The sound of the alarm clock rang through the air, much to the dismay of a certain colt,who turned it off with one smooth motion.

He opened his purple eyes and rubbed them to get rid of the dried up mucus.

A sudden knock on the door caught his attention.

It was followed by Thunderlane opening the doors.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty, breakfast is downstairs!"

After mumbling something under his breath and taking care of himself in the bathroom, Rumble walked downstairs.

There he found a plate of fried eggs, hay bacon and toast. His older brother was already consuming what was on his plate.

"You know I asked for a bag of Happy Hoops for a reason right?" The colt asked his brother accusingly.

"Breakfast is supposed to keep you going throughout the day. You need carbohydrates and vitamins, a bowl of sweets with milk is not gonna cut it."

Rumble rolled his eyes and started snacking on his breakfast angrily. They ate like this for a minute until Thunderlane decided to break the silence.

"I should probably tell you now that the sleepover with you friends is not gonna happen today."

"Huh?! W-why?!" The colt asked, sounding genuinely hurt.

"There's been an emergency at the Cloudsdale factory and they need every extra pair of hooves."

"But you work at the weather patrol, not at the factory!"

"We have to listen to the same ponies and these ponies are saying that the whole weather patrol is needed for help."

"I thought you were the head of the weather patrol." Said Rumble little spitefully.

"Doesn't mean I don't have a boss." Replied Thunderlane.

The older of the brothers sighed as they left the table.

"I'm sorry that it turned out like that. I promise that by the end of the next month we will have enough bits to go to that Wonderbolts show in Canterlot, huh?" He nudged his little brother playfully but Rumble didn't respond.

"Come on." Said Thunderlane. "We have to get going, if you don't want to be late for the first class."

"Who was the most well known pegasus prior to the founding of Equestria, hmm?" Cheerilee asked, looking around the classroom. Featherweight's hoof shot out instantly.

"Rumble?" She asked the gray colt.

"Huh?" He asked, distracted by the other thoughts.

"Who was the most well known pegasus prior to the founding of Equestria?"

"

Uhmm… Dandelion the daring?" He asked unsure.

She shook her head. "He died 800 years ago, but he was definitely a pony to remember."

Featherweight was practically vibrating in his seat.

Cheerilee laughed.

"Alright, Featherweight, can you tell us?"

"General Cyclone, he aided Gusty the Great during the final battle. That's when he was sealed away."

The teacher smiled and nodded her head. "That's right Featherweight, you're getting an A for studiousness today.

Rumble didn't care. All he could think about was the fact that he, Pipsqueak and Button Mash will have to postpone their game night.

He was absorbed by these thoughts until the bell rang. All the colts and fillies scattered into different directions.

The pegasus felt alone.

That was until a smaller earth pony colt approached him. He had a white coat with brown spots.

"Hiya Rumble!"

"Hi Pip!" He replied with a much sadder tone.

"Why the long face?" Asked Pipsqueak.

"Because there won't be a sleepover tonight." Rumble replied angrily. "Thunderlane's boss called yesterday to tell him that they need more ponies to work on something."

"Oh." The earth pony said slightly deflated. "That's a pity, but on the bright side Mash is laying in bed sick. At least one of us won't be disappointed."

But before the two of them could start brooding, a unicorn filly walked up to them. She had a pale violet coat and a blonde mane.

"Hi Rumble! Hi Pip!"

"Hi Dinks."

"What's up Dinky?" Pipsqueak asked, his voice a little higher than he planned.

"Oh nothing. It's just that I don't have any plans this weekend and I wondered if we could do something together… you know?" She asked sounding a little unsure.

"YES! I mean…" The earth pony blushed slightly "If that's cool with your sister of course."

"Oh don't worry about it! Ditzy love when I bring home my friends. She says it helps me… umm? What's the word?"

"Socialize?" Suggested Rumble.

"Yeah that's the word." The filly giggled. "What about you Rumble, you want to hang out with us?"

"Nah, I'll pass. I'm not really in the mood."

"Why?" Asked Dinky.

