> Equestrian Anthology
>  by Shingo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Till the end
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Say goodbye to my friends

It was the last object on Twilight Sparkle’s final checklist. Out of all the things she did today, this was the hardest. She hurried through the streets of Ponyville as the sky was slowly being torn asunder. One more pony, she only had one more pony to see before she could let it end. She wouldn’t be in such a hurry if her farewell to Rainbow Dash wasn’t so passionate. She didn’t regret it though. It was just one more precious memory to take to the other side. 

Gasping for breath, Twilight reached her final destination: Sugarcube Corner. She opened the door to find both Mister and Missus Cake huddled in the corner of the room, their children gently sleeping in their forelegs. Walking through the bakery, she heard quiet sobbing coming from the married couple. The sight almost made Twilight break down right there. Not yet. Now’s not the time for tears. She headed towards the stairs leading to Pinkie’s room when a strange sound drifted into her ears. It was… laughter? At the top of the stairs Pinkie’s door was slightly open with light streaming out of it.

“Pinkie?” asked Twilight as she opened the door. In front of her was the same thing she saw whenever Pinkie was involved: a party. At least, a party was in construction. Off to the side a record player was playing an upbeat jazz tune. On one of the walls a game of Pin the Tail on the Pony was set up. The ceiling had both streamers and balloons hanging from it. Near the center of the room, Pinkie was adding the last bit of frosting on a cake. She looked up at Twilight just as she finished.

“Hi Twilight,” said Pinkie in a cheerful tone. “You’re early! That’s great, you can help me. I’m not really finished with the decorations. I still have to hang up the banner. I didn’t have a ‘It’s the end of the world’ banner so I had to use the ‘Congratulations on the new job’ one instead.” Pinkie smiled at Twilight as she entered, confused at the sight.

“Pinkie, there’s something I have to say to you,” Twilight began. “Something very important so I want you to listen for a bit.”

“You’re not going to say you love me are you?” inquired Pinkie with her head tilted. “Because I’m pretty sure you already said that to Dashie. And based on the moans I could hear from here, she felt the same.” A giggle escaped Pinkie’s mouth as she poured fruit into a punchbowl. 

“What?!” exclaimed Twilight, a blush on her face. “That’s now what I wanted to say.”

“Well what did you want to say?”

“I wanted to say goodbye. And, well to thank you for the time I’ve…”

“Silly Twilight,” Pinkie interrupted. “You’re supposed to say goodbye when the party’s over. The party hasn’t even started yet!” As hard as Twilight tried, she could not stop the tears from falling.

“How can you say that?” she asked trembled. “How can you just make a joke about me and Rainbow? How can you prepare for a party? How can you smile and laugh while the world is ending?” A silence fell on the room. Twilight was looking at Pinkie tears staining her face. Then for the first time that Twilight could remember, she saw something in Pinkie’s eyes. Something she had never seen from Pinkie.

“That’s easy Twilight,” said Pinkie with a hollow voice. “It’s because I’m scared.”
> Eastern Inspiration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“No, no, no! This is all wrong!” Rarity slashed a quill across her latest design, if one could call it that. She crumpled up the paper she was using and tossed it into the rest of her discarded designs. Hundreds of papers piled on top of one another. Each scrapped idea reminded Rarity that she could not come up with a new dress design.

“Why,” she asked no one in particular. “Why isn’t my muse speaking to me?” She paced around her sanctum. Her design room was the place she normally used to create the initial designs of dresses. It was the very room she was standing in where she got the inspiration to create her friends' Gala dresses. It was the same room that told her to create cloaks for herself and her friends. The room was where all her ideas came from. So why wasn’t it speaking to her?

“Perhaps I need a little bit of help with this,” she said. As if on cue, her pile of rejected designs exploded and they sent themselves around the room.

“Hi Rarity,” said Pinkie with her head sticking out of the pile. Rarity turned her head towards the pink pony as she was shaking herself free from the paper. A perfectly sane pony would have questioned how exactly Pinkie managed to materialize from the bottom of a pile of scrap paper, but Rarity was far too stressed to care about such a minor detail.

“Wow, that’s a lot of paper. You should really put them in the recycling bin.”

“Pinkie, I would love nothing more than to clean up that mess but I’ve too much work to do.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh I wouldn’t want to bother you with something like this. Besides, I don’t exactly feel like playing therapist with you.”

“Would you prefer to play therapist with Twilight instead?” Rarity shuddered at the thought. She didn’t want a repeat of that episode, ever. “Talk to your dear Auntie Pinkie.” Rarity stopped her pacing and looked straight at Pinkie.

“My muse Pinkie,” Rarity sighed. “My muse isn’t speaking to me.”

“Well that can’t be good. Is there something wrong with its voice?”

“No, that's not exactly what I meant. I meant I have no inspiration. I can’t seem to design a new dress. All the pieces are there in my mind, yet whenever I try to put them together, the design comes all mangled and mismatched.” Pinkie stared at her in what Rarity assumed was deep thought.

“I know what you need,” Pinkie said in a triumphant voice. “You need-“ Before she could finish her thought some measuring tape wrapped itself around Pinkie, binding her legs

“I highly doubt a party will help me,” Rarity said while telekinetically pulling Pinkie. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get this done.”

“Oooo, kinky. I can work with this. What’s the safe word?” Had Rarity any patience she would have come up with a retort. But that idea was impossible at the moment.

“Goodbye Pinkie,” said Rarity as she tossed Pinkie out of the boutique’s entrance. “And I’ll eventually need that measuring tape back.” She shut the door and began her trek back to her sanctum. After a few steps back into the boutique, the bell above the door rang.

“Pinkie, so Celestia help me if you do not leave me alone I will-“ Rarity’s rant stopped right in her throat as she saw a different pony in her boutique. An ecru coloured unicorn with chestnut brown eyes was looking straight at her. She had a black mane that was tied in a bun with three loops coming from the back it, one to her left, one to her right, and one from the center. A scarlet ribbon was tied from the center from it. But all those details were lost on Rarity at the moment; she was staring at the mare’s dress.

“Ahem,” she coughed. “So sorry about that, I thought you were somepony else. Welcome to Carousel Boutique; where everything is chiqué, unique, and magnifiqué. I am Rarity, how may I help you?”

“我叫長襖,” said the mare bowing her head. “很高興認識你.” Rarity blinked.

“Beg your pardon?” the mare lifted her head up and blinked. After a few awkward seconds, her face showed understanding.

“I am sorry about that,” she laughed. “Force of habit, let me try again: my name is Chang’ao. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Rarity said as Chang’ao entered the show room. Her eyes were fixed on Chang’ao’s dress. It was a single piece dress and it shared the same colour as her ribbon. At her forelegs were two sleeves that stopped at her upper arms. It seemed to hug her figure and flowed down her body. The dress separated just under her cutie mark leaving two flaps to flow down her rear and in front of her hind legs. Along the entire dress was a floral pattern. While it may have looked ugly on other dresses, it somehow worked for this one. The strangest thing about the dress was that a black tail was sticking out of the end of it through the fabric. “Your dress darling, where did you get it?”

“Do you like it?” Chang’ao asked doing a little pirouette. “I made it myself. It’s a cheongsam. I added a little bit something to make it stand out from the others.”

“I’ve never seen a dress like it in Equestria.”

“I would be surprised if you could. They come from the country Ma. This particular one I designed at my store in Neijing.”

“It’s beautiful. But if you could design something like this, why do you need to come to my humble store?” a sad expression crossed Chang’ao’s face as the question was asked.

“Lately,” she explained. “I have lacked inspiration. I can’t seem design anything new. So I decided to come to Equestria to see Western fashions. I came to, what is the expression; pick an Equestrian’s brain for fashion ideas.” Rarity couldn’t believe her luck. Somepony with most likely hundreds of designs stored in their mind could share them with her. If she was right, she could build on top of those designs to create something original.

“Perhaps we can help each other,” Rarity said. “Like you, I’ve hit a bit of a wall when it comes to designs. I haven’t been satisfied with my recent works. Since you have designs that have not been seen on Equestrian soil, you could share them with me. And in exchange I can share with you some Equestrian dress designs. We will both see designs from different nations, most likely giving us inspiration, and we can create new dresses. How does that sound to you?” Rarity stuck out her foreleg hoping that the Ma-nese pony would accept it. A smile formed on said pony’s face and she shook Rarity’s outstretched leg.

“Where would you like to start?” 

---

Author’s Notes: The Chinese. If translated literally, it will say “I am called Chang’ao. Pleasure to meet you”. Now for some probably unknown facts. Chang’ao is named after a formal women’s dress that was created during the Ming Dynasty. A cheongsam is that formal Chinese dress that most people think of when Chinese clothing is brought to mind. Ma, is actually the Cantonese way of saying horse.
> Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another night, another bag of bits. Spike loosened his tie as he entered his home. He looked around the foyer of the library, hoping that Twilight wasn’t awake. Seeing that the purple unicorn was nowhere in sight, he quietly closed the door. He crept up the stairs leading to the room he shared with his guardian. Gentle snoring could be heard from the other side.

“Who?” Spike’s bones nearly jumped from his body. His head quickly turned to see two yellow eyes staring at him through the darkness.

“Oh, Owloysius, I was just going to bed.”

“Who?”

“Me, I was going to bed.”

“Who?” Spike gave the owl an unamused look.

“I’m too tired to run with this gag. I’ll see you tomorrow night before I go to work. Goodnight.” He walked into the room and set his bits into a small chest. His clothes were deposited into the same chest before it was closed. With a yawn, he climbed into his basket, and made a well-deserved trip to the land of Nodd.


*


The sun was lazily drifting across the sky as Twilight heard something crash into her window. She lifted her head from her copy of The Big Sleep, sighing in frustration. For some reason, whenever she got to the climax of a story she was interrupted by something. Twilight magicked the window open allowing her cerulean friend to fly in.

“Hello Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You’ll never guess what I saw last night,” said Rainbow in an excited tone. “Actually, it’ll be amazing if you did. Go on, try.”

“Let’s see,” said Twilight tapping one of her hooves to her chin in mock concentration. “Was it the Wonderbolts?”

“Nope.”

“Pinkie Pie doing something impossible?”

“Nope. Come on Twi, think of something that doesn’t happen on a daily basis.”

“Hmmm,” Twilight closed her eyes. “Rarity and Applejack physically entwined with one another?” Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight as if her body grew a second head.

“No. Nothing like that. How did that come into your mind?” asked Rainbow in a disbelieving tone. In response Twilight gave her friend a sheepish look.

“Well you said something that didn’t happen daily,” replied Twilight. “Since it’s clear that I won’t guess it, you might as well tell me.”

“Fine, take the fun out of it,” grumbled Rainbow. “Last night, I went to Berry Punch’s pub with Pinkie. We had a few drinks generally enjoying ourselves.”

“If this story ends with you two in bed, I don’t want to hear it.”

“While that did happen, that’s not what I’m highlighting,” Twilight smacked one of her hooves to her face. “Anyways, there was music playing. Jazzy stuff, stuff like saxophones, clarinets, that sort of thing. There was a grand piano there too. Playing it… was Spike.”

“What?” Twilight face changed to one of disbelief.

“Oh, the story isn’t over yet,” continued Rainbow. “Spike was playing along with the band that was there. But afterwards he started singing.” A silence fell between the two ponies.

“Nice try Rainbow,” Twilight said smirking. “If you’re going to pull a fast one on me, at least make it believable.”

“I’m serious!” shouted Rainbow. “He was singing some jazz songs. And his voice, it sounded different. It sounded like a professional jazz singer, and it was deep!”

“Uh huh,” dismissed Twilight. “That can’t be true, and I’ll prove it. Spike!” Spike entered the room the two ponies occupied with a clipboard in his hand.

“Yes Twilight?”

“Were you at Berry’s pub last night playing on a piano and singing?” If somepony was observant enough, they would have seen Spike’s facial features shift into one of shock for a very brief moment. However, nopony in that room was.

“No I wasn’t,” replied Spike with a steady voice. “I can play the piano, but I can’t sing. Why would you even think that? Besides, I was asleep all night.”

“But I saw you there with-“

“If you don’t mind,” interrupted Spike. “I have some work to do. Twilight, can I go now?”

“Of course Spike,” Twilight said.  The baby dragon left the room writing on the clipboard. “See Rainbow?”

“If you don’t believe me,” Rainbow gave her a cocky smile. “Why not come to The Lounge with me tonight and see for yourself?” Twilight had to think for a moment. She hadn’t gone out for a while, and this was a perfect excuse. Even if Spike wasn’t there, she could still go out just for fun.

“Alright Rainbow,” she said. “I’ll see you tonight.”


*


The moon was high by the time Twilight met her friend. She saw Rainbow standing in front of an unremarkable building. In front of it was a patio with ponies sitting at tables enjoying both food and drink. On the building was the words “The Lounge” in bright white lettering. She was expecting to see Rainbow Dash, but the ivory unicorn was unexpected.

“Twilight darling,” Rarity said. “It’s good to see you’ve finally decided to venture from your home.”

“Hello Rarity,” Twilight greeted. “I didn’t know you were coming with us.”

“Well I couldn’t pass this chance. When Rainbow Dash said Spike was singing here, I just had to see it. The idea that little Spikey-Wikey was working as a singer is absurd! He’s just a little baby.”

“You’re going to say otherwise after tonight,” mumbled Rainbow. “Come on, are we going to stand here and talk all night or are we going to go inside?" The trio entered the bar, only to be greeted by a calm tune. In front of them was a bar table filled with ponies. On the other side of it was Berry Punch, busy mixing drinks. On their right was a group of tables with friends idly chatting at each one. Behind those tables was a door leading to the patio.

“Hi there,” said a yellow unicorn mare with a blue mane. “Table for three?” Rainbow Dash nodded. The three ponies were then led across the pub. All around the pub, ponies of every size and colour were drinking and enjoying themselves. Along the walls were booths filled with inebriated ponies. Levels of control varied from table to table. Between the walls were tables filled with the same thing. A band was radiating music from the far end of the room. The group sat at a booth that was in full view of the band.

“While I’m here, is there anything I can get you?” the mare asked handing out menus.

“I’d like a gin martini please,” Rarity replied.

“A pint of Shock Top,” Rainbow said. “Twilight?”

“Well,” she said looking at the drink menu.

“She’ll have the same as me,” Rainbow answered.

“All right, I’ll be back in a little while with your drinks,” the mare said. Twilight glared at Rainbow.

“You didn’t have to do that. I don’t even like beer.”

“Yes, I did. Otherwise you would have taken forever to choose. We have more important things to worry about. Look over there,” Rainbow pointed her hoof at the band. There were four ponies and five instruments being played. All the musicians there were wearing the same thing: a black vest, a white dress shirt, a tie, and a black fedora. Each of their ties were different and the grosgrain ribbon of their fedoras matched their ties in colour. A blue earth pony stallion with a dark blue mane was playing a saxophone and wearing a navy blue tie, a light grey earth pony mare with a black mane was playing a double bass while wearing a pink tie, a dark grey earth pony stallion with a black mane was playing a clarinet and wearing a amber tie, and a sand coloured pegasus mare wearing an emerald tie was playing a set of drums. There was a grand piano being played as well. Who sat at the piano shocked the two unicorns: a baby dragon with a fuchsia tie was sitting on its bench.

