"Hello! Is there anypony there?" I called into the endless darkness before me. I was unsure of how long I had been here, or how I'd even gotten here for that matter. Whenever I tried to recall anything from more than a few minutes ago, my mind would become hazy. I turned around looking in every direction, straining my eyes to spot something, anything. When I couldn't spot anything in the empty void, I turned my attentions to studying my immediate surroundings.
The ground beneath me did not appear to be regular earth. It was solid and gave a hollow sound whenever I clopped my hoof down upon it. The air felt warm and arid, causing my mouth to become drier with every breath. It was so immensely quiet that my own heartbeat sounded like thunder to my ears; this was true solitude.
Pulling the magical energy throughout my body to the tip of my horn, I began going through the process of molding the energy into a source of light. After a few seconds of simple calculations, a soft glow began to emit from my horn. It was an easy spell that most unicorns learn at a young age. I shined the light around me, hoping there would be some form of identifying landmark, but there was nothing. I could see the rays of light dissipating in the distance.
Turning once again to the ground beneath my hooves, I jumped and gave a small yelp as I saw myself looking back at me. I fell back landing on my haunches.
"What, what is going on here?" I looked around me, where a seemingly endless amount of me's lay just beneath the surface of whatever material the ground was made of. Quickly getting back onto my hooves I started to gallop as fast and hard as I could. However, no matter how far I ran, I could see them beneath me. Soon I began to notice they were changing. As I ran they all seemed to be reaching out their hooves, pointing to the left of where I was currently going. As I passed the many versions of me, it almost looked like one of the flipbook animations my "less enthused" classmates would make when I was still in school. Their mouths seemed to be screaming something at me. I tried to mimic the movements of their lips and slowly I was able to form the words.
"You. Have. To. Save. Pinkie." Then it all clicked. Changing directions, I lowered my head and galloped as fast as my legs could muster. They were showing me the way to Pinkie; it was the only logical explanation. Well, it could also be a cleverly conceived trap, but either way I wasn't getting anywhere in the previous direction I had been taking. Then I noticed a small pink dot in the distance. My breathing became wild, and my heart beat loud and fast in my chest. She's there! She was really there! Slowly, the pink dot took the shape of a pony and grew larger as I came closer. My heart beat roared in my ears as if somepony was banging on my skull.
"Pinkie! I'm here! I'm here to bring you home! Just wait there!" I couldn't contain the smile that forced its way on my lips. My body suddenly began to feel very light as happiness took hold. The rattling of my heart grew even louder as she turned to face me. She smiled that silly light hearted smile of hers and opened her mouth.
"TWILIGHT WILL YOU WAKE UP ALREADY!" Rainbow Dash's voice came out.
I shot up out of bed feeling disoriented and confused. The first thing I noticed was how bright it was in my bedroom, followed swiftly by the sound of Rainbow Dash banging on my window and screaming for me to get up.
"Jeez Twilight, it's about time you decided to wake up. Me and AJ have been waiting for you to get up for over an hour now." She glared at me from outside the window, her fore legs crossed and her wings gently flapping behind her. I sat there for a moment trying to process everything that had just happened. It had been a dream, just a silly dream. The light-heartedness I had been feeling quickly escaped me as the frown that I had been wearing ever since Pinkie had disappeared the day before returned. I looked over at Rainbow Dash hoping maybe she had some good news for me. Her expression immediately became one of concern.
"Hey, hey, don't get so down alright? We're definitely going to find her. Me and AJ think we may know where she went." My ears perked up immediately as I jumped over to window and, enveloping the handle with a small amount of magic, threw it open.
"Really? Where? Can we go right now?" I was practically falling out of the window as I assaulted Dash with questions.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Twi," she replied, placing her hooves on my shoulders and pushed me back inside of the window. "We're not certain Pinkie'll even be there, but we figured it was worth a look."
Backing away from the window, I sat down and breathed in deeply, my right hoof clutching to my chest. After a few seconds, I breathed out while moving my hoof away from my chest at the same time in a small arc. It was a simple breathing technique Princess Cadance had once taught me to keep my emotions under control. Finally, I looked back up to Dash with determination.