"Because me Rumble and Button Mash were supposed to have a sleepover." Answered Pipsqueak. "Gaming from dusk till dawn."

"Huh…" Unicorn filly thought for a moment. "What if we have a sleepover at my place?"

"Really?" Pipsqueak asked, his tail wagging slightly. "Are you sure Miss Doo won't mind?"

"I'm sure. We originally planned to invite over the Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo but they already have something planned this weekend.

Dinky and Pipsqueak looked at Rumble.

"I might not be as big of a gamer as Button but I still have a GameCube with a few titles, hmm?" Said the unicorn

The colt sighed. He didn't have anything better to do. What was there to loose?

"Ok, I'll go."

"Yay!" The unicorn-earth pony duo exclaimed.

But before they could plan any further the school bell rang, forcing them to start a new class with Cheerilee.

"Did you take your toothbrush?" Thunderlane asked Rumble

"Yeah."

"Shampoo?"

"Yup."

"Preening comb?"

"I don't plan to really fly anywhere."

"It's better to be prepared."

Before they both left the home with Rumble's bags Thunderlane turned to look his younger brother in the eyes

"Ditzy is a kind mare but she has self-esteem issues. Don't think of taking advantage of that. When she tells you it's bedtime, you and all your friends hop in your bunks and snooze. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal." Replied Rumble. He didn't like telling him that but Thenderlane could've been really intimidating when he wanted to.

"Good. Looks like you'll be getting your sleepover after all." The older pegasus smiled.

"Yeah I guess."

Thunderlane closed the door and both of them took flight.

After a few minutes of flight both pegasus brothers were at their destination. A rustic one storey house at the southern edge of the town.

The older of the brothers used his front hoof to knock.

"Coming!" Came the reply.

After a few seconds the door was opened by a gray pegasus mare with blonde mane and crossed, golden eyes.

Thunderlane smiled "Sorry Ditzy but it looks like another foal is joining this party."

The mare giggled.

"I'll happily take him from here." The wall-eyed mare said playfully roughing up the colt's mane. Rumble didn't mind it though, he always liked Dinky's older sister.

Well, the oldest sister. He never really had a chance to meet Amethyst Heart but he heard she was pretty smart.

"Alright now that everything is settled I better get going. Wouldn't want to keep Rapid Wind waiting. Have fun you all."

With that the dark pegasus flew away, disappearing behind the clouds.

As Ditzy closed the door a sweet fragrant immediately hit Rumble's nose.

"What is that smell?" Asked the colt.

The mare smiled.

"These are blueberry muffins. Go tell Dinky and Pipsqueak that They will be ready in five minutes. You're free to join us as well of course.

After the delicious lunch the foals returned to Dinky's room. Despite playing for a few hours on the GameCube, all of them unanimously agreed that they should try out some of the older sleepover games

"Big dragon emigration?" Asked Rumble unsure.

Dinky shook her head violently and continued gesturing. The only thing that the colts knew for sure was the fact that it was three words and had to do with moving.

"Internal Tectonic movement?" Asked Pipsqueak with lack of confidence.

The filly shook her head again but before she could continue her pantomime the stopwatch had rang.

The colts groaned.

"So what was it?" Inquired Pipsqueak.

"The Grand Galloping Gala." Dinky said proudly. "I would like to go there at least once."

"Sounds boring." Said Rumble. "A bunch of aristocrats talking about how their days went."

"Not true at all!" Dinky said defensively. "There are also the greatest sportsponies in Equestria. As well as inventors and the most skilled conjurers."

Rumble shrugged his arms. "Wonderbolts seem like the only interesting ones there and they don't eve perform as far as I'm concerned."

Before the unicorn could open her mouth to retort Pipsqueak decided to interject.

"You know I don't think you're looking at this fair Rumble."

The pegasus colt cocked his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I'm not really interested in Wonderbolts or competitive flying, but you don't see me putting you down for liking them. We can both like different things and respect each other."

Rumble thought about his words.

"You're right." He sighed and turned to Dinky.

"I'm sorry for that. I think the anger at my brother made my attitude a little less pleasant."

The filly waved her hoof. "Don't sweat it. I often argue with Ditzy but that doesn;t make me love her any less."

