//------------------------------// // Act I - Chapter 12 // Story: Second Princess of the Night // by Senyu //------------------------------// Twilight walked out of the library and into the streets of Ponyville, her eyes focused on the ground in low spirits of her predicament that had yet to yield a clear solution. I’ve read the book the book more than five times now, and I still haven’t found out anything useful. What am I missing? At this point she knew all the charms, protections, and markings of a vampony by heart, most of it having been inline with traditional folklore, only causing her to be more skeptical about it all. Despite having no lead to go off on now, she still held a fierce determination to figure it out, trusting that like all her problems, it just took dedication and resilience. But while her mind worked tirelessly for the crack in the proverbial wall that was stopping her, her heart felt heavy from the concerns of everypony else. Though she felt comforted by her friends worrying over her, it felt like it was tearing herself into two pieces. One end was the safe knowledge that they would be there for her, ready to help when she needed it, and the other an inner voice telling her that she could do it without dragging them in. There would be times as a princess where she wouldn’t be able to turn to them, and would have to face things on her own now and then eventually. But what if their only worried about me because I am a princess? a sudden thought spoke. Biting her lip, she began to imagine that them trying to do everything for her, in which turn due to her paranoia, spread out to what everypony else outside her friends would do as well. Memories of how Ponyville treated her when she first became a princess rang through her mind, digging up buried feelings of her uneasiness and even contempt for their behavior towards her. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized they were still behaving differently towards her. A sudden straightening of posture, a deep conversation put on pause to greet her and ask about her day, or the store clerk keeping an eye on her specifically while she browsed the store—eager to run over at any moment to assist if she even looked remotely confused when comparing two similar products. While the attention had been nice at first, it had quickly become situations that Twilight began to dread. It wasn’t that she was unfamiliar to attention, for she some experience naturally from being an Element Bearer and Princess Celestia’s protégée, both prestigious in their own right, but not so bothersome for Twilight. However, both paled in comparison to the popularity that came with becoming a princess. Save the world a few times, you might get a discount on a train ticket. Become a princess, and book stores offer you so many free books that they might run out of business. She almost paid double the price for a stack of books from a store in Canterlot to spite the offer of having them for free. And if she found such reactions in both Ponyville and in Canterlot, the idea that everypony else in the world doing the same thing no matter where she was sent a queasy wave through her stomach. So far she had only been away from Ponyville a few times since becoming a princess, mostly on official business that required her presence, or upper class social gatherings held in her honor by the elite of pony society. And each time, she had been meet with the same greetings, responses, and behaviors, turning anticipation for such events into apprehension. The growing fear of any social function caused so much worry that she felt that she never wanted to leave Ponyville again. Everypony here could at least remember her as the simple librarian sent from Canterlot; when she wasn’t saving everypony from complete disaster that is. Nopony elsewhere would see her as avid book worm that would sometimes became a complete shut-in whenever a new book series or scientific journal came out, a lover of mint chocolate chip cookies, or just a simple mare that just likes to hang out in the sun with her friends. Nopony outside of her home would see her for who she was, and who she wanted to remain. All of this, with the addition of the unnerving experience with the pony in the woods, rattled about her brain so much that she found it hard to focus on any one subject. As if her mind wasn’t already hazy enough, the blazing sun above was not helping her in the slightest. Twilight brought a hoof to her head as she squinted upwards. She wasn’t sweating, but the heat was certainly getting to her. In fact, the day seemed so hot that she was half tempted to head back to the library to retrieve a sunhat and pair of sunglasses. But before she made up her mind on the matter, her attention was drifted towards a familiar pair of ponies she spied in the corner of her eye just down the street. Some hundred feet away, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were crouched behind a building corner, their heads peeking around the edge; with Rainbow Dash hovering just a few