//------------------------------// // Leavetakings // Story: The Element of Laughter // by Quixotic Mage //------------------------------// (There are several places in this chapter where proper names are replaced by ______.  This is entirely intentional and will be explained in the fullness of time.) The Element of Laughter Chapter 1: Leavetakings “This is so stupid” Diana thought to herself, for perhaps the millionth time.  “There is absolutely no reason to make all the crops appear to be rocks until after they’re harvested.  Discord just likes to make sure we know that he’s in charge.” “It isn’t as though rocks are any harder to farm than crops would be.” She mused, “It’s more the mental strain of spending all this effort to plant inedible pebbles and watch similarly inedible seeming boulders grow in their place that makes this really unbearable.”  Still, she took strength from the knowledge that this was the the last day she would ever had to work on her family’s rock farm. Diana straightened up and raised a hoof to wipe the sweat from her eyes.  She glanced at the sun and was pleased to see it was well on its way to the horizon.  Sure enough, Granny Pie soon rang the dinner bell and brought the family in with the time honored cry of “Soup’s on, everypony!”   As she dusted herself off and trotted with the rest of her family up to the cook house, Diana spared one last backward glance for the field that had consumed her days since she was just a filly.  “And that is that” she thought, excitement mounting as she reviewed her plan for the night. A voice jolted her out of her reverie.  “I swear those rocks get heavier everyday; glad it’s finally time to chow down.  Bet you are too huh Di? You were working hard today.”  Diane’s cousin, _____, licked his lips as he sniffed the air.  “Smells like Granny Pie’s really out done herself tonight.”  He wasn’t really her cousin, of course, since Alicorns give birth so infrequently.  As far as Diana knew there were only one set of actual siblings in the whole village and they were still fillies.  Nevertheless, it was common practice in the village to use kinship terms for one another because the whole village had to act like an extended family to survive anyway. “It sure does.” She said, taking a whiff of the savory aroma drifting down from the cookhouse.  “What a shame you won’t get any.” ______ shot her a look as if he knew what was coming but asked anyway.  “Why wouldn’t I get any?” “Because you spent the whole day playing with rocks instead of planting!” The listening ponies smiled as  _____ tried to defend himself.  “But we...plant rocks...that is…I…come on!  You know what I mean!”  He whinnied in irritation then galloped ahead, shouting back at them over his shoulder.  “You can’t keep me from eating if the food’s all gone by the time you get there!” Diana smiled too as she watched him go.  ______ was her favorite of the other Alicorns in her age group.  They’d been friends since they were both little and, were it not for her present plans, she would probably have married him someday.  If she was honest with herself, the idea of marriage unsettled her, hence her preference for thinking of ______as a cousin.  It would, perhaps have been a comfort to include ______in her plans but he had never been away from the village and she wasn’t sure that he could handle it.  She tried not to let it worry her that she too had never left the village. The whole group of field worker ponies made their way to the trough in front of the cookhouse to wash up.  After a hot day in the sun the water felt cool and refreshing on their tired hooves.  Diana stuck her head under the spout, luxuriating in the cleansing feeling it produced.  She shook her mane and watched the droplets fly off, flashing in the last light of the setting sun. Toweling herself dry, Diana trotted into the cookhouse for dinner.  She stopped short, staring at the food laid out on the table before her.  Sure enough, her nose had not led her astray; Granny Pie really had out done herself. The last jar of the zap apple jelly was standing next to their finest barrel of cider.  There were dandelion wines of various vintages, apple turnovers, grass salads, a personalized vegetable plate for each pony, barley and wheat soup, and drifting in through the open kitchen door, Diana could just smell the exquisite scent of a freshly baked apple pie. Everypony hesitated in the doorway, unsure if the delicious repast before their eyes could truly be meant for their consumption. “It’s going to get cold if you just stand there staring.”  Granny Pie move around the table, filling cups and serving out portions of the main course: a gigantic cheese lasagna. “I don’t understand Granny.” Diana said as she took her seat next to _____, “is today some holiday we hadn’t heard of?” Granny Pie shook her head.  “Today seemed like an excellent day for feast, but don’t ask me why dearie, just dig in.” “Well that sure sounds good to me” _____mumbled, already halfway through his lasagna.  “This is scrumptious, thanks Granny!” The ponies dug in with a will and the warm hum of friendly conversation soon filled the room.  