Chapter 25 - Cleaning Up
Having done her business, washed her hooves and splashed some cold water in her face for good measure, Party Popper picked up her precious protective pouch from the neighboring sink and stuffed it back in her pocket. Hoof to her chest, she drew a long breath, then let it out slowly.
She had to focus.
Prince-Consort Shining Franklin Armor of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, Captain of the Crystal Guard, Former and Honorary Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, or Shiny to his closest, was more exhausted than he'd like to admit.
Over the last few days, he had been trotting around almost non-stop, helping with the security preparations for the Festival, training the guards, looking after Cadence and Twily, moving supplies. He'd taken a long nap yesterday, but it hadn't really been as helpful as he’d pretended in front of Twily’s friends.
The most exhausting part had been his work with the artificer, Focus Flare. It had taken a lot of magic and concentration out of him, and gone wrong so many times. He still felt a little stressed out every time he visited the castle kitchen and saw spoons lying around. But it had been worth it – the Heartshield would protect them all better than he could on his own. That knowledge helped relieve another source of exhaustion.
He especially didn't want to admit how tired he was to Twily. Judging by the earful he'd gotten a few hallways back, his attempts to ensure she got her rest had made her mad enough without him being a hypocrite about it.
He walked down a familiar hallway in the west wing of Canterlot Castle. It seemed many visitors had trouble finding their way in the castle, but Shining Armor knew the blueprints like the back of his hoof. To be fair, those blueprints did look a bit labyrinthine. If he remembered correctly, it was a security feature dating back to the construction. He was idly wondering if that security had been worth all the time spent searching for lost rookie guards when he spotted his wife at the next intersection.
“Cady!” he said, “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Cadence smiled back at him, giving one of her adorable little giggles. “I didn’t go far. How were the gua—”
“Shining Armor! There you are,” a high-pitched voice said behind him, interrupting Cadence, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” It had a trace of nervousness to it, hidden under false confidence. He turned around to see Pinkie Pie, still dressed in the purple hat and trenchcoat from earlier. She seemed to startle slightly as she noticed Cadence was there as well. “A-and Princess Cadence, hi, you too.”
“Hey, Pinkie,” Shining said. “Are you alright?”
“I’m great!” Pinkie said with a grin that didn’t reach her eyes. “But I need both of you to come with me for a moment. I— I’ve got a surprise for you two!”
Shining shared looks with Cadence. She’s acting even weirder than usual, right? his asked. Yes, but let’s play along, hers replied.
“How exciting,” Cadence said, stepping towards Pinkie Pie. “Lead the way, Pinkie.”
Pinkie Pie led them down a few hallways, looking all ways at each intersection. A few minutes later, they were back where they had started.
“Gah!” Pinkie exclaimed eventually. “Why does everywhere have to be a maze?!”
Shining Armor kept himself from laughing by sharing amused glances with Cadence. “Where are you trying to take us, Pinkie? I know these halls pretty well.”
“It’s near P— uh, near my room,” she said. What had she been about to say there? “If you know how to get there, I’m sure I can find it.”
Shining Armor nodded, and took charge.
As they approached Pinkie’s room, she seemed to recognize her surroundings. “Right! I know where it is now!” she said, then pointed down another hallway. Soon, they stood before a door Shining Armor didn’t think he’d ever been through. It was unadorned and unassuming, standing out only by virtue of being a simple door in a building where few doors were simple.
“Isn’t this a broom closet?” Cadence asked.
“No! I mean, yes!” Pinkie said, opening the door. “Yes, but it’s also where I hid the surprise! Come on, go in there!”
Shining Armor and Cadence did as asked, walking in ahead of Pinkie Pie. Though it was a castle broom closet, markedly smaller than most rooms in the castle, it was still a castle broom closet, several times larger than most broom closets. Shining Armor had met ponies who lived in single-room houses smaller than this broom closet. Shelves with an impressive variety of cleaning supplies and assorted equipment – watering cans, ropes, stepladders – stood along the walls. There was even furniture; a few chairs stood on the floor in the back of the room, around a small table. Maybe the cleaning ponies used them while they were on break.
“So what’s the surprise?” Shining asked.
“You’ll see after you sit down!” Pinkie said, walking over to the table and pulling out two of the chairs nearest the entrance.
“Alright, alright,” he said, sitting down on one of the chairs. Cadence managed to look ten times as dignified doing the exact same thing.
