“Ermmm,” Time Turner said as he awoke on the hospital bed. “Where am I?”

“In a bed, egghead,” Carrot Top said as Dinky, Derpy, and Doctor Horse smiled around Time’s bed.

“It’s great to see you awake!” Dinky pounced onto Time and wrapped him in a hug.

“Huh? Dinky? Derpy? What are you girls doing here?” Returning the hug, Time Turner heard a snort from Carrot Top. “Oh, you too.”

“Don’t you remember, Doctor?” said Derpy, hugging him too. “You got injured at the Daring Do convention.”

“Well things are a little fuzzy-ow!” A sharp pain hit his head

Dinky looked up. “Are you alright, Doctor?” she asked, holding him tighter. “Don’t worry, my hug will heal you!”

“Hehehe, it's alright, Dinky. I’m just achey is all. But, um, if you could stop hugging me so tightly I might feel a teeny bit better.”

“Ok!”

“Well that achey feeling is probably just the morphine wearing off,” Doctor Horse said. “I’ll see that the nurse refills it for you so you can rest.”

“Rest? What are you talking about? Can’t I leave today?”

“Nope” Doctor Horse trotted over to a screen, pinning pictures of a skeleton onto it. “Here are your x-rays.”

Dinky tilted her head at the x-ray picture. “It looks like what Pipsqueak was last year for Nightmare Night.”

“As you can see, this area right here...”Doctor Horse pointed at at a crack in the ribcage. “...Was damaged by a blunt force impact.”

“impact?” Time Turner grew more confused by the second.

“Don’t you remember?” Derpy bit her lip as Time Turner shook his head. “What’s the last thing you do remember?”

“Well, I was at the Daring Do convention listening to A.K. Yearling when I felt something weird, and after that, nothing.”

“Hmm.” Doctor Horse tapped his chin with a hoof. “Ah! I know what went wrong, I thought it was just a gleam, but see right here?” he said, pointing to a small crack in Time Turner’s skull. “It appears that you must have landed head first, resulting in a mild concussion .”

“So why can I remember some things but not other things?”

“Like what?”

“Like for instance, um, Derpy, I have a screwdriver, right?”

“Yep! You always keep it close.”

“Exactly, but now I can’t remember why I even have one.”

“What about the shed?” said Carrot Top.

“Shed?” Time Turnersaid. “What shed?”

“You know the ‘don’t-touch-it-or-the-universe-will-explode’ shed?” she said. “It’s blue, has windows, any of this ringing a bell?”

“I don’t remember anything about a blue shed.” Time Turner frowned. “But back to the matter at hoof, why can’t I leave?”

“Well due to a odd infection in your upper chest area we are taking you to a specialist in Canterlot.”

“Canterlot?” Time Turner said. “So I have to go to this specialist to get rid of it?”

“Pretty much.”  Doctor Horse shrugged.

“But don’t worry Time. Dinky and I are going to go with you,” Derpy said much, to Dinky’s delight and the other adult’s confusion.

“You are?”

“Yep!” Derpy smiled brightly. “I’m gonna stay with an old friend there.”

“Well if you’re going, I guess I have to come, too.” Carrot Top put her hoof on Derpy’s shoulder. “You always get lost in big cities.”

“Well, I guess if nopony here minds, well why not?” Time Turnersaid. “I’d be happy to have to you come with me, Derpy!”

“I bet you would.” Carrot Topsnickered.

“What?” Derpy and Time Turner said.

“Oh, nothing,” Carrot Topsaid with innocent eyes. “I’m gonna take Dinky to get some frozen yogurt from the cafeteria, wanna come, Doc?”

“Well I’m kinda injur—”

“I meant the real doctor,” Carrot Top said to Time Turner’s chargin.

“Oh I’m afraid I have to see other patients.” He then left the room.

“So long doctor!” said Dinky hugging Time before trotting out with Carrot Top.

Realizing they were both alone with each other caused the fog of awkwardness to roll into the sterile room.

“So, umm, Derpy?” Time blushed. “How have you’ve bee—Omph!” Derpy hugged him and wept.

“I-I’m sorry!” she cried out. “It’s all my fault!”