“Spike?!” both unicorns exclaimed. Their shock went unnoticed by the band as they finished their song. The patrons in the bar applauded the band. As the applause was dying down, the yellow mare returned to the table with their drinks.

“Thank you, thank you,” said Spike into a microphone. “You’ve been a wonderful audience. My fellow band mates look like they need a break. Go ahead, there’s a story I want to share.” The four musicians set down their instruments and left to the side of the bar. Spike let his hands press on a few keys creating a simple melody.

“Last week I found out the mare I loved found a special somepony,” he said with a sad tone. “I was crushed for a few days. But seeing her happy made my heart soar, much like it did whenever I saw her.” Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked to their companion.

“Something you would like to tell us?” asked Rainbow. Rarity took a pull from her martini.

“I’m not the one on trial here,” said Rarity. “We can talk about it after we see Spike.” Twilight meanwhile, was looking to Rarity then Spike, then repeating the process.

“It’s all right though,” continued Spike. “Her happiness comes before mine. Although, whenever friends talk to me, they always ask the same question: how am I holding up. So I answer them with another question.” Spike’s hands moved faster creating a slightly more complex tune. At this moment, the entire bar fell silent. All eyes were on Spike, the waiters and waitresses even stopped where they were to watch. Rainbow Dash was smiling while her friends were confused at the scene. Then as Spike opened his mouth, they understood why every patron stopped.

“Am I blue? Am I blue? Ain’t these tears in my eyes, telling you?” sang Spike. A deep baritone was being projected across the bar. Spike’s voice moved a few of the patrons to tears. Twilight stared at her assistant. A voice like that should not have been coming from him, and yet there it was. The song itself was full of emotion. There was pain and mixed in it was a small amount of hope. It was implausible, it was illogical, and it was beautiful. Tears began flowing from her eyes.

“Am I blue,” Spike finished holding the final note for a few seconds. His voice went quiet as his fingers danced across the piano’s keys. The last note was played and silence was again present in the bar. A thunderous applause came from everypony inside. Whistles and cheers could be heard mixed in the sound. Twilight was clapping her hooves together, tears having stained her face. Tears freely flowed from Rarity’s eyes as she clapped. Rainbow Dash smiled and pulled from her pint. She signalled a waitress over to their booth.

“Excuse me?” she asked while the applause was slowing down. “Do you have any crow? My friends here seem to be craving some.”
> Matchmaker Pinkie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Matchmaker, matchmaker, find me a find,” Pinkie sang as she hopped in her room. “Catch me a catch.”

“Pinkie dear, I don’t think now’s the time to…”

“Matchmaker, matchmaker, look through your book,” Pinkie continued singing as she reached a curtain covering one of her walls. “And make me a perfect match.” She tugged at the curtain causing it to fall to the ground. What was on the other side caused the white unicorn’s jaw to drop. Pictures of every citizen in Ponyville were up on the wall. In each one was a pin. On some of the pictures was a coloured string that was attached to the pin of another picture. Rarity walked towards the wall taking in all the details. A red string was attached to a picture of a mint green unicorn and a cream coloured earth pony. A blue string was attached to a picture of a large red earth pony and a purple unicorn. A green string was attached to a grey pegasus’ picture and a brown earth pony’s.

“When I asked if you wanted to play matchmaker with me,” Rarity said. “I didn’t expect to find this.” Curiosity got the better of Rarity and she looked for her own portrait. She found a red string attached to it leading to a picture of Applejack.

“Pinkie, what do these colours mean?” she asked.

“Green means that I can see a spark,” Pinkie replied while flipping through a book. “Blue means I’m actively working to get those ponies together, and red is for confirmed lovers.” Defying all logic, Rarity’s face became even whiter.

“What?!” she shrieked. “Applejack and I aren’t a couple!” Pinkie looked up at her friend with an unamused look.

“Our trips to the mountains are just to collect some gems,” she continued. “They’re not thinly veiled attempts to get away so we can be intimate.” Pinkie’s look did not change.

“We’re not making passionate love behind everypony’s back,” she explained, sweat falling from her forehead. “The idea alone is absurd! Ha ha… ha.” Pinkie’s look remained the same.

“Alright!” Rarity shouted. “I admit it! Applejack and I are an item! We’ve been going about it for a few months now. Are you happy now?!” She fell to the floor and cried in an over dramatic fashion.

“Silly Rarity,” said Pinkie in a cheerful tone. “I’m always happy. I just wanted to hear you say that. But we have more important things to worry about.” She pointed to pictures of her two pegasus friends, a blue string attached to both.

“Quite right,” sniffed Rarity, wiping away a tear. “Our friends seem to be in denial about their relationship. It’s so obvious that they’re together! Or about to be anyways. But when I asked Fluttershy about it at the spa last Thursday, her face turned crimson and frantically said it wasn’t true.” Pinkie nodded.

“I know!” she said. “Yesterday when I was in the park, I saw both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walking together. Both of them were blushing. When I talked to Dashie about it while we were pranking, she just accused me of being random again! Can you believe it?”

“What a surprise,” Rarity deadpanned. “What can we do to make their relationship official?”

“Well,” said Pinkie flipping through her book. “There are two options I’ve come up with, but one is a bit extreme.”

“Do share.”

“I could drug one of them with a potion, causing one of them to…”

“You’ve been drugging ponies with love potions?! How could you?”

“Everypony always assumes that whenever I say the word ‘potion’. No, I don’t use love potions. Not exactly. I use epiphany potions. They give a pony an epiphany about their romantic desires, causing them to pursue it. It worked for Applejack seeing as you two are together, but I don’t think we should use it immediately.”

“That should be used as a last resort. There are other ways we can… wait what?!”

“But,” Pinkie shut the book. “I think the other option is better. At our picnic tomorrow, you and I will just drop hints. The hints will cause seeds to be planted into their minds, and then when they bloom they’ll get together. How does that sound?”

“Hmmm,” Rarity tapped her chin. “That could work. But we have to be subtle about it.”

“You’re talking to the most subtle pony in town,” said Pinkie with a triumphant tone. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Right,” Rarity said while rolling her eyes. She looked at the wall again. Her eyes fell on Pinkie’s portrait, two red strings were attached to it, one leading to a blue earth pony stallion, and another leading to a blue unicorn stallion. A red string was attached between both portraits as well.

“Pinkie, why exactly…”

“Polyamorous relationship.”

“I…see.”


*


Celestia’s sun was shining down on a meadow that six ponies occupied. Each one was sitting on a checkered blanket passing food from a basket. Butterflies flew past and bird songs could be heard all around them. A comfortable silence sat with them. The pink pony decided to change that.

“So, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said looking at her friends. “Why aren’t you two sleeping with each other yet?” Rarity spit out her tea, Applejack’s jaw made a quick trip to the blanket they were sitting on, Twilight choked on her food, and the wings of the pegasi that Pinkie was addressing instantly flared out.

“What?!” they both screamed. A blush was on Rainbow Dash’s face while the colour on Fluttershy’s face decided to change itself to red.

“It’s not a complicated question,” said Pinkie shrugging. “I ask again. Why aren’t you two sleeping together?”

“Because we’re not in a relationship that’s why!” shouted Rainbow.

“Oh come on,” said Pinkie slightly irritated. “It’s obvious that both of you want to be with each other.”

“Um, Pinkie?” the shy pegasus began. “We’re not exactly…”

“Even if you don’t want one, there’s so much sexual tension between you two! I can physically touch it, watch.” Pinkie pushed her hoof between her friends and touched a spot between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. A sound akin to a hoof pounding on a metal door echoed across the meadow. Everypony except for Pinkie stared at the spot her hoof was. Silence once again returned, only its presence made things awkward.

“Rainbow,” Twilight said breaking the silence. “I know for a fact that you want to be with Fluttershy. You’ve checked out a few dating books. And when Fluttershy entered the library while you were doing so, you looked at her with a feeling of longing in your eyes.” Both Pinkie Pie and Rarity nodded.

“Shoot,” Applejack said. “And here I thought I was the only one who saw it.”

“You too Applejack?” said Rainbow in disbelief.

“I saw you in the market a few days back,” Applejack pointed to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, you were looking at the bouquets that were for sale. I saw you hide as Rainbow was passing by. Once she was gone, I saw you take one more look at the flowers, sigh, and then leave. I didn’t want to do anything. I thought it would be best to let nature take its course.” Rainbow Dash looked at the butter coloured pegasus, blush still on her face. With her face still red, Fluttershy looked at the blanket, tapping her hooves together.

“Fluttershy,” Rarity began. “It’s clear that both of you have feelings for each other, it would be best that you two admit it.” Rainbow looked at her friends. All of them had looks of concern on their face. Sighing, she looked to Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy, I…” her words didn’t leave her mouth as Fluttershy’s lips met her own. Rainbow’s eyes shot open in shock, then slowly lowered themselves until they were closed. Her wings wrapped themselves around her newly found lover. A chorus of ‘awwws’ could be heard coming from Twilight and Applejack. Rarity smiled at the scene as she sipped her tea.

“See?” said Pinkie to Rarity. “The master of subtlety at work.” Rarity closed her eyes. That sentence did not dignify a response, so she continued drinking her tea.
> Technicality
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Really?” asked a fire-maned bat winged pegasus. “That’s what you want? Anything you could desire in exchange for your soul, and you ask for that?”

“That’s right,” said a pink pony with a cheerful tone. “Why wouldn’t I want that? If I have that, then I can make all my friends happy.” The demon looked at the pony with confusion in his empty eyes. After a few seconds of silence, he shrugged.

“All right then,” he said. He tapped his hooves twice, and in a burst of flame a piece of parchment appeared. “Sign here and the deal is done.” The pink pony eagerly scratched her name on the parchment. After she was done, the paper rolled itself up then burst into flame. The demon smiled.

“Great, now for my part.” The demon put his head to the pink pony’s. Knowledge flowed into her mind. Thousands of ideas came into her in an instant. Some of them were new to her, while other pieces were old, and some of the information gave her confidence to try what she was too scared to try. All the knowledge revolved around one thing: parties. The pony could not be happier.

“Yay!” she cheered. “Now I can throw a million parties and never repeat myself!” The demon chuckled. This was the part he liked the best. This was when the mortal was at their happiest after the deal. After a few minutes of elation, they would realize what they had done.

“NOW!” his voice boomed. A large circle of fire surrounded both the demon and pony. “PINKIE PIE! YOUR SOUL IS MINE!” He laughed a throaty laugh. This was when he would see them cower, and it always made him laugh. He continued laughing until… why was there someone else laughing? He looked at the pony to find her laughing as well.

“Huh,” he said. “I’ve never seen a mortal so happy about eternal damnation. Ah well, your soul Pinkie.” He pushed out his right hoof towards the pony.

“Okie doki loki!” she said. “Just wait here for a few seconds.”

“Of course… wait what?” The pony leapt over the fire and landed in front of a mirror. She then walked into the mirror, the glass rippling like water as she entered.

How in Tartarus did she do that? The mirror once again rippled and the pony returned with what the demon assumed was a friend. She leapt over the fire again and stood in front of the demon. The sight confused him. In front of him was the pony he struck a deal with, and what looked like a caricature of said pony. The caricature’s body was incredibly small. She had four stumps coming from her body. Each stump looked like a tumour had grown on it. Its head was as long and tall as its body. Supporting it was a tiny stub one could call a neck if they retooled their definition. Everything about it was disproportionate. It shared the same colour scheme as the pony, except its mane and tail were a lighter shade of pink than its body. On her flank was the pony's cutie mark only more detailed.

“Who or what is that?” he asked pointing at the caricature.

“I’m Pinkie Pie,” it said. “Nice to meet you.” The demon blinked. He looked to the mortal he made a deal with, she had a wide smile on her face. Realization dawned on him and he let out a bellowing laugh.

“Oh, clever girl,” he said. “Well done, so I assume I take her soul instead?”

“That’s right,” the mortal replied.

“What are you two talking about?” it asked. The demon looked into the caricature’s eyes. Its eyes shrunk into pin pricks as she opened her mouth. A blood curling scream was coming from it as a blue energy left the mouth. The scream could be heard all around Ponyville and for a brief moment, everypony felt an overwhelming feeling of fear. The last of the energy left the body as it fell on the floor. A swirling sphere of energy floated in front of the demon.

“Well played mortal,” he said. “Well played.” The demon tapped the floor and a column of fire surrounded him. The fire dissipated leaving a burnt circle on the ground. The pony dragged the empty husk towards the mirror. She threw it into the mirror and once again it rippled. A knocking came from the entrance.

“Everything all right in there?” a female voice asked. “What was that screaming Pinkie?”

“Nothing Mrs. Cake,” the pony responded. “Just getting new party ideas.”
> Another Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thanks for helping me clean the basement Pinkie,” said Spike. Both he and Pinkie Pie were hard at work cleaning the library’s basement. The two of them wandered through a labyrinth of boxes and piles of books, hoping to find something useful.

“Thank you for letting me keep what I find,” Pinkie chirped as she held up a brass gauntlet. “I can’t believe Twilight’s okay with me taking stuff! Where is she anyways?” She slid the gauntlet onto her right foreleg, moving it around testing its weight.

“Twilight thought it would be a good idea to help ponies with their emotional health,” said Spike as he was digging through a box. “So she volunteered at the psychological ward of the hospital.”

“She’s playing therapist again? Didn’t she learn her lesson from last time?”

“Apparently not. How long do you think it’ll take before she damages somepony?”

“Five bits say by the time she returns tonight.”

“You’re on,” Spike grinned. He dug deeper into the box throwing empty cases and old books to the ground. A shimmering object caught his attention. “What’s this?”

“What’d you find?” asked Pinkie. Spike turned to the pink pony with his findings in his hand. He had to stop for a minute; the sight in front of him was strange, even for Pinkie.

“What?” she tilted her head in confusion. On the pony was brass armour. Both of her forelegs were covered in brass plates, her chest carried a brass chest plate, and on her left was an empty scabbard.

“It’s nothing,” he said. He looked at the small slightly opened case in his hands. Slowly, Spike opened it, revealing an odd pair of glasses. The right lens was rectangular and was a deep forest green. The left lens was perfectly circular and was a ruby red. He lifted the glasses to the light examining them. “These are some strange glasses.”

“Maybe they’re magic!” Pinkie said fitting a helmet onto herself. “Maybe those glasses are a relic from a race long gone. They probably allow anyone wearing them to access an unlimited amount of information. And maybe they can play music too!” Spike chuckled at his companion’s enthusiasm.

“I don’t think that’s what they do Pinkie.” Curious, the dragon put them onto his face. Looking around, everything looked the same, even though he was looking through coloured lenses. He turned to his friend and jumped in surprise. Instead of a pink earth pony, he was looking at a pure white pegasus with a blonde poofy mane. Her eyes shared the same colour as Twilight’s did.

“Pinkie?” he asked.

“Silly Spike,” the white pegasus said. “You seem to have forgotten who I am. My name isn’t Pinkie, its Surprise!” The pegasus giggled a giggle that was familiar yet foreign to the dragon at the same time. Spike stared at the pony wondering where his friend disappeared to. He took off the glasses, and where the pegasus stood was a pink pony dressed in brass armour. He blinked in confusion.

“Pinkie?” The armoured pony looked at him with concern in her eyes.

“Are you okay Spike?” she asked. “You seemed to zone out when you looked at me with those glasses.

