Outside, the sun is lowering toward the horizon, causing a warm orange glow to cast across the scattered pink clouds of the sky.
Inside of the Golden Oak Library, Twilight sits alone in the dim light that pours in. She is reading a mysterious green-spined book. The cover is a deep charcoal black adored with a blood-red demonic symbol. A polished grey mechanical hoof is flicking through the pages. Her right hoof is keeping her balance. Each page consists of arcane text and symbols.
“Hmmm, surely it will work this time without incident,” she thinks aloud to herself.
She stops at a page, reading over it. She narrows her one good eye as she reads a passage, a gauze bandage wrapped around the left side of her face.
“Spiiiiiike!”
Spike walks clumsily up the stairs from the basement, watching his feet over a bunch of black-coloured candles he holds in his arms. “I’m coming! I’m coming!”
“Good.”
Her eyes scroll across the page, furrowing her brow with an exhale. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”
She rolls up the right sleeve of her dark grey jacket with a hoof. A red glow forms around her horn as she magically levitates the book to her nearby book stand in the center of the room. From the same table she levitates a silver razor-sharp ornate knife with runic carvings etched into it.
With a swift motion she slashes the knife across her right forearm.
“FUCK!”
The blade clatters to the oak floor, along with a few trailing drops of blood. Her teeth clench as she wets the hard metallic surface of her robotic hoof with the blood from the wound. Walking around the room, her hoof draws a large precise circle with an inscribed six-pointed star resembling her cutie mark inked in her blood. The blood dries out from her metal hoof just as she finishes the inscription.
She tends to her wound. “Spike, quickly! Place the candles already, dammit!”
He nods. Quickly yet carefully he places each candle in their proper place.
“Phew … Twi, we should really take a long break from all this demon summoning stuff…” He gives an exasperate sigh. “Remember what happened to you last time? I mean, look at you! Have you told Princess Celestia yet?” Spike tilts his head towards Twilight with with a concerned frown.
Twilight rolls her one eye, issuing an annoyed grunt. “They don’t need to know!” She shakes her head. “Besides, I have everything under control, Spike. Now, please, just light the candles!”
“Fine…”
One by one, he breaths his green flame on each candle, lighting them. The blood-enscribed circle glows a soft red and fills the air with a low quiet hum.
“Yes, perfect!” She grins manically, rubbing her hooves together.
The black and green-spined book levitates back over to her within a red glow. She begins to recite an incantation from the page.
The final word leaves her lips and the candle flames grow to an unnatural height, towering tall above the two figures. Green and yellow swirls dance in Twilight’s wide eager eyes, her lips pursed in a joyful smirk.
The library door is swung open violently, crashing loudly into the wall. Twilight turns her head sharply toward the door.
“Hey, Twi!” Obliviously barreling in is a bright cyan mare adorned with a black leather jacket and a shaven rainbow mow-hawk dyed black at the root. “Ya’ busy?”
Looking up to the tall green flames, her hooves touch the ground. “W-What the—?”
Twilight grits her teeth in anger. “Dash! Now’s not the time! I’m in the middle of something!”
Suddenly, the swirling green flames erupt into a volcanic tower of glowing light at the exact moment the sun sets below the horizon outside. The sky is painted a blood red as the clouds swirl around the Golden Oak Library in a vortex of fury, air screaming in through the open door.
The flames finally dissipate and the sky suddenly clears. Left amidst the aftermath is the dark silhouette of a unrecognizable pony-like figure with spired tall horns, sharp pointed ears, and a thin rattling tail that trails behind her across the floor.
Rainbow Dash sits in silence with her mouth agape.
Her robotic limb gestures towards the summoning circle with a wide proud grin. “Another successful summoning, that’s what!”
“Now what did you want?”
The last of the simmering green flames extinguish behind the demonic figure, revealing a matte pink coat. Light pink locks, fading to a deep rich magenta, drape down the neck of a pony-like body, forming a mane. Ashen bone claws its way around her chest in the form of a rib cage enshrouding the endless volcanic crater at its center that shows nothing but molten magma inside. Her horns and tail are each adorned with a golden diamond-encrusted ringlet, skeletal wings rest at her side, and the tips of her hooves seem to peal away at the tips to reveal the bone beneath. Black slits in orange eyes surrounded by blood red flash open toward the group.
“No way!” Rainbow Dash shouts, shoving a book that she owed Twilight into her friend’s face. She zooms right up to the demoness without a second a thought. “So awesome!!!” Her eyes dart excitedly from feature to feature in awe.