“Rib broken!” Time choked out..

“Oh, sorry!” Derpy let go of her hold. “You alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” he said, rubbing his side. “But what’s this about your fault?”

“If I hadn’t asked you to take my muffin to the convention, you wouldn’t have been hurt! It’s all my fault! She sobbed into her hooves.

“Now, now, don’t be sad.” Time patted Derpy on her mane. “You had no way of knowing this would happen. I mean, when was the last time something like this happened in Equestria?”

Blowing her nose, Derpy looked up with a chuckle. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but I’m still gonna be with you all the way.”

“How’s Dinky doing?”

“She saw you get hurt.”Derpy laid her head onto the bed. “The doctor says she’s doing well, but I had to change her sheets last night after she had a nightmare.”

“Aww, I’m sure she will be alright.” Time stroked Derpy’s mane.

“Maybe, but I asked Doctor Horse if there was any foal therapists in Canterlot.”

“What did he say?”

“There’s a few but it takes time to schedule appointments.”Derpysighed. “I just want my muffin to be happy,” she said with a sniffle.

“Don’t worry, everything will be okay. How about you and I go join the others for frozen yogurt?”

“Alright.” Derpy wiped traces of tears from her eyes. “Let me get your wheelchair.”

After the Manehattan Express left the Ponyville station, the seven friends and Daring went to the royal cabin, which was really just renamed first class cabins.

“Oh, this will simply not do!” Rarity said as she looked at the main room. “Bronze silverware? Red drapes with blue walls? It’s a travesty!”

“Calm down, Rares.” Applejack put her luggage down next to a coffee table. “It could be worse.”

“Miss Rarity,” Railrunner said. “If you’ll follow me, I can take you to your cabin.”

“See? You’ve got your very own cabin.”

“Well, I suppose that is a benefit— What the?” Rarity said as Railrunner showed her the room that was the size of an ordinary walk-in closet. “My closet is bigger than this! And are those—”

“Bunk beds!” Pinkie bounced into the room. “Great news, Rarity! We’re roommates! I call top bunk!”

“Oh Celestia, no.” Rarity cringed, then gave a sharp glare to Applejack.

“Uh, sorry?” Applejack rubbed her neck.

“Now, girls, it’s only for tonight.” Twilight came out of the room she was sharing with Fluttershy. “I think we all just need a little snack.”

As the rest of the girls trotted over to the kitchen car, Rainbow Dash quickly glanced around to see if anypony was looking, before glancing back into her much larger room filled with fainting couches and a large, comfortable-looking bed.

“That will teach you not to make us spend twenty minutes getting lipstick.” Rainbow Dash giggled, then hurried to catch up with her friends.

Apple Bloom watched the scenery roll by outside the train’s window.“So Dinky’s gonna be alright?”

Scootaloo nodded.“Yeah, my parents said that he and the Doctor are gonna be fine.

“Good, but now I’m worried Button is gonna explode if he doesn’t use the bathroom.” Apple Bloom pointed at Button, who was squirming nervously in his seat.

“Alright.” Button stole a quick glance at Sweetie Belle.” “Time to say it.”

But what if she laughs? thought Button’s inner gamer. She’ll dump you like those girls in that sim game!

“That’s because we spent too much sim money on flowers instead of chocolates! Now shut up!”

“Shut up what, Button?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Oh no, you were thinking aloud! Button’s inner gamer shouted.

“Um, nothing. Sweetie Belle. Say, I was wondering something.”

“Yeah?”

“Um, would you like to, umm.”

Oh my Celestia! thought Sweetie Belle’s inner filly. Is he finally gonna say it?

“Would you move into my minecraft house?”Button said, waiting to hear the sound of rejection.

He did! inner Sweetie Belle squeed.

“Of course I will!” Sweetie Belle hugged Button to the sound of “awws” from around the cabin and the sounds of Scootaloo loudly gagging.

“Trust me, folks, it gets annoying.”Apple Bloom groaned. A sound from behind startled her.

“Tickets, please!”Railrunner trotted into the cabin with her ticket clicker.

