> A Day To Remember
>  by Mr. Haze
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Music, Drugs, Dendrophobia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                                  Vinyl Scratch

The pounding bass and scattering lightshow blazed through the dancefloor. Mares and stallions alike dancing around without a care in the world as their favorite DJ-P0N3 kicked up the techno-like sounds making all the party ponies dancing faster all struggling to keep up with a single pink blur that kept up with the tempo perfectly without breaking a sweat. Vinyl smiled at the crowd below thumping her head forward to the sounds of the music coming from her complex machines.

The busy nightclub was a hot scene for controversial new stimulants derived from certain plants from the Everfree forest. A few common ones to sprout up were Sprack and Zipe. Two drugs coming in two different pill forms and very dangerous to combine. Sprack was found near Ursa caves and derived from the Sprackalackous plant. A thick and leathery like plant with bright ruby-like flowers that blossomed near the top. Combining the ground remains of the petals of the plant and mixing it with a dehydrated concentrate of its nectar turned this once harmless flower into one of the cash crops of new and powerful drug pushers. Though it wasn't illegal to manufacture or obtain the plant. The risk of just going deep enough for it made the drug highly increased the price. 

Zipe short for Ziperious was another stimulant based drug. Found only growing from Hydra excrement it was the more powerful of the two drugs. Ziperious had a unique way of dispersing its stimulant like effects. It was an innocuous yellow flower growing from the feces of a Hydra and when dried out and reconstituted by acidity (stomach acid helps wonders) it turned into an adrenal gland magnifier. Bolstering a pony's andrenal glands from grapes, to peaches in minutes and sending surges of happiness though their body and an unbearable desire to move. And dancing was perfect for that. 

Except for when somepony decided to be stupid and mix the two together or just as bad, forget to drink water. When the two stimulants were mixed like so many idiotic ponies attempted a unique side effect induced. Internal Hemorrhaging beyond what most medical professionals thought was possible. Bleeding from the mouth, eyes, ears, genitals, and anus were all common. It was a painful death Vinyl wished on no pony.

Vinyl opened her mouth knocking back a Sprack pill with a splash of black rum. It was her favorite combination of drunk and hyper that kept her fueled all night. That, along with a one gallon jug of ice cold water she kept nearby if she felt like she stopped sweating. That was the number one biggest concern in her line of work was dehydration. A jitter of energy washed through her body keeping the beats going for a straight eight hours now non-stop.

But like every party it had to end sometime. With the night turning into the day ponies had to call it a night all but one remained on the dancefloor now. A particular pink cotton-candy maned pony who still could not stop but try to keep up with the beat until Vinyl was forced to stop after nearly falling asleep on her DJ board. She grinned at the earth pony waving up at her as she waved back. She had no idea who she was but she was one hell of a party pony.

Vinyl packed her gear up for the day ready to call it quits and pass out in her bed not too far away. It wasn't that bad living in her own nightclub. BASS the name of her nightclub was taking off as popular new destination for the arising young DJ star. And she was ecstatic to be able to bring so many ponies together for a single cause. To party. The unicorn rested her purple lensed glasses upon her DJ mixing board and strolled downstairs below with heavy bags under her bright red rights. 

"That was so cool! And awesome! Play some more! Play some more!" Piped the pink pony begging her favorite DJ to entertain her with her music.

"That's all for tonight, Pink one. I got to get some sleep and so should you. You look like you've been hittin' the Sprack too hard." Vinyl said in return.

Pinkie Pie cocked her head in confusion, "Sprack, what's that? Hey I just rhymed!" She said laughing to herself.

Vinyl rolled her eyes, "alright, Pinks, come on I'm tired. Come back when I'm open and we can party again."

"Okay!" Pinkie squealed in excitement bursting through the front door leaving Vinyl alone now and ready for some much needed rest.

She climbed back up the stairs heading to her own personal little space where she could sleep. She noticed her supply of Sprack was running now and made a mental note of it. Going to have ta' talk to Spark again. She thought to herself lying down in her bed and pulling the purple blanket up to her muzzle shifting around for the perfect position to pass out in. 

Vinyl awoke midday scratching her head and getting out of bed lazily. She yawned holding a foreleg up to her mouth as she battered the sleepiness from her eyes. She walked slowly to her shower turning on the hot water and stepping inside for a much need cleansing. She could feel her coat becoming cleaner by the second as the steaming water poured over her body. She moved her head up closing her eyes as she held her head directly in front of the shower head basking in the hot liquid that coated her body from horn to hoof.

Thick sudsy foam covered the mare's body making her indistinguishable to a cumulus cloud. Only her eyes remained free from the white foamy shampoo that covered her all over. She scrubbed herself from horn to tail with her favorite yellow sponge lathering each area of her body generously as well as a certain part between her legs she took extra care with. She stood in the hot rainfall smiling to herself as the cleaning solution of sudsy overlords disappeared deep within the confines of her drain making a sucking noise as it whisked out of sight from the unicorn.

A bleach white towel enveloped her body assisted by her magic scrubbed the mare drying from her mane and tail to her hooves not allowing any residual water to mesh within the fibrous hairs of the mare. She banged her head back and forth arranging her hairstyle just the way she liked it. Not too messy, not to clean cut. She enjoyed this look. There was no need to look professional when all you do for a living is party.

Vinyl grabbed the Bits she needed for the Sprack and prepared for her journey to see Spark. The mare who made this wonderful drug possible. She climbed down the stairs gingerly enjoying each step she took until she opened her eyes. Staring through her purple lenses was the pink pony she saw from yesterday looking as happy as could be to see Vinyl awake and ready to party, but soon for her to find out Vinyl would have no interest right now in partying. She had drugs to buy.

Vinyl opened the door to her nightclub exiting and remembering this time to turn the sign to closed so ponies don't just line up for no reason at all while Vinyl was gone. The pink pony stood there looking cheerful and energetic hopping up and down giggling aloud to herself.

"Ready to PAR-TAY!" She exclaimed.

"Not now Pink pony, I've got some stuff to do first." She said calmly.

Pinkie Pie stopping hopping up and down, "can I come with you?" She asked looking intent on joining the DJ.

She wouldn't mind the company. And Sparks wouldn't care either. Not like much could deter that pony from her work, "sure, why not." She said nonchalantly.

Pinkie Pie snorted in laughter hopping up again in ecstasy, "hurray!" 

As they walked through town casually Pinkie Pie continued her overly random behavior hopping up and down, appearing from shop stalls at simultaneous times which bewildered Vinyl as to how she could do it. And generally being as quirky and strange as she could be. Vinyl still questioned if the Pink pony was on either of the new drugs to come out. No pony could have this much energy. She thought to herself. 

But rather than asking the Pink earth pony she just dismissed the question from her head as she approached her destination. A large tree with a hollowed out trunk and a door in the front. Windows dotted the large library allowing in beams of Celestia's radiant sunlight. Twilight knocked on the door three times with her foreleg and stepped back awaiting an answer. It took a minute before she heard anything but before she knew it she was inside the library being ushered in by a small green and purple dragon.

A purple alicorn ran back and forth grabbing books and ingredients alike not noticing she had company until the dragon stopped her in her hurried tracks.

"Twilight, Vinyl and Pinkie are here to see you." He said pointing to the two mares.

She stopped what she was doing and went over to properly address her company that had just come over. She smiled at both the ponies wondering to herself why Pinkie was here with Vinyl. She isn't using Sprack is she? Or Vipe? Is she. Twilight thought to herself truly hoping Pinkie of all ponies didn't need drugs to keep her hyperactivity up. But quickly dismissed such a silly thought. She probably just tagged along being as random as she could exploring the various day-to-day lives of ponies and what they do and apparently Vinyl didn't mind Pinkie following her around.

"Good to see you again, Vinyl, you too Pinkie Pie." Said the alicorn.

Vinyl looked over to the pink pony, "so you're Pinkie Pie, eh?" She questioned rhetorically.

"Yep that's me! And you're Vinyl Scratch also known as DJ P0N-3!" She said excitedly making a particularly accurate sound of Vinyl's Bass with her mouth before being shushed by Vinyl in a giggle she couldn't hold back. This pony is crazy. She thought to herself looking back at Twilight.

"So, Sparks, how much do I owe you for this batch?" Vinyl said bluntly levitating out a heavy bag of Bits.

Twilight's memory snapped back into motion realizing she didn't have enough Sprack for Vinyl, "I ran into some complications in the process so you only owe me fifty bits." She said back levitating outwardly a bag of small red pills each embedded with the cutie mark of Twilight Sparkle as a signature of who designed this pill. She was one of the few ponies that could do it being an alicorn and having a vast knowledge of combat-based magic.

"Wow- that's like, a fourth of what we agreed upon. Come on Sparks, I need to sell these things too. Ponies need to party and this is what they count on." Vinyl said disappointingly.

"I know, I know," Twilight said, "but I've been really busy as of late with my research into-" she was cut off short.

"I understand Sparks, don't worry about it. I'll find somepony else to buy from." Vinyl said trying to catch Twilight's attention.

"Hold on Vinyl, there's still a way I can get you the Sprack. And if you do it, I'll give you a hefty discount... say fifty perfect." Twilight said touching her foreleg to her chin in show of her thinking heavily about this. She smiled devilishly hoping Vinyl would take her bait.

Vinyl stopped in her tracks as she was preparing to leave the library. She turned her head around looking with great anticipation towards the alicorn, "I'm listening." She said

"You have to go get the Sprackalackous flowers yourself." Said Twilight, "I simply don't have the time and couriers cost to much to find these plants, but you look like you're capable of doing this." She said cooingly.

"I don't know Sparks, I don't like going into the Everfree forest. Especially not alone." Vinyl said in return.

Pinkie's face lit up like the sun, "CAN I GO! Please! Please! Please!" She begged Vinyl. 

Vinyl rolled her eyes, but before she could speak Twilight spoke for her, "of course Pinkie, you'd be perfect company for Vinyl. Plus with two ponies you might just have twice the luck finding these flowers."

"What do they look like anyway?" Pinkie asked to no pony in general.

Twilight pulled out a large green book opening its pages to a picture of a bright ruby red flower attached to a segment of a large vine. A side picture showed a reference picture to an Ursa cave and how the Sprackalackous flower covered it on all angles. Pinkie's eyes widened as she stared at the beautiful flower ignoring Twilight's dissertation of knowledge she must have already known about this plant in the first place.

She closed to book zapping Pinkie's attention from the plant, "alright, so, gather me at least ten Sprackalackous flowers and you'll get your fifty percent discount." Twilight said to Vinyl, "oh and don't get killed."

Vinyl winked at Twilight through her purple lens sunglasses and exited the library with Pinkie Pie ready to start their adventure to deep within the Everfree forest. Vinyl didn't like going into the forest period, she may have omitted that small detail before, but when she was getting a discount this high she decided she could drive past her fears to collect some simple flowers. 

It wasn't that she was afraid of going into the forest and what creatures she might find. She didn't really care about Timber Tolves, Ursa Majors, or even a Hydra. No, what truly terrified her was the trees. The ominous, foreboding trees that seemed to suck in whatever enters the forest and almost never let it escape. That was her true fear. She always felt an overwhelming sense of paranoia when she went into a forest. Even a small park. It felt as if somepony was always watching her and she could never spot just who it was.

Usually though, this fear of trees never made itself present to anypony around her. She could all keep it in her mind, but today was a day like no other for her and her companion Pinkie. She felt even more on edge as the two ponies trekked deeper into the forest. She could feel the sweat on her forehead and mane begin to accumulate. A pointed twig poked her flank from behind sending her careening skywards into the air and falling back down on her rump looking around with her horn lit and ready for whatever caused her to jump to also burn.

Snorting and giggling from behind her lowered her guard just enough for the musically inclined unicorn to turn around. Vinyl truly looked panicked as if she just saw a ghost before her eyes, but Pinkie just kept laughing hysterically, "you!" She said between a snort, "should have seen yourself!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Wha-" Vinyl said is confusion as Pinkie rose back to her hooves wiping the tears of happiness from her eyes.

"Wow, you're really easy to scare Vinyl." She said chipperly.

"I-it was you that touched me with that stick?" Vinyl said back in disbelief.

"Maybe." Pinkie said mischievously

"Pinkie. Don't ever fucking do that again." Vinyl scolded Pinkie.

Pinkie's ears went back and her lip began to quiver and she began to cry.

Vinyl rolled her eyes, "Pinkie I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell at you, just try not to scare me like that, alright?" She asked rhetorically. I swear it's like she's bipolar. One second she's laughing the next she's crying. Vinyl thought to herself. 

"Okay!" Said the pink pony cheerfully. 

They reached the first cave picking off four flowers easily before heading out for the next area to prowl for the rare specimens. The air was cold around them strangely different from Ponyville which was usually warm and inviting. The damp forest floor was littered with fungi and moss growing rapidly. Lichens grew on rocks near a small stream as they hopped over the hoof wide gap of a stream. 

One side effect of the Sprackalackous drug synthesized that had yet to categorized or observed was the fits of overwhelming paranoia and sometimes short episodes of psychosis as Vinyl would soon find out. It was caused when the pony ingesting these stimulant supplements became too dependent on the drug however it never showed through physical debilitation only through a mental craving and subsequent side effects if another dose is not taken. These side effects were random in nature and had no duration as to how long they would last.

Vinyl whispered a voice into her ear. Vinyl looked around seeing nothing and quickly dismissed the noise. The voice called again Vinyl come it said. She looked behind her spotting nothing and kept on track with the Pink Pony. She bit her lip looking around her as it seemed like the trees were getting taller by the second blocking out every bit of light and leaving her in darkness. She imagined roots popping from the ground grabbing her body and lifting her from the ground. She screamed out to Pinkie seeing the pony no where around. It was like a nightmare had just come true. She began to cry as the roots whipped her back and forth.

She could hear her name being called, "Vinyl!" It said, "Vinyl wake up!" It shouted again. A splash of cold water awoke her as she found herself lying on the forest floor with a concerned looking pony staring over her. She sat up wiping the sweat from he forehead and looking around in paranoia. Eyes wide and heart thumping.

