//------------------------------// // Ch.15 Pinkie Perplexities // Story: The Origin Chronicles Vol. 2 // by SmokeShadow95 //------------------------------// Applejack stood above Rainbow Dash. She was still bandaged up around most of her body. The doctors said it was going to stay that way for along time, until her body healed on its own. They also said that was going much slower than it should. A pony like Rainbow Dash, physical and healthy. She should have been able to recover from this within a month at most. At least by that time she would have been awake and been able to go back to Ponyville, but that was not the case. Something was making it hard for her to recover. Applejack blamed herself. She cried a few tears of shame and sadness onto Rainbow Dash's chest. She said if she hadn't of left Appleloosa then maybe she and Rainbow Dash could have fought together. They were a powerhouse team. Twilight refused to listen to her say that. “No, Applejack. Even if you had been there you would just be laying in a bed right next to her. We would be down even one more pony, and this whole situation would be a whole lot worse.” “Worse,”Applejack repeated, “How could this be worse?! Dash ain't never gonna wake up, and by the time she does we're all gonna be either dead as doornails or madder than Discord and Pinkie Pie on too much coffee and soda all at the same time.” Twilight could not help but snicker. She knew Applejack was trying to be serious, but the image she just put into her head was too hilarious. Applejack was going to get mad at Twilight, but then she put up a magical image of Discord and Pinkie Pie losing themselves to the corrupting forces of coffee and soda. Even Applejack had to laugh at that one. All of the sudden a pony burst in. A guard. One of Luna's guards, actually. He was ordered to remain with Twilight and Applejack for the remainder of this Madness crisis. Twilight stared at him blankly for a moment. She had completely forgotten he was there. “There is news, you highness. Guards at the train station send word. Spike has arrived in Canterlot. He wishes to see you and Lady Applejack right away.” “Stop calling me 'Lady', will ya?” All the guards had been doing that since she got back. Even Twilight wasn't sure why. It was mostly Luna's guards. Just a few of Celestia's. Maybe it had something to do with Luna and Nightmare Moon. Twilight shrugged it off and left the hospital with a rather annoyed Applejack in tow. The two ponies got to the train station only to find that half of Canterlot was also there. Apparently, the guard was correct. Spike had arrived, and he was big news. Ponies of all sort crowded around him in any attempt to get close to him. He saw the two of them standing in the back and sent out a silent plea for help. It wasn't the mob of news ponies and reporters that bothered him. He had been dealing with them for over three years now. He was actually surprised to see that Sally Silvertongue was not among the present ponies. It was not the massive crowd of fans that sent him running for help. That was always kinda fun for him. He was never the showing off type like Rainbow Dash, but he didn't mind the occasional spell to send the fans wondering. No, what bothered him was the legion of mares all mane pulling and biting to get close to him. And the rubbing and clinging they did once they got close. What he feared was Luna's wrath if she saw that. So he called out to Twilight and Applejack for any help they could give. Applejack had a solution. She deftly moved through the assembled ponies and hopped up onto the train next to Spike. There were more mares trying to get close to him up there than she expected. And now there was one more. “Hey! You can't just hop up here and move in like that,” One of them yelled at Applejack. “I ain't some wannabe dragon wife, ya hear. I'm an old friend and I need to talk to him.” “An old friend? Yeah, right. That line has been used by every mare from here to Manehatten, and it never works.” “You best let me pass, or this ain't gonna end well.” Needless to say, it did not end well. For some reason Applejack could not understand no pony cared that she was the most honest pony around. Especially not that pony. So she kicked her tail off the train and walked on. When she got close to Spike, she got an even better idea. She shot Twilight a glance and that told her everything she needed to know. Twilight cast a spell over the entire crowd of mares, except for Applejack. The ponies were surprised to find themselves suddenly unable to speak, or make any noise of any kind. Spike took the chance he had to shake three of them off his arms. Then Applejack's plan started. “Ya know, I heard me a mighty good rumor the other day,” Applejack interjected. She looked like she was talking to another mare who turned pale as a ghost as all eyes went to her and AJ. “I heard that Spike the Dragon was dating Princess Luna. Can you imagine that? Just think, if any pony out there tried to steal