“Dang it!” hissed Scootaloo. “What are we gonna do, Apple Bloom?”

“Don’t ya worry, I got a plan.”

I don’t have a plan! Ok, calm down Bloom, you can do this. Apple Bloom looked around the cabin for any escape routes.

“Well?”

“Umm-”

“No!” Button blurted. “My Joyboy! Where is it?”

“I think it fell under the seat,” Sweetie Belle said, helping him look for it. “But it’s too dark down here. I can’t find it.”

“That’s it!” Apple Bloom said. The light bulb above her blew up in a surge.

“Ahh!” a stallion screamed seeing if he got any sparks on him.

“Everypony calm down,” Railrunner said, trying to prevent a panic.

“Perfect! Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Button, get under the seats!”

“But the floors are sticky!” Button whined.

“Just do it!” Scootaloo said. She and the others got under the seats just as Railrunner reached them.

“Hmm, I thought I heard a noise.” Railrunner checked the light bulb. “Hmm, okay everypony listen! Everything is gonna be alright! I’m gonna talk to the guards,” she said, leaving the cabin.

“It worked!” Apple Bloom said from under the seat.

“Ahh!” screamed Scootaloo.

“What’s wrong!?”

“Something’s touching me!”

Apple Bloom groaned. “That’s me Scoots.”

“Oh.”

Looking up, Button’s eyes sparkled at what he saw. “Cool! Free gum...and a bit!” He put the bit under his hat and the gum in his mouth.

“Yeah, he’s a keeper alright,” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle blushed.

Meanwhile, in the first class dining car, Rarity finished the pre-lunch toast.

“And that is why I deserve a bigger room…. Ah, no offense, Pinkie.”

“No problem!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Can we eat now?”

“Why, of course.”

“Oh, thank Celestia!” Daring dug into her hayburger.

Thinking this would be the best time to ask her idol more questions, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “So, Yearling—”

“Call me Dazzle.” Daring wiped ketchup off of herself.

Awesome!

“So what can you tell us about yourself, Dazzle?” Twilight asked, taking a bite into her hayburger.

“But Twilight, we already know about the daring and the doing,” whispered Pinkie loud enough for Dairng to hear.

“She’s right, what else would you possibly want to know?”

“Well I’m curious about your past.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t want to know that.”

“Oh, please? We would ever so like to know.” Fluttershy  bit into her salad.

“Well alright, you see my mother’s name was Dazzle, and when she and my father vanished the—”

Tthe other mares did a spit take.

“What do ya mean your folks vanished?” Applejack said, shocked at the announcement

“I can never imagine a thing like that,” Fluttershy said with her hoof on her muzzle.

“Now, now, don’t get all riled up.” Daring frowned.

“But, darling, your parent—”

“Are not here,” Daring said, causing the others to drop it. “Anyway, I was raised by my grandfather alongside my older siblings in New Fluereans.”

“Huh?” said the group, never having heard that name.

“Oh sorry, New Horseleans for you tourists.”

“Oh, I’ve never been to New Horseleans,” Rarity said with a sparkle in her eye. “I hear some of the best Prench designs come in there.”

“Well I wouldn’t know much about that,. I was busy playing in swamps with Humble—” It was at that moment Daring realized she had said too much but she also knew she would need to continue or risk arousing suspicion. “Humbleness? Yes I played in swamps with humility.”

“I play in swamps too!” Rainbow Dash said wanting to impress Daring. “Right, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Rainbow Dash. When I asked you if you wanted to give throat messages to the toads and frogs you said you were busy helping Applejack two weeks ago,” Fluttershy replied.

“Ya’ll never helped me! All you did was sleep in one of the trees!”

“Um, well you see, uh, hehehe.”

Rainbow Dash tried for twenty minutes to convince Daring of her ficticious work ethic.

Hmm, something’s weird here, Pinkie thought as she went back to her cabin after finishing her lunch.. “I should investig—Oh! Her butterknife-sharp attention was distracted by the only thing that could break her attention —not counting birds, parties, foals, clouds, clowns, and frowns— for what she saw amazed her: a bit.

“Oh, shiny!”