"So where are we going?" I asked with newly found confidence that our friend was still within reach. Dash just smiled.
"Come on down, and we'll explain everything." Then she glided in a small spiral back to the ground where Applejack sat waiting. Ignoring the mess that was my bed and stopping only to give my mane a few well needed brushes, I made my way downstairs to find Spike pacing and muttering to himself.
"Ugh, Twilight’s gonna be so mad that I let her sleep in this late, Owlicious, but what was I suppose to do? She was crying on and off almost all night," he spoke while rubbing his head with both hands. Owlicious was sitting on top of a bookshelf turning his head to and fro with Spikes movements.
"Hoo," he softly hooted in reply.
"Twilight. You know, the only pony who lives here? Takes care of us?"
"Hoo." Spike stopped pacing to glare at Owlicious.
"Really? Pinkie’s gone and Twilight's crying herself to sleep, and you want to start this?"
"Hoo." Owlicious raised a wing to his head obviously irritated with the direction this conversation was going.
"Oh that's it." Spike began to run over to where Owlicious was perched. He didn't make it far before I lifted him with my magic and carried him to the opposite side of the room.
"You two really need to stop fighting all the time," I spoke as I strolled into the main chamber of the Library, which also served as a living room. Spike, after shaking off his initial confusion at suddenly being lifted into the air instead of at Owlicious' throat, turned his head over.
"Twilight you're up!" he yelled, smiling before worry quickly spread across his face. "How are you feeling? Sorry for not waking you up sooner," he spoke sheepishly.
Changing my mind about placing him on the far side of the room, I instead placed him down next to me; I smiled and gave him a small hug.
"Don't worry about it, Spike. I didn't think I was going to sleep at all last night, so I'm glad I was able to get some rest in the end." He sighed, happy to see that I wasn't angry with him. Owlicious flew over and landed on my shoulder. He gave a small hoot before nuzzling the side of my head.
I giggled, "Thanks, Owlicious, and you too, Spike." Spike began glaring at Owlicious again, then turned away.
"Kiss ass," he muttered.
"SPIKE!" I yelled as I turned to glare at him.
"What? He started it!" he replied, thrusting his finger in Owlicious' direction. Owlicious in return began to hoot angrily.
"That's ENOUGH, both of you!" They both jumped and quickly quieted down. Spike began to rub his toe on the ground. "Now, Applejack and Rainbow Dash are waiting for me outside. They said they might have an idea as to where Pinkie might have gone, so I'm probably going to be gone all day. You two…" They shuddered at my mentioning of them. "…had better keep your silly squabbles to a minimum." Spike looked up at me sheepishly.
"You mean, I can't come with you?" My anger dissipated as I saw how generally concerned he was.
"I'm sorry Spike, but we can't just leave the library unattended. We have a duty to the ponies of Ponyville." He sighed and waved a hand, clearly blowing off my answer as he headed towards the kitchen.
"Yeah, yeah I know. I made you some Daffodil Sandwiches, figured you'd be hungry when you got up. I'll just put them in your saddle bag for you to take with you." I smirked. It's a good feeling to know you've always got somepony looking out for you, or some dragon in his case.
"Thanks Spike."
"No problem, Twi." Then he disappeared into the kitchen.
After gathering a few supplies and Spike's sandwiches in my saddlebags, I gave Spike and Owlicious a small wave and headed out the door.
Rainbow Dash had brought down a small cloud to lie on and Applejack appeared to be searching for something in her saddlebags.
"Heya girls, sorry to keep you waiting. I had to dragon proof my owl," I announced rolling my eyes. Applejack smiled at my arrival and started to open her mouth before Dash interrupted her.
"’Bout time, I could've taken a nap waiting for you!" she exclaimed, waving her hoof around in the air dramatically. Applejack glared at her.
"Comin' from the mare who's always late to ma' birthday parties," Applejack responded. Rainbow Dash quickly stood up to refute her claim.
"Oh come on, it’s not my fault your birthday parties happen to be late in the afternoon, during my naptime," she replied defensively.
"Maybe that's ‘cause SOME ponies work most of the day!" Applejack glared. I was getting a serious case of déjà vu. I brought my hoof to my face and quickly cut off Dash before she could throw more fuel on the fire.