him away she'd be sendin' 'em more bad dreams than there are sheep in Equestria to count 'em.” At the sound of that all mares stopped whatever moving they were doing. They all looked at Applejack still, wondering if she was telling the truth or not. Slowly all eyes turned until they once again fell on Spike. He turned as red as Big Mac in his cheeks and clamped his mouth shut. Apparently that was enough to convince every mare present to pick themselves and even a few others up and leave. In a moment's time the whole place was vacant. “Wow, Spike. Yer quite the popular dragon,” Applejack said with a chuckle, “And yet all it took was you dropping Luna's name and they all ran for the hills,” Twilight stated. Spike relaxed a little after his encounter with every mare in Canterlot. He was just glad none of them touched his wings. He had gotten pretty good at using them by now, but they still got sore every now and then whenever he flew pretty long distances. And Canterlot always seemed to be the farthest point from wherever he was. He had not planned on being back here until this Madness situation was all said and done. But he was here. And thoughts came back to him. Thoughts of her. He smiled at Twilight and Applejack. He thanked them for their help with the mares. That is when he felt it. A small feeling, at first. Starting just around his chest. At first it was alarming, but as it grew inside him he calmed down. This feeling, this warmth was not an unfamiliar feeling. It was just one he had not had in some time. He had not been so close to Luna in some time. He loved her always, but when he was close to her everything changed. His heart beat faster and faster. He found his breath escaped him more than ever. Words were hard to find for him to describe just what this feeling was. Spike turned his gaze up to the castle. Sure enough he was right. Standing on a balcony in all her regal glory was a pony Princess. Dark in color, but bright with her own emotions. Spike's wings burst out and he sprang up. He was off the train and in the air before either Applejack or Twilight could do anything. All they could do was look up after him. Twilight and Applejack saw only a glimpse of a wavy tail disappearing into the castle before their own attentions were diverted. They jumped off the train and back onto the platform. The train conductor let out a very loud “Thank Celestia, it's about time.” He pulled the train out of the station just as another was pulling in. “This must be the train Spike came from,” Twilight said. Applejack did not respond. She didn't want to get her hopes up. Spike did not say anything about it, but the only reason he would come back was because he found Fluttershy. But because he didn't say anything she was worried about what Fluttershy was coming back. The train pulled up and stopped at the station. The doors opened and a flood of ponies poured out. They all moved around the two still ponies like a river flowed around a rock. Not a single pony ran into another pony. Twilight found that mildly interesting while Applejack was just happy to still have her hat on. Finally, the last set of doors opened. They opened and a pony fell out. She did not exit the train like the others. She literally fell out, landing at the feet of two ponies she hardly knew, but she knew them enough. “Princess Twilight, Applejack,” Flake said quickly. Her voice was a mix of panic, disbelief, and urgency. “Make it stop! Please, make it stop! I can't take it anymore!” “Flake Frost, what are you doin' here in Canterlot,” Applejack asked. “And what is going on? What can't you take anymore,” Twilight asked after. “Them! In the train! They won't stop with all the mushy, lovey-dovey stuff. It has been going on since we got on the train. It was a five hour train ride. I am surprised I am still sane, if I am sane at all!” Twilight and Applejack left Flake to her mental breakdown and peered into the train. It was empty for the most part. Not a single pony in sight. That is, until they saw one yellow coated mare with a pink mane. Fluttershy?! She was okay. She had her back to the door and she did not seem to notice them. She was talking to somebody, but it was unclear who. Most likely a bug or something. “All I see is Fluttershy,” Twilight stated in Flake's direction. Flake got up from her spot on the ground and walked over to Twilight. She put a hoof on the side of her face and pushed it a bit more into the train. From that angle she could easily see who Fluttershy was talking with. Twilight fell over when she saw, and partly because Flake had put her at a really weird angle. Twilight rose quickly and stared at the pair at the other end of the train. “Fluttershy?! Discord?!” She was having a bit of a hard time wrapping her head around this. “Yes. Fluttershy and Discord,” Flake said. “Discord professed his love for Fluttershy to snap her outta whatever Madness induced coma she was in an' now they won't stop.” “Oh, it seems we have attracted a crowd.” Discord