"P-pinkie, what happened?" Vinyl asked.

"I don't know Vinyl." She said worried, "you just stopped walking and you looked like you were just asleep but your eyes were still open."

Vinyl shook her head not wanting to believe she was going insane. She took a step forward retracting her hoof at first feeling the ground first to make sure no roots were going to pop out from the ground and attack her like they just did. Or at least, she imagined.

"C-come on Pinkie," Vinyl said, "we got a few more flowers to collect."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" She said saluting Vinyl as they continued their journey.

It wasn't long before they got to another cave just two flowers bloomed on the vine that supported the Sprackalackous flowers. Vinyl plucked them away from the vine. Just a few more she thought to herself turning around to face Pinkie Pie who was now no where in sight.

"P-pinkie?" She said taking a step forward before being dragged away by the vine that she had just plucked the flowers from. It wrapped around her hind legs as she struggled to claw at the ground trying to gain some friction against the assaulting plant. She screamed at the top of her lungs before being drug into the perpetual darkness of the cave behind her. Waves of light flashed before her as she found herself free falling through the inky blackness around her. She landed on the forest floor once again looking around her with nothing but trees. Ominous, evil trees. Lurking and prowling to end the pony.

"Vinyl?" Ask a voice from the winds around her she turned around looking petrified in fear. This is all an illusion. She said to herself. This isn't real. I'm going to wake up any second now. She could feel her heart pounding faster and faster. Or maybe it's real! She thought running forward through the trees trying to find an escape from the hellish surroundings. "Vinyl don't scare me like this wake up!" Shouted the voice. Shut up! She thought to herself. Get out of my head!

She felt a smack across her cheek and everything around her seemed to fade as a bright piercing light came into view. She opened her eyes feeling Pinkie's mouth over hers. At first it was kind of nice but then she realized where she was and jumped out from under the mare. With her back pressed against the tree she sucked in the air around her as fast as her lungs would allow.

"P-pinkie!" She yelled, "why the hell were you kissing me?" 

Pinkie cocked her head in confusion to the words she just heard, "'kissing you?' Oh no I was giving you CPR because you just collapsed and you started screaming for something to 'get out of your head' and that it was 'all an illusion'. You really had me worried there Scratchy."

"Did you want me to kiss you?" Pinkie asked taking a step forward.

"Wha-no, no Pinkie, that's quite alright." Vinyl said in return.

Vinyl had calmed down by now and shook her head in a futile attempt to shake the insanity from her head. Gotta make this quick I'm losin' it out here. She thought to herself. A short walk later they found themselves their last cave. Picking off the remaining flowers she needed they looked to each other with Vinyl speaking first, "okay Pinkie, let's head back." She said.

"Okie-Dokie!" She piped back.

Vinyl took point walking South back towards Ponyville. The sun was coming down so it was just perfect timing. She'd be back in time to get her Sprack pills and head back to BASS for another long light of partying. But that was only if she could escape this forest before her Dendrophobia got the best of her. 

"So Pinkie, have you ever wanted to try Sprack?" She said aloud trying to make conversation with the pony. But to no avail there was no response. In fact, her walking completely stopped. Vinyl grew worried at this and turned her head around slowly. Pinkie Pie was still standing there, but she looked different. She had no face. Just her body was there as it began to turn a sickly green to a dark brown with the texture of wood. She sunk into the ground via her legs now roots staring blankly with no expression at Vinyl.

Her heart sunk, her mind went haywire and in that moment of time Vinyl for a split second snapped. She began to laugh manically. She looked all around herself with malicious intent on her face. You don't look so good Vinyl you okay? Said a voice inside her head. She shook it off, "never better." She said aloud.

Her horn lit up in a radiant glow of light. A piercing sound cracked the wind. Vinyl what are you doing?  The voice asked inside her head. "The only thing left to do you fucking forest! Burn you to the fucking ground!"

"Oh shit!" Screamed Pinkie Pie staring at Vinyl Scratch who was acting violent and strange. She collapse the oxygen around her and blasted it in all direction scorching the forest other than the epicenter where Vinyl stood. Pinkie was knocked back and started running for Ponyville. Got to get Twilight! She thought to herself turning her head back for only a moment to see Vinyl's trademark glasses now gone up in smoke and revealing blood red eyes filled with insanity as she torched the earth around her in all direction.

Vinyl woke up inside the Ponyville hospital. Her head ached and her stomach grumbled. She looked over to the clock seeing the time. It was already past midnight. She scrambled out of the gurney realizing how late she was. Oh shit! She thought to herself. Everypony is gonna be pissed! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

"Glad you're awake." Said a familiar voice.

Vinyl turned around seeing the alicorn she visited earlier today, "Sparks? What are you doing here?"

"Well, saving your life for one. And Pinkie's too. When I said don't get killed I meant don't wake up an Ursa not burn the whole damn forest down." Twilight said scolding the mare.

"Yeah, sorry Sparks." She said back, "what happened anyway."

Twilight took a deep breath, "from what Pinkie told me you had an episode of extreme violent psychosis. And after this, I can tell you I won't be making anymore Sprack or Zipe. It's been outlawed by Princess Celestia. Probably for the best now that this has happened. You could have killed yourself." She said worriedly, "you collapsed oxygen to a singularity and used it's own pressure to ignite itself. Impressive, but beyond reckless and dangerous."

"Yeah, probably is for the best." Vinyl agreed, "this is one hell of a day I will remember."
> As Cold as Maud if You Could Believe It
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                                      Maud

Maud kicked the rock forward to her sister Pinkie who eagerly passed it back to her sister. She loved playing with Boulder and Pinkie it was the most fun she had had in a long time since her work at the quarry kept her so busy. Ponies needed precious metals and Maud was the pony to go to when you needed a geological survey and an expert excavator. No pony could keep up with with Maud's speed, strength and dexterity. It was almost as if she wasn't a pony at all. No pony had seen a mare plow through rock so easily with her bear hooves. A lot of her co-workers were unicorns who used their demolition magic to blow apart the rock, but Maud set a standard for herself and that was to out work every pony there though it was never a challenge or competition she enjoyed working hard.

One part of work she did not particularly care for was Cobalt. An overly frisky stallion who took a liking to Maud when he couldn't woo her to his ego's delight when they first met. Instead he was greeted coldly and plainly after he introduced himself as Cobalt the IV. Maud just kept her same monotone stance with a friendly 'hey' and preceded to ignore him from then on. But being the pompous little foal he loved to act like he couldn't stand not gaining the praise and admiration he so desired just because his family had owned the quarry for many generations.

But this was not what Maud wanted to focus on right now. For now she was with Pinkie and that was all that mattered. She loved Pinkie's over enthusiastic attitude and strange appetite for sweets. She couldn't stand the confections herself, but if it made Pinkie smile she would grin and bear it if it meant trying one of her cupcakes or pies. She smiled to herself as Pinkie balanced Boulder on her nose. Pinkie giggled loudly bouncing the pebble up and down before tossing it back to Maud.

She loved being on vacation. It was a welcome change from the quarry. Ponyville was just the town she would have wanted to visit. Quiet, pleasant, and with her best friend, Pinkie Pie. She caught Boulder in her pocket watching Pinkie hop up and down in glee for making a perfect shot. Oh how she wished she could have the same excited look as Pinkie, but alas, it was just not for Maud to enjoy. She was a quiet pony who didn't cause trouble if it didn't need to be caused.

"I missed you so much Maud!" Her sister exclaimed hugging her tightly.

Maud returned the hug embracing her pink cotton-candy maned sibling, "I missed you too Pinkie. Are you sure you don't mind just hanging with me and not your friends?" She asked

"Oh they'll be fine, they know you're in town and I want to spend time with my bestest friend sister I could ever have." Pinkie said squeezing Maud even tighter. Maud could feel the air being pushed out of her.

"Thanks Pinkie." She managed to say in a short breath before Pinkie finally let go of her grip. For a party pony she still had impressive strength. She always loved hearing Pinkie say she was her friend. Maybe it was because Maud didn't have any, but it didn't bother her. As long as she had Pinkie it didn't matter to her. It was one of the few moments in life that brought a smile to her otherwise somber face.

Maud's stomach grumbled in hunger signaling her sister that it was time to make lunch. She dreamed of what Pinkie Pie would make her. Something sweet most likely with lots of peppers as Maud would prefer. She thought about saying something to Pinkie about her confections and laying off the sugar but it seemed to be a bad idea to her if she were to criticize her sister for what she loved to do.

"You're tummy's rumbling." Pinkie Pie said shooting up in a pink flash of light standing against Maud in an otherwise uncomfortable situation if it were not siblings. 

"Yeah, I guess I am, mind making me a salad? Extra fruit please." She asked her sister.

"You mean you want me to cook for you? FOR REAL!" She said excitedly. Pinkie Pie never got to cook for Maud before. Usually it was her parents who cooked and on vacation Maud took them out for meals at a local restaurant when they were fillies.

"Yeah," she said questioning her next words, "just, keep the sugar on the low down please, I'm not that much of a fan." She said hoping Pinkie wouldn't be too disappointed.

Pinkie nodded in response, "okie-dokie Maud!" She exclaimed blitzing into Sugarcube Corner. Her new home and job with Mr. and Mrs. Cake was a dream come true. Maud Couldn't have been happier for her knowing she did what she loved to do; throwing parties and baking delicious treats was what Pinkie Pie was an expert at. She still remembered her first party together back at the rock farm when she finally got her cutie mark. 

Pinkie returned with a large bowl filled with lettuce, tomatoes, pineapples, apples, grapes, and all sorts of fruits Maud liked. Pinkie knew her so well. Almost too well knowing exactly what dressing she would want. A raspberry vinaigrette with a dash of Rainbow Dash's own hot sauce she created called 'Fire Wing'. A crazy concoction of peppers, rainbows and vinegar that sent her mouth ablaze with fire and flavor.

She smiled widely as her sister placed the dish in front of her followed by Pinkie consuming her own lunch consisting of sugary treats she scarfed down. Maud gingerly ate her salad enjoying the sweet citrus flavors of the fruits and the spiciness of the sauce. She didn't mind the natural sweetness from the fruits, but the overwhelming amount of sugar Pinkie placed in her baked good made Maud sick to her stomach. They both finished their meals with Pinkie blitzing in and out of sight returning the dishes to the bakery and making quick haste to wash them and put them away.

Pinkie could hear her sister outside. Talking to somepony but she didn't know who. She had never heard this voice before. Which meant she had a new friend to make as soon as she was done cleaning. However, that might not be the case as she listened more closely hearing the acidity drip from her sister's voice. Maud didn't usually get angry, but when she did Pinkie Pie was the only one who could calm her down.

Cobalt trotted over to Maud looking primped and groomed as if he were ready for a date. He approached the mare slicking back his mane and grinning a pearly white smile trying once again to gain the favoritism of this earth pony who showed him not even the slightest bit of interest. Which just drove him even more crazy about her.

"Hey Maud, I thought I might find you here. So, you ready for our date?" He asked seductively, holding out a bundle of yellow pansies awaiting Maud to take them with praise him with admiration for this thoughtfulness.

"Leave." She said flatly.

"Now that's no way to treat your future husband now is it?" He replied coyly.

"Leave Cobalt. Now." She said once more looking stern in her words.

"Damn you're cold Maud. We haven't even gone back to my place yet." He said winking at her.

"Leave now or I'll make you." She said narrowing her eyes. Her tone stayed for the most the part, monotoned and unemotional, but not to Pinkie. She could feel it now. The anger growing inside Maud was about to explode. He wanted to test her and he was about to find why he should have. Maud took a step forward preparing to lunge at Colbalt.

"Hey Maud!" Shouted her sister coming out of the bakery hopefully soon enough to defuse the situation.

For now, Maud stood down unwilling to make a scene in front of her sister. She turned around seeing her sister and bright and chipper as ever, "hey Pinkie." She said flatly.

A sick plan churned and stewed in Cobalt's mind. He had the perfect idea to make Maud go on a date with him. Well, either way he would get a date. No mare could resist his charm. At least this is what he thought.

"So you must be Maud's sister?" He said cocking an eyebrow and bowing to the mare before him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Pinkie Pie." He said charmingly.

Pink rushed up shaking his hoof up and down sending the vibrations through his entire body, "hi! What's your name? You know mine, but I don't know yours." She said smiling widely.

Cobalt cleared his through and spoke in a dignified tone, "I am Cobalt the IV. Heir to the-" he was cut off short.

"Cobalt. Leave. Now." Maud said with venom dripping from her words.

Pinkie had no idea why Maud disliked Cobalt so much. He seemed like a nice pony. He wasn't causing them any problems for the most part.

"Oh Maud, don't be so mean." Pinkie said aloud, "do you work with my sister?" She asked the stallion.

"Why yes I do. She's told me a lot about you." Cobalt said.

"No I haven't." Maud said flatly, "I never even told you I had a sister."

Cobalt cringed and gritted his teeth. Dammit Maud quit being so difficult. He thought to himself. He refocused preparing his next words hopefully getting her sister's attention away from Maud and focused on him instead. 

"Wow, Maud, you sure are a cold one. Way to put me on the spot in front of your sister. Well, since you won't accept my offer I'll ask somepony else." He said. Maud was slightly alleviated to hear this knowing he would not make further advances on her. But her hopes were soon dashed away as he spoke his next words that send pure rage through her body. Not jealousy. Just rage knowing that Cobalt would stoop so low to gain her attention.

"Pinkie," he started, "would you like to go on a date with me?" Smiling a superficial look of grace and elegance as he tried to woo Pinkie Pie now.

"Uhmm..." Pinkie said tapping her hoof to her chin.

"No." Maud said catching Cobalt off guard.

"Oh Maud you had your chance, but I'm willing to reconsider if you'd like to accompany me instead." He said.

"No." Maud said again, "Pinkie will not go on a date with you and neither will I. Now, leave." She said bracing the ground and preparing to charge the stallion.