"GIRLS, THAT’S ENOUGH!" I was not going through this a second time today. Dash and Applejack both looked at me then blushed from embarrassment.
"Sorry about that, Twi. Ah guess ah got a little carried away there," Applejack replied rubbing the back of her head.
"Yeah, what she said," Rainbow Dash responded coolly while bringing herself to a hover and kicking the cloud away before landing on the ground.
"It's alright, girls, just fill me in on where we're going," I cut straight to the point. Applejack stepped forward.
"Well, me and Dash here got to talkin’ on our way home last night about where Pinkie might've gone, and we both figured that if anywhere, she might head back to seein' her family back on the rock farm." I felt like a moron for not having considered it earlier.
"And we thought even if we don't find her there, then maybe we can get some clues from her family," Rainbow Dash chimed in excitedly.
A small spark of excitement lit up inside of me; we might actually find Pinkie. It was a logical assumption that a pony might turn to their family in a time of need. Though, I was still unsure as to what it was that troubled Pinkie to such a state, considering Pinkie Pie had quite literally laughed in the face of the most horrid villains we had faced. I shuddered to imagine what could bring Pinkie down so low. I shook away those thoughts, gaining quite a comical look from my friends.
"It’s brilliant, girls," I gave them a smile showing how sincerely glad I was to have them in my life. Then I thought of something. "So... where are Rarity and Fluttershy?" I asked tilting my head slightly.
"Well... Fluttershy said she couldn't just leave all of the animals by themselves," Rainbow Dash started, "but then she started freaking out ‘cause she was afraid Pinkie might think she didn't want to find her." She rolled her eyes. "So we had to spend a good while calming her down.”
"And Rarity was already behind on a few commissions she needed to do," Applejack spoke up. "So basically, we just told ‘em to not worry about it since we weren't even sure Pinkie would be there."
"It’s understandable," I replied. I couldn't help but feel slightly hurt that they wouldn't just drop everything to go look for their friend, but I knew that was unfair of me. Hell, I even told Spike to stay even though I'm sure he wanted to look for Pinkie just as much as the rest of us.
"I'm such a hypocrite," I muttered while turning my head to the ground.
"What was that, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, concerned. I blushed realizing I had spoken aloud.
"Nothing, don't worry about it," I replied, putting up a smile to deter further questions. Applejack looked like she wanted to press me further, but was interrupted by Rainbow Dash who had apparently grown impatient.
"Well girls, we can sit here and chit chat all day, but times a wastin’. I say we hit the road," she spoke, bringing her right hoof to her chest. I was happy for the change in subject and at the idea of getting the search for Pinkie Pie going.
"I agree, let’s waste no time and get moving!" I declared, raising my hoof in the air dramatically. Then I remembered a very crucial detail.
"Where is the Pie Rock Farm, exactly?" I asked, lowering my hoof and blushing. Applejack just rolled her eyes and began walking in the direction of the train.
"You ever heard of Coltwood?" she asked as we fell in beside her.
"Hmm, it sounds familiar. I feel like I've read about it in a book somewhere," I replied while going over the many volumes and lores I've read throughout my lifetime.
"Ah wouldn't be surprised. The town is practically ancient, used to be some big trade hub or somethin’." It was then I remembered where I had heard of it before.
"Coltwood! How did I not remember Coltwood?"
Applejack and Rainbow Dash stopped and looked at me. Then they looked at each other and sighed, aware of what was to come next.
"Before the start of the Equestrian Modern Age, Coltwood was a major trade town because of its location on the Rambling Foal River. Then, of course, the invention of the railroad made the need to ship goods from Baltimare along the river obsolete, causing the town to lose most of its major industries. Wait, so you're telling me Coltwood is still around? I figured it had simply been abandoned considering it's over a thousand years old now," I asked before realizing Applejack and Rainbow Dash had simply walked away while I was stuck in my own world. Blushing, I ran over to them yelling for them to wait; they began to run.