looked past Fluttershy to see the three ponies standing there. Fluttershy looked back at them and her smile grew even wider. She glowed even more than before as she moved for her friends. She flew much faster than they were expecting and she slammed into both Twilight and Applejack at once. She tackled them off the train and they rolled a bit before ending with Fluttershy both giving them a big hug. “I missed you guys so much,” She screamed. “Fluttershy. Fluttershy! Fluttershy?” Twilight tried to get the name heard, but the pony in question held a iron like grip around her neck so not much came out loud enough to be heard. Luckily, Applejack had a stronger. . . everything really. She pried Fluttershy off her and Twilight and they all got up. “Mighty good ta see ya there, Fluttershy. I missed you an awful lot, too.” “Applejack! The last time I saw you was in. . . in. . .” Fluttershy let the sentence trail off. They all knew how it ended. Fluttershy just did not want to say it. “The last time ya saw me was in Appleloosa,” Applejack stated blankly, “Before I went Mad and abandoned y’all.” “Applejack, you didn't -” “No, I did. And I'm sorry for that. But apologies ain't gonna do a whole lotta good now. We gotta find Pinkie still.” “Right,” Fluttershy said bravely. “How do we do that?” “It's something Spike does,” Twilight explained. “We will have to wait for him. He is. .. busy at the moment.” “In the meantime, you can tell us all about you and Discord,” Applejack said teasingly. Discord and Flake traded glances. It would seem that they were somewhat forgotten. They understood, though. It was a time for friends to catch up and whatever. They just slowly trudged on behind the three other ponies and that was that. Luna watched from her balcony as Twilight and Applejack entered the city. It was midday and she wasn't asleep. This was a more frequent occurrence than she cared to admit. Celestia knew, though. She always knew. But she did not understand. How was Luna supposed to sleep when her every dream contained in vivid detail any and all ideas of what might have happened to Spike. It has been well over a month since she had last heard from him. She let out a heavy sigh. It was just a few moments after that she saw one of her guards down below. It was one of the few she had had posted all around Canterlot. His instructions were clear: Assist Princess Twilight and her friends with whatever they need. It appeared he was doing just that. He moved to find another guard and sent him to find the Princess in question. After talking for just a moment she saw how hurried they were. What was it that was causing such a rush? It took her a moment to see what it was. Off in the distance, barely noticeable to any other pony. Her well trained eyes have had over a thousand years to gain the precision they had now. And what she saw brought up all kinds of feelings she thought were too deeply buried. She saw purple. She saw green. She saw Spike. He was flying strongly on his wings and headed right for the city. Unfortunately, as he got closer more and more ponies saw him. As soon as he reached the mountain city he was greeted by a crowd of mares, all of them hungry for his dragon body. He was forced to land on the top of a train, but that only stopped them for a moment. Luna watched as he was swarmed by more mares than she ever really realized were in Canterlot. Twilight and Applejack drove them off soon after. All the while Luna was finding it hard to ignore this growing warmth in her chest. It grew and rose up until it was overwhelming. She turned back and walked into her room. She was finding it rather hard to breathe all of the sudden. She crawled up onto her bed and lay down. She curled up in the comfort of her blankets. She had always found comfort in her bed, even when she was younger. And now she needed it more than ever. “Luna.” She did not look up at him. She pawed her hooves into her blankets. Was this a dream? Was this just another twisted dream concocted by her own mind? She would not feed into her own torture. “Luna. It is really me. I am really here.” “No.” Luna spoke just that one word. That was all she wanted to say, but Spike was going to get more out of her. She breathed out again a few more times and pulled herself up. She raised herself up and sat in her bed. She held herself with her back to Spike as she spoke to him. “No, Spike. You can't really be here. Because if you are here, that means that I have to ask. Why? Why, Spike?” Luna restrained herself as the urge to look back and leap at him welled up in her. “Why did you leave? A month. One whole month, Spike! You left me here to worry about you!” “Luna. I am so sorry-” “Save it, Spike! You were alive and well the whole time, not that I would know. You never told me! You went to Cadance and Twilight. You went away again and still you never thought to tell me you were alive.” “I was alive, Luna. You are right to be angry at me for that. But I was not well. Knowing that I