“Was there a white pegasus here just now?”

“Nope, just you and me in here. Where would a pegasus come from anyways? Wait, is she new?” a large gasp escaped Pinkie’s throat and she floated a few feet in the air, unhampered by the armour she wore. “I need to plan a party for this pony! I’d love to stay and look for more treasure, but I have to go! And thanks for the armour!” In the blink of an eye, Pinkie disappeared. An after image of the pony stood with Spike before it slowly disappeared. He stood where he was for a few moments trying to comprehend what he just saw.

The dust here must be making me lose it. I need some air. Spike returned the glasses to its case and took one more look into the box he found the glasses in. The only other thing he saw was a small journal. He took it out of the box and exited the basement.


*


Spike sat in the foyer of the library reading the journal. In it was a large amount of jargon that Spike could not really understand. It talked about infinite possibilities and how there were an infinite number of realities to hold those possibilities. It also spoke of how every living creature has an equivalent to themselves in said realities. From what he could understand, the glasses allowed him to see what others looked like in those worlds. They also allowed him to hear them as if he were interacting with them. Essentially, he was looking at somepony or someone in another life when he saw them through the glasses. He held the glasses up to the light, examining them once more. These glasses can’t be letting me see what the journal says. It’s impossible. Spike put the glasses down beside him. Then again, I thought Nightmare Moon returning was impossible, so the journal might be right. A philosophical discussion was brewing in Spike’s mind when the door to the library opened. A purple unicorn with a disheveled mane entered the library.

“What happened to you?” asked Spike.

“Apparently,” Twilight responded, annoyance in her voice. “It’s ‘unethical’ to make ponies with emotional trauma relive their worst moments with magic. They called it ‘psychological torture’. It wasn’t torture! It was research!” Her horn lit up and a few of the books flew to her.

“How else am I supposed to learn what happened to them? Let them talk? HA! They can barely look me in the eye let alone talk.” Spike looked at the glasses. If the journal was right, he could see who Twilight was in another life, or who she will be. He put them on his face and looked to his guardian. A unicorn stood where Twilight was doing the exact same thing she was: reading. The unicorn shared the same basic build as Twilight, instead of purple, she had pale pink as her fur colour. Both her mane and tail were white. A deep purple stripe was in her mane instead of the magenta and purple stripes that Spike was used to seeing. On her tail was a pale blue bow.

“Huh,” Spike said taking the glasses off. “I’ll be damned. The journal was right.”

“What did you say Spike?”

“Nothing,” he said getting up. Spike walked to the entrance of the library, glasses in hand. “I’m going to take a walk okay?”

“Huh? Oh, sure Spike,” Twilight said. The door to the library was closed leaving her alone with her books. “’You’re not qualified to help these patients.’ I’ll show them qualified.”


*


Dusk was falling on the country of Equestria as a baby dragon was exploring the town he lived in. With the glasses in front of him, Spike marvelled at all the ponies in town. They all looked so different, yet familiar at the same time. Certain earth ponies were unicorns, some pegasi were earth ponies, and select unicorns were pegasi. Some of his friends looked slightly different than what he was used to. He passed by Fluttershy, only instead of being a pegasus, she was a butter coloured earth pony with a shorter mane and a green bow at the base of her tail. When he passed by Rarity, she looked the same only with a colour swap. Everypony looks so different. He was so busy staring at the ponies around him, that he didn’t notice the one in front of him. Spike collided into the pony causing him to fall.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was…going.” Spike could do nothing but stare at the pony in front of him. A cerulean earth pony was standing in front of him. The eyes that were looking at him were a light shade of purple. There were four colours in her mane: pink, indigo, orange, and green. Her tail shared both the pink and indigo colours of her mane, but a light blue was added to the mix. On the pony’s head was a yellow ascot with a blue ribbon. While this pony was a different race of pony, he instantly recognized who it was.

“Rainbow Dash?” he gawked.

“Of course darling,” she said. Her voice sounded higher, haughtier, and somehow more sophisticated. “Who else could be so dashing?”

“What’s with the ascot?”

“Well, the most fabulous pony in Ponyville must have the most chiqué accessories should she not?” Rainbow Dash asked. “And besides, Rainbow Dash always dresses in style.” The sight was something Spike never thought he would see. This pony was the complete opposite of the Rainbow Dash he knew. It was as if someone took Rarity’s personality, drained it of all the charm, and then stuck what was left into an earth pony’s body. He did the only reasonable thing he could in a scenario like that, he laughed. He laughed as hard as he could while clutching his sides. Spike’s laughter caused him to roll on the ground.

“Well, it seems someone can’t appreciate the lengths I must take to be –“ her voice changed as the glasses fell on the floor. “–what do you mean ‘what’s with the ascot’? I’m not wearing a hat.” Spike’s laughter was slowly dying when he looked up at who was in front of him. Rainbow Dash, the Rainbow Dash that he was familiar with, looked at him with confusion on her face.

“Nothing,” he said getting up and still giggling. “Nothing at all.” He picked up the glasses and wiped off the dirt from it.

“What’s with the glasses?”

“Pretty stylish don’t you think?” Spike let them hang on his forehead.

“They could be more stylish.”

“Oh you’d know all about dressing in style wouldn’t you?” His laughter returned in full force, causing the pegasus to be more confused than she once was.

“Whatever,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “You’re acting weird. I’m gonna go now.” She flew away leaving the dragon laughing like a mad man. Eventually, Spike’s laughter disappeared, but a smile was pasted on his face. What he saw was something he never should have seen, but he was glad he did. Spike pushed the glasses back in front of his eyes and began walking home.

Now, what other lives have ponies lived, and what lives will they live?
> Bargins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Please calm down little one,” Fluttershy pleaded. A young injured ferret was squirming in her hooves. The ferret’s paw was broken and would not let Fluttershy heal him. It eventually freed itself from her grasp landing on the ground. It yelped in pain and fell to the floor.

“Oh my goodness,” Fluttershy squeaked. “Are you all right?” Tears began forming in the ferret’s eyes. Fluttershy was on the brink of panicking. She needed to calm her friend down. She took in a deep breath, and began to sing. A gentle song drifted from her mouth and into the ferret’s ears, calming it down. It closed its eyes and drifted into slumber. Fluttershy kept singing, and the wind carried her song.


*


Applejack was in one of the many apple orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. Baskets were around numerous trees, some filled to the brim with apples while others were empty. She bucked one of the trees causing the baskets to fill with her family’s namesake. A breeze passed by the farm pony, and with it came a song. Applejack closed her eyes to listen. She recognized the voice instantly, it was Fluttershy’s. She smiled at the tune. This smile wasn’t ordinary though. It was a sad smile, a smile one would find on someone who lost their love. She sighed and looked towards the source. Emotions were bubbling in the pony’s heart. Regret, pain, sadness, and most potently love resided there. There was no proper way to express how she felt. Applejack opened her mouth and a song came from it.

“How she sings, sweet as day,” she sang. “I could take her away. A fairy voice carries, I’d marry Canary.” A mist began forming around Applejack. Quiet laughter could be heard if one listened close enough. Applejack however, was too lost in her song.

“If only she could love me, if only she…”

“Could love me,” sang a different voice. Applejack’s eyes shot open and looked around. She was standing in the middle of a strange fog. Trees should have surrounded her, but she only found mist. Childlike laughter echoed around her.

“Where are you?” she demanded. “Show yourself!”

“Such anger coming from someone so young,” a feminine voice said. The voice was lyrical and smooth as honey. It reminded Applejack of Nightmare Moon.

“I’m not scared of you,” Applejack said.

“Nor should you be,” the voice said coming from above her. Applejack looked up and gawked. A forest green pony flew above her. Her mane and tail were a rust coloured red and at the base of her tail was a white bow with a gold trim. Although she was the size of an adult pony, this pony did not have a cutie mark. The most striking feature about the pony was her wings. They were butterfly shaped and a translucent shade of white. They sparkled as they flapped and gold coloured dust fell from them. The pony landed in front of Applejack.

“Who are you?” she asked. Applejack looked into the pony’s eyes. They were amber and her pupils shared the likeness of a cat’s. “What are you?”

“My race has had many names over the years,” the pony replied. “We have been called domovoi, ayperi, houris, faeries. I believe your people call us, flutter ponies.”

“What do you want?” Applejack asked. The flutter pony laughed. It was sweet and as melodious as a song.

“Dear child,” the flutter pony said. “This is not about what I want; it is about what you want.”

“What I want?” the flutter pony walked past Applejack.

“Yes, there is something your heart desires. Or should I say somepony.” The flutter pony waved her right hoof and part of the mist circled in front of her. It changed its colour to amber and an image appeared in it. In the mist was a butter coloured pegasus singing to a group of animals. Applejack stared at the sight in awe.

“Fluttershy,” she whispered.

“Yes,” the flutter pony said. “You love this one don’t you poppet?”

“I do,” Applejack replied. “But I can’t have her. No matter how badly I want it.”

“Who says you can’t?”

“Beg your pardon?” The flutter pony only smiled at Applejack. With another wave of her hoof the image changed. In it, Fluttershy was cuddled close to Applejack. The farmer was smiling down at the pegasus. Applejack stared at the image with wide eyes. The pegasus then gave the farm pony a deep kiss. Applejack’s eyes then became wider.

“I can make your desire come true,” the flutter pony said with a calm voice. “If you so choose to have it child.”

“Sure,” a bitter laugh left Applejack’s lips. “And I can raise the sun. What are you going to do? Sprinkle some fairy dust and make it happen? I don’t think so. Now if you excuse me, I have apples to buck.” She turned away from the flutter pony and started walking away.

“While that may be a vast simplification of my magic, that is correct,” she replied. Applejack stopped her trek. “I can make the impossible happen.”

“How?” Applejack asked facing her. “Not even Celestia can change a pony’s heart.” Laughter again came from the flutter pony.

“Oh my dear sweet child,” the flutter pony said. “Celestia’s power is infantile compared to what my people can do. If the price is high enough, we can do anything.” The farm pony smirked and turned around.

“Nice try,” she said walking away. “If you’re going to make a claim like that, make it sound realistic.”

“Are you really comfortable with the sorrow in your heart?” Applejack again stopped. “Do you really want the pain in your heart to stay with you? Time does heal all wounds, yes, but it does not help with today’s pain. Let me help you, I can remove the sadness you feel. I can make you happy.” If this pony was telling the truth, Applejack could find happiness. She could find love with the pony she had lost. She could have what was once hers. Tears began welling up in her eyes. The flutter pony smiled a malicious smile.

“Now, poppet,” she said extending her left foreleg. “Let us make a deal.”
> Red Thread
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The mid afternoon sun shined down on the city of Canterlot as the market breathed with life. Dozens of ponies were selling their wares trying to attract customers, and hundreds more were moving around searching for trinkets and toys. High above the market stood one of the many towers of Canterlot Castle. Occupying one of those towers was a pink tri-coloured maned alicorn. She was watching the ponies go through their routine from her balcony. She watched with fascination as the ponies moved. Her eyes closed and a soft blue aura surrounded her horn. When her eyes opened once more they looked at the market place. Everypony looked the same with one exception; hundreds of white threads were attached to each pony. The threads were connected to everypony there. Vendors, customers, and even the tourists were connected to each other. Her eyes focused on a two ponies beside a flower vendor. One of the ponies was paying for a bouquet of flowers, while the other was standing around waiting for their companion to finish the transaction. The pony turned to their companion and presented the bouquet to them. The pony blushed and accepted it. The thread that connected the two turned itself to red as they walked away together. The alicorn smiled at the sight with a small amount of envy. She was able to see the connections that all ponies had for one another, both romantic and not. For some reason though, she could not see her own connections. She began to ponder why she was never able to do so.

“Your highness,” a male voice said derailing her train of thought. “Am I interrupting anything?” The alicorn turned to the source of the voice and saw a white unicorn stallion wearing a purple set of armour. Like the ponies in the market, she could see hundreds of white threads attached to him.

“Captain Armour,” she said smiling. “To what end has the captain of the Royal Guard come to see me?” The captain walked towards the alicorn with a smile on his own face. He gave the pony in front of him a kiss.

“I can’t take time to see my girlfriend?” he asked taking off his helmet.

“Not while you’re supposed to be on duty,” she replied giggling. Again, a soft blue aura radiated from her horn. When she looked at the captain, the threads were gone.

“Shhhh,” he said. “My boss doesn’t know I’m here, so keep it down.” A giggle escaped the alicorn’s mouth.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“What is it Shining?” she asked tilting her head. The stallion in front of her had a worried expression on his face. He could not look her in the eyes. Panic began setting in her mind. Oh dear Faust! He’s going to break up with me!

“We’ve been together for a long time,” he began. “Ever since Twily was a filly, you and I have spent a large amount of time together.” The alicorn sat herself down and stared at the stallion with fear in her eyes.

“And during that time, our relationship changed. It has changed to a point where we have gotten close. Most would be comfortable with that closeness, but I’m not.” Tears began to form in her eyes. Please don’t say it, please don’t say it, please don’t say it.

“So, I have to ask this,” he said. His horn glowed a deep purple glow. The alicorn closed her eyes, tears slowly flowing from them. He’s really doing it. He’s really going to leave me. Sadness filled her heart.

“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” he said. “Will you marry me?” Silence decided to accompany the two ponies. The alicorn opened her eyes. In front of her the stallion wore a gentle smile. Floating between them was an open red velvet box. In the box was a royal blue gem shaped like a heart. It had a silver trim and was attached to a silver ring. She stared at the pony in front of her. It took a few seconds for his words to register in her mind. A smile formed on her face and tears flowed from her eyes. She shot forward to the stallion and locked her lips with his.

“So,” the stallion said breaking the kiss. “Is that a yes?” A laugh came from his companion.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I will marry you Shining Armour.” She once more put her lips to his. Time slowed down for the two ponies. A cough brought them back to the real world.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” a gold armoured pegasus stallion said. “But Princess Celestia wishes to speak with you, captain.” The stallion sighed and slipped his helmet back on his head.

“I’ll be right there,” he said. He turned to his companion and gave her a hug. “See you soon Cadance.” The stallion let go and followed the other soldier. The alicorn once more performed the familiar spell and looked to her new fiancé. The white threads remained where they were, but a new thread was there, a red one, it led to her. She looked down and saw the red thread attached to her. She lifted it in her hooves and held it close to her heart. A smile was on her face as she was left alone.  
> First Lesson
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun lazily drifted above the horizon as its light flowed into Canterlot’s library. The light spilled over dozens of tables, hundreds of shelves, and thousands of books slowly bringing them out of darkness. Standing at one of the windows was Princess Celestia. She watched her country wake from its slumber. The sound of ponies waking up and setting shop drifted into her ears. Early morning conversations and bird songs could be heard mixed with the sound. All of it was music to her ears. Behind her, she heard the sound of two large maple doors opening. She turned to the source of the sound and saw a small purple unicorn filly walk into the library. She carried a bulging saddle bag and had an eager smile on her face.

“Good morning Princess,” she greeted. “I’m ready for my first magic lesson.” A small laugh escaped the princess’ mouth. Seeing an eager student always made her smile, no matter how many times she had seen the sight.

“Good morning Twilight,” Celestia replied. “Sit down, and the lesson can begin.” Twilight sat down at a nearby table and opened her saddlebag. She pulled out a dozen pieces of parchment, four inkwells, and three quills. Twilight looked up at Celestia with a smile on her face.