The train car gently rocked as rolling hills and fields passed by. We'd been riding the train for a few hours now. At first, we'd spent our time talking about what we might find when we reached Coltwood, eating a few of Spike's sandwiches as we chatted. Eventually, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had fallen asleep in their seats. I couldn't sleep, probably due to how late I'd slept in. I turned my head away from the window and looked over my friends. Dash's head was lying on Applejack's shoulder while Applejack’s head rested on top. If they knew they were like this, they'd probably be bickering over who had decided to get too cuddly. It was an amusing thought.
Laying my head back and closing my eyes, I thought about the past two weeks. Honestly, I don't know why I thought it would've been as easy as staging an intervention. I guess I just assumed that friendship could solve any problem. That's what I get for assuming, I suppose. It annoyed me, how it seemed as if all my lessons in friendship were pushing me in that direction only to be proven wrong. Was there something I was missing? Was there something deeper to friendship? I opened my eyes and let my gaze turn to the landscape passing by.
My thoughts drifted to Pinkie Pie. It'd never occurred to me how much of an impact she had on my life. Looking outside the world almost seemed, well, darker. There was an aching feeling in my heart; it felt like a hole had appeared in its center. I'd never lost a friend before. Just a couple of years ago, I was making friends for the first time. I brought a hoof up to my chest as if to see if a hole had actually appeared where I felt it. Of course, it hadn't, but that didn't make the feeling go away. What was Pinkie feeling right now? I couldn't help but wonder if she had the same ache as I was feeling.
Outside the landscape began to pass by more slowly, and I could feel the speed of the train reducing. Soon, we were crossing over the Rambling Foal River. Nudging Applejack and Rainbow Dash awake, I waited to see what kind of reaction they would have. Applejack yawned and stretched out her hooves causing Dash's head to slip off and land in her lap.
"What the- Dash! Why ya layin’ all over me, girl?" she asked, quickly shoving Dash off of her and on to the floor.
"Laying all over you?" Dash replied while getting up on her haunches and rubbing her head. "Don'tcha mean why were you laying all over me? And you didn't have to shove me on the floor, sheesh." I rolled my eyes and opened the compartment door. Dash and Applejack followed behind me exchanging words the entire way off the train.
Coltwood was nothing like what I had read in the history textbooks. It seemed more like a ghost town than anything. Many of the buildings had fallen in on themselves, leaving eerie, twisted wreckages of what I assumed use to be flourishing businesses. I could see the Rambling Foal River flowing behind us. Along its banks were some large cargo docks. There were a few shipping containers that appeared to be old and rusted. I looked back to the town. From what appeared to be the center of town there stood a large clock tower. Though heavily aged it still seemed to be structurally sound and showed that the time was about four forty-five.
"What a dump!" Rainbow Dash yelled out as she spiraled around in the air, taking in the whole view. "Applejack, are you sure people still live here?" she asked, gliding down and landing beside us.
"Of course Ahm sure!" Applejack replied defensively. "These here pony folk have been good customers to the Apple family for years."
"Oh, so that's how you knew Pinkie's family lived up here?" I asked, curious.
"Eyup, though Ah ain't actually been to their farm before myself, Ah know it's here in the area. Rocks are kinda their only real industry now a days, so it's a pretty big deal round these parts."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find some ponies who can tell us where the rock farm's at!" Dash exclaimed impatiently, beginning to flap her wings and gently glide into town. We followed suit. Applejack seemed slightly annoyed that she wasn't leading us into town, considering she actually knew the place.
I looked at the decayed husks of the buildings around me. There appeared to be old diners, jewelry shops, and various other stores. As we reached the center of town where the clock tower stood, the buildings became more maintained and neat. Eventually the road opened into a small square with the clock tower directly in the middle. A couple dozen ponies wandered around, going about their daily routines. The square held a few shops including a diner, a small flower shop, and a boutique with several rock themed selections. Next to the boutique was a small library, which I quickly began to trot over to.
"Oh, no you don't!" Rainbow dash grabbed me by the tail and pulled me away.
"Oh come on, I just want to see what kind of selection they have," I begged while trying to find a firm hoof hold in the ground. Applejack simply rolled her eyes at our little squabble and trotted over to the flower shop which was run by an elderly, pale blue, earth pony mare sitting in a rocking chair. Dash spit out my tail as we both turned our attention to Applejack.