"Really?" Asked Pipsqueak. "I always thought you two argue way less than Apple Bloom and Applejack.

"Ehh, not really we just do it when nopony's watching."

Before they could discuss the issue any further the doorbell rang downstairs.

"Did you invite anypony else?" Rumble asked Dinky, confused.

"Nope, just the two of you." Replied filly.

All three of them walked downstairs only to see Ditzy opening the door. A very familiar pony stood in the frame.

"Time Turner?" Asked Rumble, not expecting to see his brother's friend.

"Hi there kids." He said to all three of them. "I hope you three are having a splendid slumber party.

"You could say that." Replied Dinky. "But I hope you don't plan to join us, this is foals only party. No adults!"

The stallion chuckled at the remark.

"Time Turner is here to fix the stove, which he will need peace and quiet." Ditzy said.

She looked at the clock which made her muzzle turn serious.

"Therefore I will ask the three of you to go to bed. You don't need to go to sleep if you don't want to, just don't really walk around. ok?"

"But it's not even that late anyway!" Protested Dinky.

"You guys are still just foals and need a full night of sleep." Replied Ditzy

"Help me out guys!" The little unicorn turned to her friends.

"I think Miss Doo has a point." Said Pipsqueak.

Dinky's brow furrowed.

"What about you Rumble?" She asked the other colt with a slight glimmer of hope.

The young pegasus shrugged his arms.

"I don't want to get in trouble."

Ditzy breathed out a sigh of relief.

"You could learn from your friends Dinky." Said the pegasus mare.

The filly glared at her two companions

"Are you still mad at me?"

The unicorn filly didn't respond.

"Come on, I thought we were friends." Pipsqueak moaned

"Friends don't stab each other in the back at the first available opportunity."

"I didn't stab you in the back, I just didn't want to anger your sister." The earth pony said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Can't we just go back to being friends again?"

"Can you guys keep it quiet? I'm trying to sleep here!" Hissed Rumble.

The sudden laugh reverberated downstairs.

All three of them were confused.

Before anyone could say anything Dinky opened the door quietly.

"What are you doing?" Whispered Pipsqueak. His female friend ignored him.

Instead she decided to leave the room completely and take a good listen of the talk.

"-And then he told me that was his grandmother!" This voice definitely belonged to Time Turner.

Dinky heard a laugh punctuated by snorts. Ditzy laughed like that only when she found something really funny.

Gradually the laughter began to quiet down. Time Turner took a breath.

"So, umm… thanks for the coffee but I think it's time for me to get going."

"Do you really need to go now?"

Young filly heard disappointment in her sister's voice. She usually spoke in that tone when Dinky failed at something school-related.

"I'm afraid so. The Everfree Forest is constantly changing. There is a possibility that the samples taken tomorrow might be completely different from the ones taken today."

"I guess you're right…" Filly could tell that her older sister felt hurt. "Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Everything."

The room was filled with silence.

"You're welcome."

A moment later she heard the sound of a door closing. Ditzy could be heard sighing

"Are you nuts?" She turned her head to see a terrified Pipsqueak. "You can't eavesdrop on adults."

"Did you hear what he said?" Filly asked him, ignoring his previous remark.

"N-no. I usually try not to disobey."

"He said he's going to the Everfree forest, probably to do some nerd stuff." Said Rumble emerging from the shadows.

"It doesn't matter what he said, it's none of our business." Replied the earth pony.

"On the contrary. Did you hear the way Ditzy was talking to him?"

"What about it?" Asked Rumble

"She's clearly distraught about him leaving. How do you think she will react if something happens to him there?"

"Oh no…" Said Pipsqueak sensing where this was going.

"We need to follow him and make sure that he's okay." Announced Dinky.

"Sounds… pretty fun actually." Rumble said, smirking.

"What if Ditzy catches us?" Asked the earth pony.

"She's the heaviest sleeper I've ever known." Replied the unicorn. "We'll be back before she even knows it.

Pipsqueak thought about it for a moment. Then he took a deep breath

"In and out?"

Dinky smiled. "In and out."