“Huh… Uh, Twi?” Spike’s claws lower from covering his face. He is looking at the pink demonic mare in front of him with a furrowed brow.
Twilight jolts her head in the direction of the dragon, just having dealt with a book being hurtled at her face.
“What, Spike!”
“The demon doesn’t seem to have attacked us...” He points with a claw toward the scene in front of him.
“Uh… Greetings?” The demoness speaks for the first time, bearing sharp teeth, her voice sounding oddly sweet and chipper. Her molten-looking eyes turn to Rainbow Dash. The demoness giggles cutely as she flitters boney rigged wings.
“Thanks! I like your colorful mane!”
Shoving Rainbow Dash’s owed book into Spike’s claws, Twilight walks closer to the others. “Hmm… The demon doesn’t seem to be violent in nature… Interesting.” She squints her eyes with a hoof to her chin.
“These are so cool!” With her left hoof Rainbow Dash carefully pulls out one of the demoness’ boned wings to get a better look. The wings are webbed with a lava-like film that’s hot to the touch.
“Ah! Fuck!” She quickly draws her hoof back.
“That fucking hurt!” She fans her hoof.
“Oh! My apologies. I didn’t mean to hurt you…!” Pinkie gasps, a boned hoof to her own mouth.
Rainbow Dash tends to her own hoof, shooting her a look. “What are you, like, some kinda’ lava-demon thingy?”
“Oh, sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Princess Pinkie.” She bows regally before them.
“And I guess you can think of me as a lava demon? We are kinda lava-y.” She gives a giggle-snort.
“That’s so rad! I’m Rainbow Dash! The one and only!” Rainbow Dash brings a hoof to her chest, puffing it out proudly.
She turns back to Twilight with a chuckle. “I like her.”
“Wait, wait, wait—hold the phone! You’re a princess!?” Twilight’s eye goes wide. “Princess of what exactly?"
Pinkie meets Twilight’s gaze. “Vulcænium! I’m one of the four, actually.” She shows a warm smile.
“Wait, one of four? Who’re the other three?”
“My sisters, silly!”
Twilight gives her a deadpan look.
“Well, I guess that explains the gold jewelry.”
“Vole … cane … um?” Suddenly Rainbow Dash is almost nose-to-nose with Pinkie. “Woah. What’s it like there? Are there other flying demons? Can you do any awesome tricks with those wings of yours? Or horns for that matter? Oh, oh! How about some demonic magic or something?”
“My wings can’t do anything special. But my magic—! Well, I don’t want to cause your friend’s house to turn to ash.” She giggles with her right hoof to her mouth.
“Yes, please, do not burn my house down.” Twilight points a frustrated frown at Pinkie. “Wouldn’t be the first demon to try that…” She mutters under her breath.
“Well, we could go hang outside instead?” Rainbow Dash folds her hooves and raises an eyebrow at Twilight.
“And hang out with the demon I summoned?” Raises an eye back at her. “Does that even sound like a good idea?”
“Totally!”
“Oooh, I’ve always wanted to explore the mortal realm!” Pinkie exclaims gleefully.
Twilight sighs in defeat. “Yeah, sure, since you seem to be getting along so well…” She rolls her eye. “Why don’t you show her around?”
“Really!?” Rainbow Dash leaps into flight in excitement. She turns sharply toward Pinkie. “Ya’ game?”
“Absolutely!” Her sharp teeth show in a grin.
“Then, yeah, go.” Twilight seems suddenly curt. “Just keep an eye on her, okay, Dash?”
“Got it! Let’s go, Pinks!” There’s a speedy blur as she flies out the door, leading the way for Pinkie to follow.
As the energy in the room dissipates, Twilight trots over to a tattered calendar hung on the wall. A metallic hoof passes across the surface, showing X after X scratched in red, day after day. Today’s date is circled.
“Y’know, I always wanted to spend a day with a demon.” Rainbow Dash bears a smile toward Pinkie as she soars beside her.
Outside the Golden Oak Library the pair is flying through the Equestrian night sky of deep blue. The stars are twinkling, and there’s nothing lighting the streets but the moonlight and the peering light through house windows.
“Well, today’s your lucky day, then!” Pinkie bears a toothy grin, her flapping skeletal wings keeping her in flight. “Or, well, night, I suppose!” She giggles to herself, ending in a snort.