Smiles abounded as jokes were told until one pony, perhaps too far in his cups, accidentally left out a brief laugh. Instantly, a smothering silence descended as everypony turned to glare at the offender, who, blushing deeply, offered a hasty apology before dashing from the room.   Slowly the noise level began to creep back up as ponies returned to their interrupted conversations but Diana found her feelings of contentment utterly shattered. “It’s not right.” She though. “Discord’s Prayer, laughter, shouldn’t haunt us in our happiest moments.  There must be some way to avoid his corrupting influence or somewhere outside his reach, I just have to find it.” It had started innocently enough.  She had simply wanted to see far off places and learn strange things, a typical fantasy for a filly living in a stiflingly small village.  But, as she got older and saw the effects of Discord’s tyranny, it changed into to something else entirely: a desire to know life without chains. Diana dreamed of a place where seeds were planted and crops grew, where strange looking monsters did not keep them penned in, and where a pony could enjoy herself without the threat of laughter rearing its ugly head.  She’d never seen such a place, of course, but Granny Pie had told her stories of what Equestria had been like before Discord and she was sure such things still existed, somewhere far beyond the mad tyrant’s reach. And so, to find that dreamed of land, Diana was going to set forth tonight to seek it. Smiling to herself, Diana finished the last of her cider and set down her glass with a thump. *** Shortly before dawn, when the village was still covered by the stillness of night, Diana crept from her family’s house.  She gently closed the door behind her and whispered a solemn good bye, wondering if she would ever see her mother _____ and her father _____ again. As she snuck through the deserted streets toward the cookhouse and her pack of supplies she felt her excitement begin to kindle with the peculiar thrill that accompanies all forms of rule-breaking.  Breaking curfew was only a minor offense but leaving the village, or planning to, carried much heavier penalties. “Still, it’s not like I’m going to get caught” she thought to herself as she opened the door to the cookhouse.  “After all, no pony knows that I plan to leave so the only difficulty will be getting over the wall, which I’ve already figured out.” Diana trotted across the darkened cookhouse to the cabinets and felt around in the back for the saddle-bags of supplies that she’d hidden earlier. Just as she was starting to wonder where it could possibly be light flared as a candle was lit behind her and she heard a stern voice say “Looking for this, are you?” Heart quickening with anxiety Diana turned to see Granny Pie standing over her an unpleasant frown on her face and the missing saddle-bags at her feet. Diana’s mind raced for an explanation that would satisfy Granny even as she wondered how she had been found out.  “Ah, yeah that’s what I was looking for, I was just…uhm…preparing some snacks for the day’s work?” Her voice trailed off as Granny Pie raised an eyebrow in disbelief.  “Diana I am deeply disappointed in you.  That very idea of trying to leave the village like this!”  Diana hung her head, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes.  She had been so close.  But now it seemed impossible that she would ever get away. “I’m sorry Granny, it won’t happen again.” Diana said, hoping to slow or stop the lengthy scolding she was clearly about to receive.  Granny Pie, however, was not going to be derailed that easily.  “I should say not!  For starters all of your supplies were perishables, if you’re going to leave for an extended period you don’t want food that might spoil.” Diana looked up in surprise and caught a twinkle in the elderly pony’s eye as she continued.  “I’ve taken the liberty of repacking you bags with food that will last but there’s not much, so make it count.  I’ve also added a few items you might find useful in your travels.  Finally, how dare you try and leave without saying good bye?” “Granny!”  Diana dashed forward and nestled against her beloved grandmother “you’re really going to let me go?” Granny Pie nuzzled Diana and smiled.  “Oh Di, we all knew you would leave someday.  You’ve got the wandering spirit.  It’s why I threw you a goodbye feast last night; I’d been keeping an eye on your ‘hidden’ saddle-bags and knew you were ready to leave.” Diana smiled back, “thanks Granny, I love you and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” “You’re forgiven, of course, and I love you too.”  Granny Pie straightened and grew serious.  “Before you leave there are three things I need to tell you, to guide you in your travels.”  Her eyes took on a glassy appearance and she appeared to enter a trancelike state as she recited.   “First, you will encounter frightening and dangerous creatures and situations.  You must not give in to fear, you have to stand up tall, learn to face your fears and you will see that they can’t hurt you.” “Second, there will be times when your strength alone is not enough.  Always remember that true strength comes from relying on others and having them rely on you in turn.  But be careful that you put your trust in the correct ponies.” “Finally, to guide you, I will tell you a secret.  