feet above Pinkie Pie. They were looking in the opposite direction of Twilight, appearing as if waiting for something to happen. Following their gaze, Twilight spotted a cupcake sitting in the middle of the street, and the gears in her head clicked as to why they were so patiently watching it. Those two are just dangerous when pranking together. I don’t even want to know what they put into it this time. Twilight briefly felt a twinge of sorrow for the poor pony that would happen across the seemingly delectable cupcake, but then gave a sly grin when an idea popped into her head as she watched the two of them; or rather more of an impulse. The sight of the two ponies hiding behind the building, completely unaware of Twilight’s presence, was simply too tempting for her to pass up. Deciding to have a bit of fun with the two pranksters, Twilight crouched down and snuck towards them. She rushed as much distance as she dared before slowing down in fear that they would hear her approach, her hoof steps becoming softer and quieter. Their heads remained by the building’s corner, completely focused on the cupcake down the street, their bodies noticeable tensing up each time a potential victim walked by the treat. Hehe, they haven’t noticed me yet! The idea of catching the two of Ponyville’s most notorious pranksters by surprise sent a large surge of excitement through Twilight. But despite the growing thrill, she slowed her breathing as much as she could while continuing to inch closer, her attention entirely focused on her targets. She was only dimly aware of the steady rise of her heartbeat. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash pulled her head away from the corner and started talking to Pinkie Pie below her. “Maybe we should pick a different spot Pinkie, nopony here is biting.” Twilight froze the moment she saw her move, remaining locked in a half step and crouched position. She was so intently focused on Rainbow Dash and the potentially to be discovered, the curious fact that she could hear her so easily from where she was didn’t cross her mind. “Just a bit longer, I’m pretty sure Mr. Gumdrop will take the bait. He comes out every day at one for a quick break. I just know he won’t be able to resist it!” Pinkie Pie assured. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow before shrugging and turning her attention back to the cupcake. “Remind me to ask you someday how you know everypony’s schedule.” Pinkie Pie giggled as quietly as she could manage. “It’s easy, you just have to pay attention to everything!” Twilight waited until they were both entirely focused on the cupcake once more before moving again, her heart pounding at the prospect of almost being seen. If Rainbow Dash had only turned her head a few more inches, she would have easily spotted Twilight. The very idea that she had almost been caught by the ponies she was stalking sent another thrill of excitement through her. If they had seen her, she felt as if she would have attempted to leap onto them from where she was. She didn’t understand why sneaking up on them was compelling or so much fun, but she didn’t care. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting as close as she could to the two of them, and pouncing. She was going to scare them in a way she had never done before, in a manner they would have never expected from her. The rising excitement was so much that Twilight nearly threw all of her efforts away to jump at them right there and then. But after managing to ease her muscles from performing the premature action, Twilight cautiously took the rest of the distance, and was left with only ten feet between her and her still unsuspecting friends. She had positioned herself a little ways behind Pinkie Pie, deciding to slink over directly behind and along the buildings side. Having gotten so close sent another surge of excitement through her again, causing her body to twitch side to side as she readied herself to jump at them. I can’t believe it! They haven’t spotted me yet! They’re just sitting there completely unaware how good I’m about to get them! This is so much fun! Why haven’t I done something like this sooner? “Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie Pie suddenly asked. “Yeah, Pinkie?” “I’m getting a ticklish hoof and an shaky lip.” Twilight shifted about as a cat would when preparing to leap onto a completely open and vulnerable prey, her entire body loose and tense at the same time. “What’s that mean?” Rainbow Dash asked in half interest. “Normally it means that I’m being stalked…” Sensing the moment of surprise would pass soon, Twilight coiled her legs. One… two… three! Twilight’s pushed off the ground with all her might and leapt the remaining distance, landing directly behind Pinkie Pie while shouting at the top of her lungs. “RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie pie screamed in unison, they jumped high into the sky, and somehow at equal heights. Rainbow Dash on instinct, grabbed Pinkie Pie before she could fall back towards the ground, both their faces holding a look of complete shock as they turned their heads Twilight below, beaming them the biggest smile she could muster. T-Twilight!