A quarter past midnight and the Ponyville mailmare was deep in her sleep. Three foals started making their way through the window. First Rumble helped Dinky by transporting her to the ground. The filly then used her telekinesis to move Pipsqueak.

"You're all good?" Asked the unicorn.

Both of her friends nodded their heads.

"Then let's make sure that Time Turner will make it out of these woods." She said, smirking.

With that all three of them disappeared into the night.

Ditzy woke up roughly an hour later.

While rubbing her eyes with one hoof, she helped herself with the other.

For one filly and two colts, the first floor was quieter than she anticipated.

A little too quiet.

She went upstairs to check up on them. No harm in making sure they're all safe and sound.

The mare delicately pushed the door which gave up without much of a struggle.

She opened the door only to see an empty bed and mattresses.

Her heart sank.

"D-dinky?!" She decided to start calling them. "Pipsqueak?! Rumble?! This isn't funny guys!"

While looking around Ditzy finally noticed an opened window. She looked out of it.

The ground under the window was filled with tracks.

Tracks of the three small equines. All of them were leading to the Everfree forest.

"Oh no." Ditzy muttered to herself.

"So… How much further do we need to go?" Asked Rumble. "My legs are going to give out."

"We're going till we find Time Turner, quit your whining." Dinky replied, disgruntled.

"I think Rumble might have a point." Said Pipsqueak. "If we tire ourselves now we will never find him."

"What else are we supposed to do?" Asked the unicorn. "Sit on our flanks and wait for him to find us?"

"No. I think the best we can do now is go back north and look for Time Turner there. He didn't mention going into the heart of the forest, so there's a high probability he's still somewhere in the northern region." Said Pipsqueak.

"That… sounds like a good idea. Look at you go." Dinky smiled and nudged him playfully. The colt returned the smile and blushed.

"It's all cool but there's one problem. How do we know which way is north?" Asked Rumble.

Dinky turned her head up and intensely stared at the starry sky. She squinted her eyes.

"We need to go in this direction." Said filly while pointing her hoof.

"How do you know?" Asked Rumble.

The unicorn then pointed her hoof to the sky.

"This over there is Big Dipper. When you find the two stars at the end of the handle draw a line through them and extend it about four times the length of the line. Then you'll find Polaris. It's quite bright and hard to miss." Said Dinky.

"Where did you get that knowledge?" Inquired Pipsqueak.

The filly waved her hoof. "Ehh, it's just something that Time Turner told me once. That plus he lent me his book about stars."

"Wow, that's cool!" Exclaimed the earth pony. Dinky reddened slightly.

"Thanks."

And all three of them walked towards the direction designated by the unicorn filly.

Ditzy tore through the scrub mercilessly. No branch or bush was spared.

These three poor foals they're probably starving. They're must be cold and without an adult in this unforgiving forest.

She had to find them. Not only from the moral obligation but also because Thunderlane and Miss Chestnut will tear her apart otherwise.

After a few minutes she noticed a shape far away from her.

Approaching, she realized she recognized who it was.

"Oh Doctor, it's so good to see you. You won't believe what happened…"

She stopend not only because he didn't respond to her but also because he didn't move at all.

Finally after getting close enough she comprehended why it was.

Time Turner was a statue. Cold, unresponsive piece of stone.

She knew all the sculptors from Ponyville and none of them lived in this area, which meant only one thing.

"It must be nearby."

"I think I'm starting to recognize these trees!" Said Dinky. "We must be getting pretty close to where we started."

"That's good." Replied Rumble. "Let's just hope we fill find Time Turner before-"

"Kids!" Shouted a familiar voice.

"Uh,oh…" Responded the unicorn filly.

After a few seconds a gray blur turned into w familiar wall-eyed mare.

She sighed with relief.

"Normally I would be angry at the three of you but that's irrelevant for the moment-"

"You won't tell Thunderlane?" Asked Rumble

"No. What we need to-"

"You won't rat me out to my mom either right?" It was Pipsqueak's time to chime in.