The elderly mare greeted her as she stopped in front of the stand. The two exchanged a few words that I couldn't quite hear, followed by a shrug from the old mare. I started to grow worried as Applejack frowned at whatever news she had just heard. She quickly followed with what I assume was another question. The mare smiled and pointed past the clock tower; following up with some animated gestures, I figured were directions to the farm. Applejack gave a little wave to the mare and quickly trotted over to us.
"What's the bad news?" Dash asked wasting no time as she worriedly moved closer to where Applejack stood. Applejack rubbed a hoof along the back of her head.
"Well, Ah asked if she'd seen Pinkie around, figurin’ somepony like Pinkie oughta be well known round here, but she said she'd never known a Pinkie Pie before. Ah tried describing her to her, but didn't ring no bells apparently." She looked at me hoping I would have a valid way of explaining this, and I wished I did. I felt just as confused as they were. Dash rubbed her chin.
"That's weird. Everypony back in Ponyville knows who Pinkie is. Hell, half of Equestria probably knows her by now!" she exclaimed, throwing her hooves in the air. I turned my attention to a middle aged light brown unicorn who happened to be trotting by.
"Excuse me, sir?" I began, trying to be as polite as possible. "But would it bother you if I could just ask you something real quick?" He stopped and eyed me for a moment before responding.
"Make it quick," he spoke sharply. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to argue, but I quickly shut it back with a little magic. Not to say I myself did not want to give this rude pony a thorough lecture on common courtesy, but we really didn't have time. Applejack mumbled under her breath, obviously subduing the same urge.
"I promise it won't take long, but do you happen to know a Pinkie Pie?" He raised an eyebrow at me and rubbed his chin for a few seconds. He turned his head and mumbled the name. Finally, he shook his head.
"Can't say I have, is she related to the Pie family?" He asked, suddenly becoming curious.
"Well, she's one of the daughters and a close friend of ours," I filled in, hoping that he might know her. Instead, however, he just seemed to be more put off.
"One of their daughters? Well, that's strange. They used to come over on the weekends to play with my little girl when they were younger, but I don't remember there being a Pinkie Pie."
My jaw fell open. If his daughter had played with the Pie sisters how could he not have known Pinkie? In fact, how could anyone here not know Pinkie? If her family was as influential as Applejack made them sound, then surely the ponies here would know them well. Suddenly, all the pieces began to fall into place. It was almost as if Pinkie had never even been here, much less was born and raised here. No, there had to be an explanation. Forgetting about the rude pony I turned to Applejack.
"Something's not right here. Did that old lady tell you how to get to the farm?" I asked, a hint of desperation in my voice.
"She said to follow the street over there behind the clock tower all the way out of town until we saw the entrance to the Rock Farm." Then her expression darkened. "And Ah know what you mean, Twilight. It's hard to believe these ponies wouldn't know who Pinkie was." Rainbow Dash stopped glaring at the stallion, who had stormed off after having been interrupted then consequently ignored, and joined our huddle.
"You don't think Pinkie would tell them to lie to us in case we came looking, do you?" she asked, rubbing her foreleg with her hoof.
"No, I highly doubt that. To organize such a large deception would take a considerable effort. Besides, that guy seemed like he honestly had never heard of Pinkie Pie," I replied while trying to think of any other possibilities.
"Ah agree, that ol' lady didn't seem like she could lie even if she wanted to," Applejack chimed in.
"In any case I think we need to head on to the farm. We should be able to find some answers there," I declared as I looked in the direction the farm was supposedly in. A feeling of dread began to lurk into my heart. I was quite familiar with this feeling. It was similar to the feeling I had gotten before Nightmare Moon returned. It was a feeling that told me something grand and horrible was to come, and though I hated to admit it, I knew whatever it was had Pinkie in the middle of it.
"Sounds good to me, I'm ready to get to the bottom of this," Rainbow announced, ready to face whatever came our way. Applejack nodded in agreement and began walking towards the street she had been told to follow, Rainbow and I right beside her.
