Pinkie Pie just took an ordinary stroll through the strawberry fields with her sisters. They were joyfully hopping around, deciding on what to do.

“I know! Let's play Hide and Seek!” Inkie suggested.

Pinkie gleefully shouted: “Ooh! Ooh! I wanna be it! I WANNA BE IT!”

Her sisters simply laughed at her demeanor: “Of course you're it. You are just way too good at hiding. Neither of us has even found you once.”

“That's because of my super-duper secret hiding places. You're not supposed to find them, since they're hiding places, duh.”

“Awww, you have to show us!” both sisters demanded.

“But that wouldn't make them secret anymore.”

“Pretty please?!” Blinkie tried to convince her big sister with a big smile.

“All right, one of these days I'll show them to you. But enough chit-chat. It's not say-time, it's  playtime!”

And with Pinkie's demanding words Inkie and Blinkie ran off to obscure themselves.

The pink filly patiently and slowly counted down from twenty – after all games were no fun if you tried to cheat. “...three, two, one. Ready or not, here I come!”

She immediately went into that happy bounce she had perfected for the Hide and Seek game. It did give her an ideal opportunity to look over the strawberry bushes with every hop. Since the strawberry fields were pretty vast, there were only a few good hiding spots. Pinkie knew she just had to check them one by one and she would eventually find her sisters.

She came by a rock formation, that was notorious as one of Blinkie's favorite hiding spots. She slowly sneaked up on it. Then with a giant leap she flung herself towards her sister, letting out a big “Gotcha!”. Or at least where Pinkie expected her sister to be. Blinkie didn't hide between the rocks, but Pinkie could hear her sister's familiar giggle close by.

Now she knew that Blinkie was in a nearby tree. Pinkie didn't want to catch her sister immediately though, as it would inevitably upset her. Instead, Pinkie just pretended not to know and started to speak aloud her every thought.

“Oh, she isn't here. Where could she have gone instead. Maybe she burrowed herself in the ground.” Pinkie began digging the ground. The tittering from the tree slowly grew louder. Pinkie let out a huge fake gasp: “What if Blinkie got turned into a strawberry by an evil magician? Quick strawberries, if one of you is Blinkie please blink twice!”

The giggles turned into all-out laughter, as Blinkie tumbled from the tree branch she was sitting on: “No fair!”

Pinkie came over with a huge grin: “Now you have to help me find Inkie.”

They were quickly devising a strategy for finding their sister, when suddenly Inkie shouted out to them: “Guys, come quick! I found something!”

*  *  *

The three fillies were looking at a small creature, that looked like a ball of blue fur with big shiny eyes. It had two pairs of dragonfly-like wings and four stumpy legs.

“Wow it's so cute!” both Pinkie and Blinkie proclaimed. “What do you think it is?”

“I don't know,” Inkie answered. “but it sure looks hungry. Hey little friend, you want a strawberry?” She picked a strawberry and offered it to the little critter.

“Don't, Inkie!” Blinkie advised. “They're not ripe yet.”

“I'm sure he doesn't mind.” The small animal devoured the fruit in a single bite. “See? I think he wants more.”

The three sisters each gathered a handful of strawberries and returned to the creature. It instantly ate them all and affectionately began nuzzling the cheeks of all three little ponies.

“I think he likes us. Do you think father will let us keep it?” Pinkie asked.

“Maybe, but we have to be careful how we ask him. Why don't we...”

A familiar voice reached out for the three little fillies: “Pinkamena, Aosuke, Akabei, dinner is ready.”

“Coming, mother!” all three siblings shouted in unison.

*  *  *

“What is that thing?” Martha Pie demanded to know.

Inkie explained: “We don't know. We found it in the fields. Can we keep it? It's really tame and we promise to take care of it all on our own.” The three fillies supported their plea with a beam each.

Martha smiled back: “Allright, I'll talk to your father. But first we'll have dinner. Aosuke please bring your little pet friend up to your room. And don't leave the window open, otherwise it might fly away.”

“Will do, mother!” Inkie happily announced, then continued to walk up the stairs.

“Now Pinkamena, Akabei please help me set the table.”

*  *  *

Clyde Pie returned from his trip to buy some farm supplies for the upcoming harvest. Upon entering his home he was immediately greeted by his wife and his three wonderful daughters.

“Daddy's home!” the three of them cheered.

“Hello girls, I missed you.” he said. Then he gave a welcoming kiss to his wife, before suggesting: “Why don't we have a seat and eat dinner.”

The table was practically overflowing with all the delicious treats Martha always prepared for her family. There were mashed potatoes, a collection of cooked, steamed, and fried vegetables, freshly baked bread, a number of rissoles, and most importantly her world-famous strawberry cheesecake. It always sat there, almost taunting everypony and making them impatient for the dessert.

“So, what have you girls been up to?” Clyde asked.

His wife answered for them: “I sent them to the southern field to check on the plants. They're all doing fine. After that, they just played around some. Isn't that right girls?”

“And we found some strange little animal,” Blinkie added.

“Blinkie!” her sisters immediately shushed her.

Martha quickly took over: “The girls wanted to talk about something with you, dear. You see, they've found some little critter and wanted to keep it as a pet.”

“What is it?” Clyde wanted to know. “A lizard? A stray cat?”

“No, it's a strange furry flying creature. Maybe you've seen it before.”

Clyde halted for a moment to think. “You girls have always taken good care of the plants. And it would probably be good to teach you some responsibility. I'll allow it.”

All three fillies jumped up to give their father a hug. “Thanks father. You're the best.”

Their father gleefully reminded them: “Now girls, you know you're not supposed to get up before a meal is finished.”

“Yes, we know,” they giggled right back, before sitting down to finish their meal.

*  *  *

Right after dinner, the Pie sisters went upstairs to their bedroom. They searched for their new pet right away.

“Now where could the little fellow have gone to?” Pinkie inquired. They all inspected the room more thoroughly.

“Found it!” Blinkie reported after a moment.

“Me too!” Inkie announced.

“Me... wait, what?” Pinkie shouted in disbelief.

Simultaneously they all turned around, each presenting one of those strange little creatures they had found that afternoon. Additionally to the blue one they were expecting in their room, they also had a red, and a brown one.

“Where do you think the other ones came from?” Inkie wanted to know.

“I don't know,” Pinkie responded. “Isn't it great though? Now we all can have one.”

“Let's go outside and see if we can teach them any tricks,” Blinkie suggested.

Pinkie reminded her: “The sun is just about to set. It's almost bed time. I don't think mother and father will allow us to go outside.” After all, the Pie family motto was “early to bed and early to rise”.

“Girls, can I come in?” Clyde asked through the door.

“Yes, father,” they answered.

“Now let me see those critters I heard so much about.”

Pinkie presented the small flying animal to her father. It began snuggling his mane with a soft purr.

“What an adorable little creature! I don't know what it is, but it's obviously harmless. Now I expect you to take good care of them. And remember, it's almost time for bed.”

Thus the three sisters only had a little time to play with their pets, while they got ready for bed. Each of them fell asleep cuddling with one of their new animal friends.

*  *  *

As almost everyday, Clyde Pie was the first family member to get up. As everyday he washed himself, got dressed in his work clothes, and took out his watering can to water the strawberry bushes first thing in the morning.

But this was no ordinary day. Clyde went outside and instantly dropped the watering can from his mouth in shock.

Next Chapter: Chapter 2: Founding of the rock farm Estimated time remaining: 50 Minutes