X Marks the Plot

The sun shines brightly down on all the happy ponies playing at the beach, a cool breeze accentuating the waves as they crash in. A lone pony, Pinkie Pie, sits at the far side and plunges her yellow plastic shovel into the sand, humming a tune with a smile.

I hope I find lots of treasure, she thinks.

As she digs, the tide tickles her left flank with an elongated wave. She giggles before continuing to dig.

As the hole gets deeper and deeper, she begins to worry. Maybe this spot isn't a good one. But as soon as she finishes her thought, the shovel hits something in the sand.

"OOO, I found something!" Pinkie shouts ecstatically, shoveling faster. Moments later, she uncovers a small black tome with a red X on the cover. Carefully picking it up, she places it in her lap and blows the sand off it.

She opens the book to the first page. Finding a map, she gets excited.

"A treasure map!" she squeals as her mind races.

What does it lead to? Bits, gems, candy? Or maybe cotton candy?

Pinkie's eyes light up at the thought of discovering a candy-based treasure. "I must find it," she mutters, determined.

Standing up, she orients herself with the map before setting out on her grand adventure.

Following the map closely, her eyes dart back and forth between the dotted line on the map and her surroundings.

She walks by two pegasi and an earth pony, drawing a grand depiction of Celestia raising the sun. "Nice job, looks great!" she compliments.

Pinkie turns the corner and–

"Watch out!"

Looking up from her map, she sees a ball heading straight for her. Thinking quickly, she punts the ball, and it soars to the other side of the court, scoring a point for the side she trotted into.

Her side laughs and thanks her. She takes a bow before trotting off the other side of the court.

She continues her march forward, determined not to get distracted again.

I've got to find that treasure.

She looks near the edge of the beach, where the Cutie Mark Crusaders are busy building a sand castle. Sweetie Belle takes notice and glances up at her curiously.

"Hi, Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?" she asks Pinkie.

"I'm looking for buried treasure!" Pinkie explains, waving the map.

"Oh, can we come with you, please?" Sweetie pleads in excitement.

"Sure!"

The trio follows behind Pinkie as she leads them down the dotted line. They all stop as the path splits before them. After holding a vote, they decide to take the left path. As they travel down their new route, they run into a long line of sleeping ponies. Pinkie looks at the map, then back at the ponies.

"The line is right where they're sleeping; we have to go over," Pinkie says before she hops over each of the sleeping ponies one at a time. The Cutie Mark Crusaders follow behind her, doing the same.

The path rejoins as they get close to the water. Pinkie leads them slightly into the water, where she sighs in relief as the cool water works wonders for her. Pinkie prances along the path in the water, enjoying the water splashing her.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders follow behind her, splashing each other and giggling happily as they go.

They turn back to land and make their final turn. Trotting forward some distance, they reach the X on the map. Barely able to contain her glee, Pinkie shouts, "We're here!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders start digging immediately, the three fillies digging wildly in the sand with their hooves. Pinkie joins in, digging with her shovel as she giggles.

"This is so exciting!" Scootaloo shouts.

"I know, right?" Sweetie Belle agrees excitedly.

"I can't wait to see what it is," Apple Bloom chimes in.

Before Pinkie can even start to think of what treasure awaits them, her shovel stops in its track, hitting something in the sand. "We found it!" Pinkie shouts, clearing more sand around the item.

Pinkie clears the item, revealing…

"A book?" Pinkie asks in disbelief and looks at the crusaders, their faces just as puzzled as hers.

"Well, let's see what it has to offer." Pinkie sets the small marked black tome in her lap and opens it up. She blows the sand off the page and begins to read aloud…

The sun shines through the cracks of the overcast sky on all the happy ponies playing at the beach, a cool breeze accentuating the waves as they crash in. A lone pony, Pinkie Pie, sits at the far side and plunges her white plastic shovel into the sand, humming a tune with a smile.

I hope I find lots of treasure, she thinks, as a sense of familiarity stops her.

She shakes the feeling and continues to dig, a light drizzle taps against her coat. Pinkie ignores the rain and digs.

