By the time they reached Yakyakistan, they were going so fast they zoomed right past it without stopping. The basket sled slid the rest of the way down the mountain. Matthias and Twilight couldn't even see anything outside the basket now, it was all just a blur.
Finally, they landed at the bottom. They could see a city in the distance. They ran toward it, with Twilight still carrying the magic flower.
When they got to the town, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She recognized this place. It was the Crystal Empire, where her sister in law Princess Cadence ruled.
"I know how to get home from here," she said. "Come on. Let's go to the train station."
When they reached the station, Twilight asked the crystal pony at the counter, "When is the next train for Ponyville?"
The pony looked up. "In about ten minutes."
"Perfect!" Twilight handed her some money she had salvaged from the balloon wreck and bought two tickets for herself and Matthias.
They got on the train. "I've never ridden on one of these things before," said Matthias. "Are you sure it's safe?"
Twilight smiled. "It's perfectly safe. I ride trains all the time."
The whistle blew and the train set off. Matthias was uneasy at first, but gradually grew more relaxed. Not many other ponies were riding the train since it was so late at night.
"Can we reach Ponyville by tomorrow morning?" Matthias asked.
"I think we can," Twilight said, clutching the flower tightly in her hoof.
Matthias looked out the window and saw the countryside passing by beneath the moonlit sky. He yawned, realizing just how tired he was. The gentle rhythm of the locomotive lulled him to sleep.
When he woke up, the train was arriving into Ponyville and the sun was shining. As soon as it stopped, he and Twilight jumped to their feet and rushed out onto the station platform. They ran across town as fast as they could, heading for Pinkie Pie's house.
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Pinkie was lying on her bed, stiff as a board. Her body was red and boiling hot. Meadowbrook was standing over her. "Ah shore hope Twilight Sparkle an' 'er friend bring that flower soon," she muttered to herself.
Just then Twilight and Matthias burst into the room. "We got the flower!" Matthias cried.
The healer's face lit up. "Oh joy! C'mon, let's git some water boilin'!"
They hurried to the kitchen, where Meadowbrook set a pot of water to boil. Then she dropped the flower in and it dissolved. The water turned blue just like the flower's petals.
Meadowbrook scooped the liquid up in a cup and carried it back to Pinkie's room. Twilight and Matthias followed.
Meadowbrook forced Pinkie's lips open and pushed the water through. The antidote made its way into Pinkie's bloodstream, taking its cooling, healing work up every little vein, down every little artery, into every corner of Pinkie's poor rigid boiling body.
In front of their eyes, Pinkie's stiff arms softened. Her chest rose and fell. The breath blew out of her nostrils, and her eyes opened.
"You're alive!" Twilight shouted. "By Celestia and Luna, you're alive!"
Pinkie Pie leaped out of bed and she and Twilight ran at each other and hugged each other so hard their ribs almost cracked.
"Hey, Twilight," Pinkie giggled. "What happened?"
"You were about to die from Asmodeus's venom, but we found the cure and saved you!" Matthias said. He hugged Pinkie too.
"Wow, Matthias, that's the second time you've saved my life now!" Pinkie said. "Or is it the third? I have trouble remembering!"
They all laughed. Matthias and Twilight high fived each other. They had saved their friend from the Bite of Asmodeus.
THE END