3A/N – And so we continue. This one will be another Twilight/Pinkie one. I did two Sharity's in a row then the Applejack one, so I probably should go back and do the others. Rainbowshy will probably be next since that's been put on the back burner since the beginning.
Note – Much like the other stories, when you read the new OC's line, think Mark Hamill, not the Luke Skywalker voice, his deep, Joker, Ozai, Skeleton King voice. And so, we begin.
Title – Nighttime in Everfree
Rated – G/K+ for Dark Scenes
Summary – Eager to please Twilight, Pinkie offers to get something she needs from Zecora. When Pinkie arrives in the forest, near midnight, will a trip to Zecora's be the last of her worries?
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"Sooo…watcha doin?" Pinkie asked her for about the millionth time.
Her head was placed unrealistically above Twilight's. The unicorn herself was focused in a book, not trying to give her companion any reason to react.
"Watcha doin?" Pinkie asked once again.
She was now to the right of Twilight, her Pinkie smile still on her face. Twilight ignored Pinkie once more and continued to read her book.
"Watcha doin?" Pinkie asked.
Now she was on Twilight's left. The unicorn sighed and took a single glance at Pinkie before turning back to her book.
It continued like that for a bit until Twilight's rage began to build up.
Eventually, she spilled over and shouted at her companion.
"Pinkie!" Twilight shouted.
Pinkie stopped in her tracks and stared right into Twilight's eyes. They met for a few seconds until Twilight sighed and looked back to her book.
"If you must know Pinkie Pie, I'm studying up on this new spell I found," she said.
"Ooooh, what is it?" Pinkie asked.
She looked at the book in amazement. Twilight raised her eyebrow at this reaction, and answered in the same regard.
"It allows ponies to experience true love," she said.
Pinkie waved her hoof in front of Twilight's face and scoffed at the statement.
"Twilight, you already know I love you, duuuuh," Pinkie said.
While saying it, she turned her head abnormally upside down while sticking out her tongue. Twilight looked at Pinkie and smiled.
"Yes, and that's very sweet of you Pinkie, but it's not for either of us. Derpy wants it so she can go to the Pegasus Ball with Doctor Whooves," Twilight said.
Pinkie's mouth remained agape for a bit before she answered, generally confused.
"But Rarity said that Derpy doesn't know what love is," she said.
Twilight laughed at the fact a bit before looking back in the book.
"That is hardly the case Pinkie. Sure, she looks like she has one needle missing from a haystack, but she's still a pony after all," she said.
Pinkie looked at Twilight a bit before shrugging.
"Okie dokie pokie," she said, smile abundant.
Twilight continued to read, but Pinkie just stood there, staring at the book with her. Twilight looked at her once before turning back to her book. When Pinkie wouldn't move, Twilight sighed.
"You wanna help, don't you?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie nodded her head violently. With another sigh, done with a smile, Twilight subsides.
"Alright, it turns out I need some herbs from Zecora's. I know it's late, but I need it done by tomorrow. You wanna go get 'em?" she asked.
"Do I ever!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"I need a sample of an ancient plant called 'Herpadomturopturous'," Twilight said.
Pinkie ran up and hugged Twilight really tight.
"You can count on me, I won't let you down," Pinkie said. "Pinkie Pie is on the case!"
And with that, she rushed out of the library. After Twilight's mane rested on her head from the force winds, she remained looking at the door, a dreamy smile on her face. She followed it up with a dreamy sigh.
From the right, Spike walked into view. Twilight appeared to not take notice.
"You just said that to get her out of the library, didn't ya?" Spike asked.
"Yyyyyep," Twilight said.
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As Pinkie finished rushing, she found herself on the edge of Everfree Forest. When she arrived, she looked right into it, her smile clearly evident. It didn't take long for her to begin trotting in.
"Put one hoof in front of the other," she began to sing to herself.
As she trotted deeper and deeper into the forest, the horrors and spookies became clearer. The trees looked like scary monsters, the Cockatrice was off turning things into stone, and the moon shined down just right on the ground that you would think you saw ghosties. But alas, Pinkie just ignored them all as she skipped deeper into the forest, her smile brightening up any scene.
"…soon you'll be trotting 'cross the floo-oo-oor…" she continued.
But despite Pinkie's smile, there was one form of darkness in this forest that couldn't be defeated by any light. This said darkness was just that, an aura of pure darkness floating around in the shadows. Controlling the shadow of the trees around Pinkie Pie, it follows her as she keeps on trotting.
"…put one hoof in front of the other…"
The darkness eventually found its way in front of Pinkie, not directly in her line of vision, but to the side in the shadow of a bunny. The bunny's eyes soon changed to red, and then quickly back to its normal color. The bunny then gave off an evil smile as Pinkie finished the song.
"…and soon you'll be trotting out the door," she called.
As she finished, the bunny popped right in front of Pinkie, putting on the cutest face you could ever imagine. Its eyes were big, black, and shiny, and it stood in front of Pinkie, arms open to be hugged. Pinkie noticed it quickly.
"Awwww," Pinkie said. "Hey Angel, what are you doing out here in the dark. Isn't Fluttershy worried?"
The bunny, Angel, looked at the audience with a raised eyebrow. He then shrugged and opened his arms back open to Pinkie Pie. She quickly scooped him up in a big hug. While Angel's head rested on Pinkie's shoulder, he smiled another evil smile. The darkness then got out of Angel before trying to fly into Pinkie. However, it was repelled, flying back into a nearby shadow. Angel blinked his eyes a few times before pushing himself away from Pinkie. Angel landed on the ground and shook his head violently. He then walked away from Pinkie, huffing at her as he walked away in apparent disgust.
