Dear Diary,
Uhh...That's how you're supposed to start these diary thingies, right?
Pinkie Pie told me it would be a good idea for me to start one of these. He said it would be good for me to get my emotions out on paper to help me cope with them after what happened.
I don't really get the point of it, but I trust the little guy. He's really..."emotionally intuitive," or whatever he calls it.
Rainbow Dash sat up in the attic, scribbling with one of her claws into a small journal, occasionally dipping it into a little bottle of ink.
Anyway, it's been about two weeks since the whole Cruella situation went down, and things have mostly returned to normal around here.
Well...I say "mostly normal," but to be honest, the Girls are still really shaken.
I mean, you can't blame them. We were all nearly killed just so some re-animated corpse slathered in stinky perfume could have a set of spotted streetwear.
But I just feel awful for them all. No animal should have to go through that, especially at such a young age.
Now they're waking up every night from nightmares, they don't feel safe going outside, they'll hardly eat...I don't know what to do for them...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Rainbow Dash's writing was interrupted by two Girls screaming from downstairs. She instantly darted towards the hatch in the floor and into the living room.
There, she saw Rarity and Applejack, having been stirred from their midday nap, hugging each other and shivering in terror while Twilight tried in vain to console them.
"The scary lady!" Rarity shouted.
"She's back! She's back!" Applejack yelped.
"It's okay, girls" Twilight attempted to reassure them. "I promise you, it was just a bad dream."
The twins continued on with their frightened rambling.
"B-But, she had long creepy arms!"
"And yellow teeth!"
"And red eyes!"
"And-"
The two girl Girls suddenly felt a paw softly clasp on to one of their paws each.
"Ohmmm..."
Pinkie Pie was now standing in-between Rarity and Applejack, holding onto their paws. His eyes were closed with a peaceful smiling expression, as he quietly chanted his mantra.
"Pinkie Pie?" Rarity asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"What...are you...doing?..." Applejack muttered as she and Rarity began to feel themselves drifting into a trance.
"Ohmmm..." The three Girls now hummed in unison.
Rarity and Applejack began to trail off, as Pinkie Pie gently lowered them back down onto their beds to continue on with their nap.
Twilight sat and observed all of this with wide, puzzled eyes.
"D-Pinkie Pie," he asked. "How did y-"
"I HAVE SEEN THE SIGNS, SIBLINGS. THE END IS NIGH."
Twilight was instantly cut off by another one of Sunset's prophecies of doom.
Pinkie Pie calmly walked over to the goth pup as he continued with his Armageddon preaching. He then gently wrapped his paws around Sunset in a loving hug.
"Shhhh," Pinkie Pie hushed. "Calm...calm..."
"THE BEAST WITH NO FUR SHALL RISE AGAIN," Sunset continued, but his voice began to trail off as Pinkie Pie transmitted calming vibes into the goth's mind through his warm embrace. "HERALDING...The return of...the Devil...Wo...man..."
Sunset's spiel soon faded into snoring, and he plopped down onto the floor, now fast asleep.
"Pinkie Pie," Twilight attempted to ask again. "How did-"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
The all-too familiar shrieks of Triple D cut Twilight off once again.
"But, like, how am I supposed to get my beauty rest when that Cruella lady could be coming back any day now?" Fluttershy cried.
"What's the point in even keeping our fur so luxurious and beautiful, if she's just gonna take it away from us?" Pippi sobbed.
"Yeah, like..." Tommy tried to think of something to add, but was too stressed to think. " ...Like, yeah!"
"...Girls?" Pinkie Pie addressed the trio calmly.
"WHAT?" Triple D shouted in unison, slightly offended that their brother interrupted their panicking.
Pinkie Pie then produced a clear quartz crystal and a tuning fork from behind him. He gently struck the rock with the fork, and the triplets instantly plopped down onto the floor and dozed off.
"Pinkie Pie," Twilight began again as he followed his little brother down the hall. "How on Earth are you doing this? I-I mean, it's amazing! I'm really proud of you for keeping so calm for the Girls, but...How?"
Pinkie Pie looked back and smiled.
"It's nothing, really," Pinkie Pie replied warmly. "I'm just sharing some of my positive energy with our siblings in these trying times. I'm more than happy to bring a little serenity into their lives that they so desperately need right now."
