Twilight Sparkle was studying at her desk, trying to find a new spell to learn. She knew thousands already, but there were still many more. She just received 30 new books from Princess Celestia, along with a note saying that they hold some good spells along with them. As Twilight looked over a book with no name graved on it, Spike was turning the sheets of “101 spells” as fast as the wind. He stopped at a random place, to what he took a look. “Twi! Look! I found something amazing!” Spike exclaimed, raising his free hand in the air while looking at Twilight. The purple mare stopped her lecture to put her attention on the dragon. “What is it, Spike?” she asked. To that, Spike started reading out loud the description of the spell.
“Aura Spell: This spell is a useful spell that can be used by advanced ponies only. It permits you to feel the aura of any living creature near the emplacement of the caster, along with the mood of the creature defined into colors. The spell can go to feeling things at 200 miles maximum, depending on the caster’s powers.”
“Wow!” exclaimed Twilight. “That must be amazing! And really useful if you are lost or looking for someone.” She walked from her desk to go next to Spike, to be able to see the spell by herself. “Watch out, Twilight,” Spike warned. “This spell is pretty hard… And it’s for advanced ponies, after all.”
“Pfff!” Twilight moaned. “I can do advanced tricks! My cutie mark isn’t magic for nothing,” she added ironically. Spike was used to hear her say that, since the two last days only, she started saying it often. The green dragon didn’t knew where, or from who did she take that way to talk, but he didn’t dare ask her the question.
Twilight stole the book from the dragon’s hands with her magic to place it on her shelf afterwards. She read the steps one by one. “Hm, it does look hard,” she said out loud. “But I can do it.” She took a deep breath, collected all her strength to her horn, and started concentrating hard, first step of the spell. The easy one, of course. Her horn lit up. She sent flying eight stars of energy to the floor: One to the south, one to the north, east, and west, and the direction between the four cardinal points: north-west, north-east, south-east and south-west. The stars flew under the ground and made eight straight lines, each in their respective direction. As they stopped, they reached each other to form a circle at the end of the lines.
Last step: Open your eyes.
Twilight did as so, and she was fascinated to see what she saw. Everything became black around her. Everything except the auras. All the things that didn’t have one, the walls, floors, books, have disappeared. She saw Spike’s aura next to her, and she knew it was him since it was shaping a dragon. His color was aqua: curiosity. “Spike! This is incredible! What I see is just beautiful! Can you see it?!” Spike’s aura shrugged. “Nope, sorry.” Twilight then just ignored him afterwards and looked around for more auras: she spotted two ponies in town that were talking. One was pink, the other grayish blue: Love and jealousy. Another mare ran by the two ponies, his aura being yellow. Stress, thought Twilight. Everypony was doing what they were supposed to do in town. Though, Twi saw something unusual. A tall mare stood in front of her door- he raised his hoof to knock, but then remained paralyzed. He had two colors on him: ice blue; fear, and yellow; stress.
As Twilight lost her concentration, she blinked four times before coming back to reality. “There’s somebody at the door. Go open, Spike,” she said in a warning voice. He didn’t have the shape of anypony she knew, and anyways, she hadn’t invited nopony today. Spike got up on tiptoes and reached the doorknob with the end of his fingers before finally being able to open the door. She had already seen the pony standing in front of her, yes. It was the mail pony. He was shocked when he saw the green dragon open the door to him. “Ahem…” He tried to find something intelligent to say. Though, he hadn’t calmed down a bit and his voice was very shaky. “I-I am looking f-for… Uhm… M-Miss… Twi…. Light?” he asked.
Twilight Sparkle joined Spike in front of the door. “That’s me,” announced the purple pony.
Upon hearing that, he looked up and saw the mare that stood in front of him. He got up a letter from his mailbag and threw it into Twilight’s hands, before quickly saying, “T-This is for you, M-Miss.” And he left in a hurry.
“What’s wrong with him?!” roared Spike. “Didn’t he seem weird to you?” he turned around to see Twilight.
Twilight was looking at the letter. The mail pony’s acts were now very clear as she read what was written on the letter paper by hand. Twi doubted it would have been that since she saw him; it was the only reason she ever saw a mail pony freak out. It message dated from a week ago. “We received it earlier than last time,” noted Twilight, breaking Spike’s thoughts about the mail pony. “That means she probably came closer to us.” “Who is ‘she’?” asked Spike, curious. He didn’t understand a thing of what Twilight said before the purple pony show him the letter package. Spike gasped as he read the few words on it.