As this went on for a few hours with Pinkie finding change here and there, a pony in the caboose had just awoken from her cramped nap.

Octavia had been trained in her childhood by her father to be the perfect assassin. He always said the same things at the end of each lesson: never take the life of an innocent, always hide in plain sight, and never compromise the brotherhood. These tenets made up her order’s sacred creed  and her pride in her father. But now, as she laid inside a crate, the only emotion she felt was annoyance.

“Well, this is nice,” she said sarcastically, looking out through a hole in the crate. “Now what to do?” Her growling stomach provided the answer. “Okay, well I’m famished, I knew I should've eaten breakfast this morning. What to do, what to—”

The door of the caboose opened to Railrunner talking to Cloud and Midnight.

“So please tell us what happened again, Miss Railrunner.” Midnight took out a notepad.

“Well I saw the two stallions go to the bubble pipe section after I punched their tickets, and as I trotted past a chair earlier, one of the light bulbs blew up.”

As Night wrote this down Bright asked his own questions.

“And do you know anything about the stallion Humble Pie?”

“Who?”

“You know, the one with the alligator.”

“Oh, him. Guy thought he was a comedian or something.”

“Hmm.” Night finished her scribbling. “Well we appreciate you at least trying. You can return to your station.”

“We should head back too, Midnight,” Bright said before all three ponies left the room.

Octavia held her breath till the door finally closed and breathed deeply in relief as the feeling of her rumbling stomach reminded her about her food situation.

“Well there’s not enough hay in these crates to make a good meal.” An idea struck her. “That’s it! If I can sneak to the kitchen car, I can grab something to eat.” She lifted herself out of the crate and opened the back door to the caboose to the chilly night and, realized she should have brought her luggage aboard as well.

“Brrr!” she said, wrapping her hooves around herself, happy that the train blocked most of the wind. “Note to self, when traveling in on a train as a stowaway in the winter, bring a scarf.”

Down a few cars, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their plus one were being in the state of starved and bored, the latter being only Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

“Ugh.” Button put down his joyboy. “I’m hungry!”

“Me too.” Scootaloo looked out the window. “Apple Bloom, do you have any food?”

“What makes ya’ll think I got any?”

“Well you and Applejack are always making something apple related,” Sweetie Belle said..

“Well, I suppose if I had a few apples I could make us something.”    

“But where would we find any?”

“Food!” Get your food!” Railrunner said as she came down the aisle with a cart of snacks. “Freshly made in the gallery!”

“Hmmm, I got it!”  Scootaloo said as the cart and Railrunner disappeared. “We’ll sneak into the galley!”

Back on top of the train, the wind whipped at Octavia as the it chugged through a  snow covered forest causing snow to hit Octavia.

“And I thought it was bad the first few seconds!” Putting a hoof in front of her, she marched forward, coming to the first space between the caboose and the next car. She saw the gravel from the railroad being kicked up by the sheer speed of the train as it rushed under it in a river of stones. “Okay, Octavia you can do this.”

Climbing back a few steps, she got in her pre-jumping position. “One, two, three!” Galloping forward as the air roared in ears, she saw a problem in the form of the Appleachian mountain’s tunnel.

“Oh Celestia,” she said, jumping off the caboose and onto the next car. “Better hurry!” Jumping car after car she saw that her time was limited.

“Just a little further. . .There!” she said, backflip onto the bridge between the gallery and passenger car just as her view turned pitch black except from the light inside the train. “Time to eat.”

Her eyes widened at the sight before her when she opened the door. Wooden stoves, fridges, cabinets that were stacked with items used in only the finest of meals... but what really caught her attention was what stood in the middle of it:, a bowl of chocolate pudding.

“Oooh!” Octavia said, rushing to the bowl with a gluttonous sparkle in her eyes. “And it’s all mine—”

A sound of a spoon falling stopped her victory dinner as she saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Button staring right up at her with their faces full of frosting.

“Miss Octavia?” Button said, drooling at the sight of the pudding. “Can I have some?”

“Miss Octavia, what are you doing back here?” Scootaloo gnawed on a carrot.

“Um, well you see—Wait a second! What are you four doing here?”

