"I really hope that they're okay," said Jordan to Jason as they trudged through the streets of Canterlot. After Sky and Ant had rolled into the river, the group had gone completely silent. There was no conversation at all, and Jordan could not understand why.
Silences made Jordan nervous. They seemed to fill up and spread everywhere, becoming so thick that you could choke on them. Silence had power. It could suck the life out of a room in mere seconds, and kill happiness. Jordan didn't like silence.
Jason snorted, interrupting Jordan's epic silent speech of silence. "Trust me, they will be. Remember the first time Sky picked up a sword?"
Jordan laughed. "Yeah. We're lucky that Seto is such a good doctor, or else everyone would've bled to death." At the mention of his friend, Jordan's ears flattened. He added softly, "Do you think we can get back home?"
"We will," said Jason confidently. "Trust me, if anyone can figure out a way back home, it'll be us. No one is better at problem solving, cheering people up, and running around like insane chickens.."
"Was that last one really needed?" interrupted Ty.
"I wish I had your optimism," sighed Jordan, looking ahead at the two princesses. Celestia was glancing around at every store that they passed, for some reason, and would briefly browse the merchandise before walking away, shaking her head. Luna, on the other ha-hoof, Jordan corrected himself- was yawning, and muttering things about how "big sister Tia always worries too much. You used to be fun!"
"How do you think we'll get back home?" Bodil jumped in. "I mean, it's not like we can just create a magical portal out of thin air, right?" He looked hopefully at the princesses, wanting them to tell him that he was wrong and that they could just teleport the Minecraftians back home.
Celestia and Luna payed him no mind. Celestia was still interested in shopping, and Luna was busy reminding her that she wouldn't think of her differently if she didn't get something nice.
Get something nice...for what? Jordan wondered suddenly, finally remembering to be curious as to why Celestia was browsing shops in the first place.
"That was kinda the point of coming to Canterlot in the first place," pointed out Ty. "I mean, we came to see if we could break that magical barrier around that portal so that we could get back home and that all of Ponyville wouldn't end up drowning in creepers, right?"
Hmm...
"It wasn't just creepers," said Jason. "Don't forget, there were also spiderponies, zomponies, enderponies, and skeleponies."
"Was it necessary to put 'pony' at the end of every word?" asked Bodil, somewhat amused.
Maybe they would tell me if I just asked them.
"Maybe not, but we might as well get used to saying pony after every single word, since that's what this world is full of," Jason replied, somewhat annoyed.
But wouldn't it be rude if I asked them why they were running around every store in sight like an insane chicken?
Bodil shrugged.
"Well, not after every word," said Ty. "I mean, that would mean it would be like, 'Hi-pony! My-pony name-pony is-pony Ty-pony! It would be a screwed up version of pig latin or something."
And besides, what if I just figured it out by myself? I mean, it can't be that hard, right?
"But in pig latin, you also move the first letter of the word," argued Bodil. "So it wouldn't be pig latin, not exactly."
"I did say a screwed up version," snapped Ty. "Come on, you heard me, right? Jordan? Jason?"
So..uh...let's start with the facts: Celestia is running around to general stores, looking for something. Luna is telling her not to be so worried. But she is worried. And...uh...
Jason half shrugged, half nodded.
Ty glared at him.
OH FLIPPIN' SCREW IT, I'M JUST GOING TO ASK HER.
Jordan pushed his way past Bodil, Jason, and Ty rolling around on the floor, and made his way towards the Princesses.
"Oh come on, Tia!" complained a very irritated Luna. "Thou doesn't need to get her something perfect. We are sure a hug would do just fine."
Celestia straightened up and looked her little sister in the eye. "Maybe so, Luna, but she would be expecting something more than just a hug. It only comes once a year, you know."
Luna rolled her eyes. "We know that Twilight is not a needy pony, and that she would not mind a meager gift for her-"
"Hello," interrupted Jordan. "Greetings from the world of the morons. I am a messenger from Lord Idiot, also known as Sky, although it could also be Bodil. Our people are not sure whom is more stupid. But anyway, I heard of an interesting event that you two were just discussing. Would you be so kind as to tell me what it was?" he finished with a goofy grin.
Although Jordan found his approach formal and regal, it earned him quite a few strange looks from Celestia and Luna, but Luna mostly looked like she was trying to contain some laughter.
Celestia looked at Luna. Luna nodded. Celestia sighed. Luna smiled.
This is getting to be somewhat redundant, thought Jordan, watching Celestia make an "are you sure face?" and Luna responding with a "you worry too much, Tia. Yes I am sure, do I look like I'm crazy?" face and Celestia responding with an "are you absolutely sure?" face and Luna replying with a "yes" face and Celestia replying with an "are you absolutely, positively sure?" and Luna replying with "yes" and Celestia responding with an "are you absolutely, positively, perfectly sure?" face and Luna throwing up her hooves in the air with an exasperated groan.
Celestia sighed again. "Fine. Very well; it is soon time for my faithful student Twilight Sparkle's..."