"Huh," Twilight replied in mild astonishment. "I'm impressed, Pinkie Pie. You're making sure to take care of yourself, though, right? You had to go through that ordeal, too, after all."
"Don't worry about it, brother," Pinkie Pie assured with a sincere-looking grin. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Heh heh...Okay," Twilight responded with a somewhat skeptical smile as he watched Pinkie Pie continue through the house.
Rainbow Dash walked over to Twilight's side.
"...You don't seem very convinced," she stated.
"I-I believe him," Twilight stammered nervously. "I mean...I wanna believe him, but...I dunno. Usually Pinkie Pie's one of the last Girls to fully recover from any sort of big stressful experience. But these days he seems just...fine. Probably the calmest he's ever been, even."
"So why are you worried?" Rainbow Dash asked. "He obviously has to be taking extra-good care of himself if he's staying so chill about it...R-right?"
Rainbow Dash's face began to sink in doubt as well.
"...You don't seem very convinced, either," Twilight remarked with a look of concern on his face.
"I suppose I'm not," Rainbow Dash replied. "I know Pinkie Pie does a lot around here to keep the Girls happy, but I just wanna be sure that he's happy, too."
"Guess we'll just have to keep an eye on him," Twilight proposed. "Just to make sure he's really holding up alright."
"You're right," Rainbow Dash concurred. "I hate to be nosing into his business like this, but we gotta look out for the little dude."
The two elder Girls nodded in agreement, and began silently keeping track of their little yogi bro from behind.
For the rest of that day, Rainbow Dash and Twilight kept a discreet eye on Pinkie Pie as he went around tending to the other Girls' frazzled nerves.
They first followed him near one of Annika's big dirt piles in the backyard.
Annika had apparently convinced himself he needed to dig another emergency escape tunnel, which alerted Pinkie Pie to his panicked state.
Annika was now laying on his back with a blissful, drooling, sleepy expression on his face. Pinkie Pie had carefully laid out an arrangement of small crystals onto the dirty pup's body, and was now gently dangling a rainbow-colored pendulum over his head.
"Let the healing energy of the Earth...relax you," Pinkie Pie whispered slowly.
"Hehehe..." Annika chuckled in a dreamy, half-asleep voice. "Pretty rocks..."
After a while, they'd found Pinkie Pie sitting cross-legged in another spot in the backyard. Applebloom's chin was resting gently on one of Pinkie Pie's knees as the yogi pup was gently stroking his normally energetic brother's head.
Applebloom's heart rate was still abnormally high from the trauma he'd faced weeks ago, and so Pinkie Pie was leading him through some calming breathing exercises.
"Mmmf..." Applebloom mumbled with a distressed expression on his entranced face. "Cruella...Don't let her..."
"Return to the breath, brother," Pinkie Pie murmured. "Let it anchor you to the present..."
Applebloom took in a deep breath through his nose, and then sighed in relief as a smile returned to his face.
A few hours later, Pinkie Pie could be seen embracing a sobbing Sweetie Belle, holding the remains of his Princess Positron doll in his paws.
"Let it all out, Brother Sweetie Belle," Pinkie Pie soothed as he gently rubbed his brother's back. "Time will heal...Time will heal..."
"...Thank you, Pinkie Pie," Sweetie Belle sniffled. "Your serenity and patience is exactly what I need in this time of grieving."
Towards the end of the day, Pinkie Pie was holding a one-on-one art therapy session with Scootaloo, who was painting colorful mandalas on several canvases.
"Breathe deeply as you paint each stroke," Pinkie Pie instructed softly. "Seek serenity within your mind, and paint what your third eye perceives."
Scootaloo's expression was serene, yet deeply focused, as intricate kaleidoscopic designs seemed to simply flow from her paws. She smiled as she finished off the last of her paintings.
"Thanks so much, Pinkie Pie," Scootaloo sighed happily. "You've really helped me cope quite a lot. The past couple of weeks have been tense for all of us, but I'm glad we can count on you to bring a little tranquility into our lives."
"It's no trouble at all," Pinkie Pie replied with a warm grin. "My only desire is to see all of my beloved siblings at peace once again."
Bedtime had finally come around, and Rainbow Dash and Twilight were doing one last scan of the bedroom to see if all the Girls were in bed and accounted for.