“Okay, now keep looking that way!”
They both did as instructed, keeping their eyes on the back wall while Pinkie rustled around with something behind them. At one point she spread a hoofful of some kind of dark powder over both of them. What in Equestria was she doing?
He was smiling until the moment he felt the THWACK of a broom handle to the back of his head. Dizzily, he tried to call on his magic, but nothing happened, and Cadence rising in alarm became the last thing he saw before passing out.
“Hngh…” Shining Armor groaned as he woke up. “What happened…” As memory came back to him, he started back into alertness. “Cadence!”
Looking to his right, he saw Cadence in the other chair, knocked out. “Cady!” He moved to rustle her, but his hooves were tied to the chair with thick rope. As were hers, he realized.
Cadence opened her eyes slowly. “Ugh… did we just get attacked by… Pinkie Pie…?”
“I…” Shining said, “I don’t know.”
What in Equestria had happened? If that had been a changeling, wouldn’t that mean there was something wrong with the Heartshield? Wouldn’t Thorax have been able to tell, and alert them immediately? And in any case, why would a changeling tie them to the chairs rather than cocoon them?
“...I think it has to have been her,” he said.
“Why would Pinkie Pie do that?” Cadence said, sounding as confused as he was.
“I don’t know,” he said. He called on his magic to cut the rope with a small shield spell, but nothing happened. “Is your magic working?”
Cadence concentrated, then shook her head. Her horn didn’t even light up.
Shining started shifting in his chair, trying to move it towards the walls. “Maybe there’s something on the shelves we can use to cut the—” He stopped as he noticed something off about the ropes. “It is her.”
“What do you mean?” Cadence asked.
“Twily and Rainbow Dash have told me a couple stories that make one thing clear about Pinkie Pie.” He wiggled a bit more in his chair. Soon, the rope fell right off, completely untied. “She doesn’t really get ropes.”
He quickly rose from the chair and removed Cadence’s rope. Like his own, it had been more coiled around her than tied in place.
At a glance, aside from Pinkie no longer being there and a broom lying on the floor, the room looked the same as it had when they entered, but Shining Armor noticed a stepladder was missing from the shelves. Strange.
Unfortunately, Pinkie Pie did seem to understand locking doors, though he wasn't sure where she would have gotten the key from. Without his magic, Shining Armor had to rely on his physical training and body slam the door off its hinges. A young pegasus guardsmare outside nearly crashed into the ceiling in surprise.
“Spear Point!” Shining said, recognizing the mare. “Raise an alarm! I want every guard in the castle on high alert; apprehend Pinkie Pie on sight. If you see them, tell the other Princesses and Element Bearers to be careful.”
“P-Pinkie Pie?” Spear Point stammered, but hesitated only for a moment before flying off down the hallway at impressive speeds.
Cadence was frowning. “Are you sure it’s her?”
“The other options are somehow scarier,” Shining said. “Come on. We need to find Twily.”
Elsewhere:
"—however she would need to be careful not to become her own grandmother or—"
"I left half an hour ago. You're still talking?"
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Is this the point where real pinkie pie get lose and get confused when all the guards tackle her
Don't do it
Oh party popper what have you done
Oh no this is not good at all so Shining Armor checking the preparation for the party and everything and he saw Cadence asking about something but got interrupted by Pinkie Pie ( party popper ) asking them to come with them they were a little suspicious but never really thought about it so they follow her but once they finally reached to the closet party popper knocked both of them out and even putting the magic dust on them but luckily it didn't last so they woken up but the magic abilities are not working and of course Shining Armor was pretty strong and busting the door down and now everybody is on the alarm I just hope it's not too late well and finding the real Pinkie Pie we'll find out next time
Or, for that matter, why it's even possible to lock someone on the inside of a storage room in the first place. It's a castle, it has actual dungeons for that.
(For what it's worth, "it's Pinkie Pie" is a valid explanation here)
11867537
While you're not wrong, I think Party Popper would take issue with the wording of that last part.
Will the real Pie ,Pinkie please stand up.
This implies Pinkie's understanding of ropes is so bad the original is stuck in a closet because she can't get the not-tied ropes off...
11867826
I thought the same thing. Which, if true, would be very unfortunate, but also very hilarious.
11868310
you make a valid point.
11867727
11867946
She just have to follow the rules.