//------------------------------// // XIV: Decisions // Story: Dreams & Nightmares // by TheUnknownPerson //------------------------------// Thirty Minutes Later Pinkie Pie impatiently tapped her fore-hooves against the dirt as she sat on a bench outside of the Golden Oaks Library. Twilight was sitting beside her, patiently reading a book she'd gotten out of her library. "Come on... when are they gonna be here?" Pinkie asked. "They'll be here soon, Pinkie." Twilight said as she flipped through a page in the book. "How soon? I can't wait here for much longer..." "Soon. Just please be patient." Twilight said. "Ugh... sorry. Bored" Pinkie groaned as she tried to find something to preoccupy her. "Why don't you go grab a bite to eat? Or you can read something from the library. Your choice." Twilight suggested as she flipped through to another page. "Where? I can't go back to the Sugarcube Corner... not after what Pinkamena did..." "Are you sure? We've managed to keep this whole thing under wraps for the moment. The only ponies who knows outside of the Elements is Princess Celestia and a few doctors at the hospital." "Y... you think I could go in there and talk with the Cakes for awhile?" I haven't talked to them since before I left. They're going to be so angry. But I miss them. "Of course. Go ahead. I'll come get you when the carriage arrives." "All right. Thank you." Pinkie said as she got up from the bench and trotted towards Sugarcube Corner. ============== Fluttershy bounced her hind-hooves against the floor as Rainbow Dash sipped from her can of soda. "You don't have to worry, y'know. I'm gonna be fine with whatever you tell me." Rainbow Dash said. Fluttershy nodded, and rubbed her fore-head. "S-sorry. I'm just really nervous a-about it." "It's all right. Just tell me what's wrong at your own pace." Fluttershy let out a trembling breath, before staring back up to Rainbow Dash. "I-I think-- um... I think I-I'm ready to tell you who a-attacked me." Rainbow Dash coughed, choking on her soda for a moment. She washed it down with another gulp and sat it on the table to her right before she sat up. "Okay. When you're ready." Fluttershy released another shaky breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Y-you have to promise you won't be angry." "Why?" "Just please" Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash nodded and lifted her right fore-hoof. "I promise I won't be angry, no matter what you say." "Thank you." Fluttershy relaxed for a moment, straightening up her posture. "The pony who attacked me was--" Fluttershy abruptly stopped. I have to... I have to. You can and will do this! "It's all right. Everything good here. You're safe." Fluttershy nodded. "The pony who attacked me was Pinkie Pie." Tears stung Fluttershy's eyes as her face flushed. "Who?" Fluttershy remained silent. I-I can't! Rainbow Dash put her right fore-hoof on Fluttershy's right shoulder. "We're safe here. I promise that no pony'll hurt you. You know I'll give them a good run if they'd try to hurt us." Rainbow Dash said, chuckling at the end. Fluttershy nodded, taking another trembling breath before staring back at Rainbow Dash. "The pony that hurt me was... P-Pinkie Pie." A tear rolled down Fluttershy's cheek. Rainbow Dash stared at her for a moment, her ears dropping to head. She stared at her in shock, almost disbelief. "Wait-- like, our Pinkie Pie?!" Fluttershy nodded. "I-I'm sorry." "No... no, don't be." Rainbow Dash stood up. "I'm sorry Flutters', but I'll be back in a couple minutes." "W-where're you going?" "I'm going to keep my promise." Rainbow Dash said, an undertone of anger in her voice. She stepped outside onto Fluttershy's porch before flapping her wings, ascending her into the air. ============== Pinkie trotted up to the Sugarcube Corner. She trotted to the side of the building, out of the sight of the windows. "What are they gonna say? Are they gonna be mad?" Pinkie asked herself. I didn't even give them a reason why I was leaving or even let them know. "I'll never know unless I trot in... what's the worst that could happen?" Pinkie said to herself. She took in a deep breath and entered Sugarcube Corner. "Welcome to the Sugarcube Corner! How my I-" Mr. Cake stopped as he noticed her. "Pinkie? Where have you been?!" Mr. Cake asked as he went out from behind the counter, rushed over to her, and wrapped her into a tight hug. "Uh... I just needed a bit of time to myself." Pinkie said as she returned the hug. "Sorry I couldn't let you and Mrs. Cake know before. Something came up out of the blue." "Me and Cup were really worried about you. After the second day, we were about to go get the guards. Thank goodness your friend Twilight stopped us near town square and showed us that note of yours." Mr. Cake said as he released Pinkie. "Yeah. Now that I think about it... I was gone for like almost a week. Maybe two." Pinkie chuckled laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Don't worry. I understand." Mr. Cake said with a smile. "Oh, wait! Let me go get Cup! She'll so be happy to see you. I'll be back in a minute." Mr. Cake said as he trotted back behind the counter and went into the kitchen. Pinkie patiently waited for Mr. Cake to return with Mrs. Cake. "What do you mean, 'somepony's here to see you'? Who? Why is it so important?" Mr. and Mrs. Cake return to the front counter. Mrs. Cake looked over at Pinkie. "Hello, dearie." Mrs. Cake said as she stepped out and stood in front of Pinkie. "Hi." Mrs. Cake wrapped Pinkie in a hug. "Where have you been? What happened? Are you all right?" She said, releasing her. "I'm fine, Mrs. Cake." "Why'd you have to go?" "Some stuff happened at my family farm. They needed me." "Why couldn't you have told us before? We were so worried." "Sorry. I lost track of time and couldn't stop by here." Pinkie said. "Th-they really needed me." Mrs. Cake looked her over, staring at her directly in the eyes, as if she was trying to decipher something. "Dearie, you know you shouldn't lie." Pinkie sighed, realizing