was keeping you in the dark tore me up inside-” “THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT IT!” Luna, in her anger, launched a pillow in Spike's direction. It soared past his head and hit the wall behind him with pluff before falling to the floor. Spike looked at the pillow for a second and then looked back at Luna. He could not see her face, but he knew that she was crying. He knew because that same feeling of warmth in his chest was knotting up. It was not a feeling he ever wanted again, so he left. He still had a promise to keep. “Just leave, Spike. I am mad at you right now.” She never did look back at him. She just sat in her bed as she talked. She heard it as Spike walked over to the balcony and flew away. She collapsed into her blankets once more. She was so confused right now. She wanted to be mad at Spike for leaving her alone and making her worry so much. At the same time she wanted to just take him in her wings and kiss him and be thankful he was alive. The only thing she succeeded in doing was driving him away. Anger and joy both ran down her cheeks as she smothered her face into her blankets. What was she going to do? Spike flew down to the castle courtyard. It was not a flight he made often, but the destination itself was so familiar to him that he could have flown there on instinct alone. He tucked his wings in and walked into the castle. He made his way past the guards, who all knew him quite well. They all stood tall as he walked by. He knew they way from there to the throne room by heart. He walked into the throne room to find everyone there. Twilight and Applejack were sitting and talking with Fluttershy. Discord and Flake were off to the side. Flake was taking a nap and Discord was pondering doing something to her while she slept. He stopped pondering once Spike walked in. He timed it perfectly as Celestia walked in from another set of doors at exactly the same time. “Ah, I am glad to see you all here. Even in these dark times, it warms my heart to see you all smiling. Well, most of you.” Celestia nodded over to Flake, who was smiling, drooling, and mumbling in her sleep all at the same time. “With Fluttershy brought back to you, you need only one more pony to complete your circle of friends. I only wish it could have been done with less violence.” “Oh, me too, Princess,” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Unfortunately it could not be avoided. Even I was kinda violent.” Spike and Discord had to stifle their expressions and remarks. 'Kinda violent' was not at all how they would have described Fluttershy as she made her escape. They were not sure if Celestia had heard the story or not. She was as expressionless as usual as she continued. “How do you plan on finding Pinkie Pie?” “That is where I come in, Princess,” Spike stated. Celestia noted the air of emotionless he had in his voice. Luna sounded the same way as of late. She thought it best not to intrude. Celestia sat in her throne and watched. Spike and Fluttershy took center stage in front of her as the others stood back. Twilight tried her best to prepare Fluttershy for this, but there was only so much one could explain about Soul Magic when they themselves barely understand it. But Fluttershy still sat in front of Spike like the brave little pony everyone knew she was. Spike gave her the same warning he gave Twilight. It seemed like so long ago now. “Fluttershy, do not break this spell. Do not move. This may hurt a little, but you must handle it. Can you do that?” “For Pinkie Pie, I will handle it.” Fluttershy said in as brave a voice as she could manage. Discord cheered her on from the sidelines. Having been on the receiving end of this spell himself he knew how hard it was going to be on her. He was no longer afraid to show how worried he was. Spike focused all his energy in the spell. His eyes glowed green and before long a white circle appeared in them as well. His scaled hands were infused with a magical light that turned them transparent. Fluttershy readied her own self as she watched Spike change. She was worried about this spell. Twilight told her all about how dangerous this type of magic could be. Soul Magic. Fluttershy's heart was already racing as Spike reached out for her. A small, adorable squeak escaped her lips as his hands passed through her physical form. Spike reached in deep to Fluttershy's soul. Hers was different than any of the others he had touched. It was not simply that each pony was different and therefore had different souls. It went far beyond that. She had one of the brightest souls Spike had ever seen. The amount of compassion and kindness she had for everything lit up her soul with a pure radiance that Spike was truly in awe of. It was so blinding almost that Spike had trouble finding the one area of her soul that he needed. It was so mixed in with the other areas of kindness and compassion that it was hidden in plain sight, so to speak. It was actually an unexpected source that made the