Discord did not always have the overwhelming power he now possesses.  I recall a time, very long ago now, when there were many Draconici and Discord, though he went by another name back then, was but one of them.  However, something changed.  The Draconici disappeared and after several years Discord returned in his present form.” Diana nodded at the first and second pieces of advice but at the third her eyes grew wide, imagining the possibilities.  If she could find the secret to Discord’s power perhaps she could change things.  “I understand Granny; I’ll try to find the answer to this mystery.” Granny Pie shook herself and seemed to wake up, her eyes refocused on Diana and her voice softened and her eyes twinkled once more as she spoke.  “I know you will Di, but don’t forget to have some fun too, maybe even make some friends while you’re running for your life.  Now, give me one last hug and then off you go.” The two alicorns shared a tight hug.  As they broke apart Diana’s bright eyes and eager smile seemed to mix with the first light of dawn just peeping through the cookhouse window, brightening the whole room with her fierce optimism. She settled the saddle-bags on her back and walked confidently to the door.  A quick goodbye, flung over her shoulder echoed as she slipped out the door, and was gone. *** The village was surrounded by the fields the ponies worked.  Further out was a large wall with gates at the four compass points, each guarded by Discord’s fearsome soldiers.  Diane headed in the general direction of the east gate.  She wouldn’t be allowed through the gate, of course, but she had figured out another way through the wall. Diana allowed herself a small smile at the thought of that particular bit of cleverness.  The wall’s guards would spot any attempt to fly over and the whole fortification was enchanted to prevent teleportation and detect any form of magic used in its vicinity.  So, if she couldn’t go over or through the wall she would have to go under it. Simple as the solution was, it took an uncommon alicorn to think of it.  Alicorns were, as a rule, against performing manual labor.  Many of elders considered it the height of indignity that they were forced to farm and even those born to it found the constant exposure to dirt, without any break to use magic or fly, exceptionally draining.  It had taken all Diana’s will power to spend her nights digging the necessary tunnel and it had taken her much longer than it would an earth pony but, at long last, the tunnel was long enough to reach the other side and wide enough for her to just fit through. Getting to the tunnel, however, was proving more difficult than Diana had anticipated.  She had intended to leave during the changing of the dawn watch.  But her talk with Granny Pie had held her up and she found herself nearing the wall in the still pale, but far too bright for her purposes, light of dawn. Diana got as close as she dared before crouching behind a small bush and eying the sentinels warily.  They stood in an unmoving line, each about five feet from the next facing in alternating directions to ensure both sides of the wall were properly covered.  Diana sighed.  She was only five minutes away from home and her carefully constructed plan was already falling apart. “Okay, time to improvise.  Now what tools do I have at my disposal?” Diana said to herself.  “Let’s see...using my wings will get me spotted right away, same things for my legs, magic will be detected right away and…I got nothing.” She stamped her hoof angrily behind her bush and growled “I am not going to give up, not yet, not now, not ever!”  It was just a matter of observing the obstacle closely enough to find its weakness.  Diana took a deep breath to help calm down and observed the wall and its sentinels closely. The wall was still intimidating even though she had lived her entire life in its shadow.  Grey granite blocks, each the size of a pony, were stacked on top of one another in a zigzag pattern with scarcely distinguishable lines marking where one ended and another began.  It rose some thirty feet in the air with crenellations at the top adding another couple feet. Atop the wall the sentinels stood and, as Diana turned her gaze on them she couldn’t repress a shiver of disgust.  The sentinels were utterly hideous and identical in appearance.  Each stood on only two legs with the other two dangling at their sides.  Instead of the ending in a proper hoof each upper leg contained a set of five protrusions.  Their heads were odd as well; the mouths were far too flat, the eyes too small and too closely set together, and the manes were black and covered only the very tops of their heads. Finally, their skin was an ugly faded and dull off pink, a far cry from Diana’s bright and lustrous solid pink coat. As Diana made her observations the sun crested the wall, forcing her to shield her eyes.  Even as her eyes narrowed against the glare a plan formed in her mind.  A quick test was needed and then she’d be ready to go.  Selecting the closest sentinel facing in her direction she began to focus her energy.  Her horn began to glow and she ducked down as far as she could even as she released her spell. For a spell it was rather simple, it merely caused a patch of air to reflect light, similar to a mirror.  