“Oh, nothing.” Sweetie Belle blushed. “Just you know, uhh—”

“We were eating all the food even though we’re not supposed to!” sobbed Button as the grueling interrogation got to him. “We ate cookies, candy, ice cream, peas that tasted good, and a haybuger in the refrigerator! And-and we aren’t supposed to be on the train in the first place! Just please don’t tell my mom or she’ll take away my Joyboy and not let me see Sweetie Belle!” Button finished his sob story into Octavia’s now-damp coat.

“Seriously?” moaned Scootaloo.

“All right, Miss Octavia, you got—” Apple Bloom stopped when she noticed something on Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle, what’s that brown powder on your hooves?”

“Powder?” Glancing down, Sweetie Belle squeaked, quickly lying down to hide her hooves. “Umm, nothing?”

Just then, a bright orange glow showed from the right side of the fridge as the fire burning from a poorly made cake spread to the counters.

They screamed.

Not again! Button thought,  remembering the pancake festival.

The passenger side door of the car opened, revealing Railrunner.

“What’s going on here—Fire!” Rushing to a nearby fire extinguisher, Railrunner put out the fire as three of solar guards bursted into the room.

“Hold yourwelf!” a still-buzzed solar guard said. ‘We herf screamin.”

“Oh no,” Octavia said as the guards surrounded them.

Rarity came in. “Excuse me, I know we just ate but the mini blueberry pies you made was just so scrumptious I have to have another...one?”

Sweetie Belle waved nervously while chucking at the sight of her sister. “Hi, Rarity.”

Looking around the burned kitchen. Rarity’s eyes widened before being covered in a blanket of blackness as she fell onto her fainting couch.

“Excuse me, everypony,” Twilight said as she came into the kitchen. “I heard shouting and wanted—” She saw the sight of the burnt kitchen and the stowaways in the middle of it. “Oh no.”

After Twilight explained things to the guards, Octavia, the three fillies, and Button were allowed to stay on. Unfortunately this meant that instead of being imprisoned they would suffer a much worse fate: a lecture.

“I can’t believe ya’ll!” Applejack trotted back and forth of the crowded living room car as Octavia, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Button held their heads down. “I mean really, sneaking onto a train?”

“But—” Sweetie Belle was shot down by a glare from Rarity. “Nevermind.”

“I mean I can expect this sorta thing from these youngins, but you, Octavia?”

Twilight stepped forward. “She’s right Octavia, what were you thinking, stowing away on the train after we told you we had the situation handled?”

“I’m sorry for not listening to you, Twilight, but I’m going to help you find Humble whether or not you want me too.”

“So are we!” Scootaloo said.

“You go, Squirt!” Rainbow Dash said from the coffee table. “Fight the power!”

“Rainbow Dash, stop telling Scootaloo to do stuff! Now, you all listen. You're going home the second we get to Manehattan! I mean Button and Scootaloo, do you know how worried your folks must be?” Applejack said.

“A-and her name is Scootaloo,” Scootaloo’s father said. A guard wrote the information down as Scootaloo’s mom cried quietly in the corner of the City Hall’s lobby.

“And my baby boy’s name is Button Mash,” Love Tap said as her husband rubbed her back. “He likes video games and—”

The officer put his hoof up. “Ma’am we just need to know their names, colors, and cutie marks.”

“And what about our Sweetie Belle?” Hondo Flanks wiped his eyes.

“Will our Sweetie Belle safe?” Cookie Crumble patted her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Yes Ma’am, I’m sure you kids will be fine.”

“Eyeup,” Big Mac said  even though a bead of sweat was rolling down his forhead

“Oh no!” Button panicked. “What are we gonna do?”

“Calm down!” Apple Bloom said. “I’m sure your parents—”

“Not another word from you, missy!” Applejack said. “Oh, I bet Big Mac and Granny are gonna give you such a talking too!”

“No!” Apple Bloom shouted, causing taking Applejack aback. “I’m going to my room!”

“Ya’ll don’t have a room on this train!”

“Well-well, I’ll go to this one!” she said, slamming Rainbow Dash’s door behind her.