The other side of the city was considerably more up kept then the side we had entered through, with many of the homes being freshly painted and adorned with small gardens. Eventually, the buildings became more dispersed and were replaced with trees and hills until finally we had reached another road that spurred off with a sign above it, which read "Pie Family Rock Farm". We turned onto the new road that crept up a hill covered in trees before disappearing over the top.
My anxiety grew with every step we took. It had been building slowly over the course of getting to this point, but now that we were actually about to reach our destination, it grew exponentially. I couldn't shake that feeling of dread that poked at the back of my mind earlier. It weighed on me and made the trip up the hill seemingly impossible. What had happened? I just couldn't understand. Pinkie, though strange, seemed to have a simple life. I'd never known her to really have troubles that didn't extend past the normal misgivings of life, and surely nothing of this grand a scale. Unfortunately, what truly scared me was the idea that over that hill was a truth I didn't want to face; that everything we knew about Pinkie was just a lie, and that we would turn around and head home just as unsure of her whereabouts as we were last night.
Finally the moment I feared came to pass. From the top of the hill the trees had mostly been cleared out for the farm. In the distance were the high peaks of Foal Mt., and below us was a flat valley filled with rocks. The world had taken on an orange hue as Celestia slowly brought the sun down, which caused the little cottage at the end of the rock field to glow.
"Well, here we are," I spoke nervously. My friends merely murmured in agreement. They both had a very solemn air to them. I knew they were just trying to act tough even though they both probably felt just as worried as I did. Taking in a deep breath, I began our descent into the farm.
The farm had a dreary feel to it. Even though it was clear today, something about the place made it feel as though there was a perpetual overcast. On several occasions, I looked back up at the orange sky to ensure that there indeed were no clouds. Looking behind me at my friends I took note that they, too, had been doing so. As we approached the cottage, the door swung open, and an aged, pale orange stallion trotted out. He wore a charcoal brim hat and tie, and had a grey mane and sideburns. A long piece of straw reached out from his mouth which he moved from side to side. His cutie mark was of a pickaxe, probably symbolizing his ability with the rock trade. He looked down at us from the porch with a tired expression.
"Can Ah help you young ladies?" he asked with a gruff voice. We stopped in front of his porch and I stepped forward to respond.
"Yes, sir. We're, uh, friends of one of your daughters. We were hoping we could talk to you about something?" I asked nervously. He eyed us before putting on a simple smile and waving us over.
"Friends of one of ma girls, eh? Well, come on in then. We were just about to eat supper." Then he trotted back into the cottage, leaving the door open for us. I looked back at my friends. Rainbow just shrugged and made her way inside. Applejack turned to me.
"Well, let's get this over with, sugarcube," she spoke before turning and following Dash inside. This was it; this was the moment my fears would either be realized or dashed. I looked at the door, fearing what lay beyond it. I sat back on my haunches and brought my hoof once again to my chest, inhaling, and then moving it away in an arc as I exhaled. Honestly, it didn't do much to qualm my fears, but it felt better than standing there like a frightened filly.
"Ya ok?" Applejack stuck her head out the door with a worried expression.
"Yeah, sorry about that, I'm fine." I gave her a big grin and, steeling myself, trotted into the cottage.
Upon entering the cottage, the first thing I noticed was the comforting smell of cinnamon that drifted throughout the house. The layout was fairly simple, the kitchen being to the left and the living room to the right. Directly in front of me was a staircase going up to what I assumed were the bedrooms. The walls were covered in paintings of various rocks as well as pictures of the family. My heart sank when I noticed a family portrait that didn't seem to have been taken too long ago. It portrayed Pinkie's father and his wife, an aged grey mare with a dark gray mane, with their three daughters below them. None of the young mares in the photo were Pinkie. I looked at all of the other family portraits; there was no sign of Pinkie.
I felt faint and the world became very hazy. What did it mean? Could Pinkie really have been lying to us this whole time? I felt a leg around me, pulling me onto my feet and keeping me steady. I blinked as my vision became clear again. Looking up I saw that it was the stallion I had thought to be Pinkie's father helping me.
"Ya alright there, miss?" he asked worried as he flicked the straw around.
"Yes, sorry about that. It's been a long day," I replied, rubbing my head. He moved his leg away, letting me stand on my own.