The trick was in the positioning.  Diana placed the spell so that the sun was reflected back directly into the eyes of the sentinel.   A strident alarm sounded at her use of magic and the sentinel in question started back in surprise.  He turned and began to stumble along the wall as best he could with his light blasted retinas.  He headed toward the gate house, presumably to report what had just occurred.  As he left the nearest sentinels facing inwards pivoted slightly to cover his area as well. “Perfect!” Diana grinned, and prepared herself for the next step.  The spell wasn’t difficult but it would require a lot of power.  Fortunately, as an alicorn, she had power to spare.  Unfortunately, she didn’t have the practice to go with it; any magic use beyond basic telekinesis carried heavy punishments and, while fillies and colts could usually get away with small spells in secret, somepony her age would have their horn cut off if they were found using serious magic. Undeterred by her lack of experience Diana prepared the next spell.  More specifically, she prepared a multi-cast of the same spell she had just used.  As she drew in energy she selected her targets, every sentinel facing her direction for as far as she could see up and down the wall. Ready at last, she cast the spell and made a run for it now the coast was clear. Up on the wall it was complete chaos as each sentinel tried to simultaneously turn to cover their neighbor’s area and leave their post to report what they had just seen, or couldn’t see as the case may be.  One sentinel was so confused he was simply spinning in place while others were pushing and shoving each other in an attempt to make it to the gatehouse.  Adding to the confusion was the omnipresent ‘whoop whoop’ of the alarm magnified to eardrum bursting levels. Diana grinned again as she dashed for the entrance to her tunnel and slipped inside.  She paused, trying to hear if the sentinels had seen her, but she couldn’t make out any alarm beyond the one she had initially caused. “So far so good” Diana thought as she crept along her tunnel.  Narrow and dirty it might have been, but she couldn’t help feeling a warm glow of pride as she remembered the long nights sneaking out of the village and up to the wall, stealthily digging with nothing but her hooves.  When day neared she would sneak to the cookhouse to set aside some supplies before heading back home to catch a few minutes of sleep and then rising to begin the work day.  She had begun to despair of ever getting anywhere when just the previous evening she had broken through to the other side. It had been close to a full moon that night and the moonlight cast a soft but alluring light over everything.  The landscape seemed fantastic and unreal, with shadows creating forms never seen by day.  For a moment she had wanted to throw caution to the winds and run out into the wonderland of silvery light she saw before.  Fortunately, the moment of lunacy passed and she withdrew from her tunnel and returned to the village earlier than usual to finish preparing her supplies. Those supplies, plus whatever Granny Pie had thought to include, now rested on her back and with them she was ready to set forth.  Diana reached the exit and peeked through examining the landscape in the clarifying light of day.  There was a road snaking its way from the East gate to her left over rolling green hills and off into the distance.  She noted several copses dotting the hills, places that would provide shade, concealment, and probably water.  Impatient to be underway, she settled her gaze on the closest and prepared to make a run for it. She was halfway out of the tunnel before she remembered that the sentinels were still watching this side and would catch her within moments.  Diana shrank backward, heart beating loudly in her ears as she listened once more for any sign she had been spotted.  None came and she heaved a sigh of relief as her heart slowed to less frenetic levels. “I have to be more careful” she scolded, “capture will almost certainly mean my death and that is a less than ideal outcome.”  Shaking her head to clear the last vestiges of fear from her system she took a moment to focus, preparing herself to use magic once more. Diana recalled the specifications of her previous spell; her horn began to glow as she altered it to the changed conditions on this side of the wall.  Instead of reflection she arranged the spell so the air would focus the light, hopefully causing the same vision problems as the reflective spell had done.  She also increased the height of the spell and made it a continuous band to account for her position underground and the fact that she couldn’t know exactly where the sentinels were standing. Her horn’s light grew even brighter, casting the tunnel into lurid relief as she provided the energy for the spell.  “Hope the same trick works twice” Diana muttered as she cast the spell.   Immediately a gratifying, if somewhat nerve wracking, repeat of the earlier alarm sounded and without further thought Diana pulled herself out of the tunnel and dashed for the nearby copse.  