She groaned. "I won't say a word, now-"

"Well then you have to go easy on me as well." Said Dinky. "If you do otherwise that'll show-"

"LISTEN TO ME!" Shouted Ditzy. All three foals locked eyes on her instantly. She knew it was a sign to continue.

"We need to get back to the house and don't leave it for a while. There's a cockatrice on the loose!"

Dinky gasped

"A cocka-what?" Asked Pipsqueak.

"Cockatrice. It's a dangerous creature with head of a chicken and a body of a snake." Explained Ditzy.

"Pfft." snorted Rumble. "Body of a snake and the head of a chicken? That doesn't sound scary. That sounds silly. If I ever saw one of them cockathingies face-to-face, I'd laugh at how silly it was."

"No!" Dinky interrupted him. "Never look them in the eyes. If you do-"

A loud and sharp hiss interrupted the young filly.

Ditzy took a breath and looked behind her.

A peculiar creature slithered its way towards them. It had a serpentine body crowned with a chicken head. The claws and membrane wings gave it an ominous look.

"All three of you run from where I came from. When you reach the town, find Comet. He will know what to do."

"We won't leave you at the mercy of that thing!" Exclaimed Dinky.

"GO!"

All three of them shrunk under her glare and ran off.

Now it was just her and cockatrice.

It flew closer, while Ditzy remained still.

When they were less than one hoof apart, cockatrice looked her directly in the eyes. Ditzy's hind legs started getting stiffer.

And yet the creature didn't see fright or regret in her eyes. It saw anger.

"How dare you! Attacking an unsuspecting pony who didn't do anything to you? Do you have any sense of guilt?"

This attitude made cockatrice feel uneasy. Does she know in what kind of danger she is right now?

"You're going to turn my friend back to normal and bother nopony ever again. Got it?"

It tried to strengthen its gaze but to no avail. Seems like It is too stressed to turn anything into stone now.

The Cockatrice started backing off and clucking pitifully. The stone crust that started forming around Ditzy's hind legs completely fell off.

Splitting headache. That was the first thing that Time Turner felt after being turned back into a normal.

"W-what?" He muttered to himself. Suddenly he felt somepony hugging him.

"Oh thanks Faust, You're alive!"

He noticed that it was Ditzy doo holding him.

"Why wouldn't I be alive?" Asked Time Turner confused.

"You were turned into stone by a cockatrice. I'm not as much of a bookworm as you or Comet Tale so I didn't really know the consequences of turning you back to normal. Fortunately there doesn't seem to be any."

He smiled and hugged her back. A small blush formed on both of their cheeks.

"That… was… awesome!"

Both adult ponies turned their heads to see three very impressed foals.

"Can you do it again?" Dinky asked excitedly.

Next morning it was the time for the three foals to say goodbye to each other. Mrs. Chestnut and Thunderlane were watching Dinky say goodbye to her friends.

"Rumble didn't cause any troubles, did he?" Thunderlane asked Ditzy.

"Nope, all of them were delightful." Replied the pegasus mare smiling.

"Good to know." Said Mrs. Chestnut. "Pipp keeps asking to let him host a sleepover the next time.

"I bet Dinky will excitedly await that day." Said Ditzy.

Rumble and Pipsqueak left with their respective legal guardians, leaving only Dinky and her older sister.

"Why did you risk your and your friends safety?" Ditzy asked, but there was no anger in her voice.

Dinky lowered her head, trying to not look her sister in the eyes.

"I wanted to make sure that Time Turner would return safely."

Not the answer Ditzy was expecting.

"You were eavesdropping?"

The filly blushed. "Sorry."

Ditzy sighed. "While selfless I still don't understand why you would be concerned with the safety of a full grown stallion."

"It's just that… you always seem happy when he's around so I thought if something bad happened to him you would be sad as well." The unicorn filly said while circling her hoof on the ground.

Ditzy giggled and put her younger sister in a hug.

"I'm glad that you're growing up to be such a thoughtful and compassionate mare."

Filly returned the hug and they remained like that for more than a minute.

"By the way, if you don't let me skip washing dishes for a month I'm gonna tell mom about this."

Ditzy's snout immadeiately turned sour.

"Deal."