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Twilight began giggling uncontrollably at a successful scare on the two, holding a hoof to her sides as she spoke between her laughs. “I- hahah! Got you two! Oh Celestia- hahah! Was that fun and just perfect! Y-you should see the look on your faces! Hahahah!” Indeed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie faces were completely stunned as their hearts slowly began to calm down inside their chests. Rainbow Dash was still getting over the surprise while Pinkie Pie on the other hoof, quickly changed from a scared and shocked demeanor into a silly grin of amusement. She joined in Twilight’s laughter accompanied by a cute snort now and then. “Oh my gosh, Twilight! You really got us good! Haha! That was great! Wasn’t it Dashie?” Pinkie Pie twisted her head around to look at the still stunned pegasus. After few moments of being expected to answer, she snapped out of it and she began to lower themselves to the ground with a weak laugh. “Haha… yeah, that was a good one. Nice scare, Twi’, but it’s going to take more than that if you really want to catch me by surprise.” Twilight lifted an eyebrow with a knowing smile. “Really? Because by the looks of it I made you jump higher than Pinkie Pie did when she found out there was a cake festival.” “It’s true!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “So what are you up to Twilight? Besides trying to jump us I mean…” Rainbow Dash quickly changed the topic, both her and Pinkie Pie on the ground near Twilight. “Oh, I was just on my way to Trail’s to see if I can find something. I just wanted to say hi to you girls on the way. I should probably be going now, this heat is becoming unbearable!” Twilight exclaimed before trotting off. Looking over her shoulder with a very satisfied smile she called back, “See you girls later!” Pinkie Pie waved enthusiastically after Twilight while Rainbow Dash looked to the sky with a touch of concern. “What is she talking about? I worked my flank all week to get the weather this nice. It’s not that hot… is it?” she asked turning to Pinkie Pie, who only a shrugged in return. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One day later “Fluttershy, over here!” Rarity called out as she spotted her down the street. Fluttershy turned at the sound of her voice, and gave a small smile before trotting nimbly over. “Hello, Rarity, you’re looking well this evening,” she said softly. “Oh why thank you! Your mane is looking wonderfully groomed as well. I take it you were already on your way to Twilight’s for the dinner tonight?” “Yes I am. Did you come all this way to walk with me?” Fluttershy asked with high hopes. She normally was always one of the last ponies to arrive at any social function in hopes that it might be too full for her to still attend, but for something that was just her and her friends, she sometimes liked to be the first pony there; it was the only type of situations she felt comfortable enough to be left alone with the host before everypony else arrived. “Yes I did, but not exactly for the reasons you’re probably thinking,” Rarity answered. “I wanted to get with the rest all of the girls before we head over to Twilight’s. There are a few things I want to ask.” Fluttershy meekly nodded her head, curious as to why Rarity wanted to gather everypony up. But simply kept quiet, and followed behind her as they crossed town to wait at the street sections they knew the other girls would normally take when heading to the library. As they waited, the shadows of the houses became stretched as the continued to fall beyond the horizon, and one by one they caught each of their friends. Once they had all five of them, they were a block away from the library. “I’m glad to have caught all of you here before we begin tonight’s dinner,” Rarity said happily. “What’s the deal Rare’s?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Are we planning a surprise for Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. “Sorry, darling, but no surprises tonight, at least not the kind you’re expecting. I actually wanted to talk to you all about a serious matter regarding Twilight.” “Is this about the thing?” Applejack asked. “Indeed it is,” Rarity replied. “Well, ah suppose it’s better now than later. Ah’d be lying if ah didn’t say that ah was worried myself about how she was dealing with it.” “Dealing with what? What’s going on that we don’t know about?