Suddenly a loud growling comes from Pinkie’s stomach. “O-Oh excuse me! I skipped my morning meal.” Her face flushes red.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes go wide in response. “Damn, girl! Somepony’s hungry!” She chuckles. “Good thing I know the best hayburger place! Maybe we can eat there for dinner?”
“Hay-burger…?” Pinkie is visibly confused. “Like, a meat patty with hay stuck inside it? I’ve never heard of such a thing.” She jerks her head back in disgust.
Rainbow Dash sticks out her stud-pierced tongue, scrunching up her face. “Bleh! Meat patty? You actually eat that stuff? What kind of burgers are you eatin’, girl? We ponies never eat meat.”
Pinkie points to herself with a hoof. “Where I’m from we demons normally consume meat. I’m not sure if we can even eat hay. Though, my mother is half pony, half demon.” She puts a hoof to her chin in thought.
“But my father—he’s pure demon.” Her words seem to distort in an odd way as she spoke of him.
Rainbow Dash is taken aback by the odd change in sound.
“Though we can handle baked goods and other desserts!” Pinkie says chipperly, glancing back at Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, well we do have a sweet-ass bakery nearby!” Rainbow Dash says proudly. “Their sweets are pretty kickass!”
Pinkie gives a happy nod. Her attention then shifts to the night sky. “Sooo pretty! Such a nice blue.” She wags her tail cutely while her head is pointed up toward the sky.
She turns her head toward Rainbow Dash, wide-eyed. “Rainbow Dash, is your sky always this beautiful?”
Rainbow Dash laughs aloud. “Yeah, at night.” She shakes her head. “During the day it’s much brighter. Why, have you never seen the sky before?”
Pinkie giggles. “Of course I’ve seen the sky before, silly! But our sky is usually red—like blood. My father prefers it to be that colour…” She gives a deep sigh, her eyes drifting down to the passing dirt path below.
There’s a small family of ponies that seem to be going out some place for dinner: a tall thin mare and a short squat mare both tolling a happy trotting foal.
Rainbow Dash pauses mid-flight. She cocks her head to the side and crosses her hooves. “What’s with your father anyway?”
Pinkie stops flying. “Huh?” She closes her eyes. Her tone is forlorn. “Oh… well, my father—as you know—is the King. He doesn’t like your realm at all. I-I guess you can say that he and I don’t see eye to eye.” Her eyes are still distant.
Rainbow Dash’s brows furrow. “He sounds like a total asshole!” She resumes her flight.
Pinkie laughs in disbelief. She hasn’t heard anyone with the gall to talk so disrespectfully about her tyrant of a father before. “I suppose so. He’s strictly said to me that I’m forbidden from coming here. I certainly hope that he doesn’t catch wind of this.”
Rainbow Dash brings her hooves together in a punching motion. “Well, if he does, he’ll have to go through me first!” She bears a wide confident grin.
Pinkie issues a cute giggle. “Awwe! I wish I could hug you!” Pinkie wraps her arms around herself in a hug, spinning about with her eyes closed.
“Wuh—huh? Why’s that?”
Pinkie returns to normal flight. She smiles at her. “Because you’re such a nice pony!”
Rainbow Dash scratches the back of her head bashfully. “Pffft… more like an awesome pony! Oh—! We’re here by the way!”
The two of them land in front of a gingerbread house bakery. Attached to the front of the roof is a large confectionery-themed decorative sign of a strawberry frosted gingerbread that was dipped in dripping milk chocolate. Fancily iced neatly across the center are the words “Sugarcube Corner” in pink. Below the sign, on the second floor, hangs a cute balcony set up with several cupcake-themed tables and chairs.
“I’ll getcha’ the door.” Rainbow Dash pushes her hoof against the pink carved swing door.
“Oh, thank you!” She trots inside and looks around the bakery interior with starry-eyes. “Woah, it looks lovely in here!”
Her nose is immediately assaulted with the smell of sweet icing and baked goods. The entire bakery is bright and colourfully decorated. Each of the tables and chairs are cupcake or confectionery–themed. The bakery is mostly empty, aside from two mares sat at a table near the window: a white mare with shades and a crazy mane, and a grey mare with a pink bow-tie. Wrapped candy, gingerbread ponies, and frosted doughnut decorations of various colours pepper the pink wall skirting and ceiling overhangs. A set of wooden stairs lead to the second-floor balcony. And behind the counter are shelves upon shelves of candies, cupcakes, lollipops, muffins, and countless other sweets and backed goods.
In front of the smorgasbord of treats is a sweet plump blue-coat mare with a swirly cotton-candy pink mane. She just finishes tending to two other ponies at the counter, taking their payment in her mouth, as Pinkie’s demonic figure waltzes in.