“Ugh! I’ll be right back!” Applejack trotted over to the room and went inside.

“So,” Rainbow Dash asked Octavia, “how was the pudding?”

Applejack walked around the room, stepping around fainting couches until she came to Apple Bloom curled up on Rainbow Dash’s bed.

“Apple Bloom?”

She heard a small sniffle from Apple Bloom. “Go away.”

“Apple Bloom—”

“I said go away!” Apple Bloom threw a pillow at Applejack, who dodged it. “After all it’s what you want to do anyway.”

Trotting over to the bed, Applejack got onto it and rolled over to Apple Bloom’s side. “What on Celestia’s green earth are you going on about?”

“You know.” Apple Bloom rolling towards the wall. “Ya always go on adventures now, you never bring me along, and you never help when Diamond Tiara makes fun of me or my friends. It’s like you don’t even care.”

“Aw, Bloom.” Applejack snuggled up to her sister. “I do care, and I’m sorry that I don’t seem to help ya when that filly hurts your feelings. Tell you what, I’ll talk to Filthy—”

“It’s not just that!”

“Well what else is it?”

“You act like you’re supposed to be them!”

“Act like-oh.” An anvil of realization drop on Applejack.

“Yeah.” Apple Bloom turned around and snuggled into her sister’s hooves. “I didn’t even know them that much.”

“I know, I know.” Applejack stroked Apple Bloom’s mane. “And I’m sorry if I act a little harsh at times, but I want you to be a strong mare.”

“I know.”

A few seconds passed as the sisters just laid there, hugging each other with only the sound of breathing and the chugging of the train.

Apple Bloom finally broke the silence.

“Applejack? Were they nice?”

“The nicest.”

“Pretty?”

“The prettiest.”

“Liked apples?”

“I think that’s a given.” The two girls chuckled at this.

“Do ya think they would be proud of me?”

“Aw, Sugarcube, they’d be the proudest of you.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

“....I’m sorry.”

“...Me too. Now you ready to come back out?”

“Can we just stay here for a while longer?” Apple Bloom looked up with a small smile.

“Of course.” The two sisters looked out the window and stared at the passing scenery in silence, comfortable with being next to each other.

Meanwhile back  in the living room section...

“Please, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle laid right next to her sister’s hooves. “Please let me come with you to Manehattan!”

“No! The second we get there, I am sending you, Button, and Scootaloo back!”

“I’m afraid that’s gonna be a problem, Miss Rarity,” Cloud said as he came forward. “I was just talking to Miss Railrunner and she told me that the next train to Ponyville won’t come to Manehattan till a few days from now.”

“A few days?” Rarity fell onto her fainting couch but only slightly fainted before reawakening and bolting right back up. “So I’m just supposed to bring my sister and her friends to Manehattan?”

Fluttershy trotted up to help calm the situation.

“I can foalsit them, Rarity.”

“Oh, thank you for offering, but I couldn’t do that to you,” Rarity said with a half-hearted smile.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll make sure they’re safe from any dangers.”

“Well be good for Fluttershy!” Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Button said with innocent-looking puppy dog eyes.

“Well if you’re sure...” Rarity wasn’t fully convinced, but she was enough to agree to Fluttershy’s deal. “Alright.”

Twilight enjoyed that the situation of the smaller stowaways was resolved, but the more mature one required attention.

“And Octavia, I suppose we can allow you to come with us—”

Octavia perked up at this.

“—But you will have to pay for the pudding.”

“Wait a second,” Rainbow Dash said. “Where are they gonna sleep?”

“Oh!” Pinkie bounced up and down with her hoof up. “They can sleep with me and Rarity!”

Rarity’s fainted again before bolting up. “Certainly not! I mean, um, what with Button and all.”

“What’s wrong with Button?” Sweetie Belle glared.

“Huh?” Button looked up from his joyboy. “Somepony say something about me?”

“Well it’s just that, um, he’s a gentlecolt and sleeping with one of us is rather, erm, ungentlecoltlike,” Rarity said with a cough.

“Aww, don’t you worry about that!” Bright said with a chuckle. “The lad can sleep on one of our empty cots.”