she had been caught out. "Sorry. I'll explain what really happened..." ============== Fluttershy sat quietly, awaiting Rainbow Dash's return. Angel Bunny was sat beside her, chewing on a small piece of a carrot stick. She gently ran the tip of her right fore-hoof across his fur, going over his tail. "I-I could've worded it better. Or warned her." Fluttershy noted. Angel kept chewing on the carrot, seemingly ignoring her. "Now she's probably angry..." I hope Pinkie doesn't come back to Ponyville any time soon. Otherwise Rainbow Dash'll-- Fluttershy's front door opened, and Rainbow Dash stepped through. A piece of a cloud was tangled in her mane. "Sorry. I needed that." RD said, pulling the cloud and tossing it. She sat down beside Fluttershy. "H-how're you feeling?" "Better now." Rainbow Dash said as she released a breath. "So, let me get this straight." "Pinkie Pie-- our Pinkie Pie tried to kill you?" Fluttershy nodded hesitantly. "Horsefeathers..." She cursed under her breath. "She'd better not come back to Ponyville. Otherwise--" Rainbow Dash stopped herself, realizing she was scaring Fluttershy. She sighed. "Sorry. I think I'll go. I need some time to myself." Rainbow Dash stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow, Flutters'." She trotted out the front door, shutting it behind her. Fluttershy sighed. "That could've gone better..." ============== "-And then the pony kept hurting me, so I decided to go to Las Pegasus to stay with Cheese Sandwich for awhile." Pinkie said, finishing her explanation. She told them a similar story to the one she told Cheese. "Why didn't you tell us?" "I was scared that she might find out and hurt me more." "You know that you could've told us, dearie. We would've helped you." "Sorry." "It's all right dear. All that matters is that you're home and safe." Mr. Cake said. Dink Dink Dink Pinkie and the Cakes looked back at the window and saw Twilight motioning for Pinkie to come out. "Uh... actually... Twilight needs me to do something for her." Pinkie said, trying to excuse herself for the moment. "Couldn't you stay for a little while? The twins missed you." "I'm sorry, Mrs. Cake. I'd love to, really, but Twilight needs me to do this thing. But I promise once I get back, I'm yours for the next few weeks." "All right... go ahead." Mrs. Cake said as Mr. Cake nodded. "Thank you. I'll see you both later." Pinkie said as she trotted towards the exit. "Oh, and Pinkie?" "Yes, Mr. Cake?" "Please, let us know if somepony's hurting you next time. We'll go to the guards." "Yeah." "I will. Thank you." Pinkie said as she exited. Took you long enough... Do you want your wings back or not? Sorry... just-- really excited. "They're here." Twilight said as she trotted over to Pinkie. "I figured." "Okay. Follow me." Twilight said as she trotted back towards the Golden Oaks Library. After they turned the corner, they saw a royal carriage. The carriage had a circular cab with the outside being white with golden engravings entwining with each other at the top with a diamond placed on the top. The wheels were a light shade of purple with more golden engravings circling to the middle. In the front of the carriage, there were two of the royal guards standing beside the entrance to the cab. The view to the inside of the cab was blocked by two red sheets of fabric draping over the entrance. "Princess Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie, we have been sent by Princess Celestia to bring you to Canterlot." "Thank you." Twilight said. She and Pinkie trotted towards the carriage, the guard having already opened it for them. Pinkie and Twilight stepped inside, sitting on the opposite side of each other. "Hopefully we'll get there soon." "We'll get there soon enough." ============== One Hour Later Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle stepped out into the warm sun, just dipping under the tip of Canterlot Castle. She and Twilight rushed into the castle, stepping over the draw-bridge and into the castle. They passed by numerous unicorns and guards as they entered the palace. A mare servant stepped in front of them as they entered. "Excuse me Princess Twilight, Pinkie Pie? I need you two to follow me. Princess Celestia wants you to meet her in her private room." The servant said as she bowed. "Okay. Lead the way." "Of course, your highness." The servant turned and trotted down a hallway to the right. "Princess Celestia has a private room?" Pinkie whispered as they followed the guards. "Yes. She goes their when she has the time to relax, but that isn't very often. She also uses it as a planning room, but she just usually uses her bedroom for that." Twilight whispered as they turned a corner. "Cool..." After a moment of trotting, the servant stopped at a large, wooden door. She opened the door and motioned for them to enter. "We've arrived, your highness. You may enter." She said, bowing. "Oh, thank you." Twilight said as she entered the room. Pinkie followed behind with the servant. The servant shut the door behind them. The room's design was stunning; there was a small chandelier hanging over a large, round, marble table with six wooden chairs around it, the flooring was made up a red carpet, there were two wooden chairs sitting a few feet away from a fireplace(where the flooring was marble around the fireplace), and four bookshelves near the two wooden chairs. Celestia was standing in front of one of the bookshelves, seemingly looking for a book to read. "Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight and Pinkie Pie have arrived." The servant said as she bowed. "Thank you. You may leave." Princess Celestia said in a serious tone. The servant nodded and trotted out, shutting the door behind the door. She looked down at them. I'm so anxious... I am too. Do you think she'll give my wings back? I don't know, Pinkamena. I just don't know. Princess Celestia's demeanor was very serious. "Now, Princess Twilight, what is this urgent matter that you wanted to speak with me about?" ==============