She dove into the bushes and spun quickly to see if she’d been spotted. Up on the wall chaos once more reigned and no one was even looking in her direction.  “Yeah!” Diana shouted, flaring her wings and punching the air with a hoof.  “I did it! I’m finally out!”  She felt laughter bubbling up inside her and the unpleasant presence of Discord’s Prayer forcefully reminded her of the need for caution.  She was about to depart, using the copse as cover to enter the valleys in between the hills when the alarm suddenly cut off. Frowning, Diana turned back to the wall and found the sentinels were lining back up.  A knot of sentinels was moving from the gatehouse and as it passed sentinels peeled off and resumed their positions.  As order radiated from the knot a new figure became visible at its center. Though similar in basic arrangement to the other sentinels this figure possessed brilliant long flaming red hair and, in contrast to the mechanical movements of other sentinels, moved with a fluid grace that the most elegant pony would have envied.  She, for as it came closer Diana could tell it was indeed female, wore the same close fitting black uniform as other sentinels but had broad strips of red covering her both shoulders and a sword in a brown leather sheath on her left hip. Her gestures demonstrated her command of the situation and those around her, even if Diana was too far away to hear her clearly.  Diana guessed that she must be the captain of the wall.  As the captain reached the spot on the wall directly above Diana’s tunnel she briefly turned to survey the landscape before pointing directly at Diana’s hiding spot. Diana froze, hoping against hope it was merely coincidence.  Unfortunately, that hope was immediately put to flight as the captain dashed back toward the gatehouse, gathering a group of sentinels behind her as she ran.  In what seemed like seconds twenty sentinels, led by their captain, were out the gate and sprinting toward the small copse where Diana hid. The pounding of their footsteps jolted Diana from her reverie.  She turned and galloped away from the wall, hoping she could outrun the pursuit. “Catch her!” the captain cried, “catch her or I’ll dangle the lot of you over the wall by your hands, I’ll chop off your feet and feed them to you, I’ll flay you alive and make a coat of your skin!” “So those things at the ends of their limbs are called hands.” Diana thought nonsensically, legs still pumping madly “great, I really needed to know that right now.”  The weight of her saddle-bags was tiring her faster than she expected.  Her breathing was already labored and sweat lathered her flanks.  A glance backwards showed that her pursuers were gaining and she tried desperately to summon more speed from her tired body as she struggled up a hill. At the top of the hill she lost focus and tripped over her own legs, catapulting herself off the top of the hill and into what would have been a nasty fall. Would have been, had she not instinctually spread her wings and caught an updraft.  Instead of crashing to the ground she found herself twenty or thirty feet up in the air.   “Oh right, I can fly and they can’t.  Minor detail there that I really should have remembered” Diana muttered, half relieved and half embarrassed for not taking to the air earlier.   She flapped a couple of times to get her balance before glancing down at her grounded pursuers.   They had caught up while she was sorting out her flight and were now running directly under her, with the captain in the lead.  The captain caught her glance and shouted up to her “come down and let’s see if we can’t talk this out.” “You want me to return, I want to leave, doesn’t seem like there’s much to talk about.” Diana shouted back. “If you land and go back willingly you will be allowed to live, minus your horn and wings of course.  It’s a generous deal; you should consider it.” “Or what? You’ll glare me out of the sky?”  Diana snorted “There’s nothing you can do to me up here.” “Really?  And how long do you think you can stay in the air, especially given that little problem.” The captain pointed to the horizon. Diana glanced forward and was dismayed to see storm clouds gathering in her path.  She clamped down tightly on her growing fear and answered boldly.  “I am an Alicorn; you think I fear the weather? Ha, it’ll be little more than a summer breeze to me.” The captain’s expression darkened.  “I grow tired of your foolish arrogance, my little pony.  Last chance, land or face the consequences.” “Come and get me if you can. “Diana taunted “Oh that’s right, you can’t.” Rage filled the captain’s face.  She drew her sword, wings sprouted from beneath her clothes and she shot upward.  Her sword held in a two handed grip as she tried to cut Diana in half with her first pass. Diana’s mouth fell open in shock.  With a yelp she dropped her left wing and banked sharply, just avoiding the blade as the captain went soaring past.  She completed her turn to see the captain holding position slightly above her.   The captain laughed mockingly and Diana shivered at the eerie sound. “Lesson one, little pony, never underestimate you opponents.  Did you really think Discord would allow you such an obvious advantage over your guards?” A quick glance downward showed Diana that the other sentinels remained grounded.  