The bakery owner’s eyes go wide and her mouth falls agape. Several bits clatter to the floor.
Rainbow Dash walks into the bakery after Pinkie. “Hey, Mrs. Cake.” She leans a hoof on the marble counter, right next to the cash register. “Are ya’ open right now?”
Mrs. Cake blinks a few times to clear her vision, hoping that the demonic figure in front of her might just be a figment of her imagination and disappear.
Nope. She’s still there.
“Y-Yes… we are. Uh... Wh-Who’s your friend?” She stutters with a cautious tone, shifting her body a bit behind the counter.
Rainbow Dash gestures casually with her other hoof towards Pinkie, showing a laid-back expression. “Oh, her? That’s Pinkie! Yeah, she’s a demon. Cool, right? Don’t worry she’s chill.” Her hoof waves dismissively in the air. Pinkie smile meekly, stood on the wooden floor beside her.
Mrs. Cake forces a calm grin and taps her hooves nervously on the counter. “O-Oh... my… Well, what can I help you two with…?”
“I’ll take a chocolate cake slice.” Rainbow Dash turns her head to Pinkie. “Pinkie, whatchu’ want?”
“Oh! I’ll have two slices of the same flavour, please.” Pinkie bears a kind smile toward Mrs. Cake. Her tail wags happily behind her.
Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow and cocks her head to the right at Pinkie. “Really? Y’know, those cakes are pretty damn rich.” She laughs aloud.
“Hm? Oh, I’m not too worried. I’ve eaten a four-tier cake once all by myself!” Pinkie places a hoof proudly on her chest.
“Damn girl! A competitive eater, or what? I’m impressed!” Rainbow Dash shakes her head with a smirk.
Mrs. Cake is trying to keep her composure. She holds a forced professional and friendly expression. “I-I’ll return momentarily with your slices of cake. Please, find a seat.” She turns away from the counter and trots off into the kitchen behind her.
“Alright, where shall we sit?” Her eyes drift across the mostly empty bakery attempting to find the perfect spot to eat.
“Oh! Oh! Before we walked in I saw some seats on the second-floor balcony with a lovely view.” Pinkie flutters her wings excitedly.
“Oh, yes, sweet idea!” Suddenly, Rainbow Dash lifts off the floor and glides swiftly in a rainbow blur up the staggered wooden stairs to the second-floor balcony.
Pinkie flies on after her, hurriedly attempting to catch up.
The couple at the table by the window are staring at the scene that just unfolded. On the table is a platter of biscuits dipped in chocolate, a warm steaming cup of tea on one side and a fizzing soda on the other. The white mare peers over the top of her shades, showing shocked magenta eyes, gawking at what she just saw.
“Tavi, did ya’ see that!?”
The grey-coated mare across from her picks up the cup of tea in her hooves and closes her eyes in disbelief. “For the sake of my own sanity, I’ll pretend that I never saw that.”
Octavia takes a long sip from her cup.
Pinkie arrives atop the stairs, exiting out onto the balcony. The moon hangs low in the deep blue sky, basking cool moonlight across the rainbow-maned pony in a cyan silhouette sat at the one occupied seat set by the railing. The air is still and calm; the atmosphere is quiet.
Rainbow Dash flashes an inviting grin towards Pinkie, patting the seat next to her with her scarred hoof.
“Come!”
Pinkie cheerily flits over to the empty seat, setting herself down comfortably on a cream-coloured cushion. She wiggles in her seat. “Ooh, comfy!”
Rainbow Dash chuckles at her. “Yeah, Sugarcube Corner is pretty cozy. A great place to chill.”
They’re sat side-by-side at their table, right by the white icing-themed railing. A small rainbow sprinkle shaker and warm orange lantern are set in the middle of the pink cloth–adored tabletop, illuminating the couple’s faces. Around them sit collections of otherwise empty tables and chairs scattered across the lavender balcony, each with their own lantern light glowing around them.
Pinkie takes a deep breath in, taking in the atmosphere.
“It smells nice here. Do you visit here often?” Pinkie interrupts the moment with a warm smile pointed toward Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash raises and lowers her jacket-laden shoulders in a dismissive shrug. “Eh, on occasion I guess. The treats here are killer though.”
“I bet! I can’t wait to try them!” Pinkie lets out a hearty giggle ending with a noisy snorts. Her face flushes red for a moment.