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Let me ask all of you something first, dear,” Rarity replied. “Have any of you noticed Twilight behaving, well… oddly lately?” With the exception of Applejack, the rest of them looked about as they ran over their recent days. “Is this about how Twilight scared me and Pinkie? Because she totally didn’t,” Rainbow Dash said. "Scare you?” Applejack asked. “When did that happen?” “Like I said, she didn’t scare me. But yesterday, she snuck up on Pinkie and me while we were doing a prank. I mean, it was a good attempt and all, but I guess I never really thought of Twilight being sneaky or playful like that. I didn’t think much of it at the time though.” “Yeah, I’d never figure Twilight would be able set off my stalker combo,” Pinkie Pie replied happily. “Stalker you say?” Rarity asked aloud. “You mean to tell me Twilight stalked you?” “Uh… yes?” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, she must have been quiet to have gotten close enough to scare us like that. Which she totally didn’t!” “Hmmmm,” Rarity hummed before turning to timid pegasus. “And what about you, Fluttershy, have you seen Twilight act odd in anyway?” “Oh um… not that I can think of…” “Are you sure? It can be any little thing, anything at all,” Rarity pressed as gently as she could, a reassuring tone in her voice. Rubbing a hoof on her leg, Fluttershy lowered her head as she thought it over. “She’s been acting normally as far as I can tell… nothing like scaring me or anything of the sort. She was nothing but sweet when she had visited me yesterday for a cup of tea after spending some time over at Trails. She was even concerned about one of the injured animals I was taking care of.” “Injured animal?” Rarity asked. “Oh yes,” Fluttershy beamed. “It was a sweet squirrel who had cut himself on a thorn bush while playing. Poor thing needed his bandages changed constantly until it could fully heal. Briar’s Ink is a nasty plant that stops the wound from healing properly if not cleared frequently.” “And what did Twilight do?” “She offered to help change the bandages. She was really concerned about the wound and the leaking blood. She stayed beside me the entire time until he had a fresh set of wrapping on his arm,” Fluttershy replied happily. When she looked back up to and saw Rarity’s face in set in deep thought and scrunched mouth, Fluttershy flattened her ears in worry. “I didn’t say anything wrong did I?” “No, dear. You just help add some details to an already mysterious puzzle,” Rarity said. “Oh, I just remembered something!” Pinkie Pie said with a jump. “What it is Pinkie?” “I saw Twilight later yesterday and I really wanted her to help on making some treats with me, but she got so angry that she snapped at me.” “Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “I think that’s pretty normal even for Twilight. I hate to say it but you sometimes get really annoying when you ask us to bake stuff with you, especially when you ask us a question for every single thing in your cookbook. If we don’t want to make the first fifty things you said, what makes you think we want to make the other hundreds of things you got?” “I expect everypony to act like that,” Pinkie Pie said sticking her tongue out to the pegasus playfully. “Then why do you do it!?” Rainbow Dash asked in annoyance. “That’s myyyyyyyy little seeeeeecret!” Pinkie Pie sang. When Rainbow Dash face hoofed, Pinkie Pie continued, “But I don’t mean Twilight snapped and yelled at me. I mean she literally snapped at me.” “Ya mean she tried to bite you?” Applejack asked worriedly. “Hmhmm! Teeth and all!” “Oh my, this may be worse than I thought,” Rarity said while sharing a concerned look with Applejack. “Well onto my next question, I suppose. Which one of you has not heard about Twilight being attacked a few nights ago from a burglar?” The sudden shocked faces of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and a gasp from Fluttershy answered her question. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Oh my gosh! So Twilight’s a vampony now?” Pinkie Pie asked enthusiastically. “That explains that Pinkie Sense a few nights ago!” “We don’t know fer sure yet,” Applejack answered, not even spending a moment to balk at Pinkie Pie. “Celestia knows even ah’m having a hard time buying it, but we’ve faced stranger things before that were supposed ta be only the stuff of legends. Everything just seems to be adding up ta the fact Twalight might be a vampony. And what Pinkie Sense went off this time?” “It was a new one. Scratchy lip, right hoof shake, and hair flattening.” “Yer hair went all flat?” “Yeah, but that combo didn’t feel good at all…” Pinkie Pie said suddenly sadder than she was a moment ago. “It was actually kinda scary…” The idea of a combo that bothered even Pinkie Pie worried the rest of them even more so than they already were. “What I want to know is why she never told us this herself,” Rainbow Dash said, hovering over the ground to vent her frustration. “It seems she hasn’t been telling a lot of ponies,” Rarity answered. “She even skipped some details with me until I pressed them. Right now, I think it is safe to assume that Twilight is currently not reliable on recounting her issues on the matter. Which is why I convinced her to host a dinner with all of us tonight. I was hoping we could have an intervention of sorts and help her figure it out together.” “So it is a surprise?” Pinkie Pie asked with a hint of returned