“I’m ready,” Twilight chirped.

“I can see that,” Celestia laughed. “Now, your first lesson is going to stray from tradition. I’m not going to give you a lecture, not yet anyways. I’m going to ask you questions and you should answer them to the best of your ability. Understand?” Twilight nodded.

“Good. Now Twilight, what’s a book?” The unicorn in front of her blinked in confusion.

“I’m sorry?”

“What’s a book?” Twilight again blinked.

“A book is a large amount of paper that is bound together,” she answered. “What does this have to do with magic?”

“You’ll see my student. That is correct. What do books contain?”

“They contain knowledge meant to teach ponies reading them.”

“Very good. Where does this knowledge come from?”

“It comes from the ponies who wrote those books.”

“How did they discover this knowledge?”

“They had to do research.”

“Why?” Twilight stared at her mentor. The answer was simple and complex at the same time. Her mind could not grasp onto a question with that scope.

“I don’t know,” she replied in a defeated tone.

“That’s all right,” Celestia reassured. “I would be surprised if you had an answer for me. Do you want to know why those ponies researched?” Twilight gave a slight nod.

“It’s because they imagined something better. They imagined that there was something that other ponies couldn’t see. So they worked hard to prove that what they imagined was real, and not just a fantasy.” Celestia’s horn gave off a golden glow. Off in the distance was a faint version of the same glow. A book covered in a golden aura flew towards the pair.

“Imagination. That is what causes ponies to seek knowledge. It also causes them to create. Take this spell book for instance. It contains at least three hundred spells in it. Each one different from the next. But they all contain a common thread, imagination.”

“I don’t understand,” Twilight said. “How is imagination the common thread among the spells? Isn’t the common thread magic since they all require magic to perform?”

“In a way, both of our answers are correct,” Celestia answered. “Ninety percent of magic is imagination. Everything else is just a bonus. Tell me, how does a unicorn perform a magic spell?”

“They have to focus their energy through their horn. Then they have to imagine… oh.” Celestia smiled at her student.

“Exactly. Imagination is the very foundation that magic is built upon. Without it, magic as we know it would not exist. If imagination didn’t exist, there would still be things like telekinesis and violent energy spells, but things like this.” Celestia’s horn glowed gold once more. From the light, small golden butterflies flew away from it. One of them landed on Twilight’s muzzle. Her eyes crossed focusing on it.

“Would not exist. Do you understand what I’m saying?” The butterfly on Twilight’s nose faded into golden sparks. The filly looked at the dust as it blew away.

“I think so. You’re saying that magic is powered by a pony’s imagination. That without imagination, nothing new will be created. That without imagination, complex magic spells can’t be performed.” Celestia’s smile remained on her face.

“Well said,” she said. Celestia’s horn glowed and a different book flew towards them. This book was a thin blue paperback. On it were the words The Little Prince. “Always remember that the imagination is an essential part of magic. No matter how much knowledge a unicorn has on magic, it is useless unless they have an active imagination. Now, would you like some fuel for your imagination?” Twilight smiled at her teacher, her eyes filled with childish excitement. Celestia opened the book, and began to read.
> Assumptions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A sea of oranges, browns, and yellows stretched across the trees of Sweet Apple Acres. All the fruits had been harvested and all that remained on the trees were the dying leaves. The Running of the Leaves had yet to happen, leaving the farm bathed in autumn colours. Beneath one of the many trees were three fillies, one yellow, one orange, and one white. They were sitting in a circle, paper and saddlebags between them. Each of them were busy completing their work. Silence decided to keep the three of them company.

“Hey Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said. “Has Rarity been acting funny?”

“Funny?” Sweetie Belle cocked her head. “Define funny.”

“You’re the dictionary,” Scootaloo said. “Shouldn’t you know this?” Sweetie Belle glared at her pegasus friend.

“Scoot, I’m trying to be serious here,” Apple Bloom said. “I think there’s something wrong with Applejack.”

“What does Rarity have to do with this?”

“Well that’s the thing. Sometimes Applejack talks in her sleep. For the last few days she’s been saying Rarity’s name. Not only that, but she’s been sneaking out of the house late at night for a while.” Sweetie Belle tapped her chin in concentration.

“Now that you mention it,” she said. “Rarity has been acting rather odd.”

“Odd how?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, last week when I stayed at Rarity’s, I heard the door open while I was trying to sleep. Then I heard these weird sounds coming from her room. They sounded like heavy panting and moaning. She also said someone’s name. While it was muffled, I think she said Applejack.” Apple Bloom stared at her friend with terror in her eyes.

“You don’t think something’s wrong with the two of them do you?” Worry set into her mind. “They could be really sick. Both Rarity and Applejack could have this incurable disease that causes them to forget who they are!” Apple Bloom’s eyes stared into space as she imagined both her and Sweetie Belle’s sister slowly dying.

“That sounds a little farfetched Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said. “I don’t think it’s a disease. It sounds like they’ve been replaced by pod ponies.”

“Pod ponies?!” he companions both exclaimed in terror.

“Yeah, I read that they go into society and replace ponies. They assimilate into towns and slowly take them down from the inside. Since they both are saying names that aren’t their own, it means that these pod ponies haven’t got a firm grasp on their aliases.” Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were huddled together in fear.

“So what do we do?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“It’s obvious isn’t it?” replied Scootaloo. “We sneak out at night, hide outside of Carousel Boutique, then when the pod ponies meet up, we get some evidence, and then expose them for who they really are.” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stared at their friend with an unreadable expression on their faces.  

“What?”

“Well, Scoot, don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s really well thought out.”

“And?”

“And Apple Bloom and I never expected such a well thought out plan to come from you.”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve done espionage work,” said Scootaloo. “If I’m right, and I’m 82% sure that I am, then we could be on the brink of an invasion. Plus if this goes well, we could get our cutie marks. So, what do you two say? Are you with me?” Both of her friends nodded.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER INVASION STOPPERS! YAY!”  All three of them screamed at the top of their lungs.


*


Night had fallen on the country of Equestria. In dozens of towns, ponies were deep in slumber. In Ponyville, the town was drifting into the land of Nodd. Not a single creature was awake, except for three little fillies. Just outside of Carousel Boutique stood a white unicorn and a yellow earth pony, the latter was pacing back and forth.

“Where is she?” Apple Bloom asked. “This was her idea. She should’ve been here by now.”

“Maybe the pod ponies got her,” Sweetie Belle said nonchalantly. Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in panic as the image of her friend being taken away by unearthly ponies appeared in her mind. Off in the distance, she could see a small figure carrying a saddlebag coming towards them. It was the size of a pegasus filly.

“Sorry I’m late,” Scootaloo said as she approached her friends. “I had to get supplies. That, and I saw Applejack coming this way, so I had to take a different route to get here.”

Scootaloo opened her saddlebag revealing at least a dozen high-tech gadgets. She held up two pairs of goggles and handed them to her friends.

“Where did you get this stuff?” Sweetie Belle asked as she fastened the goggles to her head.

“Mom and dad both build machines for the Canterlot Intelligence Agency,” she replied pulling out a stethoscope with exposed wiring all around it. “They let me test some of their inventions. When I told them we were spying on a few ponies, they told me to be well equipped and pointed me to their personal stash.”

“Wow, I didn’t think your parents would be okay with us doing this. My parents would probably…”

“Applejack’s coming!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. The three fillies dived into a nearby bush. They poked their faces out of the bush to find Applejack knocking on the door. The door opened and light spilled onto the street.

“Applejack,” a cultured voice said. “This is a pleasant surprise. I didn’t think I’d see you tonight.”

“That won’t be the only surprise tonight,” Applejack replied. “Can I come in?” The voice giggled.

“Of course.” Applejack entered the building and the door closed shut letting darkness return. Scootaloo pulled a box with dials and switches on it and plugged the stethoscope into it. She placed the bell to the wall as her friends put on headphones. Scootaloo flipped a switch and turned a few of the dials. Static was playing through the headphones. Eventually, two voices could be heard, presumably those of Applejack’s and Rarity’s.

“Does your family know about our little rendezvous?” asked Rarity.

“No, I don’t think so,” Applejack answered. “Big Macintosh might know, but if he does, he hasn’t said anything. Granny Smith is blissfully unaware of this. And Apple Bloom I know for a fact doesn’t.”

“Know for a fact huh?” Apple Bloom muttered. “Clearly you don’t pay enough attention.”

“You should be careful Applejack,” Rarity replied. “Your sister is smarter then we give her credit for. The same goes for Sweetie Belle. For all we know, they could be listening to this very conversation right now.” All three fillies felt their blood go cold. Their eyes darted around looking for an escape. After a few tense moments, laughter could be heard in the headphones.

“Like that’ll ever happen Rare,” laughed Applejack.  The fillies gave a sigh of relief. “They’re probably busy sleeping right now.”

“Very true. Speaking of our sisters, we should probably thank them when we tell everypony. After all, if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have spent so much time together and none of this would have happened.”

“Yeah, we probably should. When do you think we should tell them?”

“When the thrill of doing this without anypony knowing wears off.”

“That’s not going to happen anytime soon is it?” A giggle came from the other occupant in the building.

“No, but that’s the way I like it. And I know you do too.” Their voices cut out leaving the fillies to listen to silence.

“What happened?” Apple Bloom asked. “Why aren’t we hearing anything?”

“Maybe they stopped talking,” Scootaloo replied slowly turning the dials. “Or maybe they’re talking in a frequency this can’t pick up.” Apple Bloom reached for the dials and started frantically turning them.

“Well let’s find one where we can hear them!”

“Wait! Don’t do that! You might…” Sparks started flying from the box and complete silence was projected from the headphones. Smoke rose from the box after Apple Bloom lifted her hooves from it.

“Oops.”

“Great, now I have to explain how we broke this prototype,” Scootaloo grumbled. Sweetie Belle pushed the goggles in front of her eyes and fiddled with the dial on top of it. She stared at the wall in front of them.

“Scootaloo?” she asked. “Does this thing have X-Ray built into it?”

“It does, why?”

“Cause all I see on the other side of the wall is skeletons. I can’t see them clearly.”

“That’s how X-Ray works Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo sighed. “You know what, this will be easier.” Scootaloo stood on her hind legs and looked into the window above her. Her eyes widened in shock. On the other side she could see both Applejack and Rarity on the floor; the former was on top of the latter. Both of their lips were locked together. Scootaloo lowered herself and fell onto her haunches.

“What did you see?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Were the pod ponies talking to their leader?” Scootaloo rubbed her temples with her hooves.

“Okay,” she began. “Good news is that it isn’t pod ponies and it isn’t some sort of disease rotting their mind.” Her companions gave a sigh of relief.

“So if it’s not pod ponies or a disease, what’s happening over there?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Don’t look in the window,” Scootaloo warned. “You might not like what you see.”

“Why?’ Sweetie Belle asked. “What’s over there?” She stood on her hind legs and looked through the window. Apple Bloom joined her. Their eyes widened at the sight. Instead of being on the floor, Applejack was pinned against a wall by Rarity and their lips were still locked with each other’s. The two fillies fell on the ground.

“Told you not to look,” Scootaloo said.

“So,” Apple Bloom said.

“So,” Sweetie Belle repeated Apple Bloom’s sentiment.

“Applejack is Rarity’s special somepony and vice versa,” Scootaloo said. The three of them sat in silence.

“Does this mean that Sweetie Belle and I are sisters now?” Her companions shrugged. They sat in the bush unaware of what to do next.

“Now what?” Sweetie Belle asked. In response, Scootaloo pulled three mechanical bracelets from the saddlebag.

“What are these?”

“Dad called them ‘Nous Divers’. They’re only prototypes, but according to him, with them anypony can walk into the dreams of another. Since everypony is asleep, they should also be dreaming. Want to test them out?” Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom strapped one of the bracelets onto their forelegs.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS DREAM DIVERS! YAY!” the three of them whispered loudly. They all then gave a single high hoof and turned on the bracelets.
> Feriae Denicales
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria, unlike many countries, is full of magic. While this is obvious seeing as two of its rulers control celestial bodies, that statement runs far deeper than one would expect. Every citizen of the country has magic within them. There is an inert body of magic in each pony, and it manifests itself in different ways for each race. The pegasi have mastery over the sky, the unicorns can manipulate the fabric of reality, and the earth ponies are able to feel the very heartbeat of the planet. The magic runs deeper than that as well. Every plant, every animal, and every living thing within Equestria has magic within them. This magic is tied to life. So long as there is life in Equestria, there will be magic and vice versa. By some quirk of fate, the magic began to fade.

At first the loss of magic went unnoticed by the populous. The first things to lose their magic were the plants. Day by day, plants slowly withered away. Flowers and trees began dying as if preparing for winter. Scientists all around the country ignored it, they believed that Mother Nature was preparing for a cycle of rebirth, they were wrong. The animals soon followed. The smallest creatures were losing their life as the plants were. One by one, they fell into slumber, never to awake again. Birds fell to the earth, fish breached the surface of the water, and all sounds of wild life ceased.

Panic soon set in. A countless number of ponies feared for their lives. Some claimed that the country was dying, others believed it to be the work of a malevolent deity, and a select few believed that this process was to reset the world. Ponies worked as hard as they could to reverse what had been done, but even the most dedicated of ponies could not turn back the hands of time. The magic soon left the populous, only at a slower rate. The earth ponies were the first to feel the loss. Thousands of earth ponies went on with their routine the best they could. However, they felt weak, as if they were physically and mentally exhausted. With a single blink, earth ponies returned to their namesake. One by one they closed their eyes, and one by one they returned to the earth.

A similar fate came for the pegasi. Days had passed since the earth ponies lost their lives. Equestria was in a state of panic and fear. What remained of the pony race was a group of scared individuals. The fear quickened the process. Much like the earth ponies, the pegasi closed their eyes, never to open them again.

In the capital city of Canterlot, only a handful of living ponies remained. With two thirds of the pony race gone, many gave into despair. They took their lives believing that death was inevitable. Within the castle walls two alicorns, one a midnight blue and one a sparkling white, watched their soon to be lifeless country. Tears were freely flowing from their eyes.

“Your highnesses,” a voice said behind them. They turned to see a white blue maned unicorn stallion. He dragged his body towards the pair, stumbling every other step.

“Captain Armour,” the blue alicorn rushed to his side. “You should not be here. You should stand by your family’s side, not ours.” A chuckle came from the stallion.

“I wouldn’t be a good soldier if I abandoned my post,” he said. “There’s something I have to get off my chest first.” He backed away from the pony supporting him and stood tall.

“Throughout the years that I have been a guard, I have worked tirelessly. I have followed every order, every command, and every proclamation. And it has been my honour to do so,” he said. His head lowered to the floor in a bow. “It has been an honour to serve you princesses.” His eyes began to close and darkness began closing in. He could feel his body becoming weaker.

“It has been an honour to have you, captain,” said the white alicorn. Before darkness claimed his sight, he saw both alicorns returning his bow. A smile formed on his face as everything faded away.
> Memorable Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia opened her eyes to find a goat staring right at her. She blinked at the strange sight and sat up. Her body slowly moved and the sounds of glass bottles moving entered her ears. The sound made her mind feel like a stampede was running through it. Both of Celestia’s forelegs rushed to her ears.