“Oh yes.” Night smiled wryly. “Because nothing is safer for a colt than to sleep in a room full of intoxicated ponies.”

“Why not?”

“Duh, because it could send a bad message for our youth.”

“Night’s right, Bright,” Twilight said. “I don’t think Button’s parents would like it if he slept in the same room with you and your guards.”

“Aww, the squirt can sleep on my bed.” Rainbow Dash spun Button’s propeller hat. “I’ll just sleep on Rarity’s fainting couches.”

“I knew you took my room!” cried Rarity. “But it does sound like the best plan for him.”

“Wait, why does Button get to sleep-over with Rainbow Dash?” said Scootaloo worried.

“What do you mean squirt?”

“Well it’s just that I thought I was your number one fan.” Scootaloo pawed at the ground.

“Tell ya what kid,” Daring, who had heard the commotion from her and Applejack’s room, said. “Ya sleep wherever they tell you to, and I’ll give you a sneak peek at my next book.”

“Oh my Celestia! It’s A.K. Yearling!” said Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said. Button was busy fighting the fifth-level boss of his game.

“Wait a second!” Rainbow Dash flew up to Daring. “Can I see it too?”

“Only if you take the kid here onto another one of those couches.” Daring smiled, then gasped for breath as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo hugged her.

“Thank you, thank you!” the two said in unison.

“Yeah, yeah. Listen— it’s been a weird day so I’m gonna head off to bed, okay everypony?”

“Good night, Dazzle,” Twilight said as everypony waved bye to Daring, who slipped into the room where Slit was waiting for her on the left side of the room’s bed. As she went over to the bed she felt the emotional exhaustion getting to her, Daring got under the sheets with Slit moving to the ground next to the bed.

“Oh Slit,” Daring said, putting her glasses on the nightstand. “I hope Humble is fine.”

“Damn fog,” Stale said as he sailed up the coast to the Manehattan harbor. “At this rate I’m gonna hit a sailboat! Lemon!”

“Yeah?” Lemon momentarily stopped his gun cleaning. “What do you want?”

“You covered the boat’s name with a sheet right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well then go check up on Typy! I gotta steer this boat to the closet sewer entrance.”

“Alright.” Lemon trotted down stairs.

“Well I’m home.” Humble turned to the bent feather. He picked it up. “Coil will want you—Huh?” The sound of hoofsteps came from above. “Oh no!” Rushing to the barrel, he dove in just as the door opened.

“Wakey wakey, Mister Humble, we got a busy—Huh? Where are you?...”

Okay Humble, you got one chance at this.

Humble slipped past the door and closed it with a loud thud, locking it.

“Huh?” Lemon said twirling around. “Why you son of a—Let me out!”

“Sorry.” Humble galloped up-stairs, while holding the barrel until he came muzzle to muzzle with Stale.

“What the—Omph!”

Humble rushed past him and jumped off the boat with the barrel over his body, right into the icy waters.

The darkness of the water caused it to go pitch black inside the barrel. Down and down it went in to the abyss of the bay, the cold feeling like ice daggers being thrust in Humble’s lower body. “How deep is this river?” Humble said. His voice shook the barrel. What felt like an eternity was eventually put to rest as Humble felt the sandy ocean floor touch him. “Now I just gotta go...to the shore.” In his rush to get off the boat, Humble had made the mistake of not looking outward before jumping to see what direction the shore was, and with his air supply limited, it wouldn’t be long for the barrel to become a casket. “Humble, just calm down. All ya gotta do is wait-no that won’t work-huh? Did something just—Ahhh!”Humble’s barrel was pelted by a school of salmon. The barrel tipped over, and Humble was doused with piercing cold water that made his mane stand up. “Ohmgh!” He found himself under a blanket of darkness and fins before a net surrounded him and the fish. They squirmed around his body as it soared up to the surface and just when he felt like he couldn’t take any more, he dropped onto a wooden deck surrounded by stallions.

“Oy Navi!” said one of the stallions to an older one. “We got a swimmer caught in the net!”

“Now why would you swim in Manehattan Bay at this time of year, lad?”said the stallion as the world went black.

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