excitement. “I… suppose you could count it as so…” Rarity slowly replied. Pinkie Pie giggled at the thought. “I just love surprises! I don’t care what kind they are as long as they aren’t sad.” “Well, shall we get this show going?” Applejack interrupted. “Let's,” Rarity agreed. The five of them walked the short distance between the end of the street and the Golden Oak’s Library, arriving at the front door in only a minute. Coincidentally, the last rays of sunlight dipped past the horizon, leaving the fiery red sky as the only source of light while shadows became darker and night encroached upon the town. With the reason for their visit fresh in their minds, each one briefly thought about the potential consequences of being in a house with a vampony at night, even if it was a friend. Taking in a deep breath to still her nerves, Rarity lifted a hoof and knocked on the door twice. Come on, Rarity, it’s just Twilight. Don’t let your superstition get a hold of you and run away with your mind. The girls behind her shared similar thoughts while they waited for a response. A few moments passed before the pattering of tiny feet were heard approaching the door, followed by it being pulled wide open and basking them in the indoor lights of the tree house. “You’re all here!” Spike exclaimed, looking happier than normal at their appearance. “Come on in, Twilight is almost done with dinner.” They entered the library and stood at the entrance, a slight hesitation building inside them. “Hey girls! Make yourself at home, I’ll be out in a minute!” Twilight’s called out from the kitchen. “Thank you, darling! We’ll just be at the table,” Rarity replied, looking back to share a nodding glance with the others to reassure them, wondering herself on how they were going to tackle the issue tonight with the alicorn. The five of them headed to the table, Spike walking just ahead to pull out a chair for Rarity. “Why thank you, Spike,” she said sweetly. “No problem,” he replied happily. Rarity gave him small nod, then waited for him to seat himself or head back into the kitchen. When he hadn’t moved and instead brought a claw to the back of his head, Rarity asked, “Spike, is everything okay?” Spike raised his hands and waved them up and down in a gesture to speak softer. Leaning towards the table he whispered to them, turning his head back to the kitchen. “Keep your voices down.” The girls exchanged brief glances with each other before leaning forwards as well, all their heads near the center of the table. “Twilight’s been acting weird lately and I don’t know what to do. I was hoping one of you might know something about what’s going on.” “We're all caught up to speed, I think,” Rarity said in a low hush. “We know Twilight was attacked in the forest and that there is a possibility she, as impossible as it sounds, may be becoming a vampony.” The look on Spike’s face changed to relief as she confirmed his concerns. “I’m assuming you’ve noticed some things as well?” “Are you kidding?” Spike hissed. “She’s been harassing me nonstop! She’s gotten so quiet walking around that I never know where she is. I don’t know how many times she’s scared me half to death for the fun of it. She’s way more energetic in the evening than usual, and I’m pretty sure her hearing has gotten better.” “Her hearing?” Applejack whispered. Spike nodded once in reply. “How in Equestria did ya figure that out?” “Applejack, ask in a normal voice if Twilight can get some lemon for your water,” Spike said. The farm pony scrunched her nose as she harshly whispered, “As if ah would ever dare.” “So what, just ask if we can have some lemon in my water?” Rainbow Dash asked aloud, forgetting to keep her voice down. “No problem, Rainbow, I’ll get it for you,” Twilight’s voiced called from the kitchen. The five ponies stiffened their backs at the response. There was no way a normal pony should have been able to hear Rainbow Dash clearly from across the room, let alone from all the way in the kitchen. “See?” Spike whispered, giving each of them a knowing yet troubled look. “Alright, here’s dinner!” Twilight said cheerfully as she walked out of the kitchen, plates of salads, fruits, veggies, and glasses of water wrapped in purple magic behind her. The girls quickly sat back in their chairs as if nothing was happening between the six of them, Spike moving to his own chair and scooting himself close to the table. As Twilight approached them the series of plates floated around her and onto the table, filling every inch of the wooden surface. “And here’s your lemon water, Rainbow.” Twilight floated the single glass that contained a lemon in front of Rainbow Dash while the rest of the glasses went to the other girls and Spike. “Uh gee… thanks, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said with a forced smile. “I know I can eat some ponies under the table during contests, “Applejack spoke up. “But isn’t this a little much?” She eyed the large amount of food before her; all of it looking delicious but wondering on they were supposed to eat it all. “It’s