"Well, alright then. Why don't ya come on in the kitchen where your friends are? My wife is setting the table as we speak.”
He began walking into the kitchen where I saw Dash and Applejack sitting at the table, each looking at me with a worried expression. After setting my saddlebags by the door where Applejack had left hers, I trotted in and sat down next to her. The orange earth pony leaned in close to my ear.
"What's gotcha bothered, Twilight? You've been acting funny since we got here," she whispered.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys worry. It's just, after what happened in town and from being here... I'm almost certain there never was a Pinkie Pie from Coltwood." Applejack frowned and nodded.
"Ah noticed it, too, when Ah walked in: she ain't in any of the family photos or nothin’," she spoke, concern in her eyes.
"Well, I'm sure glad you ladies stopped by," the stallion began, sitting across from us while his wife busied herself with the cooking. "We don't get many visitors anymore since our girls moved out, except Marble of course." He spoke as if we already knew all this. "My name is Igneous Rock, and this is my wife, Cloudy Quartz."
"Thank you both for inviting us into your home. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack and Rainbow Dash," I replied, motioning to myself and my friends.
"It's nice to meet you young ladies," Miss Quartz spoke, turning away from the stove for a second.
"As am I," Mr. Rock added. "So tell me, which one of my young-ins are you friends with?" he asked, smiling.
This was it; though I was more than sure that Pinkie hadn't come from this home, I still held some hope that he would happily claim that Pinkie was in fact one of his daughters. Rainbow Dash leaned in.
"We're Pinkie's friends from Ponyville," she spoke, smiling. Apparently, she hadn't taken note of the significant lack of Pinkie in this household. Mr. Rock cocked his head, confused at the answer he'd received.
"Pinkie, you said?" he asked cautiously.
"Well, yeah, Pinkie Pie." Rainbow replied, becoming confused herself at his response. Mr. Rock leaned back in his seat and flicked the straw around a few times before leaning forward again to speak.
"Well, Ah'm afraid you ladies may have the wrong house. We don't have a daughter named Pinkie, and Ah'm fairly sure none of our girls have even been to Ponyville, for that matter." Rainbow Dash leaned back and held a hoof to her chest. I understood how she must be feeling right now. Hearing those words crushed any last hope I had. A mixture of emotions burned in my heart. Feelings of hurt from knowing I'd been lied to by a pony I thought I could trust, as well as the worry that I'd never see her again. Who was Pinkie Pie? Where did she come from? Why did she lie to her friends? I couldn't make sense of any of it.
My stomach churned as I felt an unruly sickness befouled me. Thoughts and worries swam through my head as my vision blurred. I felt lost, betrayed, worried, but mostly hurt. It was as if my world had been swept from under me.
"W-What's wrong miss?" I saw Mr. Rock lean in, worry written across his face. It seemed I had started crying at some point. Honestly, I hadn't even noticed. Applejack put a leg around me and pulled me into her chest.
"It'll be alright sugarcube," she spoke softly. Rainbow Dash just sat in her chair staring at the table in front of her. She felt just as betrayed as we did, and I could tell it was weighing on her heavily. The trickle of tears began growing as my mind spun in circles. Before long I was full out sobbing, thoroughly soaking Applejack's coat. Mr. Rock got out of his chair and quickly came to our side. He was obviously confused at the sudden change in mood and seemed very worried. Miss Quartz had run to grab a handkerchief, almost spilling the pot of warm vegetable stew she had been stirring.
"I-I'm... I'm sorry," I gasped out between sobs. I hated making them worry about me. I didn't even deserve to be worried about. I knew my friends were hurting just as much as I was, and yet, here I was... being a cry baby. I felt ashamed.
"Shhhh, shh, it’s alright Twilight just let it all out," Applejack replied. Her calm demeanor just made me feel more ashamed at my outburst. This wasn't like me. I was supposed to be strong, to be a leader. Miss Quartz came back in and began to dry my face. Though it seemed like forever, it was probably closer to a few minutes before I finally ran out of tears. I had taken the handkerchief and was blowing my nose when Dash finally spoke up.