"I don't think you have the right to speak for your sister Maud. She's a grown pony she can make her own decisions." Cobalt said vapidly getting back at Maud's lack of sexual attention she showed him.

"I'm sorry Cobalt, but I can't. I'm hanging out with Maud while she's in town. Maybe when her vacation is over we could go to The Apple Tap and have a drink." Pinkie said optimistically. 

"What! You're just going to turn me down too! Fuck both of you mares are fucking idiot-" A hoof collided with his snout sending his body careening through the air and rolling as it hit the dirt covered ground. Maud stood ramrod still as she held her foreleg out slowly retracting it back to the ground. She casually walked up to Cobalt looking down at the pony she had just assaulted. She watched as he wiped the blood from his snout standing up and shaking off the dirt from his coat.

"You bitch!" He exclaimed. Subsequently he now found himself choking and gasping for air as Maud held him up against the wall of a nearby shop. Her eyes narrowed as she held him their putting more and more pressure against his neck ready to end the pony's life if she had to.

"Maud!" Cried Pinkie rushing over to her, "stop Maud! Please!" 

That voice! Maud thought to herself. She retracted to her original stance standing down from the assault on Cobalt. 

Cobalt continued to choke and gasp for air. As Pinkie ran up hugging Maud in a tight kinship embrace. She felt a strange feeling come over her. One of peace and calmness she wasn't used to. It was different, but she liked it. Her heart stopped racing and her pupils dilated back to a relax nature.

Maud looked down at her opponent who still tried to suck in air shooting her glares of anger and fear in a mixture of regret for messing with Maud's sister. Maud lowered her head down to inches in front of Cobalt's. Her words formed slowly and deliberately, "stay away from my sister if you want to live."

Cobalt rose to his hooves and bolted away from Maud and Pinkie shouting nonsense of how she would regret striking him. Ponies now stared at her in all direction. They were all focused on Maud. She could feel their eerie gazes piercing through her flesh with invisible knives as she bit her lip looking worried. They spoke in hushed voices hoping Maud wouldn't hear them but she could. She could hear the voices all around her as if they were parasprites swarming her in all directions. Did you just see that? Maud is crazy. 'Bout as cold as Maud if you could believe it huh? What did he do to deserve that? I wonder if he's okay. Maud's insane. Maud's insane! Maud IS INSANE!

She could see Pinkie talking to her but she couldn't hear the words coming from her mouth. Her heart was thumping faster and faster. Her pupils grew small to pinpricks. She began breathing heavily. And at that moment. She ran. She ran as fast as she could from everypony even her sister. She ran till her hooves could no longer propel her body. And when she could no longer run she began to cry.

She lied down staring up at the sky as the tears streamed from the sides of her face pattering the grass making it damp to the touch. Pinkie must hate me now. She thought to herself. I almost lost control again. I could have killed him and then.. She didn't want to think about it after that instead choosing to let the tears roll down her face as she quietly whimpered to herself.

This wasn't the first time Maud had hurt somepony. The first time was back when she and Pinkie still lived on the Rock farm with their parents. A couple of bullies from school decided to use Pinkie as a new punching bag. Kicking and pulling her hair and making the little filly cry. And that's what sent her over the edge the first time. The filly's tears that streamed from her face. The look of despair and anguish that pulled Maud's heartstrings too far. And she snapped. With her incredible strength she broke the legs of the aggressors in half and without so much as a hint of hesitation. She still remembered what her sister said that day. Please. Stop Maud.

Maud awoke from her grassy bed. The sun was about to go down over the horizon. She contemplated going back to town to see Pinkie Pie. No doubt she was worried sick about her sister. She had been gone for several hours now and she didn't want her sister to be up all night looking for her. In which, she definitely wouldn't as she heard a familiar voice from afar. The same voice she ran from earlier. Pinkie Pie's.

"Maud!" She cried out running towards her sister full speed colliding with her without the slightest indication of stopping or at least slowing down. She hugged her sister tightly unwilling to let her go out of her embrace. Tears welled in Pinkie's eyes as they streamed down her face and onto Maud's plain grey dress. The two ponies lied their together in one another's tight grip for what seemed like an eternity before either spoke.

"I'm sorry Pinkie." Maud said petting her sister's mane. 

Pinkie looked up at her sister cracking a smile, "Maud please don't leave me like that again." She took a shaky breath, "I... I thought I lost you. I looked for you for hours and... and." She started to cry again. Maud embraced her in a motherly grip cooing the young mare as she stroked Pinkie's cotton-candy like mane.

"I just... I couldn't let Cobalt get away with insulting you in front of me." Maud said to her sister. The two sisters now lied down in the grass stair up at the moon as it raised by the assistance of Luna into the black night sky dotted by the millions of stars they could see in all directions light years away from them.

"Maud, you don't need to hurt somepony just because they hurt me. I can take an insult or two." Pinkie said with chuckle.

That's not all he would do. Maud thought to herself. Cobalt's already gotten away with beating one mare. He won't get away with hurting my sister.

"O-okay Pinkie." Maud said, "just- stay away from Cobalt please?" She asked her sister.

"Can do!" She said excitedly.

Pinkie wondered to herself what Cobalt did to upset her sister so much she would want him gone as soon as he came by to visit, but didn't have the courage to question Maud not wanting to pry at something she was sure Maud would tell her in time. 

"Wanna go back to Sugarcube Corner now?" Maid asked standing up and yawning deeply, "I'm getting tired."

Pinkie Pie hopped up to her hooves pointing in the direction of her home, "this way Maud!" She said cheerfully hopping the whole way back home.

The next day was another splendid day for the two sisters. The two earth ponies met in the kitchen with Maud looking visibly tired as if she didn't get enough sleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned staring at a plate of pancakes, cantaloupe, and a glass of freshly squeezed onion juice, her favorite. Her pink, bubbly sister hummed to herself flipping the last flap-jack as she took a seat next to Maud covering her pancakes in syrup while Maud preferred hers plain.

"Thanks Pinkie." Maud said casually only allowing her sister to hear the slightest fluctuation of happiness in her voice. 

Pinkie nodded stuffing her face with the syrup covered pancakes. Maud devoured the cantaloupe first. She was surprised by it's sweetness that was unlike the any fruit she tried before. In fact, she noticed the fruits and vegetables here in Ponyville had noticeably more flavor and texture that those of Canterlot or Manehattan. It was a strange that one part of Equestria had better produce than the others but she didn't mind. It was a welcome change from the blandness she was used to at Quarry's kitchen. 

The two ponies finished their breakfast. Maud and Pinkie were both visibly heavier now. Not that they were fat in the first place. They two had outstanding workouts they did every day, but with a full belly came a slightly extended stomach. Though neither felt bloated or ready to explode. Pinkie's portions were just perfect for Maud.

"So, what do you want to do today Maud?" Pinkie asked looking as enthusiastic as usual.

She looked up into the air then back down at Pinkie, "I don't know."

"How about we go into town and walk around? We're bound to find something to do there!" She said hopping around her sister.

Maud smiled, "okay Pinkie, let's go."

The town bustled with ponies in all direction both buying and selling goods and services. Pinkie's attention drifted from stall to stall in a pink flash admiring all the shiny trinkets and toys the shopkeepers had for sale. She stopped at one stall in particularly noticing two necklaces that she adored and couldn't let anypony else have.

"Maud!" She cried out getting her sister's attention.

Maud approached the stall casually smiling at the shopkeeper and then over to her sister.

"Yeah Pinkie?" She asked noticing the paired necklace Pinkie's attention was fixated on.

"That necklace is so awesome!" She said pointing it out. 

Truly there was nothing spectacular about it other than it came in a pair. It was small and silvery in the shape of a heart with three letters appearing all together as the pieces were put together. 'BFF' it displayed. Maud wondered what the significance of these letters meant and why Pinkie loved it so much.

"'BFF'?" Maud asked, "what's that mean?" She looked at her sister.

Her sister's mouth dropped in disbelief that Maud didn't know that all too common acronym. She knew her sister didn't get out a lot, but surely she had to have heard of this term at least once in her life.

"It means Best Friend Forever!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Maud smiled a little wider. Just for a split second enough for Pinkie to notice before she spoke to the shop keeper.

"I want the one my sister is point at." She said flatly placing several Bits on the counter. The unicorn levitated the necklaces out of their display and in front of the two mares. Pinkie snatched them up quicker than lightning throwing her own around her neck and then putting Maud's around her own and leaning against her sister as she put them together in glee smiling at the small trinket.

"Thank you so much Maud!" Cried Pinkie Pie throwing her arms around Maud for a tight hug in public. 

A trio of shadows loomed over the two mares as they adored their new necklaces walking down the pebble dirt road. Neither Maud or Pinkie could tell that they were being followed until it was too late and they were out of earshot of other ponies and secluded now as a figure from behind an Oak tree appeared in front of them. Maud stopped in her tracks holding her foreleg out to stop Pinkie.

"What do you want, Cobalt?" Maud asked bluntly.

Before he could respond to her Maud found herself pinned to the ground along with her sister as three hulking stallions pinned them to the earth. He smiled and chuckled to himself as he walked up to Maud kicking a bit of dirt in her face. The smug stallion took his time staring at the rage-fueled earth pony Maud and her equally terrified sister who kept trying her best to escape from under the stallion's weight.

"What do I want Maud?" He started, "I want a lot of things. And for a long time I wanted you."

"Not gonna' happen." Maud said in return.

"Oh I know, and since you won't go easily I'll take something just as good. I'll take your sister." He said sadistically.

"Leave her alone Cobalt." Maud said vapidly.

"I don't think you're in any position to be barking order now are you?" He said growing grim and striking Maud on top of the head with his hoof.

The sadist walked over to Pinkie kneeling down to her as she looked up off the ground, "Pinkie," he said, "since your sister over there doesn't want to share my bed with me maybe you would like to?"

Pinkie thought about it for a second before speak, "nope, sorry, not interested." She said smiling up at Cobalt, "you know it's really not nice to tackle ponies like this. If somepony were to see this they'd think you were mugging us or trying to ponynap us."

Cobalt grew angry kicking Pinkie in the head and pushing her face into the dirt. He hated hearing those words, 'not interested'. It was if somepony kicked his pet the way he was acting towards the mares. He could see the hate boiling inside Maud as he striked her sister once again. Blood now dripped from Pinkie's nose smearing into the dirt as Cobalt ground her face into the earth.

"You can make this stop anytime you want Pinkie. Just say you'll sleep with me and I'll let your sister go." He said looking down at Pinkie, "or," he started looking over at Maud, "I could just take both of you and have my way with you mares and then my friends here can have some fun."

"Cobalt!" Maud now screamed his name struggling to stand up only to be punched in the side by the massive stallion on top of her.

"Shut up Maud!" He shouted striking Pinkie again, "or your sister might not make it out of this alive."

Those words struck deep at Maud. She could see tears pooling into mud around Pinkie as she whispered to her sister Maud, help me. Her adrenaline began to pump through her veins. The stallions that once pinned her to the ground were now visibly stuggling to keep the single mare down. Cobalt grimaced as she struggled against her aggressors.

"Just give up Maud, you're not getting away this time." He said 

She managed to stand on her hooves now bucking off the two powerful stallions into the dirt around her. She blitz in a flash of grey colliding her front forelegs into the side of the stallion holding Pinkie down sending his limp and lifeless body tumbling to the side smashing through a fence.

She glared at Cobalt who backed up ready to flee but before he could he was tackled to the ground staring up at the sight of Maud pounding her foreleg into his face as the other kept his neck pinned to the ground. He tried to move his body unsuccessfully as the assault continued. He soon could no longer feel the pain or see through his blackened eyes. He felt his broken and chipped teeth begin to choke him as he convulsed on the dirt coughing up the mixture of blood and teeth. His consciousness soon turned to black leaving his rag doll body for whatever fate Maud decided was appropriate.

"Maud! Stop! Please!" Pinkie cried but to no avail. Her sister's onslaught continued bashing Cobalt's head into the ground.

She knew what she had to do. It was the only way to save Maud. She tackled her with all her force in one headbutt knocking her off the stallion. Maud had finally come-to seeing a frightened and bloodied Pinkie Pie standing over her ready to cry. Maud looked over at Cobalt who was still unconscious and bleeding from his face all over his coat.

"I-I.. Pinkie." Was all Maud could must as Pinkie embraced her in the longest hug they had ever shared together.

"I couldn't let you kill him. I couldn't lose you again Maud. Never again." Pinkie cried into Maud's neck.

Maud smiled a bit and patted Pinkie's hair now disheveled and full of dirt and twigs, "thank you Pinkie."

Maud looked up into the pale blue sky above them, this is definitely a day I will remember. She said to herself.

	
	
> Trixie and Bricks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                                  Trixie

Trixie once again lost her job. She drudged through town looking at the ground unwilling to hold her head up as she wondered how she would pay for her home. It seemed like performing for ponies just wasn't what they wanted anymore. They no longer cared for theatrics and magical displays. At least not in this town. Manehattan was not a city for a mare to be in if she was broke like Trixie. A lot of ponies had to get by using prostitution as a viable means of gaining income and other stole from one another. Violence was a common part of the city meaning their police force was just as influential. 

An earth pony ran past the mare splashing muddied water in her face. Her now wet and dirty plane flopped in her face as she began to burn with anger. I hate this city. She said to herself. It wasn't easy growing up in city full of crime. She did her best to stay out of it trying to get into Canterlot University for Acting and Theater but she waited fruitlessly for her acceptance letter that never came. Druggies and drunks littered the alley ways only to be topped off with the slutty and disgusting looking whores that dotted the corners of streets looking for money or a fix for sexual services.

Three more ponies ran past her splashing more muddied water over Trixie. Now she was covered from horn to hoof in the dirty solution. She shook off most of the mud watching as the three uncouth and impolite police ponies ran around the corner no doubt pursing the pony that first unintentionally assaulted her with the splash of muddy water. Trixie wondered to herself what that pony did to get their attention but quickly dismissed the thought realizing it was probably the typical, drugs. They were an all too unfortunate part of the city life.