area of love stand out a little bit more than the rest. It was like a beacon Spike used to navigate her remarkable soul. Discord. Fluttershy loved Discord. It was more than just the love she had for all of her friends, pony and animal alike. At first, he was just another being trying to cause trouble in Equestria. Then he was defeated and Celestia had her take him in. He became her friend and he reformed. The years that followed only strengthened their bonds of friendship and something more grew around it. Something neither of them was willing to admit until this Madness forced them to. Spike still found a little hard to believe, but then he remember him and Luna. A pony princess and a dragon? An animal loving pony that embodied kindness and the Lord of Chaos himself? Yeah, those two definitely won the round for strangest pair. Once Spike had found the area he was searching for it was a simple matter of sifting through everything until he found the one pony he was searching for. It took much longer than he expected to find it. He began showing outward signs of strain and increasing effort. Fluttershy was having an even harder time dealing with the pain of having a dragon's hands inside of her body. “What is going on? This is normally the time Spike takes his hands out,” Discord said with worry heavy in his voice. “What is taking him so long?” “I don't know, but he needs to hurry,” Twilight said. The looks she got only encouraged her more to explain. “From what Spike had told me about how dangerous Soul Magic is, he can't keep this up. This magic drains both the caster and the pony it is being cast on. If he doesn't stop soon this could do serious damage to both of them, and their souls.” “I must admit, I never thought about it,” Celestia said heavily. “This must be the true dangers of Dragon magic. The ever present threat that it poses to those close to you.” As Celestia finished speaking she turned back to Spike. She silently wished for him to hurry up. She disliked seeing them both in this state. The danger that she could not help them with. It was then that Spike finally pulled his hands out of her. Fluttershy's eyes that were clenched tightly closed opened wide as Spike was finishing his spell. He pulled his hands out and the pain only grew until it was gone. The pain climaxed as his hands exited her and she fell. Her subconscious took over as she fell over into Discord's waiting arms and she slipped into unconsciousness. Spike joined her, but not before doing one last thing. He tightly gripped the little light wisp that he had pulled from Fluttershy. He had to use an arm to keep himself up just enough to cast one last spell. He released the light wisp just enough so that he could see it change to a pink color. “Find Pinkie Pie.” The group came to a stop. Slowly, all hooves and claws came to rest. They had been walking for a good long while. And now they had reached their destination. The Soul Compass had guided them to a point where they would be able to find Pinkie Pie. Too bad all they saw was sand. A lot of sand. Figures. The light wisp from the Soul Compass spell had guided them to the same exact desert in which Pinkie Pie had been lost to in the first place. More than that, it was the same exact spot. Spike could tell. The area was still littered with the the pieces of the glass column he had created the last time he was here. He now stood within the remains of that column. The others stood just outside of it. The light wisp told him that she was here, but she was nowhere to be seen. Spike looked at for some kind of confirmation. In response to him the wisp puffed up a bit and dove right into the sands at his feet. “What the? Spike, is yer light friend there goin' the right way?” Applejack's question was a good one. Not even Spike was sure if his spell would work right. That was one of the biggest dangers of using Soul Magic. Smoke Shadow had told him of this. Soul Magic is at it's very core unpredictable and unstable. No two spells would have the same result. Spike was lucky so far with the Soul Compass, but he had no idea when or how that would change, if it would at all. “What are you gonna do now, Spike?” Twilight asked with some annoyance. Spike didn't answer. He knelt down and placed his hand on top of the sands. He dug in his claws. No living being could see what he was doing. The only one he could think of that possibly could have was Smoke Shadow, and he was long gone. Spike was sending a minute pulse through the sand. He was sending it deeper and deeper and ever deeper. He wasn't sure exactly what he was going to find, but he knew in his heart something was down there. So he kept it up. The pulse he was sending would bounce back once it hit anything. Most of it was useless. Rock and boulders the size of most Ponyville houses. A few gem deposits Rarity would love to get her hooves on. It took a full half an hour for him to find something. Or the absence of something. Half an hour after he started his