Thank you." The mare gratefully took the toasted bagel into her hooves, chewing in small bites, as if it would be her last meal for years. "I very much appreciate it." Pinkie nodded in a way unlike her, falling back on her hunches as the others watched in awe.
The earth pony paused mid-bite. "Oh, I also have a question." She waved her hoof in the ponies' gaping faces.
Rarity shook herself, straightening her posture. "Yes, darling?" she responded, trying to act as regal as possible. The mare squinted, but didn't question the unfamiliar pony's actions. She sucked in a breath. "Where am I?" She exclaimed the inquiry she been patiently waiting to ask.
"Am I somewhere under the Crosslands of Katara?" She leaned closer, causing the others to move back, unnerved. "Unicornia?"
"Unicornia?" Rainbow whispered, mainly to herself. The earth pony missed the hushed remark. "And another," she gazed over the cavern they now sat. "Why are we in a cave?"
"Um...darling?" The mare twisted to Rarity, head tilted. "I'm not really sure how to explain what predicament you have yourself trapped in." Her muzzle shut as Smart Cookie coughed, not in the least bit surprised.
"The Ice of Eternal," she spoke. "Yeah, I know all about the curse that made my friends and I frozen." There was an overwhelming silence between them all as the mare let her works sink in. "You do?" Rainbow's voice came as a strangled murmur.
She smiled back, amused. "Well, of course." she politely responded, taking another bite of her bagel. "We were told all about it to prepare for what was to come." A whirlwind of unanswered problems swirled in her mind.
"So how long have I been trapped? Twenty moons? Sixty?" her voice withered as she crossed over the looks on the ponies faces. "What?" she now asked quietly.
"Well you see, time can be a bit...different, when your trapped." Rarity spoke slowly, as if she was talking to a mere foal. Smart Cookie raised a brow, but a twinge of fear sprang to life in her gut. "How long?" she tried to force out.
Pinkie Pie jumped in, her bounce sluggish. "You've been frozen for over One-Thousand years." she explained, her voice plain. Smart Cookie held a hoof to her muzzle to stop the gasp. "O-One Thousand?" she muttered, voice wavering.
Pinkie grinned. "No silly, over a thousand." she corrected. "I don't think she really cares to be that specific, Pinks." Rainbow remarked. Cookie shook at the new information she had been opened to. "I've been trapped, locked away by my enemies curse for hundreds of moons? All my family has died out, and my friends..."
"Oh, you're friends at still out there!"
Smart Cookie whipped her head. "What?" she cried, tears threatening to fall down her caramel cheeks.
"Don't you remember, Cooks? The curse affected all three of you! That means, somewhere out there in Equestria, you closest buds are there, waiting to be freed from their terrible homes of horror!" Her voice turned demonic at the least words, and Rainbow couldn't resist a light chuckle.
Smart Cookie's eyes shone with new hope. "Yeah," she said as she used her small bit of strength to climb to her hooves. "I-"
"We'll." Rainbow interrupted. Smart Cookie scowled. "We'll find a way to get back my friends! Are ya with me..." She sheepishly blushed, wincing.
"Oh!" Pinkie shouted, detecting her new friend's distress. "I'm Pinkie Pie," she turned to the smiling unicorn. "This is Rarity," she finally switched to the cyan pegasus, she smirked their way. "And that's Rainbow Dash! We're the best of friends."
Rainbow's smirk turned to a deep frown. "Not me an' Rares, I'll tell ya that." she muttered. The unicorn glared in her direction, horn sparking with rage. Smart Cookie cocked a brow at the scene before her.
"You mean the tribes had gotten along? And became closest friends?" She locked eyes on the chorus of nods. "I see..." Her mind was jumbled. "But not all are close?"
"Got that right now. Horseapples, aren't you supposed to be Smart Cookie?" Rainbow snapped, causing the earth pony to jerk back. "Rainbow..." Rarity growled out, scraping her hoof light against the dirt, careful not to attach any onto her body.
"Please, do not upset our new guest."
"Thank you," Rarity stared at Cookie. "Rarity." she added, sighing as the unicorn sent a warm grin her way. "Now, dear, would you like to get out of this rugged hole you've been stuck in all this time?"
Smart Cookie squirmed at the gazes she received. "Sure." she replied, though her tone held a hint of uncertainty.
"And...here we are! Ponyville!" Pinkie waved her hooves outward, revealing the small town as it bustled about. Smart Cookie gawked. "They look so happy." she remarked.
Pinkie cheerfully rolled her eyes. "Duh, 'cause they are!" Cookie's eyes widened. They continued around as she tried to take in all the scenes around her. "Really?" she breathed.
Rainbow nodded. "Yep!" She struck a pose at a passerby couple. The mare turned away, disgusted, while the stallion laughed at the picture. "Sometimes they can be sad, but mostly everypony is really cool once you get to know them!"
"I'm guessing I never made it onto that list?" Rarity inquired.
"Never."