If she could just get away from the captain she’d be safe.  She spun and flapped hard, hoping to put some distance between herself and the captain. Before her wings could even complete the first downbeat she felt a hand on her tail.  “Lesson two” the captain said, yanking her backwards and whirling Diana in circles by the tail “never act predictably.”  She released Diana, tossing her straight toward the waiting sentinels. Dizzy as she was, it took everything she had to avoid crashing into them and rise back above their grasping hands. The captain was still speaking.  “Obviously you would try to run now that your advantage had been lost.  That applies to your actions on the wall as well.  Casting a spell on one sentinel, followed by the same spell on one side of the wall, followed by a very similar spell on the other side of the wall?  You might as well have just walked up and told me what you were going to do.” Diana growled at the condescension and launched herself straight at the captain, who shook her head sadly.  “What did I just say about being predictable?”  She settled into a guard position with the blade directly before her and waited to meet the charge. The alicorn sped forward faster and faster.  At the last instant, when collision with the captain’s blade seemed inevitable, she reared back and her horn shone as she poured her magic into a single furious flap of her wings.  A tremendously powerful gust of wind flew from her wings and bowled over her opponent. In a flash Diana dove after her, horn first, and stabbed through the captain’s right forearm.  The captain hissed in pain and reflexively dropped her sword, though she managed to right herself in the air.  Blood flowed freely along her arm and dripped from her clenched fingers. Diana bared her teeth and gave a malicious grin, made all the more frightening by the blood dripping from her horn and spilling across her face.  “I am Diana Piecus.  Remember the name of the alicorn who made you bleed.  Or, if you care to continue I’ll be more than happy to spill further blood.”  She snorted derisively, “not that you’re in any condition to fight.  I’m leaving now, try and stop me and I’ll kill you.” She turned to fly away.  Suddenly a weight descended on her back and a voice whispered in her ear.  “Lesson three; never turn your back on a living enemy.”  Startled Diana reared back in the air trying to buck her unwanted passenger.  A lucky kick from her back leg connected with the captain’s wing just as she felt a line of fire drawn across her left wing. With only one good arm and one good wing the captain was unable to stay airborne.  She relinquished her hold on Diana and fell to earth, her good arm still grasping the hidden knife she had used to cut the pony’s wing.  She called up to Diana as she fell.  “Good luck surviving that storm with a wounded wing.  Of course, you could land but then my soldiers will grab you.  Know that if you survive the storm I will find you again, Diana, no matter where you run.  I will find you.” The captain landed smoothly on her two good legs.  A sentinel broke off from the group and bound a tourniquet around the wound on her arm and offered her his shoulder for support.  Leaning on him she began to walk back to the wall. Diana watched her go with a feeling of intense relief.  Without any other enemies able to fly she should be fine so long as she could stay airborne.  The cut on her wing was painful but seemed to have missed anything crucial to flight.  Confident she turned to face the storm and winced.  The storm had grown larger and gotten closer during their fight.  She was now faced with an anvil shaped wall of black clouds towering upwards as far as she could see. A storm as large as this one seemed to be was nothing to sneeze at.  The ideal course of action would be to land but, Diana looked down at the waiting sentinels, landing wasn’t an option.   The second best option would be to try and ride along with the storm until it died down.  However, that would take her directly over her village and Diana was not willing to risk meeting other winged sentinels.   Diana grimaced as she contemplated option three: fly perpendicular to the storm and hope she could avoid its full strength.  “I hate it when my plan of action contains the word ‘hope’.  That always means things won’t go well” she muttered.  Still there was no help for it so she settled her saddle bags more firmly on her back and flew south along the edge of the storm.  Far below the sentinels kept pace with ease, apparently fully willing to run into the storm to keep watch on her. She flew for half an hour before a light rain began to fall.  It cooled and soothed her already tired wings and washed the blood from her face and horn.  The blood that had come from where she had gored… ”Nope, I am not going to think about that now” She said aloud.  “When I am safe and dry I will logically review my actions today and I will deal with them appropriately but I will not think about them now and that is that.” Before that day Diana had not harmed anypony and she wasn’t sure she liked how it had felt.  However, despite her protestations, the events of the day kept replaying themselves in her mind.  