Oh, my head. That never gets less painful. Her eyes scanned the room she was in. All around her were empty glass bottles. They all varied in size and colour. Some of the bottles had a dark brown colour while others were frosted. Various streamers hung from the walls and at the end of each one was pink goo. In front of her were the remains of what looked like a scarecrow. It was missing an arm and there were burns all over it. Through its head was a spear. She looked to her left to find a barrel with fire coming from its top. What looked like sticks of burnt marshmallows sat around the rim. Beside the barrel slept a tiger. It, for one reason or another, was wearing a bowler hat. Celestia stared at the sight until the sound of bottles moving reached her ears. She turned to the sound and found her younger sister rising from the glass.

“Ow,” she said rubbing her temples. “Even after 1500 years of life, that still hurts.” Luna opened her eyes looked in front of her. She blinked in confusion. Her head turned to Celestia, and after a few moments her face showed understanding.

“Sister,” she said. “Did what happen last night…”

“Yes, yes it did Luna,” Celestia replied.

“So we really…”

“That is correct.”

“With the fire and the….” Celestia nodded.

“And the stabbings…” Celestia again nodded.

“And those gypsies…” Luna was greeted by another nod.

“The falling down a cliff…” Another nod.

“The magical summoning of those demonic…” A final nod. Luna stared at her sister. Her expression changed from shock, to amusement, to horror, to pride. Their attention was grabbed by the sound of gentle snoring. They looked above themselves and found a pink earth pony hanging from a chandelier. Her tail was attached with one of the candle fixtures and her body limply hung from the chandelier’s bottom. On her face was a content smile.

“Is that….” Celestia began.

“It is, sister,” Luna replied. They stared at the sight in silence. After a few moments, quiet laughter came from the two.

“That was the most fun we have had in 1000 years,” Luna laughed. “You were right. This pony is fun.”

“Isn’t she?” Celestia looked around the room. “The castle staff isn’t going to be happy with us.”

“Are they ever?” The two shared another laugh. They looked around the room with smiles on their faces. Celestia’s eyes were on what looked like a galleon made out of balloons while Luna’s were on an overturned cannon. A comfortable silence sat with them.

“We,” Luna said breaking the silence. “We think we should do this again, only with your faithful student joining us.” Celestia smiled at her sister.

“And I agree with you. If there’s one pony who needs a night like that, it’s her. How does Tuesday sound?”

“Fun, that’s what sister.” Both ponies pounded the other’s hoof. They then recoiled from the sound as it echoed in the room.

“Ow.”
> SCIENCE!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A white unicorn ran as fast as her hooves could carry her across Ponyville. She looked at the library with terror in her eyes. Above the library were dark storm clouds. Occasionally, thunder rolled across the sky and lightning crackled. This would not be an unusual sight if all of Ponyville was experiencing a storm; however those clouds were only over the library. Two metal rods pierced the sky, both of them were attached to the library and had metal spheres attached to the end. Lightning struck one of the spheres and the energy could be seen moving down the rod. Thousands of possibilities moved through the unicorn’s mind, all of them very very bad.

Celestia help us all. What horrible act is Twilight performing? She could be trying some unholy experiment, she could be playing god right now, or worse! She could be playing therapist again! Rarity’s body trembled as the last thought. When she reached the library’s entrance, she could hear muffled organ music through the door as well as maniacal laughter. Rarity bucked the door down and rushed in. She was greeted by a unicorn wearing a lab coat with dark red stains on it. Over the unicorn’s eyes were a pair of tinted goggles. She was standing beside a large metal box with dials, meters, and switches all over it. Around the library were hanging wires, some leading to the metal box and some leading behind a green curtain. On one of the library’s balconies was a large organ. The organ was being played by a purple baby dragon. It, like the box, had wires all over it. A thick wire was coming from the organ and it led to the metal box. Ominous noise was coming from each of the organ’s pipes. Over the noise, Rarity heard mad laughter coming from the unicorn.

“YES!” she said. “That’s it Spike! Keep playing, and soon it will be ready!”

“Twilight!” Rarity shouted. “What is all of this?” The unicorn turned her eyes to the library’s guest. An insane smile appeared on her face.

“Rarity,” she laughed. “I’m glad you’re here. You can be the first one to witness it!” Rarity stared at her friend with fear. The music was reaching its climax and Twilight walked to a large lever on the box.

“What have you done?” Rarity’s voice trembled.

“What I have done,” Twilight replied. “Is SCIENCE! Glorious glorious SCIENCE!” She pulled the lever down causing a sparking sound to come from it as it connected a circuit. Electricity could be seen coming from the organ’s large wire. It was moving towards the box. Once it reached the box, it emitted a large humming sound. Twilight’s smile grew wider at the sight. After a few moments, silence was in the library.

“Oh Twilight,” Rarity said. “There are lines that ponies are not meant to cross. Why have you done so?” Twilight cocked her head in confusion. She lifted her goggles and stared at her friend.

“Rarity, what do you think I’ve been doing?” Twilight asked.

“You’ve been tampering with the very forces of nature,” Rarity said. “You’re playing god right now. And it is wrong.” Laughter, genuine laughter, came from Twilight. Rarity’s face acquired a confused expression.

“I haven’t been doing anything like that,” Twilight laughed. “I haven’t been tampering with nature, I know I can’t play god.”

“Then what’s this gargantuan machine then?” Rarity asked pointing to the box. “Clearly it’s some device meant to spit in the face of Mother Nature.”

“This is used to measure energy,” Twilight explained. “It measures the energy from lightning. The reason it’s so big is because it’s just a prototype.”

“If that’s the case, why were there storm clouds above the library?”

“Those are artificial.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Twilight signaled Spike with her hoof. He walked to the side of the organ and unplugged a small plastic box. Spike tossed it down to Twilight and she caught it with her magic.

“This,” she said. “This is what was creating the clouds.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a device meant to create an artificial atmosphere that matches music. After my brother’s wedding reception, the DJ asked me to build her something to help improve her shows. She wanted something that could add mood based on whatever music was playing. This is the end result. I call it the ‘Requiem Projector’.”

“So Spike playing that organ was because…”

“We were testing the projector.” She then levitated the device to a nearby shelf, setting it down.

“Why would you need a machine designed to measure energy for testing such a device?” A nervous expression appeared on Twilight’s face.

“Well, when Spike was playing the organ, storm clouds appeared. Lightning kept falling from the clouds, so I decided to feed two birds with one seed and research the lightning.” Rarity blinked.

“If you aren’t doing anything against nature, why is there blood on your lab coat?” Twilight looked at one of the red stains on her coat and blushed.

“Well, Rarity, this isn’t blood. It’s…”

“It’s hot sauce,” Spike said walking down some stairs. “Twilight’s a really messy eater when we have tacos.” Spike disappeared behind the curtain as Twilight’s blush deepened. Rarity stared at her friend with confusion in her eyes. She then laughed.

“Oh Twilight, that is adorable,” Rarity said. “You’re just as bad as Sweetie Belle.” Twilight looked to the floor and tapped it with one of her hooves. Rarity coughed.

“Anyways,” she said. “I’m sorry for the assuming that you were doing wicked experiments. It’s just that with the storm clouds, the laughter, your history with these kinds of things, I just thought that would happen.”

“It’s alright Rarity,” Twilight replied. “If I were in your position, I would have assumed the same thing.” Rarity walked back to the entrance of the library. She turned her head to her friend before she left.

“By the way, would you like to join me and the girls for lunch tomorrow?” Rarity asked. Twilight smiled at her friend.

“I’d like that. See you then.” Rarity waved at Twilight then shut the library’s door. A sigh escaped from Twilight’s mouth and she turned around to the curtain. She walked behind it and was in front of a metal table. On the table was a unicorn mare made out of caramel coloured clay. Her mane and tail were painted a shade of copper brown. Spike was attaching two metal clasps to the faux pony’s ears.

“That was rather close don’t you think?” he asked. Twilight walked to another lever and handed a pair of goggles to her assistant.

“It was,” she replied. “We’re going to have to be more subtle with the experiments. Otherwise, the princesses might catch on and shut us down, calling the both of us insane.” She pushed her goggles down to her eyes and Spike did the same. Twilight pulled the lever and a familiar sparking sound came from it. Energy moved through the wires and into the clay pony. Both Twilight and Spike stared at the sight with only the sound of energy moving accompanying them.

“So, when are we going to tell everypony about our little golem?” he asked. Twilight pushed the lever back to its original position and the sound stopped. Spike removed the clasps and the two waited. The pony’s foreleg twitched, and her eyes slowly opened.

“Maybe later,” she answered.
> Unexpected Aid
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Stop right there criminal scum!” an armoured pegasus shouted. He and an armoured unicorn were chasing a pink pony down one the halls of Canterlot Castle. The pony in front of them was happily bouncing along and laughing. The unicorn laughed along with her. Something about her laughter was infectious.

“I’m not going to stop,” the pony sang. She turned her head at the two and flashed them a wink. “Besides, you two enjoyed it as well.” The pegasus cracked a smile at the events that transpired only moments ago.


*


Prince Blueblood exited his chamber with his head held high. His blond hair shined in the moonlight and was perfectly combed. He wore an azure bowtie and a fresh boutineer was pinned to his lapel. In front of the stallion was a window with his translucent reflection in it. He approached the window eyeing his reflection.

“Why hello there,” he said. “You look perfect as always.” The two guards standing at his chamber doors rolled their eyes. As Blueblood was admiring his reflection, the glass shimmered for a brief moment. Instead of Blueblood’s reflection being in the glass, a pink earth pony mare was in the glass holding what looked like a cream pie. Blueblood stared at the glass in confusion while the reflection of the pink pony smiled at him.

“What in Equestria…”

“SURPRISE!” the reflection yelled. The cream pie pushed through the glass and hit him straight in the face. Blueblood was pushed back and he fell on his haunches. The pink pony jumped out of the glass and landed in front of him. She rolled on the ground laughing at the prince. Behind him, both of the guards were laughing as well. Blueblood wiped the cream out of his eyes at gave the pony a look that could kill.

“You dare to assault royalty?!” he seethed. “You’re not fit to stand in my presence you filthy mud pony.” The pony looked up at him with a smile on her face.

“Hey Prince Blue,” she said. “Calm down, it’s just a prank. Relax.”

“Yes,” he said. “Just a harmless prank, for laughs.” Uncomfortable laughter came from his mouth. The pony joined him with genuine laughter coming out of hers. He suddenly stopped laughing.

“Twelve years dungeon,” he said. The pony just stared at him. Both of the guards stopped laughing at stared at the prince in shock. He turned to the guards. “Seven years, no trial. Come on, move her down there.”

“Your highness,” the unicorn said. “Don’t you think that is rather extreme for something so…”

“Well,” the pony said stretching the word out. She lifted a bright blue ball from her mane and held it up. “If you want to send me there, you have to catch me first!” The ball was thrown to the ground and confetti exploded everywhere. Both Blueblood and the guards covered their eyes. When they looked at the spot where the pony was, she was gone. Confetti was still falling from the sky, and laughter could be heard down the hall. The guards laughed. Blueblood glared at the guards.

“Well, what are you waiting for, after her!” The guards were still laughing at the absurdity of what had happened. “Now, or ONE MILLION YEARS DUNGEON!” The guards stopped laughing and chased the echoes in the hall.


*


Both guards smiled as the pony led them to an open window. She jumped into the frame and stood on her hind legs facing them. A toothy grin was on her face as she looked at them.

“Gentlecolts,” she said. “You will always remember this as the day you almost caught Pinkamena! Diane! Pie!” She gave the two guards a bow and jumped out of the window. At least she would have, if the unicorn had not tied her hind legs with one of the curtains. With a thought, the pony was telekinetically pulled down from the window to the floor. The curtain then tied all four of her legs together. Both the unicorn and pegasus approached the pony.

“Oooo,” she said. “You guys are good. No wonder you two are guards.”

“Miss Pie was it?” the pegasus asked. “Your actions were unwise. The prince is furious with you.” The unicorn nodded.

“He is most likely going to be furious with us if he learns you escaped,” the unicorn said. “And it is going to make our lives much harder.” A look of guilt appeared on the pony’s face.

“And that,” the pegasus smirked. “is well worth it to see Blueblood like that.” The pony looked at her two captors. Both of them had wide smiles on their faces.

“So you’re just going to let me go?” The curtain binding her legs unwrapped itself.

“We are,” the unicorn said. “Next time though, we’d like a word of warning the next time something like this is going to happen. That way we can help you.” The pony stood and smiled at the two guards. She stuck out a foreleg and both ponies shook it.

“By now, the entire royal guard has heard of your exploit,” the pegasus explained. “Each one of them would be more than willing to help you with something like this again. We’ll tell them your name, that way they know who you are. Anypony in the guard would give their left hind leg to see royalty and nobility humiliated like that.” The pony leapt into the window frame and looked at them.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. “Till next time boys.” She gave a small salute and jumped from the window. Both guards returned it as she was leaving. The two guards then began the trek to their post, wide smiles on their face.
> Happily Ever After
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity opened her eyes and found darkness. She stood up and stretched her sore body. A pale blue aura came from her horn, revealing a large pile of rocks. How convenient for the entrance to be blocked. Looking above her, she saw that the rocks piled to the ceiling. With no other options, she turned around to find a new exit. What she saw made her eyes grow to the size of saucers. Embedded in the floor and walls were gems of every colour. Reds, browns, blues, purples, and pinks all were within the walls.

“Sweet Celestia!” she yelled. “So many beautiful gems! All mine for the taking.” She began to trot into the cave staring at her glittering surroundings. Diamonds, and sapphires, and rubies, oh my! There’s tourmaline, and tiger’s eye, and even beryl too! And is that… YES! Citrine! I must remember where this is so I can use them for my dresses. Rarity’s eyes were sparkling as hundreds of designs came into her mind. Off in the distance she could hear a voice. It sounded like… her own? She stopped and listened closely.

“We’d been BFFs forever, and we didn’t even know it!” the voice said. Something seemed off about the voice. It was an exact copy of her’s. Rarity galloped towards the source, her voice echoing off the walls. After a few moments she reached a turn. Beyond the turn was a glow and the source of the voice.

“Please tell me I did not forget the plates,” the voice said. A gasp soon followed. “I did! I totally forgot them. Of all the worse things that could happen, this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!” The voice then started to cry. Why am I hearing my own voice? Rarity turned around the corner and gawked at the sight. In front of her were large crystals forming a wall. The crystals were projecting her memories. One of the images showed her and Fluttershy preparing for Photo Finish’s visit. Another showed her falling during the Young Fliers Competition. Another showed her creating the Gala dresses and singing. Rarity slowly walked forward taking in the sight.

“What is all of this?” she asked. She stopped in front of one of the crystals and saw herself writing a letter to her friends. The Rarity in the image turned her head and looked at her.

“This,” the image said. “is your life darling.” Rarity jumped back in surprise. The background that her reflection stood in faded away to blackness. The Rarity in the crystal turned to face Rarity.

“Who are you?” she asked. The reflection smiled at her.

“I’m the voice of your desires,” it said. “Everything that you have done is because of me. Whatever you wanted, I helped you get.” Rarity opened her mouth to ask more questions, but her reflection held up a hoof stopping her.