not that much is it?” Twilight asked. “I mean, I was practically starving so I figured you girls must have been hungry too… which I guess is kinda silly of me to assume…” “It's… lovely dear, really it is,” Rarity said in attempts pick her mood back up. “We’ll… just have to wrap some of it for home and have a meal for tomorrow.” “Alright,” Twilight replied smiling, her sadden demeanor vanishing instantly. Pulling a chair out for herself, she folded a napkin on to her lap and grinned to her friends around her. “Let’s dig in!” “Dig in!” Pinkie Pie echoed happily. The rest of them hesitated before joining Pinkie Pie and Twilight on the meal, deciding to take the evening slow on confronting Twilight. They spent the next better part of the hour eating food and talking about frivolous or mundane things, keeping the conversation to simple things that wouldn’t reveal the true topic they wished to discuss. The dinner was delicious and neither of them wanted to skip such a lovely meal. Applejack tried to go toe to toe with Twilight on a bowl of celery after both of them knocked back a few plates of cucumbers, but was unable to keep up with her new ravenous appetite. Her hunger was immediately noticeable to them all, each one thinking the same thought as the reason for why she was eating so much. At least it's veggies and not blood, Rainbow Dash was unable to help herself but think. In truth, they didn’t know how they would exactly begin the serious conversation. It was Twilight after all, and while they didn’t think she would attack them out of the blue for bringing it up, it was hard to not look at her differently from their runaway thoughts. All except for Pinkie Pie, who couldn’t get the image of Twilight baring a set of fake vampony teeth with a billowing cape behind her, poised over and ready to strike a platter of red cupcakes. I vant to suck your frosting! Hehehe. Eventually, the meal concluded, not a single leaf of lettuce or uneaten fruit left on the table. As hard as it still was to believe, they had watched Twilight devour most of the nights meal feverously, Rarity holding herself back from commenting more than a few times on Twilight’s eating manners. “Ah, that was good,” Twilight said with a satisfied grin. “Did you all like it?” She was met with series of quickly nodding heads and half muttered yes’s. “That’s good.” Letting out a happy sigh, Twilight looked across the table full of empty plates and bowls before sitting up in alarm. “Oh no! We ate all of it! I’m sorry girls, I meant to leave some for you to take home!” Ah wouldn’t say we as much as you.. Applejack thought, looking at the cores that were the remains of a pile of apples. Rarity was the first to speak. “It’s alright, darling, it was a delicious meal.” “Still… I feel bad…” Twilight said softly. “It’s quite alright, how about we do something else after putting the dishes away?” Rarity subtly suggested. Twilight instantly perked up at the idea of continuing the evening with her friends, half expecting all of them to have said their goodbyes and leave after dinner. “Really? You girls want to do something? I mean it’s not that late… well it is, but okay! I’m ready for anything!” “Sure!” Pinkie Pie chipped in. “We can play games, or tell stories! Or play story games!” “Games! We should play a game!” Twilight replied, placing her front hooves on the table as she lifted herself up in excitement. “We could go outside and play tag! I haven’t played something like that in years! What do you think? Sound fun?” A large grin was plastered on her face at awaiting for an agreed approval of such an activity from the rest of the table. “Come on, Rainbow, I bet I could even beat you! I’m feeling lucky tonight!” The image of a toothy Twilight pouncing onto Rainbow Dash, biting her neck and smiling gleefully as she drained her blood flashed across Rainbow’s mind. “Uh… maybe we shouldn’t do something outside… where it’s dark…” she said while avoiding her with her eyes. “F-Fluttershy would be too scared, right?” “Oh um,” Fluttershy replied, almost lowering her entire body beneath the table. “I uh… would prefer to stay inside… if that’s okay…” “Oh, okay,” Twilight said simply, lowering herself back into her seat. “Well, what do you girls want to do?” “I think… we should have a talk,” Rarity said, deciding to get to the point. “About what?” “Well… truthfully…” Rarity began, trying to figure out the rights words to say the matter as delicately as possible. After a few moments passed with nopony speaking, Pinkie Pie cheerfully said at the end of the table, “Lets talk about you being a vampony!” Two face hooves along with a face claw, a defeated yet eloquent sigh, and a soft meep was heard across the table. Twilight opened her mouth in shock, but slowly lowered herself back into her chair, her face becoming dejected at such a serious topic being brought up instead of something else that may have been more lighthearted and fun. With the rest of the table silent at her statement, Pinkie Pie threw her hooves up into the air. “Surprise!”