Almost every bed in the room was occupied by peaceful, contented Girls.
However, one bed was empty. The hanging pod-bed that was reserved for Pinkie Pie.
"Hey, Dyl," Rainbow Dash asked. "You seen Pinkie Pie anywhere?"
"N-no, I haven't," Twilight replied. "Is he not in his bed?"
"No," Rainbow Dash responded. "He's-"
"Right here!" Pinkie Pie finished the sentence as he rushed into the room, looking quite frazzled.
"Hey, buddy, you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking concerned. "You look kinda, uhh..."
"I'm fine, honest!" Pinkie Pie nervously cut his sister off. "I'm just a bit tired, is all."
"Pinkie Pie," Twilight approached the pup, examining his face. "Your eyes look kinda red and...watery. Everything alright?"
"Of course!" Pinkie Pie blurted nervously. "It's just...uhh...seasonal allergies. I'll be fine with some rest, I promise."
"...If you say so," Twilight stammered, not fully convinced.
He and Rainbow Dash walked towards the doorway, then addressed the Girls.
"G'night, guys," Rainbow Dash chimed.
"Sleep tight," Twilight added, as they both walked out into the hallway.
"Something definitely seems up with Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash whispered as they ventured out into the living room. "Did you get a good look at him? Poor little guy looks like he got sick on some expired vegan sausage."
"I know," Twilight replied quietly. "He seems bent on convincing us that he's fine, but...that just worries me even more."
The two elder siblings jumped up on the living room couch and got comfortable for the night.
"Guess we'll just have to keep on keeping an eye on him until we find out what's up," Rainbow Dash sighed as she lay her head down.
Back in the bedroom, Pinkie Pie leaped up into his hanging bed with catlike agility and curled up to try to sleep.
But sleep wouldn't come to him.
The entire Dalmatian household rose bright and early for breakfast that morning. The dining room was full of Girls enthusiastically chowing down on their morning feast.
However, there was one empty spot occupied only by a bowl full of organic kibble.
It didn't take too long for Rainbow Dash to take notice of this.
"Uhh, bro?" she addressed Twilight.
"Pinkie Pie's not up yet?" Twilight guessed concernedly. "He never sleeps in like this. He's usually up bright and early and practicing his morning Tai Chi in the backyard before anyone else is even awake."
The sound of clumsy trampling and stumbling down the stairs could be heard in the next room. Into the dining room walked a very exhausted-looking Pinkie Pie.
"Uhhh...Ohhh...G-Good morning, guys..." Pinkie Pie stammered groggily as he wobbled over to his kibble dish.
"Whoaaaa, Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "You okay, dude? You look like you didn't sleep a wink last night!"
"Uwaaahhhh...I'm fine, I'm fine," Pinkie Pie yawned. "My chakras just need a little time to sync with the universal energies...I'll catch my second wind, I promi..."
Splat!
Pinkie Pie was suddenly fast asleep, face-down in his breakfast.
Twilight ran over and shook the tired pup back to his senses.
"UWAHHH! Huh?" Pinkie Pie woke with a start.
The rest of the Girls began to disperse and head out to start their daily routines.
"Well, I'd better get going," Pinkie Pie said with a half-hearted smile. "I'm scheduled for a group yoga session with the CMCs, then a healing drum circle alongside Babs Seed, and I promised Triple D reiki and massage treatments, and-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on there, Pinkie Pie," Twilight interrupted. "You haven't even touched your breakfast!"
Pinkie Pie stared down at the imprint of his face in the kibble.
"I-It's fine," he replied nervously. "I've been meaning to start a fast, anyway. I should head out now, though. Namaste!"
Pinkie Pie dizzily stumbled out into the backyard, as his older siblings uncomfortably watched.
"M-maybe he just had an off night last night?" Rainbow Dash nervously proposed.
Twilight gestured towards the open back door, where Pinkie Pie could be seen giving his yoga lesson in the backyard.
"A-and now..." Pinkie Pie weakly instructed, "W-we shift...into..."
Pinkie Pie fell flat onto the ground with a flop.
The CMCs glanced at one another in confusion. They shrugged in unison and mimicked Pinkie Pie's clumsy belly flop.
"Yeahhh, you're right," Rainbow Dash admitted. "We gotta get to the bottom of this before the lil' guy's chi runs dry."