“There is something though,” the reflection said. “something I can’t help you acquire.” The reflection’s horn gave off a pale blue glow and the images changed. Three images replaced the ones that were present. All of the images had Rarity in them, and she was close to another pony. Each of those ponies were her friends. In one of the images both she and Twilight were wearing custom monogrammed robes and having a spa treatment. In another, she was singing a love song to Fluttershy. Above that image, she and Rainbow Dash were… intimate. Rarity stared at all of the images in awe.

“Out of all the things you want,” the reflection began. “I can’t help you acquire love.” The images merged together and formed an orange earth pony. Rarity was very familiar with this pony, it was the one she loved. The reflection looked at Rarity with sad eyes.

“It hurts doesn’t it?” it asked. “Watching the pony you love go off gallivanting with somepony who is unworthy of her?” The image of the single pony split into one of two ponies. This had a pale blue pegasus stallion with his wing wrapped around Applejack. The two of them were sharing a loving gaze. Tears welled up in Rarity’s eyes.

“Yes,” she cried. “Yes it does hurt. Why are you showing me this? Why are you tormenting me by showing me the fairy tale ending that I can’t have?” Her reflection’s expression softened.

“I’m making up for what I failed to do,” it said. “That way, you can have your fairy tale ending.” The image again changed. In it, Applejack was wearing chain mail with her cutie mark in the mail’s center. On top of the chain mail was a cape that matched Rarity’s eye colour. Standing in front of Applejack was Rarity. She was wearing a pale blue dress that flowed down her body. The two were staring at each other with love in their eyes. Applejack then gave Rarity a deep kiss. The Rarity watching the image stared in shock. The reflection smiled.

“If you want,” it began. “you can have this. You can be a princess with Applejack as your knight in shining armour.” Rarity just stared at the image, words having failed her.

“However,” the reflection said. “nothing is free in this world. There is a price.” Rarity didn’t care though. A smile was on her face and happy tears flowed from her eyes. This was her chance. She could finally live happily ever after. She could be happy with the pony she loved.

“Whatever the price,” she said. “I’ll pay it.” The reflection gave her a coy smile. All the crystals around Rarity shattered. Each one broke into small pieces and they rained down on her. The only one that remained had her reflection in it. For a brief moment, the reflection’s eyes turned into cat like eyes.

“Wonderful,” the reflection said. The reflection disappeared and the crystal rippled like water.

“All you have to do is walk through this threshold,” her voice echoed around her. “and your new life will begin.” Rarity touched the crystal, ripples pulsed from where her hoof stood. The crystal felt cold, yet warm at the same time. She pushed herself deeper into the crystal, happy thoughts swimming in her mind. Wait for me my love. I’ll be there soon.

Rarity entered the crystal into her new life. She was entering a life where she could be happy, a life where she would be loved, and a life where she herself could not love another.
> Traditions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moon slowly rose over the fields of Sweet Apple Acres. Moonlight was slowly flooding over the trees. The light touched everything except for a house with bright burning candles. Sitting in front of this house were three ponies: one fragile and green sitting in a rocking chair, one large and red sitting on a bench, and one nimble and orange sitting on the ground. Each one of them was busy tuning a musical instrument. They held a banjo, a guitar, and a violin respectively. The door to the house opened and a small yellow filly with a pink bow trotted out with a cowbell in her mouth.

“Why are we out here?” Apple Bloom asked. Applejack turned to her sister having finished tuning her violin.

“You know that song that is always played at the Apple Family Reunion?” she asked.

“The Anthem? What about it?” Granny Smith set her banjo to the ground and signaled her youngest granddaughter to sit beside her.

“That song,” she began. “is older than you and I could possibly imagine. My pappy taught it to me, and he learned it from his pappy, who learned it from his ma, who learned it from…” She was interrupted by a cough from her grandson.

“Anyways,” she continued. “that song is something we always play during our reunions. The song is meant to celebrate our happiness, our prosperity. It’s how we say we love each other without saying it. But it has another purpose. It’s played in remembrance.” Apple Bloom looked at her family. Each member had solemn looks on their faces.

“Do you know what today is Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked. The filly tapped her chin in concentration.

“Saturday?” her family gave a small chuckle in response.

“Nnope,” her brother replied. She looked to Granny Smith and saw great sadness in her eyes.

“Today’s the day I outlived my son,” she whispered. Apple Bloom’s eyes widened at this revelation. Both Applejack and Big Macintosh had sad looks on their faces. The four of them sat in silence. The youngest Apple sniffled.

“So today is the day that Ma and Pa,” she choked out.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh answered. Tears started freely flowing from her eyes. Granny Smith lifted her banjo and began plucking the strings.

“Now don’t you cry youngin,” she said. “My son wouldn’t want to see his daughter cryin.” Big Macintosh held his guitar and began to play. Applejack held the bow to her violin in her mouth and did the same.

“But, but,” Apple Bloom sniffed.

“Hush child,” Granny Smith interrupted. “Play.” Apple Bloom swallowed her sadness, closed her eyes, and tapped on the cowbell. The Apple family sat in the darkness with their song echoing into the night. Three of four family members had memories surface in their mind. All of them involved two ponies. The memories each had a different emotion associated with them. Some of the memories were happy, some of them sad, some angry, and some embarrassing. As they played, a wind blew passed them. Mixed in with the wind was the sound of laughter. The laughter sounded far away, and yet close at the same time. Apple Bloom’s eyes shot open as the song was reaching its end. Although she had never heard those voices before, she instantly recognized them. Ma? Pa?

Granny Smith plucked the last note from her banjo and the family sat in silence. They looked at their apple orchard with a mixture of pride and sadness. Granny Smith let out a yawn and stretched herself. The sound of bones cracking emitted themselves from her body.

“Well,” she said. “I best be off to bed. Mac? Could you help me out?”

“Eeyup,” he said. Big Macintosh lifted his grandmother from her chair and entered their home. Applejack and Apple Bloom continued to stare at field.

“Applejack?” Applejack turned to her sister. “Do you miss them?”

“Every day sugar cube,” she answered. “I kind of envy you. You don’t have any memories of them, I can imagine it makes their missing presence less painful.” Apple Bloom shook her head.

“You’re thinking backwards,” she said. “It hurts more because I don’t have any memories of them. All I have are two names and two faces. I don’t have their voices in my head like you or Big Mac. I don’t have memories of seeing them grow like Granny Smith. It hurts not knowing who they actually were.” Silence sat with the two siblings. Apple Bloom threw her forelegs around her sister.

“Whoa nelly!” The youngest Apple clung to her sister.

“I know that The Anthem is meant to say we love each other,” she said. “But I think we should still say it anyways. I love you Applejack.” Applejack wrapped her forelegs around her sister. A sad smile appeared on her face and a single tear fell from her eyes.

“I love you too, Apple Bloom.”
> Characters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Ponyville’s library, a baby dragon was busy preparing for a party. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a black vest over it. On his waist was two belts. One circled his waist, and one hung from the first belt. On the hanging belt was a plastic gun in a holster. Below the belts he was wearing a pair of blue pants with an orange dotted line going down both sides of his legs. He set a punch bowl on a nearby table and sighed.

“Twilight!” he called. “This party was your idea, so you should help set it up!”

“I’m coming Spike,” she replied. Twilight descended a set of stairs and the dragon stared at her. She was wearing a beige jacket with an orange trim. On the left lapel of the jacket was a stick of celery. Underneath the jacket was a white sweater vest with orange and black stripes in its center leading to the shoulders. Underneath that was a white dress shirt with two question marks on the collar, one on the left and one on the right. On top of the unicorn’s head was a white panama hat with an orange band around it. Spike looked at Twilight with confusion.

“Well?” she asked. Spike scratched his head.

“Are you a cricket player?” he asked. A giggle came from Twilight.

“Come on Spike, you know who I’m dressed up as.” Spike blinked. Twilight cleared her throat. “For some ponies, small, beautiful events are what life is all about!” Again, Spike blinked.

“Are you dressed up as some obscure character like that time you were dressed as that faceless detective with the blue fedora and trench coat?

“The Question is not an obscure character,” she said frustrated. “He was created by the same pony who created Spider-Mane, and he had three episodes focusing on him in Justice League Unlimited!” Spike gave her a deadpan look. A sigh left Twilight.

“I’m the Doctor,” she said.

“I thought the Doctor wore a tweed jacket and had a bow tie,” Spike said. Twilight’s horn lit up and levitated a banner to the ceiling.

“They’re both the Doctor,” she replied. “The Doctor you described is the current incarnation of him. The one I’m dressed up as is the fifth incarnation.” Spike shrugged.

“How am I supposed to know that?” he asked hanging streamers on a wall. “All I know is that the Doctor has been around for almost 40 years and that there have been many actors who played him. This Doctor was probably before my time.” Twilight smiled at him.

“Very true,” her horn glowed and a basket of cupcakes entered the room. “But when we were younger, you watched the older episodes of Doctor Whooves with me, remember?”

“I was a baby when we did that.”

“You’re still a baby.”

“Yeah, but I’m not a baby by pony standards anymore.” Before Twilight could respond a knock came from the entrance way. Twilight continued decorating while Spike answered the door. When he opened it, he was face to face with a pink pony. Her mane and tail were poofy, but instead of their usual pink, they were dyed brown. On her head was a wide-brimmed brown fedora. She was wearing a brown plaid vest with a burgundy cravat sticking out of the vest’s top. Over the vest was a brown waist coat. The strangest thing about her outfit was a scarf that measured at least twelve feet hung on her neck. In one of her forelegs was a bag of candy.

“Hey Pinkie,” Spike said. “You’re here early; the party doesn’t start for another hour and a half.” Pinkie entered the library and Spike closed the door.

“I know,” she said. “But I figured that since you two were hosting a party of this size, you could use some help setting up.” Pinkie reached into the coat’s pockets and pulled out some balloons and started blowing. Spike, like what he did with Twilight’s costume, looked at Pinkie with confusion.

“Who are you dressed as?” he asked. Pinkie let the balloon she had in her mouth go and it flew around hitting Twilight.

“Do you like it?” Pinkie asked. “When I heard you two were hosting a costume party, I let out the hugest gasp like GAAAAAAAAAAASP. It gave me the perfect opportunity to use this. But when the invitation said that the theme was fictional characters, I let out an even bigger gasp! I think I broke a record or something since when I gasped a second time, the windows in my room shattered. Anyways, it took me forever to make this costume. Well, not the coat or the vest or hat or cravat, those I already had. But this scarf took an eternity to make. But it’s well worth it because for tonight I get to be…” Twilight turned away from her decorating and stared at her pink guest. Her eyes widened at Pinkie’s costume.

“The Doctor,” she gaped. Pinkie looked up at Twilight and a wide smile appeared on her face.

“OH MY GOSH! TWILIGHT YOU’RE HIM TOO!” she exclaimed. “This is perfect! We’re both the greatest character in science fiction history! Well, besides Marvin the Paranoid Android. But that doesn’t count since he’s a character in a series that’s over. I’d like to be his friend though; he would probably cheer up after attending one of my parties. But then again…”

“Hold up,” Spike interrupted. “How are you both dressed as the Doctor?”

“I’m the Doctor that preceded Twilight’s Doctor,” Pinkie answered. “I’m dressed as the fourth Doctor while Twilight is dressed as the fifth. And man, am I glad I chose this one. I almost chose the fifth. That would have been awkward, having two ponies dressed as the same thing. But it was a tough decision. I couldn’t choose between the sixth, fifth, fourth, or third. They’re all so amazing! I mean really, how can a pony choose? The sixth had this colourful costume, while the third knew kung-fu. And the fifth had…” Twilight turned around and walked back to her room.

“Where are you going Twilight?” Pinkie asked.

“You’re right Pinkie,” she said. “It’s awkward for two ponies to be dressed as the same thing. So, I’m going to go upstairs, and put on my Huntress costume.”

“Ooo, that’s a great idea! Both you and her are voiced by the same person.” Pinkie said. Twilight stopped on the middle of the stairs and turned to her pink friend. A confused look was on Twilight’s face while a smile was on Pinkie’s. “But before you go, I have to ask you something.” Pinkie reached for the bag of candy and held it open to her friend. In the bag was a large number of multicoloured soft candy in the shape of foals.

“Would you like a Jelly Foal?” 
> Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Time heals all wounds. If I keep working, keep bucking apples, keep taking care of the farm, the pain of knowing that she is gone will fade away. Today may hurt, but the pain will eventually disappear, so long as I keep up my routine.

Time heals all wounds. But it does not mean that there is no pain for today. It does not mean that the bright colours of yesterday will keep their splendor. Why should I continue? If the world is just as gray as it was before, why should I keep smiling?

Time heals all wounds. However, the wounds will leave a scar. Those scars will be forever in the heart, in the mind, and in the soul. They will be covered in scar tissue, and they will be ugly. They must be covered up. I have to cover up the pain. Create something fashionable to cover up the scar that has been left on my soul. Then, maybe nopony will notice how much I’m hurting.

Time heals all wounds. A little kindness can speed up the healing process. I have been giving as much kindness to my friends as I could, but it is not enough. Seeing their sadness only intensifies my own pain. There is not enough kindness to heal their pain. I want it to stop, but it won’t, no matter what I do.

Time heals all wounds. If there is no wound, then there is nothing to heal. A body was never found. She’s still alive. I just know it. I will find her. While others have lost faith, I haven’t. They call me a fool; they say I’m wasting my time. Maybe I am one, because only a fool hopes.

Time heals all wounds. But what if the wounds are not your own? Seeing all of my friends hurting because of me, I just want it to go away. Even with all my magic, I can’t help them with their pain. And it makes me feel powerless. I feel powerless to not be able to talk to them, to not be able to comfort them in their time of need. I just want to go up to each of them and tell them not to cry. But I can’t. Not even the most powerful magics in the world can allow a specter to communicate with the living.
> Wagers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia sat in her private chambers with a gentle fire running in her fireplace. In front of her was the latest entry in one of her favourite book series. A content smile was on her face as she read through the book. Small purple sparks flew from the fireplace. Celestia stared at the sparks as they formed a small cloud. The cloud swirled around and formed a scroll. She reached for the scroll with her magic and unravelled it.

Dear Princess Celestia.

When you first sent me to Ponyville, I knew nothing of friendship. I thought that it was pointless, that it interfered with the pursuit of knowledge. But I was wrong. Friendship is a wonderful thing that can bring happiness to anypony no matter what their age or size. I thought I was at my happiest with my friends being my friends. I was again wrong. I learned that friendship can evolve into something greater. Something more satisfying and more fulfilling, I have discovered that friendship can turn into love.

Celestia smiled at the words. Twilight had grown so much in the past two years, and it made Celestia happy to see that growth. She gave a small laugh. “Friendship can turn into love.” You have no idea how happy that makes me Twilight. I wonder though, out of your friends, whose heart have you captured?

There was this warm feeling I held inside whenever I thought of my friends. That feeling that I held close to my heart was something I associated with friendship. However, that feeling turned out to be romantic love, and I held it for all of them. At first, it was confusing. I have always been taught that a pony can only love one. My friends though, have shown me otherwise. I love all of my friends, and they in return love me.

Celestia blinked in confusion. She reread the last two sentences to be sure that she wasn’t hallucinating. My friends though, have shown me otherwise. I love all of my friends, and they in return love me. She was not imagining those words. There were three things in the world that could anger Celestia: ponies suffering under tyranny, somepony eating the last pancake in a stack of a dozen, and losing a bet. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and let out a loud string of words that were unfit to come out of a princess’ mouth.