Trixie drudged through the city keeping her head low and staring at the reflections of the brightly lit neon signs above her that stared back at her in the various puddles of water that littered the cobblestone road in dips and crevices. She sighed to herself walking aimlessly around the city. Stallions whistled to her seeing the first decent looking mare in possibly months with the amount of used up whorish mares around. She ignored them with ease unable and unwilling to drift out of her own world as the one surrounding her was slowly poisoning her with its influences. 

This place is wretched. She thought to herself. I need to get a drink before I kill over in agony of just being in this city. Fuck Manehattan. Celestia's such a stupid princess. She should be fixing this city not letting it rot away to spread its disease elsewhere. She was partially right. The princess was neglecting Manehattan, but not because she wanted to. Being the ruler of an entire kingdom means she had to take care of a large area of cities and states all looking to Celestia to solve their problems, but the great alicorn would not solve their problems. She would only give them the means to do so themselves. She couldn't let her little ponies become complacent on the thought that Celestia would cater to their every whim at the drop of a hat.

Trixie tripped over a pony lying on the ground falling to the wet, muddy earth with a thud and quickly recoiling from the injury. She looked at the pony she tripped over ready to cuss out the rude equine for not watching where she was extending her extremities, but Trixie stopped when she saw the mare. Her cold and lifeless body did not move. The color of her coat was pale and dirty covered in flecks of blood. A needle stuck out of her foreleg most likely the cause of her death, drug overdose. Trixie backed away quickly as if the pony was infected by some sort of communicable disease that would do the same to her if she came in contact with the corpse for too long.

Then the smell hit her like a freight train. The stench of death, decay, feces and urine all combined together in a putrid mixture that shot up Trixie's nose sending her stumbling back as if she had just got bucked. Her head pounded in her skull and her breathing because short and spastic. She felt it in the pit of her stomach and it was coming and there was nothing she could do to keep it down. Vomit expelled from her mouth covered the brick wall she leaned on. Her bile pattered onto the plastic garbage bags that littered the back alley. She breathed in deeply forming a wad of spit and bile in her mouth that she expelled onto the now vomited covered brick wall.

The city wasn't always like this. When Trixie first moved here it was pleasant and busy with most ponies finding jobs easily and the economy stood stable. Ponies worked together and the crime rate was nearly non-existent. A few cases of public intoxication, but they just got a slap on the hooves and a bunch of community service which worked out very well for the drunkard ponies. They made friends and changed their drinking habits to better enjoy the ponies they were surrounded by. 

But everything changed when they came. Zebras. At first everypony was open and willing to help their equine cousins from across the sea until they brought their own 'culture' with them. That was when things turned from good to hellish in a matter of weeks. It first started with a drug they brought over from Zebrica. A powerful hallucinogen and stimulant called AMP. AMP or, Amphetamine Mixed Peyote for its technical term. It was common for the Zebras to ingest this substances before a battle or sex and a strange delicacy to ponykind who took it greedily when they got their first taste.

After that, all the crime in between flooded into Manehattan. Mostly caused by the Zebras who now ran the underground city of Manehattan with an iron hoof. The first major spree of crime was sexual assault. Stallions and mares alike mounting or getting mounted by anything that moved and had reproductive organs. This sort of behavior may have been acceptable in Zebrica but it wasn't in Equestria. It was frowned upon and detested as a crime equivalent to murder and carried a sentence just as hefty. Exile. The death penalty had been revoked years back after an incident with an execution of a mass serial killer and now the only way they had left to punish the worst of the worst ponies was to Exile them completely from Equestria sending them on a one way ticket to any third world shithole much like Zebrica was still today.

Then came the violence. The worst part of the Zebrican takeover of Manehattan. Trixie had a particular distaste for most Zebras in general for their brutish behavior and their charms to pick up mares were about as civil as a changeling asking to feed on somepony. There had been several times in her life where a Zebra crossed her path and ended up regretting his actions later after receiving a brutal beating at the hooves of a mare with three brothers. She knew how to fight and she wasn't afraid to fight back. Much like the overly aggressive Zebras around her constantly spilling each others blood and for what? A few bits and a quick Exile back to their home country if they were caught that is.

And after the violence came the corruption. The corruption of the government, the police, even the schools. The governor took bribes from the Zebrican mafia allowing their AMP to pass customs every time with ease. The police funded by the same government now played a risking game of double crossing working for both factions of the Zebrican mafias and either locking up, busting, or killing the competition depending on the highest bidder for the hit squads. Only a handful of the ponies in the police force remained loyal to the true laws of Equestria only to be silenced with desk jobs preventing them from stirring up trouble for the mafias. 

And finally, after the corruption came the current state of the once great city. A mess of murder and drugs that fueled itself in perpetual decay until one day the whole city would crumble under itself unable to hold up the wastes of space that parasitically mooched off the infrastructure and tax Bits that Celestia so happily pissed away on this awful city. 

Trixie arrived at her favorite destination in the terrible town. The Peach Pit, a bar full of halfway decent ponies that didn't pick fights with each other due to the bartender not wanting to deal with broken chairs and wouldn't hesitate to break bones if it came to damages. He was a gruff looking stallion. His muscled rippled underneath his skin as his veins outlined themselves pumping blood throughout his body. He made a quick smirk at Trixie as she walked inside hopping up to the bar signalling the bartender.

"What'll it be Trix?" He asked flatly.

"Stalliongrad Vodka, neat." She said in return.

Two shots of vodka found their way in front of her. One more than what she ordered, "I only ordered one." She said.

"And I'm giving you two. Look like ya' need it anyway." He said back.

She wasn't going to disagree with him. He was right after all. She needed to drink away her sadness for now and think about how she would fix her dilemma in the morning without resorting to be a whore like the rest of the mares around her. It's not that Trixie was a prude, it's just that she didn't feel like sleeping with every stallion who walked her way or every mare that showed a little interest. She was confident in herself and didn't need the constant sexual attention of others to boost her self-esteem. If anything, she was arrogant, even pompous someponies would say.

She knocked back the syrupy liquid cringing as it burned down her throat and warmed her stomach from within. Without eating anything the alcohol hit hard and fast. Another two shots appeared before her as she knocked them back just as quickly as the last two now feeling even more woozy and drunk than before. Her vision began to blur now as she looked up at the stallion bartender making a face that scared her a little inside. He began to shout at somepony but she didn't care who it was or what they did to piss him off. You never wanted to piss of Peach Pit. He may have had a silly name, but there was nothing funny about this stallion. Three tours in Zebrica made him the meanest pony in Manehattan bearing a deep and loathing grudge against the Zebras. He hated them. All of them.

The yelling subsided and Peach Pit returned to his station behind the bar waving a hoof in front of Trixie trying to get her attention. She could see his lips moving but she couldn't make out what he was saying. He looked concerned though. That was a noticeable feature about his face. A look of fatherly worry as if she were his daughter. But Trixie could no longer focus on her surroundings falling asleep at the bar in a drunken slumber.

She awoke a few hours later finding herself in a warm comfortable bed. She pulled the covers up tightly to her trying to hold in the warmth inside her fabric cocoon. Then it hit her hard. She had no idea where she was. She bolted out of the bed and barged out the door nearest her finding herself back in the bar she was in before she passed out. What the hell happened. She thought to herself as a massive headache now plagued her mind.

She heard hoofsteps approach her as she looked up squinting a bit as a fluorescent light blinding her vision from above. It was Peach Pit looking a little happier than usual. His common frown and scowl was now replaced by a look of longing and joy as if somepony he knew forever had just stepped back into his life. 

"Peach Pit?" Trixie asked aloud, "w-was I just in your bed?" 

"Yeah," he said back, "ya' passed out and I couldn't just let you sleep at the bar. Don't want these stallion's 'round here getting any funny ideas." He said furrowing his brow.

"Why?" She asked flatly.

"Because I can that's why." He said back abrasively.

"No, why did you let me sleep in your bed? I've seen you toss out mares and stallions alike who pass out in here and you just throw some old newspaper over them as a makeshift blanket. Why'd you take care of me differently?" She asked.

The old and buff stallion walked over to his bar opening a cabinet below and pulling out a glass bottle. Intricate letter graced the glass vessel full of what could only be a liquor substance they were both about to enjoy.

"Come on, Trix, have a drink with me." He said pouring two glasses of the brownish-yellow liquid. He placed it down on the wooden counter revealing a name to Trixie finally. Apple Jack it said on the front with a large 30 atop.

They sat at a booth nearby both saying nothing to each other for minutes as they sipped the hard whiskey.

"This is Apple Jack, some of the finest whiskey in Equestria. It's been aged for thirty years in charred apple wood barrels giving it a distinct and rough flavor of smokey apple pie as I would describe it." Peach Pit said aloud.

"You still haven't answered my question Peach." Trixie said ignoring his statement about the very flavorful whiskey they were enjoying.

"Trixie, I know you're not like the rest of the degenerates that plagued this town. They're a goddamn blight and I'd like to Exile every last one of them to Zebrica so they can enjoy their hedonistic behavior, but I'm not ruler. That's Celestia's job. I'm just a bartender." He said taking a pause for a sip of his drink, "I see a lot of potential in you. You know, I had a kid at one point. A daughter who would probably love to have met you. She was the cutest little filly. And then one day-" he shook his head, "Trixie get out of Manehattan. I don't want you to end up like my daughter. I see a lot of her in you that's why I let you sleep on my bed. Because you deserve another chance."

The words he spoke struck deep within Trixie's small heart. You deserve another chance. She never heard those words before which made her eyes begin to form small droplets of liquid emotion that streamed down her face as she looked down into her drink knocking back the whiskey in one gulp. She exhaled allowing the artificial heat of the alcohol take over her mouth. 

Her glass was filled once again by the strong apple spirit. Peach Pit looked even happier now like he was talking to somepony he loved. 

"You didn't even try to sleep with me? Most stallions would have, why didn't you?" Trixie asked.

A scowl now crossed Peach's face as he opened his mouth slowly, "Trixie, if you haven't got it by now you're like a daughter to me. I might only be your bartender, but I can still care about you whether you like it or not. When I saw you walk into my bar today I knew something happened to you. You looked more glum than usual. That's why I had to talk to you, alone. I doubt you would have even paid attention to me if we tried to have this conversation while I was still open. Too many ponies, too many distractions."

"What happened to your daughter?" Trixie pried a bit more into Peach's life.

Peach Pit knocked back the whiskey pouring himself another glass, "fucking zebras," he said under his breath just loud enough for Trixie to hear, "fucking zebras killed her in a dispute between two of those sub-equine fucks. 'Claimed they didn't know she was there and beat her up pretty badly. But I know that was bullshit. They're all bullshit liars. Fillies don't just sustain cracked ribs, severed arteries, and punctured lungs just because two Zebras are fighting between each other. No, they attacked her because she was a pony. They hate us and our way of life. They're disgusting creatures that should be exterminated from Equus. They don't deserve to live." He said with venom dripping from his words.

"Sorry I asked." Trixie said.

Peach Pit waved his hoof in dismissal of Trixie's attempt for an unnecessary apology.

"Trixie," he said, "you got to get out of Manehattan. This place will corrupt you just like the rest of the ponies if you stay to long."

"But how? I have no money. I don't even know where to go!" She cried out.

"You'll find a way," he said back smirking, "you're a resourceful mare, I have no doubt you'll get out of here." He knocked backed the rest of his whiskey, "now finish your drink and head back home Trix. I got to get some sleep and so do you."

Trixie swallowed the rest of the hard apple whiskey and left the bar only glancing back at Peach Pit who just sat there in the same booth.

"Now what." Trixie said aloud walking back to her apartment. She didn't want to back there. It was a hellhole of druggies sleeping in the hallways and drug dealers living in the apartments. Except for her however, somehow she managed to stay out of that scene and Peach Pit wanted her to stay that way and she surely wouldn't let him down.

She walked past the police station stopping and staring at the building long and hard. She felt it now. The anger building inside her. These were the ponies who were sworn to protect Manehattan and all they had done is perpetuate it's dilapidated state. She swayed from left and right cursing profanities and the inanimate infrastructure but with little effect. No pony responded and no pony recoiled to her blatant slanderous speech.

Then something caught her eye. A rectangular shape she levitated in her grasp. It was heavy and hard and rough. It's dark red color reminded her of dried blood. A thought crossed her mind and sooner than she could contemplate the consequences of her actions she hurled the brick as hard as she could through a window of the police station. It felt invigorating. The rush of adrenaline as she heard the glass shatter and the brick plop to the ground. 

She picked up another brick hurling it inside the building followed by more bricks and after she run out of bricks she threw trash and soon anything she could find at the building with her telekenetic grab. Shattered glass now littered the entire police station as she began to laugh hysterically. Laughing as loud as she could. She heard voices approaching her. Ponies surrounded her on all sides but she did not care. This was her plan anyway. She was going to get out of Manehattan one way or another.

"FUCK THE POLICE!" She screamed as loud as she could, "FUCK MANEHATTAN! AND FUCK EQUESTRIA!" And before she knew it everything went black after getting struck on the head by a wooden baton. 

She awoke in a cell. It's cold metal bed did little to support her back or neck. She groaned in pain shifting over and trying to fall back asleep noticing she was not the only pony in there. Another mare was with her in the iron gated cage. She lied on the ground as tired as Trixie herself and Trixie soon drifted off back to dreamland. 

"Wake up!" A voice yelled, "dammit wake up Trixie! Time to see the judge!" the voice called out again this time nudging her with a large wooden baton. She sat up tired and stressed from the long night and yawned loudly soon finding herself bound in chains that were too tight and being escorted into a large courtroom. 

The judge stood up above everyone else reading off Trixie's name as she approached the powered wigged pony.

"You stand charged with fifteen counts of vandalism against state property. How do you plead?" Asked the judged.

Trixie stood proud of her convictions smiling up at the judge who only frowned back, "Guilty." She said.