"We're just gonna have to be extra vigilant today," Twilight declared. "Make sure Pinkie Pie doesn't leave our sight for a second."
Twilight cleared his throat. "Dawki-"
Before Twilight could even finish saying his name, Sweetie Belle was already right beside him.
"Let me guess," Sweetie Belle remarked flatly. "I'm in charge?"
"Yep!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she and Twilight headed out for Pinkie Pie reconnaissance duty. "See ya!"
"Oh, Kibbles..."
And just like clockwork, the obligatory puppy pile descended upon the scientist pup.
The remainder of Rainbow Dash and Twilight's day was spent once again inconspicuously following Pinkie Pie.
They began by continuing to spy on the yoga lesson he was leading the CMCs through. After a few futile attempts of trying to stay balanced in various poses in his fatigued state, he eventually gave up and flopped onto his back.
"W-we will be spending the remainder of this lesson in Corpse Pose," he groaned before quickly falling asleep.
The CMCs, of course, took this opportunity to snatch some of Scootaloo's paints and draw all over Pinkie Pie's slumbering face.
After Pinkie Pie awoke and rinsed off with the garden hose, Rainbow Dash and Twilight watched him and Babs Seed set up their drum circle. A group of Girls had gathered around rhythmically beating on the drums and kitchen pots placed before them. Babs Seed was leading the groove quite nicely, while Pinkie Pie was just weakly patting on the tabla drum Babs Seed had given him.
"Pinkie Pie?" Babs Seed questioned, noticing his brother's lack of enthusiasm. "You okay, man? You seem kinda out of it today."
"I-I'm fine, I promise," Pinkie Pie yawned. He listlessly patted his drum a few more times before dozing off, his face hitting the top of the drum with one last hollow beat.
Babs Seed shook the pup awake, causing him to jolt up with a gasp.
"Dude," Babs Seed muttered. "You should really go get some rest. I can take it from here."
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Pinkie Pie insisted. "I should probably head off, though. It's almost time for Triple D's energy healing session."
"Okay," Babs Seed stammered hesitantly. "Just...try to take it easy, okay?"
"Mmhmm..." Pinkie Pie mumbled as he stumbled off into the house.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight cringed at the sight of their barely-awake little brother wobbling away, then followed him quietly into the house.
Pinkie Pie had soon set up three massage tables in the Girls' bedroom, each occupied by one of the diva pup triplets laying on their bellies.
In the middle of aligning Pippi' chakras, Pinkie Pie had nodded off to sleep and unknowingly began drooling on his sister's fur.
"Uhhh," Tommy piped up as she glanced over. "Is that part of the treatment?"
"Pinkie Pie!" Pippi shrieked as she lept off the table. "What are you doing!? I just got my fur done earlier and now you've got your slobber all over it!"
"Uhh, wha!?" Pinkie Pie awoke with a snort as he wiped some drool off his face. "O-Oh! Sorry, Pippi..."
Fluttershy got up close to Pinkie Pie's face and started inspecting it. She pried one his eyes open with her fingers to get a look at his bloodshot capillaries. She examined the heavy bags underneath his eyes, and the unkempt-looking fur on his head.
"Yikes," she remarked. "I'm not trying to throw shade, but you look terrible, Pinkie Pie. Did you even get any beauty sleep last night?"
"At this rate he looks like he'd have to sleep for a month," Pippi snarked.
"Yeah," Tommy added. "At least."
"P-please...Don't worry about me, sisters," Pinkie Pie assured in a tired voice. "I-I'm fine...Now, who's next?"
The triplets all glanced nervously at one another.
"WHOOOA, look at the time!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"We're late for, uhhh..." Pippi began."
"...Emergency photo shoot," Tommy finished.
And just like that, the triplets darted off quickly enough to give Applebloom a run for his money.
Pinkie Pie sighed and once again passed out face-down onto one of the massage tables.
"Yeah, this is...pretty bad," Rainbow Dash said uneasily.
"I don't see it getting any better, either," Twilight responded. "unless we find out what's causing Pinkie Pie to act this way."
Rainbow Dash looked in sadly on Pinkie Pie passed out on top of the massage table.
"Hang in there, little guy," she whispered. "We'll help you through this one way or another."