Mrs. Cake is hobbling up the stairs with a tray clasped in her mouth. The sound of her hooves clattering on the oaken steps can be heard as she makes her way up. On the tray are two ceramic plates with the slices of spongy two-layered cream-filled chocolate cake dripping with rich decadent chocolate icing across the top of each. One plate holds a single slice, the other holds two. Slowly and carefully she trots up the stairs.
Rainbow Dash spies Mrs. Cake entering from the top of the stairs. She immediately lifts up from her seat and glides right over to her. “Lemme get that for you, Mrs. Cake!” She takes the tray in her hooves while in the air, carefully gliding back to their table and sets it down.
“Oh… Thanks, Rainbow. Y-You two enjoy now!” Mrs Cake gives an uneasy smile toward the pair, still a little shaken. She heads back downstairs to tend to her other duties.
Pinkie looks down with wide eyes at the slices of cake in front of her. She flutters her wings excitedly in her seat, her skeletal tail swaying from side to side. Her hooves clap happily together. “Oooh! This looks delectable!”
Both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash lick their lips. They catch each other’s gaze in a brief pause before bursting into joint laughter.
“Alright, let’s dig in!” Rainbow Dash uses her right wing to pick up her spoon, digging right into her cake. The poor confectionery crumbles to pieces from the single scoop.
Pinkie nods as both of her pointed horns begin to glow in the colours of a sunset: from orange, to yellow, to a warm pink. The spoon begins to levitate within the glow. It delicately scoops a modest amount of the chocolate cake and brings it up to her muzzle for a bite. “Mmm! So good!” She presses her eyes closed in delight.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes go wide. Her spoon is stopped in front of her agape mouth, her pierced bottom lip dropped low, as she gawks at Pinkie’s glowing magic. “Woah! So that’s what your magic looks like!” Her open mouth morphs into a more curious grin.
Pinkie’s spoon still levitates within her magic in midair. Her eyes turn to Rainbow Dash. “Hm? Oh, yes, it is.” She brings a hoof to her mouth in a giggle at Rainbow Dash’s reaction.
Rainbow Dash waves the spoon in her wing thoughtlessly from side side. “Sooo, what’s it like in Vulcano-land, anyway?” She digs the spoon into her cake slice again for another bite.
Pinkie giggles again at Rainbow Dash. “It’s Vulcænium, silly! Well, I live in a castle made of igneous rock surrounded by large tall pointed rocks upon pointed rocks.” She raises both of her hooves high into the air, each hoof just as pointed-looking as the rocks must have been. “Much larger than the buildings here.”
“Woah! That’s crazy! What’s it like to live in a place like that?” Rainbow Dash leans both of her hooves on the table in interest.
“Well, my family and I live luxuriously in our castle.” Her happy expression fades, “But everyone else is far from as lucky…” Her tone is somber and distant.
“Any of those that question his rule will be severely punished. These punishments range from torture, banishment to the dungeon, or even death.” Pinkie’s voice becomes deeper and seems to echo with a distorted vitriolic tone. Her mane begins to flow on its own, like a stoked heated fire, although no wind is blowing.
Rainbow Dash leaps into the air and bangs her hoof harshly down on the table in a loud clatter of cutlery. “The fuck!?” Pinkie jerks back suddenly in shock. “This dude needs to be stopped!”
Pinkie calms her voice and looks up at Rainbow Dash with more gentle eyes. “Dashie, please, calm down!”
Rainbow Dash blinks several times in a row, still hovering in midair. “Uh… ‘Dashie?’” She chuckles a bit and scratches the back of her head with a hoof. “Nopony’s, uh, ever called me that before.”
Pinkie issues another giggle-snorts. “Really? But it’s such a cute sounding nickname!”
“Well, maybe that’s why nopony has called me that before.” Rainbow Dash laughs to herself again. “I’m too cool for that kinda’ stuff.” She lowers from the air and leans back into her seat.
“So, do you live in a huge castle as well?” Pinkie changes the subject.
“Pfft, basically. I have a pretty huge cloud house in the sky. I can show ya' around sometime!” She drapes her left hoof over the back of her chair.
“I’d like that very much!” Pinkie exclaims.
The couple chat long into the night while the stars twinkle like scattered lanterns in the dark blue canvas around them and the moon journeys across the sky. Time is lost as the two share stories, laughs, and each other’s company with the hours that pass. Late into the night amidst chatter and laughter Rainbow Dash’s voice can be heard.
“Y’know, Pinkie, we should totally hang out more!”