"I sentence you to three hundred hours of community service in Ponyville. Your train leaves in an hour Ms. Trixie so do hurry or you'll be spending three hundred hours in lockup." The judge laid craning his head down to the accused and now convicted pony.

"Wait." She said catching the judges attention before he could pound his gavel, "you mean I get to leave Manehattan?" She said looking excited.

"Yes." Said the judge gruffly, "hopefully we won't see you here again either Ms. Trixie." 

Trixie jumped for joy in the air only to be pinned down by the officer escorting her.

"Now calm down Ms. Trixie, you'll have to wait in your cell before the train gets here after that, I hope I never see your face again." The judge said.

Trixie nodded smiling up at the judge who just passed down the greatest thing to ever happen to Trixie in her life. She was going to Ponyville. It seemed like an okay place from the name, but as long as it wasn't Manehattan she didn't care at all. She should do anything to get out of this city. And it looks like all she needed was one push from Peach Pit to commit a crime and get a gift. It was a strange feeling knowing she was being rewarded for her misdeeds but she didn't mind. 

Trixie stepped onto the train taking a seat with her letter in hoof to present to the Mayor of Ponyville explaining her duties to the new town for three hundred hours of community service. She smiled looking out the window and soon seeing nothing of Manehattan but a distant black speck in the horizon she would never see again.

"What a day to remember." She said aloud lying back in her seat and closing her eyes to enjoy a nice nap before she arrived at her destination.
	

	
	

	

	
> The Plot to Bomb Sugarcube Corner
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                                   Pinkie Pie


Pinkie gripped the tray of cupcakes in her mouth placing them on top of the sturdy oak counter. Cuts and scrapes as well as stains embellished the wooden counter with an aged looked. The pink pony walked over to a bowl grabbing a spatula in her hoof as she shoveled in icing into a pastry bag. A deep blue color that reminded her of the ocean pigmented the sweet buttercream icing. She pushed the icing down inside the pastry bag until it reached the star tipped accessory at the end. 

Pinkie trotted over to her cupcakes tipping them over from the moulding tray and preceded to taste test one. A rich vanilla flavor consumed her taste buds in a frenzy of dopamine fueled fun as they danced in anticipation for another bite of the sugary treat. She smiled and nodded to herself in acceptance of the cupcakes and their flavor. And now it was her favorite part of making cupcakes, decorating them.

The fuchsia colored pony squeezed the bag creating swirls of sweet blue frosting atop of the small cakes. A small peak stuck out at the top of each cupcake where she finished squeezing and pulled away. When they were all perfectly decorated in frosting she sprinkled a small amount of multicolored shards atop of each one. Her secret ingredient she coveted to herself as it was extremely rare to come by, Crack Rock Candy, which on contact with the water in one one's saliva created a unique popping sensation that spread all over one's tongue.  

The pony squealed in excitement as she tried one of her finished products. It was a flavor sensation unlike anything she tried before and she couldn't wait to see the expressions on her friends faces after they tried these cupcakes. She grabbed the tray between her teeth and trotted out into the lobby of Sugarcube Corner. The hustle and bustle of ponies made it hard to hear who was saying what or even try to think to one's self.

She placed the tray in front of the circular table that housed her five pony friends. The ponies around her all looked in awe as the cupcakes Pinkie had made now made it to their mouths. They each took a bite of the frosted cake savoring the yellow sponge cake, frosting, and the last topping, Pinkie's personal surprise to her friends. 

"Pinkie! What did you put in this it's making my mouth pop!" Exclaimed Twilight looking at Pinkie in anticipation for an answer.

"Crack Rock Candy!" She shouted back, "my secret ingredient that puts the crack and pop in every bite." She said with a sly smile.

"Wow Pinkie!" Shouted Rainbow Dash with a surprised smile on her face, "this is amazing!" She inhaled the rest of the cupcake chewing with delight as every bite set her mouth alight. 

"It's like'a have fireworks in mah' mouth." Said Applejack.

"Ooh! Wow Pinkie, these are fantastic, I could really use you for catering at my next fashion show with Sapphire Shores and her dance team. She'll love these!" Rarity cried.

Fluttershy nodded in agreement with her friends keeping quiet to herself.

"I've never ready anything about Crack Rock Candy before in any of my books on Geology, Petrology, or even Lithology. Where's this stuff come from? Twilight asked cocking her head.

"Well, I don't really even know where they come from. Maud gives me some time to time as she goes on her excavations. It's pretty rare to come by so I only have a few rocks of it, but it's pretty powerful and potent stuff. Maud told me one time that a colleague of her's once blew up a caved in section of a tunnel using Crack Rock Candy as a demolition device since they didn't have any unicorns with them." Pinkie Said.

"Fascinating!" Twilight gleamed with interest and excitement, "a rock that has explosive properties and is edible."

Pinkie and her friends talked and reminisced about the past, the present, and thoughts on what is to come in their future ahead. Before the ponies knew it hours had passed by sitting and talking with the occasional plate of appetizers and appropriate refreshments. The clock above the bar chimed at ten o'clock signalling closing time for the bakery. Pinkie waved to her friends as they exited leaving the business empty except for the one's who lived their and one other customer who had yet  to leave.

Pinkie wondered who this person could be. He or she was a cloaked figure with a long tail with a fluff of fur on the end that swished back and forth. A hood covered the creature's head leaving the only other visible body parts were its feet and hands which were talon-like claws leading Pinkie to believe with past experience and intuition that this was a Griffon. She had little doubts about her assumption as she approached the lone figure who held a small shot of whiskey knocking it back as it heard the hoofsteps from its side. 

Pinkie stood in front of the griffon and held out her hoof in an offering of friendship, "hi I'm Pinkie, what's your name?" She asked.

The griffon pulled its cloak back revealing a strong male figure. A protruding scar above his left eye left it blind and useless as well as preventing plumage that covered the rest of his body to not form at all leaving just his bare skin for the world to see. He spoke softly just loud enough for Pinkie to hear as she nearly pressed her face up against his beak.

"My name is Grey." He said staring directly into the pink pony's eyes, "and I'm here to talk to you Pinkie Pie."

"Oh?" She asked looking visibly interested, "what about?"

"An important matter," he said, "it concerns Maud."

Pinkie's heart sunk, "what wrong! Where's Maud! Is she okay!" Exclaimed the pony looking more stressed than Twilight during her escapade of being unable to think of a lesson of friendship she learned. 

The griffon grabbed the pony's mouth closed and pulled her up against his face, "keep quiet. She's alright I just need to ask a few things." He seethed under his breath.

"Now," he said letting go of Pinkie Pie, "we have a difficult situation to deal with. It appears your sister is working for a domestic terrorist organization."

"Bullshit!" Pinkie exclaimed, "you've got some fucking nerve coming up to my face and slandering my sister like that!"

"Pinkie!" Shouted the griffon slamming his massive talons onto the table. He grimaced in anger as she stared down the pony as if he were ready to strike her down, "I suggest you listen to what I have to say. I don't have time for your outbursts so if you would like to see your sister again and remain to live in Sugarcube Corner you'll shut the hell up and listen!"

Pinkie sunk down intimidated by the large griffon and his near violent explosion that sent fear through Pinkie Pie like a bolt of lightning.

"Now, as I was saying, Maud is working for a domestic terrorist organization, but there's a catch, she's working for us. We got word recently that something big is about to go down. Something in Ponyville. We just don't know what so we came to you to look for answer." He said in a hush-like voice.

"Prove it." She said.

"Prove what?" Asked the griffon.

"Prove Maud is working for you, whoever you are." Pinkie said crossing her hooves together and leaning against the shelving full of liquors.

The griffon sighed and pulled out a black badge from his trenchcoat. It bore the sign of Celestia's cutie mark on the outside followed by a detailed picture of the griffon as well as three large letters that stood out against the rest, C.I.A.She looked it over as he set it on the table and pulled out a small scroll with Celestia's red wax seal broken but still legible.

Pinkie read the letter and put it down looking up at the griffon in a bit of shock and excitement mixed with a dash of worry for her sister.

"So, you weren't lying," she said, "Canterlot Intelligence Agency huh? Well, you have my attention now."  She replied pulling out a nearly identidical black badge minus the Celestia's cutie mark which was replaced by Luna's. "Division Officer Pie," she said, "I'm stationed here on longer term surveillance of Discord. My apologies for my previous behavior, I couldn't be sure if you were a friend or not." 

The griffon grinned, "good, now can you tell me if there's any new ponies in town? Anyone you haven't seen before?"

"Nope." She said quickly, "I mean, there was one pony. But I'm pretty sure she's gone by now."

"Who?" He asked.

"A unicorn, she was pretty shy. Didn't talk to anyone just came into town got a room at Honey Bunne Inn and stayed the night. That was yesterday. If she's still here she'll be there. It's the only Inn we have." She said.

"I see." He commented, "could you come with me please?" 

"Maybe. Depends where we're going." She said back.

"To see this unicorn of course. If she's still hear I want to talk to her and you're the only pony who can identify her so I need you to come with me please." He retorted.

The pony and the griffon walked through the dimly lit streets of Ponyville towards the Inn. A draft of cold air sent a shiver down Pinkie's spine. She looked over to her griffon companion who walked without hindrance or recognition of the cold breeze. She looked up into the moonlit sky staring at the vast amount of stars that speckled the black void. It was a beautiful night for stargazing if that is what these two would be doing, alas, they had other obligations tonight.

"So... how long have you been with the C.I.A?" She asked.

The griffon kept a straight face and walked forward not moving his head to look at the pony, "that's classified."

"Grey isn't your real name is it? That doesn't sound like a griffon name." She said.

"That's classified." He replied.

"Do you like cake or pie?" She asked.

"That information is under current redaction." He said smirking as he saw from the corner of his eye the pouting face of his pony companion.

"Is there anything not classified?" She asked.

"I'm a griffon. That's not classified." He said back.

"Ugh!" She cried, "you're so conversationally retarded!"

"No I'm not. I just like pissing you off. You are the Element of Laughter after all. So, I get my few kicks and chuckles from making you mad." He said with a visible smile.

"You're mean." She said back.

"And here we are." He said back standing in front of the Honey Bunne Inn.

The two walked into the Inn and approached the hostess.

"Hi, welcome to Honey Bunne Inn, I'm Honey Bun, can I interest you two in a room together? Maybe the Lover's Suite?" She asked looking at the two in a seductive manner.

"Nope, sorry. We're actually here looking for a pony. Have you seen her? She's a unicorn with an amber mane and tail-" stopped mid sentence peering out of her peripheral she say the pony they both sought after. She was walking towards the door when she stopped the pink earth pony staring at her in a look of shock and glee. The same look was not given by the griffon who looked aggressive and ready for a fight.

"That's her!" Pinkie shouted hopping up in the air and pointing at the unicorn pony.

In a moment of fight or flight the unicorn ran giving Grey a reason to pursue the pony as the two tore down the door to the Inn and ran off in a desperate chase of cat and mouse that would ultimately end in one pony or griffon ending up hurt. Pinkie too gave chase following the unicorn from the ground as Grey pursued her from the sky. They ran through Ponyville down streets and alleyways knocking over trash cans and tipping over produce carts for the market.


Grey finally got a clear shot and took it. He pierced through the wind like a spear locking onto his target with precise accuracy as he landed on top of the mare tumbling over each other as she stopped running after tripping over from the sudden shock and unannounced mounting from behind. They soon stopped their wheel-like tumble after hitting the local well. The griffon stood up quickly and pinned the pony to the ground pulling her forelegs behind her back with one claw.

Pinkie arrived shortly after looking barely exhausted and sweating minimally. She looked at Grey and then at the pony below him who was in sheer terror of what was happening. Tears streamed down her face as she began to cry for her mother's aide. 

"Where's P.A.S.T going to hit? Where?!" He shouted pulling a foreleg of the mare's taught sending her in pain.

"Grey!" Shouted Pinkie charging him at full speed.

Before he could look over his shoulder he was pummeled into the ground with a swift bucking of Pinkie's hindquarters. He emerged from his severe beating groggy and pissed as he watched Pinkie tend to the mare he was questioning in a most disgusting and sympathetic way to him as most griffons would agree. Their culture didn't care for kindness or empathy. They were warriors and warriors knew only one thing, violence.

"What the fuck was that for Pinkie!" He roared stomping the ground as he approached the pink pony. 

Pinkie did not back down. Instead she stood tall and proud without a shred of fear in her body as she now stood hoof to talon with the deadly lion/bird chimera. 

"We do not assault ponies like that! This is Ponyville griffon! Get that through right now. This is my town, and if you pull that sort of shit again so help me Celestia I will bury you." She roared with fire in her eyes that would make Tartarus look like the frozen tundra of Frigus. 

The griffon stared down the Pink pony looking for any sign of weakness to prey upon, but his efforts were fruitless. This pony truly cared about others and she would not stand idly around nor back down at the slightest pique of injustice. Grey snorted aloud showing his contempt and respect for Pinkie Pie. It wasn't everyday that somepony stood up to Grey.

Pinkie turned her attention to the mare Grey so viciously attacked and tried to calm her down.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, sorry about my friend there. He was just a little too excited to see you." Pinkie said smiling.

"Wha- what do you want with me?" She said shivering in fear, "I don't have any money I swear! Don't hurt me!" She cried covering her face with her forelegs.

"Oh no," Pinkie started, "we don't want your money we just want to ask you a few things." Pinkie cooed as she stroked the mare's mane trying to calm her down.

"O-okay, what do you want to know?" She asked looking up at the pony then towards the griffon.

"First, what is P.A.S.T planning? Where are they going to hit?" The griffon interrupted.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about what's P.A.S.T?" She asked looking confused.

"Don't fuck with me pony, I'm not in the best of moods." Snarled Grey.

Pinkie shot him a glare then looked back towards the mare, "what he means is, if you could tell us anything about whatever he is talking about would really, really be helpful." She gleamed with a radiant smile upon her face.