As the hole gets deeper and deeper, she begins to worry. Maybe this spot isn't a good one. But as soon as she finishes her thought, the shovel hits something in the sand.

"OOO, I found something!" Pinkie shouts ecstatically, shoveling faster. Moments later, she uncovers a small blue tome with a red X on the cover. Carefully picking it up, she places it in her lap and blows the sand off it.

She opens the book to the first page. Finding a map, she gets excited.

"A treasure map!" she squeals as her mind races.

What does it lead to? Bits, gems, candy? Or maybe cotton candy?

Pinkie's eyes light up at the thought of discovering a candy-based treasure. "I must find it," she mutters, determined.

Standing up, she orients herself with the map before setting out on her grand adventure.

Following the map closely, her eyes dart back and forth between the dotted line on the map and her surroundings.

She walks by a pegasus and an earth pony, drawing a grand depiction of Luna raising the moon. "Nice job, looks great!" she compliments.

Pinkie turns the corner and her Pinkie Sense goes off, tail twitching. She ducks down and waits a few moments before looking up, not seeing anything, she shrugs.

I could have sworn a ball was heading right at me…

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she trots onward, determined to find the treasure.

I've got to find it.

She looks near the edge of the beach, where the Cutie Mark Crusaders are busy building a sand castle. Apple Bloom takes notice and glances up at her curiously.

"Hi, Pinkie Pie, what're you doing?" she asks Pinkie.

"I'm looking for buried treasure!" Pinkie explains, waving the map.

"Oh, can we come with you, please?" Apple Bloom pleads in excitement.

"Sure!"

The trio follows behind Pinkie as she leads them down the dotted line. They all stop as the path splits before them. Pinkie feels as though she's been down the left path before, and starts heading down it again, but as she does, the Cutie Mark Crusaders stop her.

"We should all decide which path to take," Scootaloo says.

The other two nod their heads.

Pinkie agrees and lets them vote on it, they pick the left path. As they travel down their new route, they run into a long line of sleeping ponies. Pinkie looks at the map, then back at the ponies.

"The line is right where they're sleeping; we have to go over," Pinkie says before she hops over each of the sleeping ponies one at a time. The Cutie Mark Crusaders follow behind her, doing the same.

The path rejoins as they get close to the water. Pinkie leads them slightly into the water and prances along the path in the water, enjoying the water splashing her.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders follow behind her, splashing each other and giggling happily as they go.

They turn back to land and make their final turn. Trotting forward some distance, they reach the X on the map. Barely able to contain her glee, Pinkie shouts, "We're here!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders start digging immediately, the three fillies digging wildly in the sand with their hooves. Pinkie watches as an uneasy feeling washes over her.

This doesn't feel right.

"This is so exciting!" Scootaloo shouts.

"I know, right?" Sweetie Belle agrees excitedly.

"I can't wait to see what it is," Apple Bloom chimes in.

They seem to be having fun, so it must be alright!

Before Pinkie can even start to think of anything else, she hears an excited shriek from Sweetie Belle.

"We found it," Sweetie says, beaming.

Pinkie takes over clearing the item, revealing…

"A book?" Pinkie asks in disbelief and looks at the crusaders, their faces just as puzzled as hers.

"Well, let's see what it has to offer." Pinkie sets the small marked brown tome in her lap and opens it up. She blows the sand off the page and begins to read aloud…

The sun barely shines through the thick blanket of the overcast clouds, as rain pours down on anypony foolish enough to be at the beach. A lone pony, Pinkie Pie, sits at the far side and plunges her blue plastic shovel into the sand.

She digs frantically in the sand, ignoring the rain and waves crashing into her.

Where is it? Is it here?

As the hole gets deeper and deeper, she begins to worry. Maybe it isn't here? But as soon as she finishes her thought, the shovel hits something in the sand.

"I found it!" Pinkie shouts, shoveling faster. Moments later, she uncovers a small yellow tome with a red X on the cover. Carefully picking it up, she places it in her lap and blows the sand and water off it.

She opens the book to the first page. Finding a map, a sense of dread sets in.

"A treasure map…"

What does it lead to? Where will it lead me?