She was cut off by Pinkie Pie shooting past them like a torpedo, screeching. She was so fast, she was flying through the air.
As soon as she hit the ground, she gasped, and then she shot around in circles, screeching.
"Pinkie?" asked Jordan dizzily. "What in the name of Notch's sweaty troll-scented underwear are you doing?!" he demanded as Luna burst out laughing.
"Okay, how in the name of Sombra's laxative talking crystals did you get 'Notch's sweaty, troll-scented underwear'?" she asked, then dissolved into giggles.
"The same way you got 'Sombra's laxative talking crystals'," replied Jordan. He turned towards Pinkie, who was just getting ready for another round of Torpedo-Pie, and stuck his hoof in her mouth.
Pinkie promptly spat it out, and gasped (thankfully, without all the running and screeching), "OHMYGOSH HOW DID I FORGET IT'STWILIGHT'SBIRTHDAYINAWEEK!!!!!"
While Jordan's brain was trying to process what Pinkie had just said, the rest of the group gasped. Together, they were almost as loud as Pinkie, but nopony could ever quite beat her.
"Great, we have to waste money on a gift of all things, too?!" groaned Bodil, throwing his hooves in the air.
"We never had any money in the first place," pointed out Ty.
"Oh my gosh. HOW DID I FORGET?!" gasped Rainbowdash, throwing up her front hooves in the air in a display of shock.
"Nopony blames you; if a bunch of random strangers fell-like, literally fell- into your life claiming to be from another world, and then your hometown was invaded by a bunch of monsters from said world, anypony'd forget one of their best friend's birthday," said Jordan.
"And I need to plan the most Super-Duperiest-Most-Fantabulous-Best-of-All-Parties-Party ever!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, bouncing up into the air. "I mean, come on, your birthday only comes once a year and when it comes you need to celebrate because it'll be a whole other year before you can celebrate it again, and Twilight is a princess for Celestia's sake, so of course we need to make her party the best one ever!!!!!!"
"I'm standing right here, you know," said Celestia.
"And no mention whatsoever about the fact that she's one of your best friends," commented Bodil.
"Oh yeah! That too!" Pinkie said, doing a derpy grin. "And everypony in Ponyville- No, Ponyville and Canterlot- no, in Equestria is going to come!"
"WAITWAT." said someone from behind everypony. Everypony turned around, and saw Twilight standing there, jaw dropped to the ground and eyes wide as saucers. "You don't actually mean, like, everypony-everypony, do you?"
"Of course I do!" cheered Pinkie, jumping into the air (again) and singing, "This is gonna be the best party ever, this party will be remembered forever, this party is definitely gonna be the best-"
"Even better than mine?" asked Rainbowdash, raising an eyebrow.
"We'd better call Mozzarella Pizza, or whatever his name was," commented yet another someone from behind.
"What's with all these people from behind?" asked Pinkie as everypony else around her yelled, "CHEESE SANDWICH!"
"Okay, okay, geez," whined the same someone that had commented on CheeseStick's name.
"You guys, um, sure you're okay?" asked a timid voice, waking up to the group and looking behind her. "I mean, it's only been a few minutes...."
"Twenty-three, to be precise," said Jason, checking the watch built into his spacesuit.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," sighed Ant, walking up and glancing at Twilight, who had promptly fainted on the ground a few minutes prior. "No need to get all techy, Astro-boy."
"Yup, he's definitely alright," said Jason in retaliation. "Only Ant could come up with such lame insults."
Ant raised an eyebrow. "You're talking to the four-times-in-a-row-champion of the official Survival Games, you know that?"
"Machinima held six official rounds. Where were you during the other two?"
"I got in the top five, at least."
"Wow, you really suck."
"Says you! You couldn't make it into the top twenty if you tried.
"Yeah, well-"
"Will you guys just stop jabbering at each other for five seconds?" snapped Sky, jumping in between them, breaking up their argument quiet effectively.
"He started it," whined Jason and Ant. "No, you did! I did not!"
"Argh!" screamed Twilight, jumping up to her hooves all of a sudden. "One minute ago- I mean literally one minute atom we were talking about my birthday! What the heck happened?"
"This idiot happened," said Ant and Jason, pointing at each other. "No, you're the idiot! I'm not, you are! Jinx! Double Jinx! Triple Jinx!"
"You guys are hopeless," sighed Twilight, massaging the area between her eyebrows before turning to the rest of the ponies, who were watching with expressions of amusement, interest, annoyance, and horror.
"Wait a minute!" interjected Pinkie. "There's no horror- oh, yeah, Fluttershy," she realized, turning to the buttered-colored pegasus, who was cowering behind Applejack, muttering "Friends shouldn't fight. Friends shouldn't fight. Friends..."
"He's not my friend!" protested both Jason and Ant, which set them off to their fighting again.
Everyone in the group groaned.
"....so, uh, what was that about everypony in Equestria, Pinkie?" asked Twilight.