"I'm really sorry, but I don't know what this P.A.S.T is. Could you explain it?" She asked looking over towards the griffon.

Grey rolled his eyes, "P.A.S.T is Ponies Against Sugary Treats. They're a fringe group of radicals bent on the elimination of sugar-based foods. They have been linked to several bombings and murders involving key producers of chocolate, marshmallows, frosting, and just about any other sugar-based desert you ponies ingest. Do you know anypony involved within this group?"

"Oh shit, you've got to be kidding me. I thought they were just loud mouthed I didn't think they would actually hurt anypony." She said looking down, "I-I know a pony. I went to visit her yesterday. She's a good friend of mine. Her name is Carrot Top. She's a pretty hush-hush about being with those ponies, but when she's behind closed doors... I mean, wow she really doesn't like sugar at all. She even blamed it for Luna's banishment. Please, tell me she isn't involved in any of their crimes. I don't want her to get into that sort of trouble. I care about her. She's the sister I never had." Pleaded the pony.

"T-that can't be true. Ponies wouldn't really try to kill ponies over sugar would they?" Pinkie said looking to their interrogatee then at Grey.

"It is." Grey said, "I'm leading the investigation into P.A.S.T and their crimes. I got word they were going to hit Ponyville and Sugarcube Corner is a prime place. I just want to know how they plan to before they can do it."

"No." Said Pinkie gritting her teeth, "I won't let them take Sugarcube Corner. Now this is personal." She said pulling a historically olive green shrapnel helmet from thin air. Four stars lied atop her helmet just above eyebrow level.

"Come Grey, we have a Carrot to catch." She said maniacally whilst completely ignoring the mare they once held ponynapped. 

Pinkie stood back against the stone wall. It's coldness did nothing to her body as she was filled with the rage of Celestia's Sun. No pony dare to attack sugar deserved to walk upon Equus and it's pure grounds and crisp clean waters. It was simply unheard of to think ponies would deny their sweet tooth so wholeheartedly as to kill over it. It disgusted her to core. 

The door to Carrot Top's house shattered into billions of splintery pieces sending shrapnel in all directions. Pinkie covered her face from the pointed wooden fragments waiting for the dust to settle before she lowered her hoof. She heard her companion look around ferociously and screaming louder than Pinkie's ears could withstand.

"What's wrong!" Shouted Pinkie charging up the stairs towards Grey.

"She's not here!" He roared flipping over a table and throwing a chair out the window. He kicked several holes into the wall before calming down.

"You done destroying her house?" Pinkie asked.

"No," the griffon said in spite whilst grabbing a small nightstand and throwing it into the wall. It stuck inside the wall unwilling to allow gravity to influence its inevitable fall to the earth once more, "now I am."

A small parchment letter gracefully floated to the ground after it escaped it darkened prison within the nightstand the griffon so casually threw across the room. The griffon and the pony both looked at the note approaching it carefully as if it were ready to explode. Their eyes both widened at the sight of ready the first line at the middle of the page at the top: Carrot Top's Confession.

If you are reading this now it is because I am either, dead, captured, or have gone into hiding. This won't be the last time you see me I hope, Mom, Dad. I'll try to come back to Equestria to see you two, but I can't make any promises. There will be some things that you will find out about me that may shock you. It may hurt you to your core. Ponies might not like what I have done. In fact most ponies would hate me by now if they found out what we were planning.

I'm going on a journey for now. A journey that will begin with the biggest shock to Ponyville that will ever happen. Something that will surely get their attention and stray it from the sugary evils of culinary. I want you two to know that I love you both very much. I'm sorry if this makes you think less of me but it is what I believe wholeheartedly and I cannot back down. We have to go through with this. I have to do it. And only I will go down in the books of history as the greatest revolutionary Equestria has ever seen.

To my most regrettable foes, law enforcement. If you're reading this before my parents, and chances are you are reading this right now please pass this letter on to my parents. And please, stay out of my way. I don't want to have to hurt anymore ponies but if you try to stop me and my mission I will be forced to resort to drastic violent measures. So don't do anything stupid until I'm done. Then you may capture me or kill me if you can. 

I am Carrot Top voice of the Ponies Against Sugary Treats.

"We have to go back." Pinkie said.

"Where?" Asked Grey

"To Sugarcube Corner, you said yourself it's a prime target. In fact it's the only target suitable for Carrot Top." She replied.

Pinkie covered the back of Sugarcube Corner while Grey covered the front. In an almost telepathic-like sense they breached both door simultaneously with only one of them finding their intended target. A lone earth pony mare with orange fur and a green mane. She looked back at Pinkie Pie in suprise, shock, and devilish intent. Grey swooped in to the back of the bakery after not hearing from Pinkie Pie.

"Where's Mr. and Mrs. Cake?" Pinkie snarled bracing the ground as if she were to charge.

"Oh they're safe. Just tied up at the moment." She laughed aloud.

"Carrot Top!" Roared the griffon, "you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit an act of domestic terrorism! Surrender now and I won't get angry."

"No." She said flatly, "I simply can't do that."

Grey prepared to charge the pony and tackle her in one blow.

"Grey! Wait! Whatever you do, do not attack her." Pinkie said.

"What? Why?" Asked the griffon.

"S-she has Crack Rock Candy. And a lot at that." Pinkie Pie said pointing towards a large barrel that glinted and gleamed in the pale candlelight. 

Carrot Top grinned as she tossed up and down a small purple stone from the barrel, "right you are Pinkie. Enough to completely level Sugarcube Corner and destroy every last bit of sugar inside this place. Compliments of Maud. She's been a great asset to our cause."

"I won't let you get away with this," Pinkie grimaced staring down the earth pony. 

"Oh you will, or we'll all be going up to the great Stable in the Sky." Replied Carrot Top.

Pinkie had to think fast. There wasn't time to wait for her to set up whatever devious trap she had planned nor was there enough time to contact the Elements of Harmony to prevent a catastrophe. She had to act fast and act now if she wanted to make it out of this alive and still enjoy Sugarcube Corner as her home.

This was it. It was the only plan she could think of that would possibly work with just enough time for her to snatch the Crack Rock from her hoof. And this plan was the oldest trick in the book so to speak.

Pinkie pointed in a terrified expression towards the door nearest Carrot Top, "what the hell was that!" She exclaimed.

It worked. And it worked perfectly. Carrot Top fell for the bait shifting her gaze for only a second just enough time for Pinkie to close the space in between them and steal the Crack Rock Candy from her hoof only to be followed by Grey who Tackled the terrorizing mare and held her to the ground. Pinkie just then realized what she did. She didn't grab the Crack Rock by conventional means. She just swallowed it whole.

She felt it now the onset of the explosive reaction Crack Rock Candy was known for and it just small enough quantities is was used for pastries, but she ingested enough to demolish a caved in wall. She tumbled over onto her side gripping her stomach and clenching her eyes shut as the expansion of gases reached near critical limits. Grey was about to ask her if she was okay but before he could Pinkie Pie exploded. Not that of the tradition sense of splattering across the wall but her size quintupled in just a fraction of a second before she floated to the ground and belched a smokey and sugary wisp of air. 

Grey looked in astonishment. That's not possible. No pony could survive that. He thought to himself.

"Wow! Now that was fun!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in glee. 

Both Carrot Top's and Grey's mouth dropped to the floor. Their was no way she should be able to walk away from that in one piece but somehow someway she managed to.

"W-what are you?" Carrot Top asked as she was carried off by Grey unwilling to wait any longer in this crazy town of ponies.

"I'm a pony!" She squealed jumping off the floor and nearly hitting the ceiling.

"Grey where you going?" She asked.

"Back to Canterlot with Ms. Top. If she cooperates, she might have a chance at freedom again." He said flapping his wings and ascending into the air. "It was a pleasure working with you Ms. Pie. I hope I can again." He said looking back at the pink pony who help him take down yet another member of the terrorist group, P.A.S.T.

Pinkie smiled to herself. Another day to remember. She thought to herself going back inside as she recalled her employers were tied up if she recalled correctly from what Carrot Top said.
	

	

	
	
> I'm Made of Cotton Candy Twilight What Are You Made Of?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                              Twillight

"So why did Twilight gather us all here for anyway?" Asked the alabaster unicorn.

"Beats me." Said Rainbow Dash shrugging her shoulders.

"She'll be down in a minute!" Shouted Spike from the second floor looking down at the five mares that encompassed the library floor. 

Twilight rushed back and forth gathering supplies with her telekinetic grip. She was in a frantic hurry not to keep her friends waiting on her. This was something they had to see and the longer they had to wait the more they would miss out on. It was something no pony had ever thought of before to make a spell for. It was her own creation and she just had to test it out. She spent weeks developing it and now it was time for a trial run to see if this spell really would work. 

The alicorn stood over the balcony and with a pop of magic she reappeared on the bottom floor in the middle of her friends. She placed the supplies in a neat stack next to her as she looked around her. Everypony was in attendance. Spike was tending to the everyday chores and now it was time. Time for her friends to see the latest and greatest development in transmutation.

"Good to see you all here," she said calmly, "I'm sure you're wondering why I sent Spike all around Ponyville to gather you girls. Well, I'll tell you why." she cleared her throat, "I have just developed a spell that can transmute any substance into Candy."

Pinkie's mouth dropped, "That's! So! Awesome!" She cheered leaping up in the air landing on top of Twilight giving her the tightest hug she had ever received.

"Are you serious?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That's incredible Twilight!" Yipped Rarity.

Fluttershy merely smiled at Twilight preferring to keep her silence.

"How in the hay did'ya do that, Twi?" Asked Applejack.

"Well, after much trial and error I believe the spell I created has the ability to change the molecular structure of any object and transform it into a sugar-based food. It took a while to figure out how, but it was just a matter of finding out the base structures of various deserts and candies and then projecting them through my alicorn magic to manipulate the object into whatever I would be thinking about. Granted, I haven't tried it yet. I brought you all here to witness it." Twilight said.

She placed a small rock in the floor and motioned her friends to step back. She braced the ground closing her eyes and focusing on the rock and a variety of sugary delights that flowed through her mind. Her whole body began to radiate with magical energy sending purple auras that bent and waved around the alicorn's figure. A white beam of light shot out of her horn striking the rock. It began to shake violently as her friends looked with awe and surprise as it began to morph.

Before she could finish her spell and transform the rock into candy the small stone fragmented with a single crack that shot through the middle before creating a spiderweb like design and shattering into billions of shards that ripped through the room striking her books and shelves alike but not her or her friends oddly. The beams of light now split apart in six directions striking each pony and knocking them out cold

Twilight awoke to a sound of a scream. She opened her eyes and jumped onto her hooves. She saw her draconian assistant standing in front of her looking shocked and scared. He was looking right at her which made it even more unusual. It wasn't like him to act this way even when she wore that botanical face mask Rarity suggested to her that made her look like an abominable swamp pony.

"Spike, what's wrong with you? Why are you so scared?" She asked taking a step forward towards Spike.

The dragon pulled out a mirror showing the alicorn her face. Her pupils grew to the size of cantaloupes. She fell back on her haunches looking in disbelief. This can't be happening. She thought to herself. It was like a sick dream she wanted to wake up from but she could not deny the reality around her. She lifted of her forehooves staring at the purple crystallize structure of each one. No fucking way. She thought to herself. She touched each forehoof with the other feeling the bumping, rocky texture that was now her fur and skin. She touched her sides and her flanks even her horn which oddly remained unaffected to the spell that backfired.

She turned her attention to her friends remembering they were still here and might have been struck by her spell too. And sure enough, to her own dismay, they were. Rarity had the texture of marshmallows, Pinkie Pie was made of cotton candy, Applejack was a living apple fritter, Fluttershy was now made of chocolate, and Rainbow Dash now bore the striking resembles of Gummy Ponies a popular fruit pectin based candy.

"This is bad." She said aloud, "really bad." She turned to her stack of supplies which harbored her research notes. She flipped through the messes of pages stained with coffee, tea, and even a little blood which still remained a perplexing question to Twilight as to how it got there. Her breathing was heavy as the sweat dripped down from her forehead forming into solid rock candy pattering each page as she flipped it to the next trying to look for something she missed. Something that could have went wrong.

"No, no, no, no!" She screamed throwing her research notes into a wall beside her. Spike still stood there astonished at just how Twilight could do this. 

"This can't be happening. I just turned my friends into sugary deserts. How the hell do I fix it!" She screamed looking over at Spike as if he would have the answer. He could see it now. The toll of this spell was taking it's burden hard on Twilight. The tears began to well in her eyes. Small sugary crystal shards trickled down her cheeks hitting the floor with a stone-like sound.

"Twilight," he said approaching her, "you can fix this I know you can. It looks bad right now, but there has to be a way you can reverse this. I mean, you fixed Starswirl's Destiny Swap spell. And he was the greatest wizard revered through Equestria so I just know you'll be able to change this. You have to. You're a princess now."

She looked up at Spike with the most pathetic and pitiful look in her eyes, "I turned my friends into candy! How the hell am I suppose to fix that? It took a memory spell to fix the Destiny Swap, I have no idea what it's going to take to fix this. If it can be fixed."

Spike's eyes narrowed, "come on Twilight, that's not the alicorn I know. You don't give up. I know this seems bad, but it could be worse. It could be a lot worse."

"How could it be any worse?" She asked.

"It could be like when you hatched me from my egg. You told me you turned the spectators and your parents into inanimate objects. At least your friends still look like ponies." Spike said. A sound of moaning came from behind them. Twilight turned her head to see her friends rising from the ground.

Then the screaming. It could have broken all the windows in Ponyville if they got any louder. The ponies all looked at each other is utter disbelief. Except for Pinkie Pie who seemed to like her new candy-coated friends. She was the only pony laughing and also cannibalizing herself by eating her own tail which regenerated after every bite she took.

"Girls!" Twilight roared in the Royal Canterlot voice Luna demonstrated to her.

They all stopped looking at Twilight. 

"I'm made of cotton candy Twilight what are you made of?" Pinkie blurted out.