*


On the other side of Canterlot Castle, two ponies sat in a deep purple room. One of them was wearing deep purple armour and had bat wings. The other was a midnight blue alicorn. In between the two was a chess set with pieces all over the board. The lunar guard was moving his bishop when a loud noise caused him to drop the piece. Both of the room’s occupants jumped in surprise. Incoherent screaming could be heard outside the room.

“Your highness,” the guard said. “What is that? Is Canterlot Castle under attack?” The two listened to the noise trying to decipher it.

“STUPID LUNA AND HER BUCKING CORRECT PREDICTIONS! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO BE BUCKING RIGHT?! SHE COULD HAVE HAD HAPPINESS WITH PINKIE, BUT NOOOOO. SHE HAD TO HAVE HAPPINESS WITH PINKIE AND ALL OF HER FRIENDS!” the words eventually degraded into incomprehensible nonsense. Luna smiled as the noise became louder. The chamber’s large oaken doors opened and Celestia entered the room. Her face had the same regal and dignified expression that she always wore when addressing her subjects. She carried what looked like a sack of bits with her magic. She set the bag beside Luna.

“There you go Luna,” Celestia said. “What other things do you desire?”  

“We’d like blueberry pancakes for breakfast,” Luna began. “nine barrels of Sweet Apple Cider, a group of engineers to design a new chariot for us, some moon lilies, your regalia, and for three weeks: you will wear a mustache during day court, you will personally deliver a butterscotch sundae to us before night court begins, and you will say ‘I’m a pretty pony princess!’ whenever you start a new conversation with somepony.” For a brief moment, a scowl formed on Celestia’s face, but it went unnoticed by the guard. She then bowed to Luna.

“As you wish.” Celestia then exited the room, closing the oaken doors. Luna began counting the bits in the sack while the lunar guard had a confused expression on his face.

“Your highness,” he asked. “What was all of that about?” Luna continued counting the bits.

“Oh nothing,” she replied. “Our sister just lost a wager with us.”
> Real Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four ponies stood in Pinkie Pie’s room. Two of them had looks of confusion on their faces, one was smiling, and the final pony had a look of pure terror in their eyes. In front of them were four inanimate objects: a bucket of turnips, a pile of rocks, a sack of flour, and a large pile of lint. All of the objects had party hats on their “heads”.

“Pinkie,” Fluttershy said. “didn’t you say that there were four special ponies that you wanted us to meet?”

“I said that there were four special friends that I wanted you all to meet,” Pinkie replied. “I never said they were ponies.”

“None of these things are alive though,” Twilight deadpanned. “How can they be your friends? Unless they’re imaginary.” Pinkie giggled in response.

“They’re not imaginary,” she said. “They’re just as alive as you or me. Now, introduce yourselves to each other, I have to go help Mrs. Cake with the cake. I need it done before the Applejack and Rarity get here.” Pinkie trotted down the stairs leading into Sugar Cube Corner leaving the three other ponies alone. When the door closed, the third pony began acting hysterical.

“Oh this is bad,” Rainbow Dash panicked. “Very very bad.”

“Rainbow you’re over reacting,” Twilight said. “Besides, it’s Fluttershy’s job to panic, not yours.” Said pony gave Twilight a very brief look of indignation.

“You don’t understand,” Rainbow said. “Remember how last year I had to drag Pinkie to AJ’s barn?” Her friends nodded.

“When I came here to pick Pinkie up, she was having a party with inanimate objects, THESE inanimate objects. Do you know what this means?”

“That Pinkie has an overactive imagination?”

“That Pinkie reverts back into a childish state with imaginary friends when she feels depressed?”

“No! It means that Pinkie’s lost it again!”

“We would appreciate it if you didn’t talk about Pinkie that way,” a gruff male voice said. All of the ponies in the room looked around. The voice seemed to be coming from in front of them, but there was no one there.

“We’re right in front of you dumb ponies,” a male voice with a lower Manehattan accent said. All three ponies jumped in surprise. The four inanimate objects began advancing towards them. Twilight’s expression took one of curiosity, Fluttershy cowered under her mane, and Rainbow Dash got up in a defensive stance. The pile of lint made a gesture and the four objects stopped.

“Pardon my earthen friend over there,” he said with a cultured voice. “He does not like it when others can’t see the obvious. Before we continue, allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Sir Lints A Lot.” The ball of lint somehow gave a bow. He then gestured towards the other objects.

“And these are my friends. Rocky.” The rocks jumped.

“Mr. Turnip.” The bucket of turnips shook itself.

“And this is…”

“Bonjour, je m’appelle Mme. Le Flour,” the sack of flour said with a high pitched French accent. “Comment ça-va?" The three ponies blinked. Mr. Turnip somehow managed a cough.

“Her name is Madame Le Flour,” he said. All three ponies had looks of confusion on their faces.

“How are the four of you alive?” Twilight asked.

“That is not important right now,” Madame Le Flour replied. “What is important is our pink friend. What is she to you?”

“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s a simple question you chump,” Rocky snorted. Rainbow Dash pushed her face into what she assumed was his face.

“Who are you calling a chump, chump?” she fumed.

“Well it ain’t the two land based ponies over there, so I guess that leaves you doesn’t it?”

“Say that again you…”

“Gentlemen, and ladies,” Sir Lints A Lot intervened. “now’s not the time. Perhaps we should explain. Pinkie Pie is a very close friend to us. Without her we would not exist.” All of the objects nodded in agreement.

“Without us,” Mr. Turnip said. “Pinkie would not have been happy at the rock farm.”

“We provide her comfort and friendship,” Rocky said. “We protect her from all the bad things out there, and she is very dear to all of us.” Rocky pushed his way past Rainbow Dash and stood in front of the other two ponies.

“Exactly a year ago to this date, Pinkie came to us,” Rocky explained. “She was very hurt. She said that her friends had abandoned her, left her alone on her special day.” Rocky somehow acquired a menacing look and gave it to Twilight and Fluttershy.

“Care to explain why?” Fluttershy continued to cower under her mane while Twilight became nervous.

“W-we were planning a surprise party,” she stuttered. “We had to keep Pinkie away or else it would ruin the surprise. We didn’t mean to hurt her like that.” Rocky continued glaring at her. Mr. Turnip hopped to Rocky and hit the back of his head.

“We’re aware of what your intentions were that day,” he said. Rocky glared at Mr. Turnip. “That’s not what we’re concerned about. We’re more concerned about what will happen to Pinkie down the line.”

“Oui,” Madame Le Flour said. “Pinkie is very fragile. We need to know that her friends will care for her as much as we do.”

“So,” Sir Lints A Lot began. “we ask again: what is she to you? A joke? A knight? Or your lover?” The three ponies looked at each other.

“I can’t speak for anypony else,” Fluttershy said. “but to me, she’s a very close friend. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her.”

“To me,” Rainbow began. “she’s my best friend. I’ll protect her from anypony who tries to hurt her. And those who do will have to answer to me.” All of the objects looked at each other, nodding in agreement. Rocky turned to Twilight.

“And you?” Twilight nervously tapped the floor.

“Well,” she said. “Pinkie holds a special place in my heart and I...” Her voice descended into barely audible noise. Rocky pushed his face to Twilight’s.

“Say that again.” A blush appeared on Twilight’s face.

“I said that after the party today that I...” Again, her voice became muffled.

“Am I going to have to beat the answer out of you?” Twilight tightly closed her eyes.

“I’M GOING TO ASK HER OUT!” she screamed. Everyone in the room, pony and inanimate object alike, stared at her. Twilight tapped the floor, blush still on her face.

“I,” she began. “I care for Pinkie more than any of you could possibly imagine. Whenever I see her, my steps feel lighter. Her laughter is beautiful music to me. She makes the world a brighter place.” The objects looked at each other.

“So what is Pinkie to me?” she continued. “She’s someone I want to care for. She’s the candle in the darkness. She means everything to me. And I would do anything to make her smile.” Rocky and Mr. Turnip returned to their friends and all of them, despite not having faces, smiled.

“That is exactly what we were looking for,” Sir Lints A Lot said. “We trust that you three will take good care of Pinkie?” The three ponies nodded.

“Then we have nothing to worry about,” Mr. Turnip said. “But know this.” All four of the objects grew in size and towered over the ponies. All of their eyes widened in fear.

“If any of you intentionally hurt Pinkie,” Madame Le Flour said. “Know that we will make you pay dearly. Know that the worst thing you can imagine will look like eternal bliss when we come to collect your payment.”

“Capicé?” All three ponies nodded their heads. The objects returned to their regular size. Sir Lints A Lot cleared his throat.

“Very good. Now, Pinkie told us she had five close friends. Would you mind handling introductions when the other two get here?”
> Past Infinity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In one of Manehattan’s many skyscrapers sat an office. In that office was a white unicorn with a light black mane and tail. His mane was slicked back and a grey streak ran through it showing his age. He wore a sparkling cyan blazer with a silver tie around his neck. On his flank was a red stylized crane with its wings opened up, circling its body. The other occupant of the office was an azure unicorn with a silver mane and tail. On her flank was a stylized moon and wand. The older unicorn was busy constructing a cake while the other was staring indignantly at him.

“Who are you?” she asked. “And why have you brought Trixie to this office?”

“Pardon me for not introducing myself earlier,” he said still working on the cake. “My name is Kougami. I am the president of a foundation that shares my name, and I have brought you to my office because I see something in you.” A crimson aura surrounded his horn and a ladle began stirring a mixture into a bowl.

“And what, pray tell, have you seen in the great and powerful Trixie?” she asked. “Do you see how dazzling she is? How much more powerful she is than you? How much presence she has?”

“I see a weak filly looking for power,” Kougami replied. “I see a filly who desires to be something great.” Trixie deflated slightly at his words.

“How dare you accuse Trixie of being…” Kougami pointed the ladle at her and a small amount of frosting flicked onto her face.

“AND IT IS WONDERFUL!” he screamed. “I haven’t seen a desire like that in a long time.” Trixie wiped the frosting off her face.

“What are you babbling on about?”

“Desire, my little pony,” he began. “It is the source of life itself. When a foal is born, it cries to show what it wants. To live is to want.” With the ladle, Kougami began spreading frosting along the cake.

“You have an unquenchable desire correct?” Trixie nodded. “Then you already have more power than anypony could possibly imagine.”

“Trixie demands that you start making sense!” Trixie fumed. Kougami was still calmly frosting his cake. He set the ladle aside and looked straight at the unicorn. His horn glowed and he turned a phonograph, music filled the room.

“Desire is power,” he explained. “Few realize this. And desire is infinite. If you could tap into desire, the very thing that drives us, then you could obtain infinity, NO!” He took a decorating bag and began pouring cream onto a nearby table. Trixie looked to the table and found that he had written an infinity symbol with the cream.

“If done properly,” he continued. “you could obtain a power greater than infinity!” The decorating bag added another circle to the infinity symbol. What looked like three rings attached to each other remained when he was done. Trixie looked at the unicorn, on his face was a child like smile. But his eyes held madness. He turned his attention to a cookie and began carving it.

“That is what you want isn’t it?” Kougami asked. “To be the greatest and most powerful? To stand out amongst everypony? To command respect?” Trixie looked at the symbol again. This pony was right in his assumptions. She did want power, and she had a bottomless desire. This pony could allow her to have her desire be satisfied.

“Trixie,” she said. “wants power.” The older unicorn smiled at her.

“WONDERFUL!” he screamed. “Then allow me to help you tap into your desire.” His horn lit up and a crimson aura surrounded Trixie. The aura latched onto her and flew into her mouth. She let out a pain filled scream as it entered her body.

“ENDURE! This is DESIRE! Bottomless, all encompassing and big!” he laughed. “This is POWER! This is your desire. And it is WONDERFUL!” The last of the aura entered Trixie’s mouth and her eyes closed.

“Desire will bring the world to rebirth. And you will help it.” Trixie opened her eyes. Her eyes let off a gentle violet glow. Kougami smiled as he finished his cake. He put the cookie on the cake and presented it to her. It was a chiffon cake with white frosting on it. It held three candles on it, and the words “Happy Birthday” were written on it in red jelly. A cookie with her cutie mark on it sat in the cake’s center.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Kougami said as he lit the candles. “Great and POWERFUL Trixie.”
> Quick Visit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a more secluded part of Sweet Apple Acres stood two apple trees. Unlike the reset of the fields, these were the only two apple trees that stood there. Applejack stood at the foot of both trees and stared at them. Her eyes were fixed on two carvings on the trees. On the left tree an apple with a section missing was carved into it, and on the right tree a heart made out of an apple was carved into it. She stood there in silence. Wind blew past her and swept her mane to the side.

“Applejack!” a voice called. Applejack turned and saw a white unicorn waving at her. Beside her was a picnic basket. “Are you ready for our picnic?”

“Just a sec.” Applejack walked to the trees and gave each one a gentle buck. Both of the trees dropped a single apple. She caught both in her hat. With the literal fruits of her labour in tow, she approached the other pony. The apples were surrounded in a gentle blue glow and floated to her eyes.

“What are these?” she asked. Applejack returned her stetson to her head.

“Just a little something special,” Applejack replied. “Come on Rare.” Applejack walked away from the trees, leaving Rarity alone. Rarity looked at the trees. What looked like two translucent ponies were looking at her. One of them was a large stallion while the other was a mare the size of Rarity. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, but they were gone. Rarity shrugged, grabbed the basket, and followed after Applejack.  
> Comfort
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A train sped through the dessert. In one of the cabooses sat two creatures, one male and one female. The female was nervously tapping the floor.

“Something wrong?”

“Hmmm? Oh, no. Nothing’s wrong Braeburn.”

“I’d like it if you didn’t lie to me.”

“Nothing’s wrong, honest.”

“That being the case, why are you frantically tapping the floor?” The tapping stopped, leaving the two to listen to the train.

“Come on, talk to me.”

…

“Please?”

“Alright. I’ll admit it. I am nervous. I’m meeting your family for the very first time, what if they don’t like me?”

“You’ve met my family who live with me in Appleloosa and they like you.”

“That’s because I’ve worked alongside them. I made a good impression on them after we settled that stampeding dispute.”

“What’s really bothering you?”

…

“This is about something bigger than meeting my family isn’t it?”

“What if they don’t approve of our relationship? What if they cast you out of the family? I couldn’t live with myself if they did.”

“Let me share with you a small piece of wisdom that Faust passed along to me when I was a child.” The female leaned in closely.

“Buck ‘em.” The female stumbled.

“That’s it?”

“Yep.”

“How is that going to help us?”

“Simple. If my family sees our relationship as something unholy, then they can go straight to Tartarus. And if they do disapprove, then they’re being hypocrites.”

“How so?”

“One of the first things that an Apple is taught is to listen to their heart. That has lead us to where we are, and it usually lead us to happiness. If Granny Smith and her family didn’t listen to their hearts, Ponyville wouldn’t exist. If I didn’t listen to my heart, then I wouldn’t have helped found Appleloosa. And if I didn’t listen to my heart, you and I wouldn’t be together right now.”

…

“You alright?”

“Yeah, I am now. Thanks Braeburn.” The female embraced the male in a hug.