Pinkie raised her eyebrow before shrugging and continuing. The darkness rose out of the shadow a bit before flying back into it.
After a bit more of trotting, Pinkie began to mumble the "one hoof in front of the other" song. She reached what appeared to be Zecora's hut when she began to hear a voice.
"Pinkie Pie," a distant male voice said.
It was soft and sounded like it whispered to her. Pinkie looked left and right with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head violently before continuing her trot to the hut.
"Pinkie Pie," a distant male voice said a second time.
This time it was louder, and Pinkie definitely heard something. She looked left, right, behind her, down, up, and couldn't find anything. As Pinkie began to trot again, she did it slowly, weary of her surroundings. It didn't take long for the darkness to appear back-to-back behind Pinkie, but it wasn't just a random darkness aura, it was a transparent pony. It was completely black but its eyes were shown. It was also a unicorn, judging by its horn on its head.
"Do you really believe her?" he asked.
Pinkie widened her eyes before swinging around to face the darkness…but it wasn't there. It reappeared right behind Pinkie once again, but this time it faced her.
"Herpadomturopturous, seriously? Think, Pinkie, is that really a real flower?" the darkness asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised; there's a lot of weird things in the Everfree Forest," she said.
The darkness sighed. Pinkie turned around to face it, but again, it was gone. Once more, it reappeared behind Pinkie, again back-to-back.
"I suppose I'm not surprised…you would believe we had nine planets if I told you," it said.
Pinkie gasped at this statement.
"We do?" she asked.
The darkness gave himself a face-hoof.
"No…no we do not," it said. "Pinkie, Herpadomturopturous is not a real herb."
Pinkie lowered her eyes, but didn't move her body.
"But…why would Twilight lie to me?" she asked.
"To get you out of her way. Do you really believe that everything every pony says is true? Think about it…how many times have your friends lied to you?" the darkness asked.
Pinkie began to remember about the past. A few of the times her friends haven't been fully honest with each other flashed through her mind via them speaking the said lies.
"Twilight just wanted you out of her house because she finds you annoying," the darkness said.
Pinkie flung around to face the said darkness, but again, it was gone.
"You're wrong, Twilight loves me," Pinkie said.
With a sigh, the darkness reappeared behind Pinkie, going right to her ear.
"She pities you. She doesn't love you. She's only with you because she thinks you're a lost cause," it whispered.
"Pinkie Pie!" a voice called out.
From the hut, Zecora was in the doorway. The darkness growled at Zecora before flying off into a nearby shadow. Pinkie, also turning around, saw the darkness fly off. She stayed looking at where he went a bit before Zecora grabbed her hoof and dragged her inside.
"What are you doing out here my child? Do you want things to turn wickedly wild?" she asked.
Once they got inside, Zecora slammed the door shut. After the door was closed, she walked over to her cauldron. Pinkie sat across from her, looking a bit dejected.
"It's the middle of the night - oh, why do I try? What are you doing out here Pinkie Pie?" she asked.
"I came out here to see you because Twilight needed some kind of herb for a spell," she said.
Zecora looked at Pinkie a bit before she began to laugh.
"Why didn't you say so my dear?" she asked.
Her laughter soon disappeared, replaced with a serious glare.
"The darkness didn't do anything, I fear?" she asked.
Pinkie shook her head slowly.
"Good, now what herb did she want you to bring?" Zecora asked.
Pinkie placed her hoof on her chin in thought.
"Herpadomturopturous," she said.
Zecora stared at Pinkie, blinking her eyes a few times.
"No such thing," she said.
Pinkie's eyes went wide.
"But…but…why would Twilight lie to me?" she asked.
Zecora raised an eyebrow at Pinkie, but quickly laughed it off like nothing.
"She just needed some time alone, working on spells probably put her in the zone," she said.
Pinkie lowered her head, showing a bit of a blush as she smiled.
"Oh," she said.
Once more, Zecora gave off a small laugh before she began to walk to the back of her hut.
"I'll go get you a pretty good snack, then accompany you as you travel back. Just in case that…thing…tries to make you shake," she said.
She was in the back before she placed her head back in.
"Cookie…or cupcake?" she asked.
Pinkie looked up in thought a bit.
"Hmm…both?" she asked.
Her smile was back to normal and she was a lot brighter than she was moments ago. As Zecora disappeared with a smile of her own, Pinkie remained alone. She thought a bit to herself before sighing.
"Okay, so maybe I have been a bit close, but isn't that what relationships do? Grr…I'm so confused!" she said.
After a bit, Zecora began to walk in with a bag in her mouth. Pinkie knelt down and Zecora put the back on her back. Pinkie leveled herself up.
"So…" she said.
"Are you ready to go?" Zecora asked.
Pinkie nodded furiously before bowing down in preparation.
"Awww, here it goes," she said.
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After a quick transition, the two made their way quicker and easier through the forest. The darkness didn't stop them and interrupt their way, nor did any other danger. After a few more transitions of them walking and avoiding whatever natural hazards there are, they were at the entrance.
"Thank you again Zecora!" Pinkie Pie shouted.
She began to skip away from the zebra, making her way back into Ponyville. Zecora laughed a bit as she watched Pinkie trot away.
"Oh Pinkie…never surprising," she said.
Afterward, she looked at the audience.
"Not as much...as," her eyes deep red at this. "darkness rising."
She then smiled evilly at the audience.
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A/N – Duh duh duuuuh! Oh, and references.
Now that that is done, allow me to say thank you to those who read and review. I could've been asleep in a comfy bed, but I instead opted to go with my whim and write out this story.
Only 14 more usages until Office craps out! Here's hoping for next week to be awesome…er. You know what? I'll just go with the meme.
Here's hoping next week will be 20% cooler. :3