pulse, he senses something. Or nothing, to be more accurate. His pulse hit a pocket. A pocket so big, so massive that it could only be where Pinkie Pie was being held. Spike stood up tall and straight. He stared at the ground still as he raised and outstretched both arms. Then the ground started to shake. The others in the group all darted for the nearest cover for fear this was another infamous sandstorm. It was not. Spike stood at the center of where his column of glass used to be. The sands were moving around him. It was small trickle at first. Hardly noticeable. But as he stood there longer the more the sand shifted. Before long walls of shifting sands were circling around Spike. The others looked through the giant glass shard they were hiding behind. They could see nothing through the sands that blinded them. Before their widened eyes they saw a huge explosion of sand erupt from the very spot Spike was standing. He had taken his minute pulse and gathered all the energy from it into one giant blast. He took this blast and threw it down into the sands. The sand took several moments to fade down and dissipate. They looked on to the same spot Spike was just standing. He was not there, and in his place was a hole. Fluttershy peeked over the edge. She shuddered as she gazed into the abyss below. The hole. Well, not really a hole per say. More like a giant, gaping abyss that looked as if it had been eaten out by a monster none of them felt like seeing any time soon. It was like the ground had fallen away and the sands flowed down into it like a desert version of a waterfall. That is what Fluttershy was looking at. “Pinkie Pie is somewhere. . . down there?” “Guess so, but I ain't got a clue how we are gonna get down there,” Applejack said. As soon as she said that, a large shadow appeared overhead. It had been looming over them for some time, but they only just now noticed. They all looked up to see a very large dark mass lowering down to their level. As it turns out it was Spike. He lowered to reveal the rock platform he was standing on. His eyes were glowing green, signaling to the others what they already knew. He had gone Mystik to clear the sands away. He reached the same level as they were at and motioned for them to come aboard. All of the present ponies were a bit hesitant about jumping aboard the floating platform. Flake was the first to make the jump and stand next to Spike. She stood proudly next the dragon she admired and gave a challenging smile to the others. Twilight used her wings to fly up and stand at Spike's other side. Applejack just made a hefty leap and skidded to a stop next to Twilight. Discord, who only came along to be with Fluttershy more, snapped his fingers and a red carpet rolled out and traveled up to the platform. Fluttershy giggled at his silliness and walked up the carpet. She took her own place next to Twilight and Applejack. Discord hovered closely above the group. Spike nodded and started their descent into the dark abyss to find Pinkie Pie. They descended into the desert sands, to the rocky depths that lay hidden beneath them. Depths that no pony had ever been to before. Not until the Mad ponies found their way down here. Now even more ponies were on there way. They were on a rescue mission. However, as with everything they did it was going to have its own set of problems. The first went by the name of Discord. “Uh, Spike. Couldya maybe give us some light so as we can see?” Applejack asked as she cautiously felt around for Spike himself. Somehow she had lost the dragon she was just standing right next to. “He can't do that,” Flake said. She knew she was about to get a whole mess of responses so she just explained right away. “Spike has expended lots of magical energy lately. It's taking all he's got justa keep this slab of rock from plummeting down to who knows where.” “And just how do you know that, missy Flake? Hmm?” Discord was heckling her again. Those two never stopped. “Because I know, Spike. Duh.” “No offense, Flake, but you haven't known Spike as long as we have,” Twilight said. “Yeah, Princess. You knew him longer, but that was before he went all magicky and stuff. I met him when he went all magicky and stuff. I understand his magic better than most anypony.” “Flake, just because you -” “Don't you go and start using your dang logic on me now, ya hear!” Fluttershy stepped in before any more words were said that one or more ponies might regret. “Um, Discord. Do you think you could give us all some light? Pretty please?” “No, Fluttershy. I got this.” Twilight stopped Discord before he could do anything chaotic and potentially dangerous to their well being. She took the task upon herself and provided them all with some light. It was a simple spell she had mastered long before she became an Alicorn princess. A few small orbs magically appeared around them, giving off a brilliant light that illuminated the area around them. “That works,” Applejack stated as she looked about the area. It