On the road again, Twilight seemed rather jovial, her mood coming through her voice.
“We’ll get Pinkie Pie next, and I know you can help Applejack. They have a rock farm, and according to my research a while back, it is possible that you and her might be distantly related. Plus, you know a lot about Pinkie and farming, so you can get her to join us; then we will just need the other three, and we can stop Celestia, Luna, and Discord. Oh, and then stop Dark Blitz from killing the Tree of Harmony. I know we can do it!”
Fluttershy and Applejack looked at each other, Applejack taking a nervous but sarcastic tone.
“Well sure, I can get somepony I don’t know to help us out. After all, we’re supposedly kin - that will help everything go along smoothly. An’ besides, I just know it’ll help us stop some crazy spirit and two demigod princesses?”
Twilight either missed or ignored the sarcasm, still sounding confident
“I know you can, in fact I know we all can. Besides, we are the physical representation of the Elements of Harmony, so I believe in us.”
Fluttershy and Applejack looked at each other a little bit worried, but kept walking with Twilight. They walked what had to be ten to twelve miles, they couldn’t tell for sure, all the road signs had been turned into pudding cups. All the landmarks that should have been on their route were nowhere in sight, they guest that they had all altered into something insane.
They soon found a house on the edge of a large plot of land, surrounded by fields of rocks. Twilight cupped her hooves around her mouth and yelled.
“PINKIE, are you here?” Getting no response, she turned back to the others. “This has to be it, this is Pinkie’s home - she should be here.”
Fluttershy looked around, scanning the landscape.
“Are you sure this is right Twilight? You can’t just guess this is her house; what if it’s somepony else's?”
Twilight looked back at her, frowning at her distrust.
“I’m sure I’m sure. Besides, I don’t see any other houses in the area and you need a lot of land for a rock farm to function.”
Just as Twilight finished her sentence, one of the rocks got up on a pair of hidden legs and walked away. Following it with disbelieving eyes, it caused her to catch a pink colored mare as she ran out of the house. It was Pinkie but she looked funny, her mane was down and straight, her puffy, frizzy mane just wasn’t there. She looked a little off color, a grayish tinge on her coat and mane. It was almost like looking at a different Pinkie altogether. She shook a foreleg in the air and yelled at the rock that was walking away from the farm.
“COME BACK HERE MORTY! YOU CAN’T LEAVE THE FARM!”
The three of them looked on as Pinkie chased the rock. They wanted to say something, but then the rock called Morty fell to the ground again as the legs vanished.
Twilight looked at Pinkie, somewhat alarmed, before the three of them walked over to her.
“Pinkie Pie right?” Concern was detectable in her voice.
Pinkie Pie looked up at her and blinked.
“It’s Pinkamena, not Pinkie, and definitely not Pinkie Pie. Who are you?”
Before Twilight could say anything Applejack cut:
“Well, we're here to have you join us in some epic friendship quest.” Her delivery was deadpan, but her words true.
They smiled as Pinkie eyed them up and down, walking over to each of them and looked them all straight in the eye. She wanted to see if they were good ponies or not, so she looked over every inch of them. She eyed them carefully making decisions about them and why they needed her. After a few minutes, she finally spoke.
“Hmm, I don’t know. You all look out of place together.”
Twilight cocked her head at Pinkie, wordlessly asking her what she meant by that.
“Well, you’re all different tribes working together. Out here it’s only us earth ponies helping each other. To me, seeing a pegasus, an earth pony and an alicorn working together is strange. Especially the alicorn, shouldn’t you be in Canterlot ruling over Equestria with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. ”
Fluttershy looked at Applejack and then back at Pinkamena.
“So umm are you going to join us, or stay here on your farm. We really don’t have time to answer those questions and, umm... because we have to go soon and we really need your help.”
Pinkamena looked them in the eyes again.
“I guess so. But first, help me move Morty back to that hole over there.”
They all got behind Morty and pushed, with Applejack and Pinkamena doing most of the work. They moved him back and took a moment to breathe. Pinkamena turned to them, a slight frown on her face.
“So before we go I have to tell my family, I just can’t go anywhere without telling them.”
They looked at her and nodded, and they started to walk towards the house. Twilight walked up to Pinkamena and spoke in a whisper.
“So Pinkamena, you’re really joining us right?”
“Princess... what was it… Ah. Princess Twilight - I don’t know for sure. I need to ask my parents first before I can leave. I wouldn’t want them to worry.”
Twilight was impressed by how responsible Pinkie was being; the Pinkie she knew would just yell to somepony about where she was going, or she would just up and go. They walked into the plain farmhouse. It was bland and didn’t have much in it; some chairs, a table, one gray couch and a fireplace. Pinkamena walked into the house and looked over to her parents. They were also very bland looking, her father was a light brown pony with a gray mane and tail. Her mother was no better, she was all gray with a dark colored mane and tail in a slate gray color. She looked at them in and spoke in a monotone voice
“Mother. Father. Can I join these ponies here on a quest to save Equestria?”
They looked at each other, and her father replied ‘no’. Pinkamena looked at him and then to the ponies who had followed her into her house.
“You heard him, the answers ‘no’.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped, and she looked at Pinkie like she had three heads. Before she could say anything Applejack jumped in once again.
“Well, why in tarnation not?”
Pinkamena’s mother leaned forward, joining the conversation in a flat voice.
“She can’t go because she doesn't know any of you ponies. And besides, a big harvest is coming up and we need her here for the harvest to be successful.”
Before Applejack could protest Limestone Pie walked in from the adjoining room, and with the strength only a life on a rock from could provide, she pushed them out of the house, slamming the door in their face’s.