“FROM: PINKAMENA DIANE PIE”
--
“Pinkie’s back. She must be hiding somewhere near the town,” thought Twilight Sparkle out loud. She was turning around in a circle inside the library. Spike was trying to follow her, but it was no use since the dragon got dizzy after only two turns. “It’s very probable- No, it’s obvious!” exclaimed Twilight. “I have to warn everyone”- “No, you can’t!” interrupted Spike. “You don’t have any proof!”
Twilight gazed at him. “Oh really?” she said, annoyed. “Her letter saying she will come this week? Strawberry Cake’s disappearance?!” she got louder at each of her points. “And Apple Pie keeps talking about her recently!” she finished. “How come that be a reason for her coming back?” asked Spike, not understanding the mare’s reason. “Spike, Apple Pie is Pinkie’s best friend,” she said, surprisingly calm. “She kept her secret about the cupcakes and many more for so long. If Pinkie comes back, she will never say it to nobody.” She warned. “Though, her talking about Pinkie is a hidden sign.”
“Maybe,” thought Spike. He still wasn’t on the same thought as Twilight. “Though she IS the only pony in Ponyville that doesn’t know that Pinkie might come back.” Spike was right. Nopony had the chance to tell the apple-color mare about Pinkie’s return yet. They knew that if she knew, she will call a party to welcome her back- unlike the other ponies that would hide. They want to protect her as well, because who knows in what perspective Pinkie not saw A.P., after so many years. Since Apple Pie doesn’t know, she couldn’t welcome Pinkie at all. And without any welcoming, Pinkie could never guess which Apple Pie’s house is. So, she would have been spotted from a while ago. Spike’s logic also had a point.
“True…” thought Twilight. “But I still think it’s worth warning my friends that she MIGHT be here.” “Alright,” shrugged Spike. He didn’t have any reason not to let her do that though. He climbed up while holding to the purple pony’s mane, before sitting down on the mare’s back. He wiggled a bit to look for a comfortable way to stay during the trip. As he finished placing himself, the dragon reached out his two small arms to place them on Twi’s neck. “Where we go?” he asked. “First stop, Rainbow Dash.”
--
“What?! What’s wrong?” The colorful mare struck out of his flying palace. “Oh, hi, Twilight,” she said as she lied down on the cloud and hold with her two front hooves. “What brings you here? Were almost night!” remarked the cyan mare, pointing to the orange sky that started taking a darker tone. “I know, but I just wanted to warn you,” the purple pony said, head down. She looked up into the dark pink eyes of her friend. “I made some researches, and, well, it turns out it’s possible that Pinkie came back and is hiding somewhere near town,” explained Twilight. The cyan mare stopped acting cool as she lost her senses and her yes grew wide. She remained silent for a moment, not knowing how to react to the news. “I-It’s possible,” she finished by talking, “so it m-means that… She might not as well?” The Pegasus tried to see the good way of what Twilight Sparkle told her; she was actually more trying to calm herself down. “Yes, but just warning you it is a possibility.” The cyan Pegasus was still stressed, Twilight could feel it. But she got up with her normal “20% cooler” face, and turned around to fly back to her house. Halfway the road, she lastly said: “If your not sure, don’t come and bother me.”
But still, as soon as she closed her front door, Dash remained paralyzed. What her friend told her was weighting big on her and it got her very stressed. She went and closed herself up in her room, closing all the sunny lights in her house. Like that, people might think that I’m not home, she thought. She opened the television she had in her room and switched to her favorite channel. As the cyan Pegasus tried to forget what her friend told her, Twilight and Spike had already left to the next.
“Who next?” asked Spike. Twilight looked at her right and saw Pinkie’s house, now deserted. She was about to say the pink pony’s name but then she immediately stopped, talking and walking as well. She couldn’t warn somepony of his possible arrival. She couldn’t actually warn a mare that wasn’t even there! Her ears got slightly down as she shook her head, without changing her view sight. Spike saw her comportment and turned to look at the same place as the purple mare did. He immediately understood what she was thinking about. “Erm…” Twilight tried to remember what her true destination was. “Oh, um, to Applejack.” She started walking again, what Spike didn’t think she would do. He bounced slightly while letting out a “whoa!” but then settled himself back. They went advanced on road to Applejack’s farm.