wasn't much to look at. Rocks, mostly. A little bit of sand here and there that seeped down from the desert above. Occasionally they would move past a small amount of water that trickled down through the ground. They were moving down so fast, though that it went by too fast for any of them to really notice it. It was not long until the group began to feel the weight of the situation. They were still going down. They were stuck on a platform with walls of rock and stone surrounding them. The walls went up so far that the light of day was distant pinprick in the dark. It was an unusually quiet time. A time where nerves would normally be getting the better of ponies, a time where normally tempers would begin to flare up, a time where ponies would reflect back on past decisions. Yeah, none of that happened. Fluttershy was as close to the middle as she could get without being right on top of or under Spike. She was fearful of the edge. Discord was keeping her company and that was keeping her mind from wandering, which was a good thing in her case. He was actually braiding her mane and tail at that moment. Spike could not help but see it due to her close proximity, and he had to admit she looked nice with braids. Applejack was closest to edge. She was fiddling with some pebbles that had fallen from the rock walls as the platform lowered. It descended more and more pebbles were added to the little pile she had started. She wasn't quite sure why, but she had arranged them from lightest colored to the darkest. Boredom, she guessed. The trip down was taking way longer than any of them thought it would. Twilight and Flake Frost were busy having an in depth discussion about magic. Even Spike, with all his magical abilities found it hard to follow Unicorn magic sometimes. Dragon magic was very different. At one point the discussion turned into a debate. It was still unclear as to who was winning. They kept at it until Spike called out an announcement. “Almost there,” He loudly proclaimed. All of them assembled next to him the same way they did when they began their descent. They could feel the platform slowing down until it was barely moving at the pace of a snail. Spike was leaving behind small chunks of rock that made up the outer rims of the rock platform. He was dislodging them and packing them into the walls. This made the platform smaller and forced them all to stand closer together. It also made landing that platform much more quieter. Spike brought them all to a complete stop. He bid Twilight remove her spell of light before they go any further. At first, she was reluctant. It was so much darker now than when she first cast the spell. The darkness itself felt thick, and almost alive. She didn't want anypony to freak out, herself included. She trusted Spike, though. She removed her spell and darkness came over them like a shroud. The ponies all huddled that little bit closer together and Spike lowered the platform again. He moved ever so slowly and went ever so quietly. Before long they found themselves in the depths of the largest cavern they had ever seen. The town of Ponyville could easily fit in this cavern three times over with room to spare. “How are we ever gonna find Pinkie Pie in this big ol' place? Hm?” Applejack's question hung in the air without an immediate answer. Just then a rather abrupt noise blasted their ears to near deafness. It came from a good ways down the cavern, but the echo was still impairing to some. When they recovered the quickly found the source of said noise. It was pretty easy to spot with all the glowing, and the streamers, and the music. Yep, it was pretty easy to tell where Pinkie Pie was. The group made their way to the party center with remarkable stealth. Not a single Mad pony saw them, but they saw plenty of Mad ponies. A small army of them would be accurate to say, but there were far more than the amount that guarded Fluttershy. And yet they were able to sneak right past them with unreasonable ease. It wasn't until they got to Pinkie Pie that they were spotted. Of course, it was by Pinkie Pie herself. Pinkie Pie was in the middle of a large massing of Mad ponies. Believe it or not she was dancing. Not very well, but better than the ponies around her. They were not dancing at all. They were not even moving, except to avoid Pinkie Pie's flying hooves. She twirled around like she had drunk too much cider again and saw the group standing off to the side, in the shadows. “HEY GUYS!!!” Pinkie shouted it out as loud as she could. Apparently this was a common occurrence because no Mad pony budged. It was not until Pinkie shot straight up into the air and dashed to them as fast as she could. She flew toward the group at Pinkie speed, only to slam face first into one of Spike's barriers. She peeled her lips off the barrier and looked through it at the group. They were as stunned as she was. She looked at Spike with a twinge of sadness in her eyes. “Sorry, Pinkie. I have to be sure.” “What?! I am not