Astonished by Pinkie's lack of shock or surprise she tried to compose herself to speak to her friends, "I'm made of rock candy." She said, "and you all are made of candy too. It seems my spell backfired or it was a little too powerful. Don't worry girls I know I can fix this."

"Oh good, I was hoping you'd say that darling. I don't want to be a fluffy marshmallow forever. So go ahead and hit us with the reverse spell." Rarity said waving a foreleg as if to speed up Twilight's process of bringing her friends back to their original state.

"Well... I didn't say I can fix this. I just said I know I can fix this." She started swirling her forehoof on the ground, "you see, I don't know what happened, and I don't know how to fix it, yet."

"How in Celestia do you not know how to fix us! You made this spell shouldn't you know how to counter it?" The gummy Rainbow Dash asked.

"Dash, this isn't a combat spell. This is a transmutation spell. It's a lot more complicated than just setting up the right defense. This alters the physical world around us so it's going to take a bit more time." She said.

"How much time?" The walking apple fritter asked.

"Oh, a day, a week, a month, who knows?" Twilight asked rhetorically.

"Oh dear, Twilight I really need to be back to myself before night. I mean, if that's alright with you?" Fluttershy said sinking down to the floor. 

"I don't know about you girls, but this is pretty fun!" Chirped Pinkie Pie as she took a bite out of Applejack's candied tail. 

"Hey! Quit that Pinkie before 'ah buck ya' one." Snarled the apple fritter.

"So, what's the plan Twi?" Asked Applejack looking towards the now crystallized Twilight.

Twilight thought about it for a moment before speaking up once again, "we need to see Zecora. She might know what to do." 

"Alright!" They all said in unison expect for Pinkie Pie who was distracted by her own delicious tail.

The six ponies walked out the library with Rarity taking up the rear with Spike staring at her flanks. Man I wish I could taste her marshmallow ass.

Walking through Ponyville was an experience all alone. Some ponies gasped, others hid and some who were brave enough approached the mares to question them on their state. At first they were skeptical questioning whether or not something like this could happen but as soon as Princess Twilight admitted to causing this tragedy they believed them. Some of them laughed others were genuinely concerned about them, but they could not let the sadistic laughter and selfless pity of others hinder their task. They had to get their original bodies back.

Fluttershy was taking all the attention very harshly which forced Twilight to push her through town as she hid her face from the world around her crying streams of liquid chocolate poured down her face littering the ground with a silky milk chocolate sheen. Twilight groaned to herself inside her mind on how impossible it was to go with Fluttershy when she became self-conscious. She became as stubborn as a mule unwilling to do anything than cry or run away and cry.

They approached the edge of the forest seeing some foals play near the schoolhouse. And that's when they all saw them. Six ponies made of candy and a bunch of sugar craving foals was not the ideal way to start their journey into the Everfree forest, but to elude the ponies and not fall prey to their confectionery cravings they had no choice. They ran. The six mares could hear the foals charging for them at full speed hoping they would not be brave or stupid enough to follow them into the Everfree forest.

"Did we lose 'em?" Applejack asked her friends panting heavily.

"Looks like it." Replied Twilight.

"For a moment there I thought I was going to become a smore!" Exclaimed Rarity.

"Don't worry girls. We'll be at Zecora's before you know it." Twilight said leading on the expedition into the dangerous jungle.

The eerie sounds the forest made sent chills down the ponies spines. The rustling of bushes sent Fluttershy cowering on the ground as a small mouse ran by. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she coaxed Fluttershy back into the group continuing their journey deep within the forest.

"This sure would be a lot easier if I could fly." Rainbow Dash said flapping her elastic gummy wings, "these things are useless!" She complained aloud.

"Yes, well, I don't enjoy being as soft as rock either Rainbow." Twilight replied.

"I love being made of cotton candy! This is awesome!" Cheered Pinkie as she tore off a piece of her mane and chewed it with Twilight watching as it regrew back atop her head. 

"How am'ah 'spose ta' explain to Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith that ah'm a walkin' talkin' apple fritter?" Applejack ashed Rhetorically.

"Well, I just hope the animals don't get sick if they try to taste me. Some of them get really bad tummy aches and it's just so sad to see it." Fluttershy said.

"Girls, don't worry, I will fix this. I know I can." Twilight said with resolve coating her words like the sugar that bound her friends together. 

They approached the worn and old willow tree that housed the foreign zebra who was all but too welcoming as she ushered in her guests unsurprised or maybe unwilling to show surprise as the ponies she once knew were now all sugary treats.

"Zecora," Twilight said, "we need your help. I turned my friends and myself into a candy by mistake and I need a cure. Do you have one?"

"A cure you say?" Zecora started, "I cannot say. There are many things within my lair but none of which can dispel your despair."

"Are you telling me we made this trip for nothing!" Roared Rainbow Dash.

"Calm down Dash, let's not be rash. Twilight's on the right track but you need a little push to the right path." Zecora said, "find Discord. The one who weaves all the world's whores of discourse."

"Thank you Zecora you've been a great help." Twilight said, "I'm sorry I can't stay and chat, but we've got to get our bodies back."

Zecora smiled as the ponies exited her home and began their journey once again. This time though, they were going back home. Back to a place where they could hopefully find the answers they were looking for. 

"We're going to Fluttershy's house." Twilight said as they walked through the damp and dark forest. "If Discord knows how to reverse this spell I will make him tell me."

"Oh Twilight, please don't hurt Discord he's been doing a really good job not hurting anypony or causing anything chaotic." Fluttershy said naively. 

Twilight knew better though. Discord, no matter how much he says he's been rehabilitated still likes to have his bits of fun here and there. Mostly with Fluttershy's animals they were a little more amusing to him than ponies. The creatures that relied purely on instinct had the most fascinating way of dealing with the chaos Discord created that amused him much more than even playing with Celestia or her pupil.

The six ponies arrived at Fluttershy's house with a quick hoof-to-face from Twilight as she saw the cottage floating in air as sections of it twisted and turned like a rubic cube. She turned to Fluttershy giving her a look of contempt. Fluttershy sunk down hiding her face from Twilight.

"Discord!" Shouted Twilight as loud as she could. Discord popped his horned head out from under the house and quickly teleported it back to its original foundation. With a snap of his lion's paw the chaotic changes of the house returned to normal except for his entrance of course. The door opened as roll of red film flowed forward sprouting flowers that turned into bees and bees that bursted into fireworks with Discord strolling down with a pair of black shades covering his eyes. He danced his way down with each step he made sending off heart shaped candies that chirped and flew off like birds.

He stood in front of the ponies taking off his black sunglasses and tossing them into the wind as they morphed into a rocket taking off into the sky and exploding with an array of colors that spelled out Discord in large letters that illuminated the midday sky.

"That's me." He said smiling at the ponies, "and just what happened to you girls!" He started laughing hysterically, "wow! Whoever did this has just outdone me! I always enjoyed messing with ponies but this!" He said pointing towards Rainbow Dash, "this is just glorious!" Five more identical heads to Discord's own spread from his neck laughing in the faces of the ponies who had been turned into sugary sweets.

"I know right!" Piped Pinkie Pie.

Twilight shot her a glare and Pinkie shrugged it off, "Discord," she said gulping down, "I need your help."

Discord's eyes widened. He fell onto his back rolling back in forth in mid air laughing aloud. The flower beds around Fluttershy's house all came to life joining in unison as they laughed together at what Twilight just said. 

"Discord!" Twilight roared slamming her hoof down.

Discord stopped his shenanigans and crossed his arms sitting back in the cotton candy cloud throne that now presided as his seat, "and just why should I help you?" He asked with vexation and vapidity in his tone.

"Because, if you don't help me I'll just turn you back into stone." Twilight said flatly.

"Ugh! You always have to be like that don't you Twilight? Can't you be more like Fluttershy here? She's so compassionate unlike you." He scorned as he stood behind Fluttershy.

"I don't have to be compassionate when it comes to you!" She roared.

"Well if you want to be like that then I won't help you at all." He said crossing his arms and turning his head from the alicorn.

"Yes you-" Twilight was interrupted by Fluttershy who gained the courage to speak.

"Please Discord, we'd really appreciate it if you would help us." She said looking up with those enormous puppy-dog eyes that melted Discord's heart now matter how hard he tried to resist her charm.

Discord opened up one eye seeing Fluttershy look up to him so cutely. He couldn't say no. He threw down his arms in defeat and looked over to Twilight, "fine I'll help you, but only because Fluttershy asked me to."

Fluttershy hugged the Dracoequus nearly sending him into a sentimental state of compassion and love for Fluttershy. He patted her head lightly and drew a long breath, "so, who did this? And how was it done?" He asked

"I did it." Twilight said, "it was done with my own spell. A complex transmutation spell that alters one's molecular structure to that of candy or other sugary treats."

"Mhmm..." Discord said stroking his goatee, "I'll need to see your research material" He said popping it into existence in front of him. He dawned a small pair of glasses held by a small beaded chain that connected in the back and a sherlock style pipe that blew bubbles made of balloons that drifted off into the air. He turned page after page before flipping through the rest of the books rapidly as if he weren't even reading them.

"Impressive." He said putting down the last book causing his glasses and pipe to disappear, "Twilight you've really outdone yourself. I wish I thought of this back when it was just the Princesses and myself. Oh I would have had so much fun turning Celestia into a giant Tiramisu cake! I bet her sister would become a blob of black licorice which isn't too bad. I like it myself."

"Get to the point Discord." Twilight said with irritation in her throat. 

"I don't know." He said flatly.

"You're lying!" Roared Rainbow Dash

"No I'm not!" He said with a confused look of shock on his face, "I swear I'm not lying. I really don't know what to do."

"Discord, are you really being truthful? Do you really not know how to help us get our bodies back?" Twilight said looking glum.

"I'm sorry Twilight. You're an amazing scholar of magic, but not even the embodiment of chaos itself can tell you how to fix your own chaos. Though, I do have a suggestion," He said looking up stroking his goatee, "just think about it Twilight. It'll come to you." 

"I see." Twilight said looking down, "thank you for your time Discord." She said turning around, "come on girls, let's go back to the library. I'll look over my notes again and see if I missed anything."

It was starting to see hopeless to her now as she opened the door to the library. There possibly wasn't anyway to fix this and she was the cause of it which made it all the worse. She began to think to herself. About her friends. Would they still want to be her friend if they were stuck as sugary treats knowing that she caused this to begin with. She wondered how everyday life would play out with her friends being candy. And than she began to cry realizing just how horrible this was. 

Her friends did their best to console her but without any luck. They could not cheer up their dear Twilight form her woeful state as she climbed to the top of the stairs and into her room She lied down on her bed trying to forget about this horrible day and wish that when she woke up she would be cured as if it were all a terrible dream.

Just think about it. Those words still rung through her head. Just what was Discord trying to tell her? What was she suppose to think about? It didn't make sense to her. He was rather cryptic in the past, but she was able to decipher his meanings rather quickly which frustrated her that she couldn't do it this time. 

And then, just like a light shining in the darkness around her it came to her smacking her in the face like a freight train. Think about it! She thought to herself. I just have to think about them in the spell and it'll change them back! I know it!  She was positive this would work but she had to try it out first to see if this really was the case.

"Girls!" She said proudly standing from the balcony and teleporting to the floor below, "I might have found a way to reverse this." 

"Really!" They all shouted together minus Pinkie who was still enjoying her cotton candy state of being.

"Yes, but first I need to test it out. On myself." She said closing her eyes and focusing in on herself. From her bone structure, to muscles, to every last fiber of hair on her body she imagined recreating herself using the same spell she developed this time, in reverse. Her body cracked and shattered with a white light blinding her friends around her form the epicenter of the spell. What remained after the blinding light was truly Twilight with a pile of purple rock candy around her.

She touched herself all over then looked up to her friends, "it worked!" She shouted.

"Now your turn!" She said focusing in on her friends giving them no time to react or brace themselves and Twilight performed the same spell concentrating deeply on each pony's physical structure down to the color of their irises. 

The six mares looked at each other before cheering in unison as they gathered together for a large group hug, "I still miss being cotton candy" Pinkie said interrupting their moment. They all looked at Pinkie Pie and laughed together enjoying being back in their own bodies. Except for Spike who now had a mess to clean up on the floor which was now covered in sugary treats.

Spike came down the stairs seeing all the mares back to their original form and seeing the mess on the floor which irritated the dragon a little, but not enough that he wouldn't be glad to give Twilight another hug without her being hard as a rock.

"Spike we're back to normal!" Twilight shouted.

"I noticed! Glad to see you girls back to being squishy and filled with blood and not sugar." He said laughing to himself.

He turned around looking for a dustpan and broom for the mess, "'Cept I'm going to miss Rarity's marshmallow ass." 

Twilight didn't hear him that well over the commotion of her friends being elated to be back to their former selves, "what did you say Spike? I didn't hear you." She said.

"Nothing." Spike said smirking to himself, "nothing at all."

Twilight turned back to her friends, "girls, I know this is a day we won't soon forget. A day will will surely remember."
	
> Second Sucks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                                        Rainbow Dash

It was a day like any other. Typical for Ponyville and the rest of Equestria at least. The sky was clear and blue. The run beamed down its radiant heat coating the fauna and flora in a warm glow. Flowers stretched up to the sky daring to touch the flames of the sun for its energy. Bees and birds buzzed back and forth from flower to flower collecting a thin yellow dusting around their bodies. It was the middle of spring and everything was alive. From the insects that ate the flora to the Ursa Majors that prowled for larger game.

Everypony was outside. The market was bustling with ponies selling and buying. Foals played in the warm sun with carefree smiles that would make anypony's heartstrings tug even just a little. Pegasi soared through the air dispatching any clouds that dared to form over their beautiful land today. Earth ponies were hard at work planting crops and fixing their shops. It was a rough winter that destroyed a few market stalls but the resolve of these ponies kept them going to persevere through any challenge that opposed them.