As they walked to the farmer’s land, they passed by Fluttershy’s house, who was just coming out of it, Rarity following her. “Thank you for repairing the broken nest,” the shy pony whispered. “Why, no problem!” smiled Rarity, glad to help. Twilight thought it was good timing to go ware both of them two.
“Hi girls,” she said loudly as she approached Fluttershy’s house. The two mares turned arounf to see the purple pony along with a Spike on her back. “Oh, hey Twilight,” whispered the Pegasus, “What brings you here?” Twilight arrived near the two ponies and stopped. She looked at Rarity, then at Fluttershy. Spike did as well, and his look stopped at the same place as the mare: the shy mare. Would she be strong enough to hold it? They both wondered. She has left more traumatized than the others from the cupcakes event, even more traumatized than Rainbow Dash and Rarity… As Spike still hesitated, Twilight thought it was best if she was aware. She took a deep sigh.
“Bad news, that’s what brings me…” She admitted. Rarity was surprised by the tone of Twilight voice, but the yellow mare, her, immediately started panicking. “Bad news? What bad news?” she asked, worried. “The bad news that Pinkie might be back and hiding from us near the town. Well, that’s what my researches brought.” She got straight to it, which was surprising, especially for Fluttershy. She was now barely holding on her hooves, almost losing conscience. “W-W-What…?” She tried to take the most information possible from all she heard, without fainting. Still, she couldn’t hold herself.
Rarity leaned down to catch the fainting pony at time. She slowly put her back up as Twilight tried to comfort them, “Still, I found only clues, so it is possible she isn’t there as well. Don’t worry,” she said those last words to the yellow mare. “I see,” she whispered, going back up.
Rarity dared to talk, even if she as well was terrified. “Shouldn’t we aware everypony?” She asked. “No,” Twilight said sincerely. “I don’t want to make everypony panic for something that might not be true.” Fluttershy’s hooves trembled one last time before she finally stood up by herself. “Who else is aware?” she asked in a whisper. Twilight looked at Spike. “Well, we decided to ware only you guys, so…” Spike started counting on his claws. “There’s Rainbow Dash, and then there’s you two. Our next stop is Applejack.”
Rarity insisted. “Can I come with you? My house is on the road.” Fluttershy walked up two steps. “I could come too,” she suggested. Twilight Sparkle sighed. “Alright…”
They walked side by side on the road for very few before arriving to Applejack’s place. Even if it didn’t seem as so, Fluttershy’s animal meadow is very close to Applejack’s apple farm. In a minute and half you could already see the big Apple Family’s house.
Twilight moved on to the house’s door. She knocked two times, then waited. A few moments after, A sleepy Applejack opened the door.
“Twilight? Rarity? Fluttershy?” she pronounced as she rubbed her eyes, trying to open them larger. “What are you three doing over here?!” “You sleep pretty early,” whispered the yellow pony. “Ae worked a lot today, and Ae’m tired,” she replied. “Now you answer. What are you three doin’ over here?!” Twilight sighed and took a deep breath once more, before explaining the same thing. “I made some researches, and it’s possible that Pinkie might be hiding near town. Though, they are only clues so it’s as well possible that it isn’t true,” she said very quickly. Applejack, half asleep, took a while before understanding what the violet mare spoke. “Pinkie?” she asked to verify if she understood well. Twilight simply nodded. “Now that’s bad news,” she admitted, thinking. “Who did you tell this to?” “You,” Twilight answered, pointing the orange mare, “them,” she continued while pointing Rarity and Fluttershy, “and Rainbow Dash,” she finished.
“Does Apple Pie know about this?” asked A.J. Twilight was about to answer, but as she opened her mouth, a quick deadly scream shout out, filling the sky. And that scream didn’t come from Twi. “I think we won’t need to,” she admitted, looking in the direction the shout came from. The four mares ran across the street, passing next to Rainbow Dash who decided to join them.
In each of them’s mind was only one thing: “Was Twilight right?”