Mad! I do not have the Madness! This is me acting completely normal! Normal, I say! Is that a problem, Spike? IS IT?” Spike looked deeply into her eyes. She was still pressed up against his barrier. Her eyes changed from a look of sadness to a look of annoyance. Pinkie watched from the other side as Spike's eyes changed from his normal dragon eyes to their Mystik green glow. Then she watched as that green glow was joined by a thin white circle. Pinkie felt as if he was looking at more than just her. She felt him and his gaze peering deeper into her. So deep that she didn't even know what to do. All she could do was bear with this tingle that traveled up her spine. She looked back into his eyes as he stared deeply into her own. It was a rather uncomfortable moment of silence between the two before Spike finally put his barrier down. “Spike, does this mean that she is okay?” Twilight and Fluttershy both asked at the same time. Spike powered down and looked at Pinkie Pie, with a big smile. “Pinkie is just the same as she always has been,” Spike announced. “Good. Ahm mighty glad ta hear that, but we got us a big problem now.” Applejack backed into the middle of the group. Her voice carried with it the sounds of worry, with good reason. Pinkie Pie had announced their presence to the whole cavern and now every Mad pony and Darkmare in the place was after them. All of those Mad ponies and Darkmares were now surrounding the group as they stood there. While they were assembling one had the nerve to approach and speak with them. It was a Darkmare. “So, Pinkie Pie. You have delivered your friends right to us. Not bad. I must admit, Pinkie: I had my doubts about you, but you have really come through for us.” Pinkie turned away from her friends to look at this Darkmare. She was small for a Darkmare. She stood just barely above Pinkie's height. Pinkie pranced up to her face. Then she changed. Her usual calm, smiley demeanor was instantly replaced with a dark and serious look. That was combined with wickedly mischievous smile. “Now you listen here, you dinky little Darkmare. I have been stuck down here with you non-party ponies for over a month now. You thought you could drive me Mad, but you forgot one thing. I AM PINKIE PIE, and I have been waiting for over a month to use this! I think now is the most perfectest time there is ever gonna be! So get ready!” “Get ready? For what?” It was at that moment that Pinkie Pie took one step back. She then took a hoof and reached up She reached into her mane and pulled something out. Everypony, Mad or otherwise watched with curious eyes. What she pulled out was a box. A plain, simple box with a small, thin string coming out of one side. Immediately, Spike and Flake went to work creating as many barriers as they could between them and Pinkie Pie. The small Darkmare watched on as Pinkie stood up as tall as she could and pulled the string. Pinkie pulled the string on the box. She threw it on the ground with all her might. The barriers put up by Spike and Flake went up just in time. The explosion went off right in front of them. Streamers filled the air to an almost smothering level. Confetti filled all the gaps that the streamers left open. Unseen horns and whistles and cheering and other random party noises erupted from someplace deep within the box. Bouncy snakes flung out hit the Darkmare in the face repeatedly. Tangled all throughout her mane were dozens upon dozens of streamers, confetti pieces, and other party favors. The colors were so festive and bright that every Mad pony for a dozen feet in all directions had to cower back and cover their eyes for fear of going blind. All the while, Pinkie was standing right at the epicenter. Ground zero. As the party box contents rained down upon her she kept up her smile. It unnerved the rest of them, but they could do nothing to stop Pinkie Pie when she got this way. “'Get ready for what?'” Pinkie Pie repeated the last comment made by the Darkmare as sarcastically as she could. Then she pranced on over to the cowering pony and lowered her head until she was eye level. Pinkie Pie looked into her eyes with all the seriousness she was not known for, and then it was gone. “Get ready . . . . For the Pinkie Pie Patented Party Prank Packages, FOOL!” A round of laughter mischievous and unnerving enough to match her smile bellowed out of Pinkie Pie. The Darkmare looked absolutely and tremendously terrified. She was quivering on the floor, staring up at Pinkie Pie above her. “You are even more insane than we are,” She whispered after a moment. “Well, duh! You're just now figuring that out. That news is so last month.” Pinkie Pie left the pony where she lay and moved back to her friends. This time around she was able to walk right up to them without any pesky barriers blocking her way. With Pinkie Pie safe and sound with the rest of them they were able to leave. They were not nearly as stealthy as they were before, but there were also not as many Mad ponies to stop them.