Cookie caught Pinkie's pained sigh, and on instinct she placed a hoof over the pink mare's neck, wrapping it around softly. "It'll be alright." she promised. "Remember, I lived when ponies downright hated each other."
"But...I never like seeing anypony mad at each other." Pinkie whispered.
Cookie slowed her rapidly increasing pace. "Ponies fight, it's a part of life. It's when they forget to apologize that you know have a problem."
Pinkie chortled. "That'so really smart!" she exclaimed.
"Learned from the best." Cookie responded, but froze as an ear piercing shriek of joy tore through the calm air. "Pinkie Pie!" Minuette shouted, rushing into the party pony's welcoming hooves. "How long has it been? I missed you!"
Pinkie jumped with excitement. "Almost two moons! What happened, did Lyra invite you to Canterlot for that time?" Minuette gasped. "How did you know? Of course she did! Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, Moondancer, and I were having so much fun!"
"My favorite word!" Pinkie gushed.
Minuette's eyes turned to Smart Cookie. "Ooh, who is this? I don't think Pinkie's ever mentioned you before."
Cookie's face flushed as she look a step back. But Minuette followed. "Uh..." she began, unsure of what to say. All her new friends could feel the upcoming disaster. "What's your name?" Minuette asked.
"I-I am..." Her mind went blank.
Rarity went for the rescue. "Her name's Applejack, darling." she spoke calmly, thought her brain screeched protests. "She's a bit shy."
Cookie found her voice. "Uh, yeah!" she began. "That's me...Applejack." The name sounded foreign on her tongue.
Minuette pushed up a brow, but chose to ignore her own suspicions. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Applejack! The pleasure's all mine!" She raised a hoof, offering her friendship to the new mare she had just met.
Smart Cookie stared at it uneasily. Rainbow landed and nudged her on the side. She stumbled over, scrambling back into the correct position and latching her hoof into Minuette's.
"Yay! Well, I've gotta get going! Bon Bon's not going to wait forever on me!" she called as she trotted off, heading for a small bakery next to Sugarcube Corner. "Wait," Rainbow placed a hoof at her chin. "How come I've never seen that place before?"
"I believe it's because the store's right beside Sugarcube Corner. It makes a sort of competition between the two."
"And you always know who's gonna win!" Pinkie cheered, raising her hooves. "That's not very kind, Pinkie Pie." Rarity scolded.
"But I help them from time-to-time!" she protested. Rainbow shook her head, ashamed at her closest friends actions. "Fine, I'll let em win a contest. But not the Sugary Soak! It's too important to ever lose that one!"
Smart Cookie chuckled. "What?" Pinkie chirped. "It's just, how do you let silly contests get in the way of friendships? Aren't those more important?"
"No, dear, you're thinking of it in the wrong way." Rarity spoke up. "Mares and Stallions alike participate in these competitions for fun, which if you think about it, is a way of making new friends."
Cookie blinked. "You make friends by fighting?" she asked carefully. "Not fighting, darling. Competing. There's a slight difference."
Rainbow snorted. "No there isnt." she retorted. "Competing is just a form of fighting, but in a more friendly matter." Pinkie's eyes darted nervously. The group paused on their journey, each as silent as they could be.
"I really regret not interrupting your Library Visits earlier." Rarity muttered, her head hung low.
"Well, you didn't, did you?" Rainbow snapped, glaring.
Cookie finally noticed Pinkie's uneasy expression. "Are you alright, Pinkie?" she questioned, keeping her voice toned to a whisper. The mare sighed, head hung low. "They fight a lot these days," she answered. "and I can never do anything to stop them."
"Isn't this one of those times where you just wait?"
Pinkie threw her hooves, exasperated. "That's what I thought!" she cried, failing to keep her voice level. She sighed when neither the unicorn nor pegasus looked back. "But it's not seeming that way." She murmured.
Cookie tilted her head. "How long has it been going on?"
The mare's ears flattened against her skull. "...Five months." Her voice was hoarse.
"Here!" Rarity sang before the conversation continued. Pinkie's demeanor switched almost instantly. "Great!" She grinned, hopping her way past the others into the Carousel Boutique. "After you," Rarity generously offered. Rainbow pushed herself past, Rarity's smile morphing into a frown as Smart Cookie timidly came in after.
"Wow." Cookie's eyes sparkled as she took in the scenery. "Why, thank you dear." Rarity said as she closed the door behind her.
Smart Cookie shook at the next stare she was given. "What?" she regretted asking as the unicorn's horn shimmered. "Well," Cookie's eyes widened as she light blue magic formed around her forelegs. "I'm going to need to make you a new outfit to make you fit in with this new modern era."
Pinkie giggled, and Cookie stared desperately at her new comrades. "Is there a way out of this?" she unconsciously moved forward. Rainbow shook her head.
"Nah, once Rares gets you, you're stuck until she's done."
Cookie's vision dropped. "Great." she forced through clenched teeth, her eyes filled with a pleading sense as she took a simple look at the mares before she disappeared behind the violet curtain.