Standing up, she orients herself with the map before setting out on her grand adventure.

Following the map closely, her eyes dart back and forth between the dotted line on the map and her surroundings.

She walks by a location she swore she's seen art before, but non was present now. Not having the time to think about the lost art, she trudges forward.

Pinkie turns the corner and her Pinkie Sense goes off, tail twitching. She ducks down and waits a few moments before looking up, not seeing anything, she shrugs.

Still no ball…

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she trots onward, determined to find the treasure.

I've got to figure this out.

She looks near the edge of the beach, where she recalls the Cutie Mark Crusaders should be, but nopony is there. Pinkie was the only pony at the beach.

Pinkie turns back toward her task and trots down the dotted line. She stops as the path splits before her. Although she feels as if she's been down the left path before, she decides to go right.

The right path leads her onto a giant pile of rocks, and at the top she stops to look over the empty beach.

This is wrong, all wrong, she thinks as a greater sense of unease washes over her.

After her moment of thought, she climbs down the rock, following the path.

The path rejoins as she gets close to the water. Pinkie trots slightly into the water, prances along the path in the water, enjoying the water splashing her.

She turns back to land and makes her final turn. Trotting forward some distance, she reaches the X on the map.

Pinkie sits down and begins to dig.

Here goes nothing.

She shovels slow and methodically, unlike herself.

This doesn't feel right.

Pinkie's shovel hits something, but she barely reacts as she starts clearing the item, revealing…

"A book," Pinkie says, not surprised. "Well, let's get this over with."

Pinkie sets the small marked red tome in her lap and opens it up. She blows the sand off the page and begins to read aloud…

The sky was black as rain fell down like anvils onto anypony it could find. The waves harsh and accentuated by rolling thunder in the distance. A lone pony, Pinkie Pie, sits at the far side and plunges her orange plastic shovel into the sand.

She digs very frantically in the sand, doing her best to ignore the rain and waves crashing into her.

Why is it here? What does it want? Who is doing this?

As the hole gets deeper and deeper, she begins to calm. Maybe it isn't here! But as soon as she finishes her thought, the shovel hits something in the sand.

I found it, Pinkie thinks, shoveling slower. Moments later, she uncovers a small white tome with a red X on the cover. Haphazardly picking it up, she places it in her lap and blows the sand and water off it.

She opens the book to the first page. Finding a map, a sense of dread sets in.

"A treasure map…"

Why me?

Standing up, she sighs before orienting herself with the map before setting out.

Barely paying attention to the map, Pinkie walks forward, unable to reason with her situation.

Why am I here? she thinks as she passes a drawing spot in the sand.

Pinkie turns the corner and her Pinkie Sense goes off, tail twitching. She ignores it, knowing there is no ball, but this time, she is struck by something: a small tree branch flies into her face, startling her.

She jumps back and shakes her head, removing the branch.

Why is this happening?

I've got to figure this out.

She looks near the edge of the beach, where the Cutie Mark Crusaders should be, but nopony is there. Pinkie was the only pony at the beach.

Here we thought we were going to get something fun.

Pinkie turns back toward her task and trots down the dotted line. She stops as the path splits before her. Deciding to make her own path, not going left or right, she walks towards where she knows the X is.

This is wrong, all wrong, she thinks as she slowly trots to the X.

She sighs as she reaches it on the map. Here we go again.

She shovels slow and methodically, unlike herself.

This can't continue.

Pinkie starts to cry as she lazily digs in the sand, not wanting to continue, but unable to prevent the inevitable.

Pinkie's shovel hits something, she barely reacts as she starts clearing the item, revealing…

"A book," Pinkie says, not surprised.

I need help…

Pinkie turns and looks directly at you. "I need your help, I need you to stop reading, please!"

As tears stream down her face, she sets the small marked pink tome in her lap and opens it up. She blows the sand off the page and begins to read aloud…

The sky rained lightning down onto the ground below, terrifying anypony even remotely close. The waves, tall as six ponies, crashed into the beach at a horrendous pace. A lone pony, Pinkie Pie, sits at the far side, tears flowing from her eyes wildly, as she plunges her pink plastic shovel into the sand.

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