"She's been lying to us all along, hasn't she Twilight?" Rainbow Dash looked at me. I could see the hopelessness in her eyes accompanied by a small glint which started to form in the corners. Seeing her so devastated kicked my brain back into gear. Dash needed me, and even though Applejack seemed strong, I knew she needed me too. More than anything though I knew Pinkie needed all of us.
"I don't know Dash," I tried to keep my voice upbeat, "but I know that the times we spent with her aren't lies." Rainbow Dash raised her head and looked at me, a small glimmer of hope returning to her eyes. "And I also know that she needs us. Whatever reason she had to lie and disappear, she's out there facing it alone, and if there's one thing I've learned from my time in Ponyville, it’s that the best way to face a problem is together with your friends." I gave a smile to Rainbow Dash, which she gladly returned.
"Well said sugarcube," Applejack commended, giving me a pat on the shoulder. I turned back to our hosts.
"Sorry about causing such a ruckus in your home, it's been a... tiring couple of days for us," I explained, giving them an apologetic look. Mr. Rock looked at his wife. They both gave each other a smile before turning back to me.
"That's quite alright. Like Ah said before we don't get much company anymore." Then he leaned in close. "Besides, we ain't 'bout to put such pretty young mares out in the night without a warm meal." He gave us a little wink causing his wife to roll her eyes.
"Also, if ya'll wouldn't mind sharing, we'd like to know what's causing ya'll such heartache. Don't know if we can help or not, but we'd sure like to try," Miss Quartz declared, giving us a gentle smile. I smiled back, happy to have some new friends on my side.
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and I spent the next hour telling the Pies about our missing friend as we ate. They hardly touched their meals as they were so tuned into our story. Occasionally, they would ask a few questions then politely let us continue. When we told them about the many stories Pinkie had told us about her time on the farm, they were surprised at how much Pinkie had known about their farm. Even commenting that she seemed to know a few personal stories about their family much to all of our surprise. After we had finished our story they simply said that they didn't know where our friend could be, but that they would be sure to ask their many business partners around Equestria if they knew anything.
During the rest of the meal they told us about the farm and their three girls: Marble, Maud, and Limestone Pie. Apparently their eldest daughter, Maud, was currently studying at the Fillydelphia University to get her Rocktorate in Rock Science. The middle sister, Limestone, was currently abroad in Saddle Arabia learning new forms of rock farming. Finally, Marble, who was planning to take over the farm once her father retired, was away performing a business trip in her father's stead. We were invited to come back later this year when the girls came home to help out with harvest season. We of course agreed happily. I was happy at the notion of making some new friends as well as learning a bit about rocks, though I'm fairly sure the rest of my friends wouldn't share my interest in that particular area.
At a quarter after seven we all said our goodbyes. The girls and I made our way back to the train station to catch the eight o' clock to Ponyville. We kept quiet most of the journey, probably due to how tired we were from the day's events. Though the Pies had significantly increased my mood, a little doubt still lingered. As hopeful as we were, I knew we hadn't made any progress today. In fact, it seemed we were farther away from finding Pinkie then we had been when we left for Coltwood. I spent the rest of the walk to the train station thinking of a plan of action for tomorrow.
Once we reached the station we purchased our tickets and quickly found an empty compartment. I turned to my friends, who began to nestle into their seats hoping to catch a quick nap on the way home.
"Girls, tomorrow I'm going to go to Canterlot to ask for the princesses' assistance," I announced, determined. Rainbow Dash perked up at my news.
"Yeah! They'll be able to help us for sure. You need us to come with ya?" she offered happily.
"That's alright, Dash. I'm only planning to be there for a night. Besides, one of you needs to be sure to update Rarity and Fluttershy about what we've discovered on this trip," I replied, trying not too sound harsh. Dash seemed a little put off but didn't argue any farther.
"That's fine with me, Ah can't keep pushing all my work on Applebloom and Big Mac anyway," Applejack agreed, followed by a yawn. Rainbow Dash sighed.
"Yeah, I have to get the sky ready for the big front that's comin’ in tomorrow," she admitted, obviously not very enthusiastic about her task. Having all agreed on a plan for tomorrow, we slowly drifted off to sleep as the train left the station.