The rage, the feeling of stabbing and seeing blood flow consumed her thoughts until the storm wall hit and she had no time to think of anything at all. It was sudden, one moment the rain was falling gently, the next it pelted down with the force of stones.  Winds whipped her this way and that and debris from the ground went whizzing past at dangerous speeds. Time lost all meaning as Diana simply tried to stay aloft.  The roar and tug of the winds became her world.  She rode them as best she could, rising and falling, gliding with the wind wherever it was mild enough to let her.  Her eyes narrowed to slits against the driving rain and only her innate sense as a partial pegasus let her know which way the ground was. Just as she began to feel that she might make it, that she might be able to ride this storm out, she was undone by a bit of sheer bad luck.  A stick, moving faster than any stick had a right to, jabbed a sharp broken off end into her cut wing and the wind dragged it back, further widening her wound. Reflexively Diana pulled the injured limb into her body.  Realizing her mistake, she tried to force it back out, but it was too late.  The wind had been constantly pushing on her wings and, without the counter balancing effect of both wings acting in concert, it was in possible to remain upright.  She lost control and spun tail over horn, completely at the winds mercy. Diana screamed as she felt, rather than saw, the ground coming nearer and nearer.  Her eyes caught a shimmer of green before she crashed into something hard and blacked out. *** Twilight stirred as Diana stopped talking.  She raised her head and looked at the pink pony in concern.  “Are you alright, Diana?” Diana was silent for another moment before replying.  “It seems my time is up, Pinkie’s mind is reasserting itself.” Twilight sat bolt upright in panic.  “You can’t go yet, I have to know if you survived that storm.” It was a very strange and rare experience for someone as smart as Twilight to receive a blatant ‘that was a stupid question’ look.  An experience made ever odder since it was from somepony wearing Pinkie Pie’s body. But, upon reflection, she ruefully acknowledged that it was probably deserved. “Listen, before I go I have two favors to ask of you.” Twilight’s transformation from embarrassed young mare to organizational genius was lightning fast.  She pulled a quill and paper from her invisible but eternally near to hoof supply and responded “Of course, what can I do?” “First, please don’t tell anyone about me.”  Diana’s look was equal parts pleading and demanding.  “I’m sure your first thought was to write to Celestia or talk to your friends but I ask that you keep this private.  At least until you’ve heard the whole story.” The request was soon written out and, given Twilight’s nature, might as well have been written in stone.  Finished writing she looked up.  “Okay and the second request?” A sheepish expression crossed Diana’s face.  “Could you write down my story as I tell it to you?  I just…I don’t want everything we did, my friends and I, to be forgotten.” “Alright” Twilight said, writing it down.  “But, if you don’t mind my saying, these commands seem to be at cross-purposes.  Why tell me to keep it a secret on one hoof and ask me to write it down on the other?” “I don’t want Celestia to know I’m still alive.” Diana explained. “But something in our tale might be useful someday.  Besides, I can’t just let my friends vanish into the mists of history.  Though I suppose in a way everyone has head of them…But I digress” Diana stopped, noticing that Twilight was sitting up straight and staring at her eagerly.   “You know the Princess?  Why didn’t you tell me sooner?  When are you going to meet her?  What was she like back then?  Tell me, tell me, tell me.” She said, practically bouncing in her seat. Diana braced herself against the wave of inquisitive sound and gave a mischievous smile.  “Oops, guess I let something slip a little early.  Oh, here comes Pinkie.  I’ll see you next time you hypnotize her.  Bye!”  Diana’s eyes closed. And Pinkie’s eyes opened, only to be greeted by a very indignant looking Twilight.  “Gosh Twi, sorry I feel asleep, no need to look so mad.” Twilight shook her head and assumed a less threatening expression.  “I’m not mad at you Pinkie.  In fact, you were very helpful.” “I was?  In that case I’ll take naps more often!” “Great!  Can you come nap here tomorrow at the same time?” “Okie, dokie, lokie.  But now I got to go.  There are cakes to bake, parties to make, and laws of physics to break.”  With that, Pinkie bounded from her seat and started hopping up the stairs. True to her nature, Twilight had already started gathering materials to write down what Diana had just told her.  But at Pinkie’s statement she turned and called after the bouncing pink pony.  “What was that last one?” Alas, in true Pinkie Pie fashion, she had made her exit just as Twilight had her struggling in the crushing grip of reason.  Twilight chuckled.  She hadn’t really expected to get an answer that easily.  Besides, she thought as she dipped her quill in ink and began to write, it’d be so much less fun if my friends were that easy to understand.