burying her face into Rarity's shoulder.
Rarity continues her attempt to coax the shock-stricken unicorn, unable to think of anything to say to help her. The rest of the group each offer their support to help. Twilight does not respond, and Rarity continues to hold her friend close to her.
Are we live?
Ok, good.
3
2
1
"Hello, everypony, and welcome to tonight's show in the Hole! I'm your host, Pinkamena Pie, with my friends Joey and Suzy! The rest of my friends tried to come, but let's just say they've been 'washed out'!" (laughter)
"We have special guest tonight in the hole! She's a bearer of an Element of Harmony,and a true pleasure to be around! Please welcome
Pinkie Pie!" (applause)
Hi! Wow, thank you, thank you! What an honor, it's just really great to be here in the hole with you.
"Well, It's not like you're going anywhere else anytime soon!" (laughter)
"Now, let's get straight to the point. How did you get down here?"
I fell down. (laughter)
"The best answers are always the simplest, eh? But lets' move on to a more important question: why are you down here?"
Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure. I was blaming my friends-
"Ooooooo, the classic blame game! An oldie but a goldie! That's one of the finest traits on this show! Who can we blame the hardest! Shall we help you out with who you should blame, Pinkie?"
That's a great idea, Pinkamena!
"Excellent! Now we begin-
Oh! Hold on! We got a caller! Her name is Diane Pie, and she thinks she already has the answer to our question!"
Well, let's hear what she has to say!
Hello Pinkie, this is Diane. Now, I know you've been doing a lot of blaming recently, but I think the answer is right under your nose.
Really?
Yes, and I'll help you figure it out.
Ok!
Is it true that the shortcut through the longer path is unmarked on any map?
Yes.
Is it true that a lot of ponies don't know about, including your friends and possibly any rescue team?
Yes
Is it true that trough this path were abandoned mines?
Yes
...that you were fully aware of?
yes
But that didn't stop you, didn't it. You wanted to get back early because you didn't want to break a stupid promise, right?
yes
You thought, through your damned logic, that nothing bad would happen to you, right?
yes
And because of that logic, shouldn't you be held responsible for this?
yes
After all, you walked the path. You knew the dangers, you knew that the storm would make it hard for you to see. You even knew that you forgot your water and ate all of your food. You knew everything was going to go wrong, but that didn't stop you. Do you know why?
why
Because you are stupid.
I'm stupid?
Yes. Very simple. You did this to yourself, you dumb mare. Nopony knows where you are, and it'll be a very, very long time before anypony finds you.
You'stupid.
i'm stupid
You're stupid!
I'm stupid!
YOU ARE STUPID! COME ON, SHOUT IT!
I AM STUPID!
LOUDER! NOPONY CAN HEAR YOU'RE FOOLISHNESS AT THAT LEVEL! LOUDER!!
I'M STUPID! STUPID!
STUPID!
S T U P I D ! !
AND I DESERVE ALL OF THE BLAME FOR EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME!
That wraps up the show, everyone. Nothing else needs to said.
Goodnight.
END OF DAY 2