A gust of wind followed by two bright streaks of multicolored light blitzed by the market area sending a shockwave through the land knocking several ponies to the ground as the pressure wave of air slammed into their bodies. The fading streams of a rainbow light dissipated as well as the fiery streaks of yellow, orange, and red, that ran parallel to the first. The ponies knew now what was happening. By intuition and past experience they all knew Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were racing. And judging by their speed the sound barrier was long since broken and this race was soon to be at an end.

The finish line was dead ahead and closing in fast on the two pegasi mares that dashed through the market swerving left and right avoiding ponies and stalls. A pink pony hopped up and down dramatically as the first pony came through followed only by a mere second the second pegasi came blitzing through the finish line. They both hit the ground digging in their hooves to slow themselves down piling up dirt around their hooves as they finally came to a stop.

The rainbow maned pony stood where she landed feeling especially sorry for herself. She came in second which meant she lost and that took a toll on the egotistical mare. She loved to win. It was everything to her. Being the first at everything is what she always wanted. Except when it came to academics. She preferred to fly around all day rather than sit around in a boring classroom reading various texts of literature that didn't even remotely catch her interest. None of the books were Daring Doo or fiction based.

The fiery maned pegasi trotted arrogantly strutting off her victory to her opponent. 

"A deal's a deal, Rainbow Dash. You owe me." She said.

"Dammit. Do I have to? Can't I just bribe you so I don't have to go?" Rainbow Dash pleaded back.

"Yes, you have to. That was the bet. I'll pick you up tonight for our date." She replied.

Rainbow Dash hated losing. Especially to Spitfire. The wonderbolt was exceptionally skilled at flying and even better when it comes to wagering bets. She had won what she wanted for a long time. A chance to go out on a date with Rainbow Dash. She always knew intuitively that Rainbow Dash was a little curious about mares despite her awkwardness when it came to that subject. She asked her out previously only to receive an odd reply of flying off looking ten shades of red in the face. 

Spitfire kissed the cyan pegasus on the cheek and took to the sky, "I'll seeya' later hun!" She yelled taking off in a flash of bright yellow, red, and orange light.

Rainbow Dash shook her head trying her best to shake off the blushing her whole face was experiencing. She couldn't go back on her word no matter how much she wanted to. She made a bet and lost and now she had to go on public date with Spitfire. The thought reeled through her mind of getting close to Spitfire and being kissed once again. She couldn't deny herself the thoughts of it. Spitfire was cute in her eyes. The way her mane blew through the air as she ripped through the wind sent her heartstrings in a frenzy. Her sweet cooing voice that caressed her ears in a lullaby of pleasure made her beg for her to just speak her name. The sleek, slender body she had was as tight and tone as her own. It was as if she and Spitfire were meant to be.

She usually didn't have a problem with dating. It was just that she never dated a mare before or had any past relations with a mare. She always found stallions more attractive, but this time it was different. When she first saw Spitfire it was love at first sight. Her heart pounded against her chest. Adrenaline surged through her veins just seeing the majestic pegasus make eye contact with her. A lust of her attention drove Rainbow Dash to do anything to get closer, yet she always remained at least a foreleg's length away from her. Too afraid of the possible rejection that plagued her chaotic mind until today. She was just forced into a date with the mare of her dreams. 

She tried to stand only to be met with utter defiance from her legs as they shook violently. She was nervous. She wondered what the night would contain. More than likely with would consist of a nice dinner and drinking followed by a rough and passionate night of hot sweaty love making, or at least that is the fantasy Rainbow Dash dreamed of secretly. In truth she had no the slightest clue what Spitfire had in store but whatever it would be Rainbow Dash knew she couldn't blow this chance with Spitfire. It was the clearest sign she could get from her that Spitfire was interested in Rainbow Dash. It seemed that her secret love may love her back. 

The clock ticked back and forth slowly second by second. Rainbow Dash looked around the room still shaking with anxiousness of the unknown. She trotted back and forth pacing and waiting. It was like time had stopped still to the pegasus. It was taking forever for Spitfire to come to pick her up. She couldn't wait to see her smile. It warmed her heart to see it. She had the cutest dimples that formed on her face making Rainbow Dash almost mesmerized by her infatuation unable and unwilling to turn her head from the mare.

A knock at her down send her jumping from the ground landing on her belly with her limbs stretched out. She rose to her hooves gaining her composure as she tried to contain her embarrassment from what she just did. Being scared that easily felt shameful to Rainbow Dash as if a natural fight or flight response was something to be scorned. She approached the door gulping down as she grabbed the handle with her hoof opening it slowly as light poured inside the room. A figure stood in front of her basking in the radiant light from the sun. A fiery mane matched only by her eyes decorated the veteran wonderbolt. Two large bottles protruded from her saddle pack. She smiled at the mare inside the house floating in the cloud covered sky.

"May I come in?" She asked.

"S-sure. Come on in Spitfire." Rainbow Dash replied.

Spitfire placed the bottles atop a table followed by two small cylindrical glass structures. They were crystal clear through and through. Small enough to fit at least a full fluid ounce in and no more. The bottle read plainly for everypony to see in bright red color, STALLIONGRAD STANDARD VODKA. It was clear now the intentions of Spitfire. Get drunk with Rainbow Dash.

"Vodka?" Rainbow Dash laughed nervously, "glad I don't have to go out in public with you- I mean, I would love to go out in public with you, just-" 

Spitfire giggled, "it's fine Dash, I wanted this date to be special and not cliche like dinner and movie then drinking and whatever-" She said cutting off that sentence abruptly not wanting to bring about talks of filly fooling... just yet.

"I find the best way to get to know a pony is to sit down and just have a drink with 'em." Spitfire said cracking open the first bottle of vodka. The almost syrupy like mixture of water and ethanol was sure to burn their throats and warm them from the inside out. 

"Alcohol lowers inhibition making ponies more amenable to questions usually that they would not answer. It is still used today as a form of chemical interrogation." She said flatly.

"Is this an interrogation?" Rainbow Dash asked nervously.

Spitfire looked confused for a moment quickly changing her expression to a tender smile, "of course not Dash, Don't you remember anything from the Wonderbolts Academy? This was part of the history. Anyway, let's drink," she said handing Rainbow Dash a shot of the liquid interrogation serum. A harsh bite of heat scorched her throat as the liquid hit her stomach warming her nearly instantly.

They were now several shots in a piece. The bottle was nearly three quarters gone and the ponies were heavily inebriated. 

"Dash, I have to ask you something." Spitfire said.

Rainbow Dash swayed a little back and forth as she tried to stand still and pay attention, "ok."

"Do you want to be my marefriend?" She asked bluntly.

Rainbow Dash's face turned as red as beet, "I- uh, huh?"

"Do you, Rainbow Dash, want to be my marefriend?" Spitfire reiterated.

Rainbow Dash looked around rapidly as if an escape hatch would magically appear for her to disappear in.

"I was hoping this much vodka would loosen up your lips a bit," Spitfire said swaying to the right a little, "but you're harder to crack than I thought."

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash yelled as loud as she could looking embarrassed as Spitfire's mouth dropped a little from her over enthusiastic response. 

"Well, that was easy. I didn't think you'd have the guts to say it." Spitfire said.

"Hey! What the hell's that suppose to mean?" She roared in returned.

"Calm down Dash, no need to be so standoffish. I'm just saying I know you've been eyein' me for quite some time and I was hoping you'd ask me on a date, but looks like you were a bit too shy to so I decided to do it myself. Looks like it worked huh?" She said with a hiccup. 

"So what do you want to do?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Talk." Spitfire said.

"About what?" Rainbow asked.

"Anything at all. I'll start, how have you been Dash?"

"Ok, I guess, I mean I did do this really cool trick the other day with Spike it was so awesome. I was like woosh and he was screaming and it was just so awesome!" Rainbow Dash gesturing the complex acrobatics with her hooves and adding her own variety of sound effects finished only with her face stretching to the biggest smile she could muster.

Spitfire smiled, she loved to hear Rainbow Dash talk about her life in Ponyville it was so unlike the strictness of the Wonderbolts. She envied her in a way. They were both sworn protectors of Equestria yet only Rainbow Dash was able to have a normal life. At least semi-normal from what she's had to do so far. Defeating Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, Tirek, it was startling to know she was standing next to an Element of Harmony and the one she most adored of all, Loyalty. It was a concept she held to her heart with a passion. To always stay true to your friends and never betray their trust. The Griffons referred to this as Honor. A steadfast ability to not sway no matter the challenge and to take pride in defeat against a stronger opponent. Standing up and fighting was more noble than any aristocrat and dying with your friends was a death worthy of a king's burial. 

"Have you ever been with a mare before Rainbow?" Spitfire asked.

"Well..." She said blushing while rubbing her left foreleg with her right staring down at the ground, "not until today, no."

"So what made you interested in me?" She asked next.

Rainbow Dash stuttered on her words as she tried to speak to the mare in front of her, "well, you see, I mean, you're just so... amazing. I don't know where to begin. You make me smile just by being near me. Your voice makes me shake with anticipation for what you will say next. You have a perfect body sleek and slender. And somehow you're just the only mare I've found that makes me want you more than any stallion I've had before. It's like you're a drug that I can't get enough of. A fix I can't heed and I wouldn't wish it away even if I couldn't."

Spitfire smiled knocking back another round of the alcoholic spirit with Rainbow Dash following her example.

"Can I ask you something?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Sure." Spitfire replied quickly.

"What made you interested in me? I don't think I've ever seen you with a mare or stallion."

"Hmm... tough to say really. I like attention and you were just gawking at me like I was some sort of mutant pony so that made me interested at first." She said noticing Rainbow Dash blushing heavily.

"I wasn't gawking I was just admiring you." Rainbow said.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that. I appreciate it though, you admiring me. I know a lot of ponies look up to me, but I haven't met a pony as dedicated as you in a long time. That's something else that stuck out to me about you. Your undying loyalty to your friends. Your overwhelming combative nature to anything that tries to twist your loyalty to betrayal. And I must say, you are one hot pegasus. I might be the captain of the Wonderbolts, but even a mare has needs and you have the body for it." Spitfire said.

"Wow... I had no idea. That's really nice of you to say." Rainbow said in astonishment to Spitfire's words.

"Yeah, I told the rest of the bolts not to make a move on you. I wanted you to be mine and it worked out perfectly." Spitfire said.

"Wait... you did what? You actually told your team to not go after me?" Rainbow said in surprise.

"Yep, they listen to me. They know they can get any mare or stallion they want but if I say I want somepony then they usually listen and leave that one to me. They know just as well as I that my sex life isn't as great as it could be. Coordinating weather patterns, doing routine training, and active combat makes it hard to get a date. They usually go to the local bar and just pick up some random pony for a quickie but I prefer to enjoy the company of somepony I plan on sleeping with." Spitfire said.

Rainbow Dash gulped, "sleep with? What do you mean? Like a slumber party?" She said laughing nervously.

Spitfire laughed exuberantly, "you're kidding me Dash! You have to me. Come on you know, we get down in the sheets and make each other scream." She said leaning over to Dash and kissing her neck sending shivers of anxiety and pleasure through Dash's body.

"R-right, so I'm going to get us some food I'll be right back." Rainbow said trotting over and slouching against the wall to shift her way into the kitchen. She felt hot and woozy with the world spinning around her in a slight alteration from reality.

She opened her cabinets revealing little to feast upon other than saltine crackers and a bit of cheese. She had a few apples and carrots that would also help absorb the liquor hopefully dampening the excruciating headache that awaited her in the morning. She did her best with her drunk abilities to haphazardly smear the cheese on the saltine crackers and crudely arrange them on a place followed by the few applies and carrots she had placed in a small basket that hung from her mouth as the other balanced upon her wing. How in the hay did I end up in this? She thought to herself. I mean, I should be happy she's here, but are we going to sleep together? Should we sleep together? She is really cute...  

"You comin' Dash?" Asked a slurred voice from the other room.

"Be right there!" Dash exclaimed.

Whatever happens, happens Rainbow. Remember that. She's the mare of your dreams don't fuck this up. She thought to herself.

She entered the room once more placing the small amount of food she had on the table in front of her for her and her guest.

"Wow, Rainbow, you sure know how to shop. Do you even eat?" Spitfire said disappointed with the food.

"Y-yes, I just haven't gone recently. I usually eat with Twilight or Pinkie Pie so I don't buy much food." She said in defense.

"Alright, as long as you're eating. I don't need my marefriend passing out from malnourishment now." She said with a smile.

It still felt odd to hear that from Spitfire call her, her marefriend. It was almost surreal to her. 

Spitfire took a bite out of an apple chewing it slowly as she stared at Rainbow with a delightful smile on her face consuming the rest of the fruit with a few more bites and swallowing the mass of fruit. She felt it hit her stomach like a rock sending a sensation of nausea over her as she tried to her best to hide it from Rainbow Dash. Rainbow ate a couple of the cheese smeared crackers allowing silence to fill the room for several minutes before either pony would speak. 

"You know Dash, it's been almost a year since I dated a pony." Spitfire said snuggling up against Rainbow Dash on her couch, "I'm glad it was you I decided to date. I don't think I've met a pony like you in years."

"Thanks," Dash said, "I've got to say I wasn't expecting this at all, but I wouldn't trade this moment for anything in Equestria."

"Dash," Spitfire started, "don't leave my side please. I really like you."

Rainbow Dash blushed brighter than a cherry turning her head from Spitfire in embarrassment, "I like you too Spitfire. I promise I won't ever leave your side. Friends never betray friends. I'll always stay loyal till the day I die." She said with a yawn stretching her forelegs in the air and placing a hoof around Spitfire pulling her into her side. She looked over to Spitfire who was fast asleep. It appeared the alcohol knocked her out before she could try and make a move on Rainbow Dash, but maybe it was for the best. For at the moment in time all Rainbow Dash wanted was to be right next to her.

Second place never sucked so much in a good way until now. She thought to herself. What a night to remember. She lied her head back against the plush couch closing her eyes as she drifted off into the dreamland holding the mare that held her heart right at her side.