“No need to thank me Strongheart. Your happiness is all the thanks I need.”
> End Game
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

WARNING! WARNING! LEVEL FIVE LOCKDOWN HAS BEEN INITIATED! PLEASE STAND AWAY FROM THE BARRIERS!

The words echoed around as Spike and Twilight ran down a metal corridor. Orange lights were flashing above them as they moved. One by one, metal doors closed behind them as they passed certain areas. They stopped in front of a steel door with magical runes etched into it. Twilight’s eyes were moving in panic as her horn lit up.

“Not to ruin the mood,” Spike said. “but why exactly are we going to the danger room?”

“Because there’s something terrible going on,” she replied. “The impossible has happened, Spike.” The runes began to give a soft glow. Spike’s eyes widened.

“Has Discord returned?” Twilight shook her head. The glow became brighter.

“Are the changelings back with an even bigger invasion force?” Again, Twilight shook her head. The glow increased in strength.

“Has Celestia become a tyrannical dictator, declaring martial law on Equestria, killing her sister, and sending all those who stand against her to the moon?” For the third and final time, Twilight shook her head. The runes shined with the intensity of a star, and the door opened. Twilight and Spike rushed through as the door slowly closed.

“It’s far worse than that, Spike,” she said. “This may lead to the end of the universe as we know it.”

“FOR FAUST’S SAKE! WHAT’S HAPPENED?!” he screamed.

SHUTTING BARRIERS THREE AND FOUR! PLEASE FIND THE NEAREST SAFE ROOM!

Twilight closed her eyes as the doors slammed shut. They reached another door, both Spike and Twilight pulled out a set of keys.

“Okay, but be warned, this may only make the situation more tense.”


*


Twilight was walking towards Sugar Cube Corner with a basket at her side. Spike had been doing his share of chores and a little more. Twilight had decided to reward her assistant with something sweet. When she opened the door to the bakery,  her basket dropped to the ground. In front of her was a pink pony hanging streamers on the wall.

“So Pinkie was preparing for a party, that’s nothing new.”

“Hush Spike, it’s rude to interrupt somepony.”

The pony turned her attention to the purple unicorn and let out a wide grin.

“Hi Twilight!” she said. “You’re early. I didn’t think I sent out invitations yet, but since you’re here I might as well tell you. My sister is here for a visit and we’re going to have a party in her honour!”

“I am aware that Pinkie has sisters. She told me her cutie mark story.”

“What did I say about interruptions?”

Twilight’s eyes however, were not focused on Pinkie. Her eyes were focused on another pink pony; this one was mixing batter in a bowl. She had the exact same build as Pinkie, but her pink colour was slightly darker. Her mane and tale were the exact same length and had the same characteristics as Pinkie’s. Her cutie mark was near identical to the party pony's, the only difference was that there were two yellow balloons and one cyan. On her face were splotches of batter. Pinkie looked to where Twilight was focusing.

“Oh, don’t mind her rudeness,” she said. “She gets really focused in her work. Thulie!” The pony looked up at Pinkie and Twilight and gave a smile that was identical to Ponyville’s party pony.

“Oh my gosh! A new pony!” she screamed. “I’ve never meet you before, but I hope we can become instant best friends and…”

“Calm down Thulie,” Pinkie laughed. “Twilight, this is my twin sister, Thulianna Abigale Pie.” Thulianna tossed the bowl into the air and hopped to Twilight. She picked up one of Twilight’s hooves and began shaking it. The bowl landed on her mane without spilling any of the mixture.

“I’ve always thought that name was a mouthful, so you can call me Thulie! All my friends do! So I guess that means you’re my friend now!” she giggled. “We’ll get to know each other later once the party starts, but that won’t be for a while.” Thulianna let out a large gasp.

“How would you like to help setting up? We could have a ‘setting up for this party’ party, that way I can get to know you better and we can get this party ready!” Pinkie in response let out a near identical gasp.

“That’s a great idea!” she cheered. “So what do you say Twilight, do you want to help?” Twilight stared at both of the ponies with terror in her eyes. Both of them had wide expectant smiles on their faces. She took in a deep breath, and screamed as loud as she could. She turned and galloped away from the twins, still screaming with fear.

“Is that a no?” Thulianna asked. Pinkie shrugged.


*


SHUTTING BARRIERS FIVE AND SIX! LEVEL FIVE LOCKDOWN COMPLETE!

Twilight and Spike removed their keys and entered the safe room. The room lit up, on its floor was a large magical circle. On top of the circle were a table and a set of supplies. The right wall was lined with large shelves full of books while the left was lined with food and water supplies. The back wall was covered in monitors and in front of them were two chairs. The door closed behind them and the monitors came to life. All along the monitors were images of Equestria. Spike looked to the ground, his eyes full of dread.

“So you’re saying…” Twilight nodded.

“Yes Spike,” she said. “For all intents and purposes, there are two Pinkie Pies on the face of Equestria.” A silence sat with them as the weight of Twilight’s words fell on them. Spike dropped to his knees and covered his face.

“Faust help us all.”
> Introspection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Burn the monster!”

“It needs to be purified with fire!”

Various other proclamations came from a group of ponies, many of the phrases involved fire in some way. They all surrounded a large wooden pole. Tied to it was a vaguely pony shaped creature. It had an exoskeleton and all of its legs had holes in them. It had a horn and wings, but they shared the likeness of an insect’s. Its eyes, like the wings and horn, were insect like. This creature was known as a changeling, but to the scared ponies, it was a monster. It looked down on them with a calm expression on its face. He watched as they threw lumber beneath him. Beneath the calm exterior was fear. This changeling was afraid. He was afraid that he would never see his siblings again, he was afraid that he would never see the Queen again, and he was afraid to die. Changelings are taught to never show fear, when their prey knows that they are afraid, they will see weakness. He kept the mask on, even though he was terrified.

It is said that the mind drifts to strange places when one is about to die. For some, they see certain memories, for others, they have a sudden epiphany. The changeling was experiencing this first hand as he had a moment of introspection. During the Canterlot invasion, he and his siblings were fighting six ponies. All six of these ponies posed a threat to the swarm and had to be stopped. Ordinarily, when a pony faces a changeling, they are filled with fear. Their expressions take one of dread, that expression only makes feeding on them more satisfying. However, one of the ponies was different. A certain pink pony was laughing during the scuffle. When the changeling was attempting to be menacing in front of her, she just laughed.

“Do me, do me!” she squealed. The changeling was confused at the act and obliged. When he looked into her eyes after his transformation, he saw fear. It was not openly expressed like what others did. Instead, this pony laughed. It was confusing to the changeling and he never understood why she did it.

Looking back at that moment, the changeling understood why. She was laughing to overcome the fear. It didn’t make sense, but it seemed to work. The ponies had just finished setting up the lumber and one of them had a torch.

“We will now correct one of Faust’s mistakes. May this fire cleanse the monster, and allow it to be reborn,” the pony said. The torch touched the wood and a small fire came to life. The changeling grinned. He looked at the fire as it was growing. A chuckle escaped his lips. The ponies looked up at him in confusion. The chuckle evolved into a quiet laugh. The flames reached his legs. The pain was unbearable, but instead of screaming, he laughed. He was howling with laughter as the flames were reaching their zenith. The ponies stepped back, their eyes filled with terror. Many of them cringed as the changeling continued to laugh.

As the flames covered the changeling, a terrible laughter echoed from the fire. The fire itself seemed to be laughing, and the sight filled the ponies with fright. The ponies were scared, however the changeling wasn’t.
> The Doctor Is In
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A purple unicorn stallion stood in front of Sugar Cube Corner. Ordinarily, the bakery would be alive with the sounds of customers purchasing baked goods, or the sound of baking. Since it was Sunday, the bakery was closed. On the door was a “Closed” sign, the stallion’s eyes were not focusing on that. Instead, they were focused on a sign above it.

Office Hours

Sunday: 10:00 – 19:00

He blinked. He looked at the card that his assistant had given him.

Dr. Berriswainer DaVinci Bubble. Psychiatrist.

32 Market Street

This can’t be right. This is Sugar Cube Corner, not a psychiatrist’s office. The door opened and three stallions stood at the door, one mint green, one cream coloured, and one pink. The pink one had a round pair of glasses on his face and was wearing a navy blue blazer with a grey tie.

“Now,” he said. “do you two want another appointment?” The two other ponies shook their head.

“No thanks Berry,” said the mint green pony. “I think we can handle this on our own.”

“Thank you,” said his cream coloured companion. “We probably would have been separated if you didn’t help.” The pink pony bowed.

“It’s always a pleasure to help,” he smiled. The two ponies walked away from the bakery and the other pony waved. He turned his attention to the purple stallion when the two were out of sight. “Hi Dusk! Are you my 2:00 appointment?” Dusk’s jaw unhinged itself as he stared at the pink pony.

“Berry?” he asked in disbelief. “You’re Dr. Berriswainer DaVinici Bubble?” Berry chuckled.

“Well of course I am! I thought the last name would have made it obvious. Come inside,” Dusk entered the bakery and the door closed. “You’re going to have to come upstairs with me. Normally I would have sessions here in the foyer, but the Cakes said I can’t do that anymore after trying some electroconvulsive therapy on a patient.” The two of them headed for Berry’s room. Hundreds of questions were running through Dusk’s mind, the most obvious one had to be asked.

“Since when were you a psychiatrist?” he asked. Berry opened a door and ushered his friend in. Inside was a large chaise lounge. Sitting beside it was a chair and desk. On top of the desk were some papers, a quill in an inkwell, an hourglass, a bamboo tree, and a small waterfall.

“I’ve always been a psychiatrist,” Berry answered. “Parties are expensive. So when I was younger, I decided to get a high paying job that helped ponies. And since psychiatrists help ponies and get paid a lot, it was the perfect choice.” Dusk sat himself on the chaise lounge.

“I’m sorry Berry, but the idea that you’re a psychiatrist is just…”

“Ludicrous? Hard to believe? Insane? Nonsensical?” Berry interrupted. He sat down at the chair and turned the hourglass over. “Don’t worry, I’ve been told that a lot. But it’s true, and I have the degree to prove it. See?” He pointed behind Dusk. On the wall was a framed degree from Manehattan University with the words “Dr. Berriswainer DaVinici Bubble” written on it.

“Huh, I’ll be damned,” Dusk said. He looked to his friend; he had a calm expression on his face and was silently waiting. “So, how does this work?” Berry pushed his glasses up.

“Share whatever it is you want to share,” he answered. “Nopony outside of this room will hear what comes out of your mouth. I promise. So, clearly something’s wrong if you made an appointment here. How can I help?” Dusk tapped the chaise lounge.

“It’s really personal; I don’t think I can share it with a friend.” Berry took the quill and wrote on one of the papers.

“Dusk, this is a safe environment,” he said. “If you feel uncomfortable sharing with a friend, then try imagining me as somepony other than a friend.” Dusk let out a sigh.

“Alright. You know how Butterscotch and Applejack’s sister are an item?”

“Of course, I threw a party for Scotch and Ariane a couple months ago.”

“Well, for the past few weeks, whenever I see them I feel a little jealous.”

“Jealous of what?”

“At first, I thought I was jealous of Butterscotch.”

“Well who wouldn’t be jealous of him? Ariane’s gorgeous! Any stallion I know would have given anything to have a shot with her!” An unamused expression appeared on the patient’s face. “I’m sorry, continue.”

“The more I thought about it though, it wasn’t Butterscotch I was jealous of; it was Ariane.” Berry scribbled on his papers.

“I don’t know where this feeling is coming from. Do you have any ideas?”

“Have you tried using Occam’s razor?”

“Berry, that’s what I’ve been trying to do. But I just can’t find the simple explanation.” A sigh escaped Berry’s mouth.

“Alright, it seems I’m going to have to spell it out for you. If you’re jealous of Ariane, it means you have feelings for Butterscotch. And not those feelings that you feel for friends, I mean romantic feelings. In other words, you’re romantically attracted to Butterscotch.” Had Dusk been drinking something, he would have spit out his drink. Instead, a shocked expression appeared on his face.

“I’m not interested in Butterscotch that way!” he shouted. His face acquired a shade of red

“It’s nothing to be ashamed about. Applejack and Blitz roll around in the hay together all the time. Elusive has asked me to set him up with both stallions and mares before. And I like everypony no matter what.”

“Even if I was interested in him that way, I wouldn’t be ashamed, it’s that… wait, ‘rolling around in the hay’?” Dusk asked. Berry opened a drawer and pulled out two small plush figures that shared the likeness of his friends. One was orange with a blond mane, and the other was cyan with a rainbow mane. He set the orange plush on the desk and put the cyan one behind it. Berry then hit the two of them together repeatedly. Dusk’s face became redder. “Alright, I get it. Back to the issue at hoof, I’m not interested in Butterscotch.”

“If that’s the case, why would you be jealous?”

“I don’t know. But whenever I see the two of them together, I feel a little empty inside. I see them, and I want to be in Ariana’s place.”

“Have you ever had these kinds of feelings before?”

“No, never,” Berry scratched out something he had written. “It’s only after I came to Ponyville and made friends that I’ve felt something like this.” Berry tapped his chin.

“It’s clear that you’re feeling some sort of attraction,” Dusk opened his mouth but was silenced by Berry. “And don’t come up with a retort yet, just go with what I have to say. Let me ask you something. How do you feel about Elusive?”

“What does this have to do with…”

“Just go with it.”

“Well, he’s creative, very generous, has a high attention to detail, all of those are qualities I like,” he stopped for a few seconds. “And I’ll admit, there’s some sort of elegance and grace to him.”

“What about Applejack?”

“Hard working, down to earth, and honest. Not only that, but when he’s working in the fields, there’s just something hypnotizing about it.”

“Rainbow Blitz?”

“Loyal, brash, competitive, and a braggart. Ordinarily that last one would be something that bothers me, but with Blitz it just adds to his likability.” A smile formed on Berry’s face.

“You’re demisexual,” he said. Dusk cocked his head in confusion. “Earlier you’ve said that you’ve never felt something like this until you came to Ponyville and made friends correct?” Dusk nodded.

“Demisexuals feel desire towards those they have created an emotional connection with. Since you have a strong emotional connection to Butterscotch, you feel attraction towards him.” Dusk stared at the floor. This was something new, the idea seemed foreign, and yet it felt right at the same time.

“So what does this mean?” he asked.

“Not much,” Berry answered. “It means that you feel attraction to your friends. Speaking of which, would you like to go out with me?” Dusk gawked.

“What?”

“You’re demisexual, you feel attraction to those you connect with, and I have an emotional connection with you. Ergo, I have a shot with you,” he explained. Dusk just stared at the pony. Silence sat with them for a few moments. “So… is that a no?” A smile formed on Dusk’s face.

“No Berry,” Berry deflated. “It’s not a no. How does this coming Thursday sound?” His eyes widened as he looked to Dusk. A smile that was too big for his face began to form.

“Perfect,” he replied. “Go on ahead; I’ll meet you at the bakery’s entrance after I finish filing my notes on our session.” Dusk got off the chaise lounge and headed towards the entrance. Berry opened a drawer and pulled out another sheet of paper. He read over it with a smile on his face.

Romantic Interest: Dusk Shine. Amount of desirability: WANT!!!

Step 1: Ask Dusk out on a date.

Step 2: Sweep him off his hooves.

Step 3: ????

Step 4: Profit. Or live happily ever after.

Berry crossed the first item on the list off, and headed towards his friend.