Everyone come to the commune! We're having a slumber party tonight! It's totally okay if we have a group slumber party there, right guys?

Oh, and...Twilight, you guys are still out in Stalliongrad, huh? [That's disappointing. Unicorn Twilight probably needs the slumber party a lot, judging from that message of hers.] Um, is there maybe anyone who could go out to Stalliongrad and get them? You could totally go back in the morning and keep researching stuff!

I just think it'd be nice for us all to get together!

(In a very visible corner of the Crystal Empire is a large, red dragon who sparkles and shimmers like the locals of the empire. Clearly, this guy went out for a swim at one point during his stay...but he doesn't seem very amused. In fact, Dante has the hardest lineface he's put on in a good long time. Why, you ask?

Well, why not ask the ponies tugging on his ear? Or the ones playing in his glorious mane? Or how about the ones swinging on his tail? Somehow, this dragon's been converted to a full on playground and it seems the ponies are taking full advantage of it...and why wouldn't they? It's not often they get to see dragons up close, let alone sparkly dragons that don't attack anyone and don't mind being used as a jungle gym. He at least seems to be humoring the ponies, bouncing a few on his tail, spelling out names with smoke...the works.

And just for an added touch, someone decided to add a little bear mask to him. The size clearly shows it's meant for a filly and it can barely stick to his snout. Somehow, it does.

He rests his head on his hand, tapping his claws impatiently.)

Recreational sports.

(You'd almost feel bad for him, but knowing Dante, he probably did something to deserve it. What, exactly? Well, perhaps it has something to do with a familiar pink pony princess who's also playing with a few of the kids...and Dante's hair.)

H-hi everypony.

I wanted to ask if any of you are still interested in adopting one of the kittens I offered before. They're now old enough to leave their mother and live with you. Please let me or one of the other Fluttershys know as soon as you can. Of course if you asked for one earlier you are first in line.

Oh and um-

[She opens her mouth to speak but suddenly there is a flash of light and with a clap she bursts into rainbows, leaving Angel Bunny and the kittens sitting stunned and alone inside her cottage.]

[Get off the scroll, Teddie.]

I need five hundred dresses!

[Yes, five hundred.

...And that's it. He rolls up the scroll just as fast as he appeared on it, just to scream that at anyone who's willing to listen. Well... okay then.]

Hi, guys! So I was talking to Jappleack a little bit ago and we decided – we TOTALLY need to make some more Princess Pumices! Oh, for those of you who weren’t here then, Princess Pumice was what I called the statue pony I built out of the pieces of the other statue ponies, and then Nemo came down from the Pale Pony’s stomach and possessed it to talk to us and have a tea party with me!

ANYWAY, I don’t have any more statue pony pieces. But it’s okay, because I just wrote to my sister Maud about it instead! She knows everything about rocks. She wrote me this poem!!

Gypsum alabaster.
It is most commonly found in.
The White Cliffs of Rover.

[Pinkie drops the completely monotone voice she briefly adopted to read the poem and continues:] That’s where a bunch of Diamond Dogs live! So I’m going there to get some gypsum alabaster! Like, maybe a LOT! I made a whole list, and there’s just so many different things we can do with it, I dunno what to pick!

- We should build a statue pony that looks like a REAL missing pony! Maybe Nemo or maybe someone else I dunno we could try calling the Princesses?
- Build lots of little statue ponies! Maybe they could hide better from Chalky McEatsalot, and not get blown up so fast! They can live in my bathtub
- Build a statue human! See what happens!
- Do we know any ghosts still here and not there? ‘Cause statues would be a totally cool ghost house.
- What if we built a statue Us and put the Elements on them? Me and Twilight and Dashie and AJ and Fluttershy and Rarity, I mean!
- What if we built statue Elements?
- What if the Elements
- Wait, is this the same white-ish stone they turned Discord into before? We should ask him!
- Need to pick up more chocolate chips at the store later

So yeah, a ton of it! I dunno what they would want for that much, so I’m just gonna bring some bits and cakes and things, and maybe some gems, and we can work it out there! Does anyone wanna come with? It’s TOTALLY easier to haggle with friends!

Also, they’re Diamond Dogs, so they might just kidnap me! [Okay, so she IS aware of the potential dangers. She just sounds really cheerful about them.] I’ve got my frying pan though, so it’s cool!

[The sun is shining, birds are chirping and everything seems to be fine in the world. Even a native pony who was just going out and about town for some inspiration for her new line. Apparently she had found some notes on some kind of work in progress and found that something seemed to be...missing. She couldn't figure out what it was so there needed to be something done.

So she decided to walk around Ponyville to get some ideas. Sometimes the best ideas can be found right in one's backyard or so to speak. She was going to go after checking the mail but then the strangest thing happened: a gem fell right out of the sky and landed on her head.]

Hmm?

[She took it and looked at the shiny object, only to notice another one falling by her hooves. And then another and another and another!]

I never heard of a gem storm before-!

[...she shouldn't have looked up. Because all of a sudden, there was a ton of gems falling on top of her. Enough to make a damn swimming pool. The scroll turned on just as her scream was heard and the gems just...stayed there. It was considered comical to the unknown but if someone knew what had happened recently to her, it would be pretty damn scary. The fact that before her time at the hospital, she got rainbow'd and landed on rocks...it kinda made her feel a little scared. She wasn't going to wait for something worse to happen so that meant digging herself out of the shiny rock pile. It took her a few minutes but the scroll managed to catch her head poke out of the top.]

Did...Did somepony drop this?

[What? It would be wrong to assume.]

[The video starts up in her room and she appears quite unhappy, even nervous. An opened letter can be seen next to her.]

I... I need to come clean about something.

I..

I'm...

[She takes a deep breath before continuing.]

I'm attracted to mares and I'm dating Kreutzer.

[Even after dropping that bomb, it doesn't ease her nervousness. This was a big step for her. Sure, there was that post Hayate made a while back, but she wasn't ready to come out then. Heck, she wasn't completely ready to come out now, but she felt she needed to. Most likely because of the letter that's sitting on her bed.]

We've been together since the Gala, and even before then, we met during that incident at Hearts & Hooves day.

[Her ears droop.]

Kreutzer, I'm sorry I haven't been fair to you. I know I wanted us to go slow and keep our relationship quiet for a while, but I've been selfish.

[Part of her knew this won't be backlash, but she couldn't help but fear there will be.]

[The scroll flickers on to show nothing but white. Distantly, beneath a blowing wind, the sounds of whirling propellers and hard work press faintly through. Then crunching -- the unmistakable sound of hooves compressing snow.]

Aww, crap.

[The viewpoint jerks up to reveal the Overlord, snow spotting his coat but not his fiery mane, as he stands in the midst of a swirling blizzard. In the distance, barely visible, his minion horde marches off the airship he'd long ago stolen for Talk Like A Pirate Day and... neglected to return.]

Who the hell designs a magic scroll that's so easy to accidentally turn on?

Hmph. Looks like the cat's out of the bag. [Smirking, the Overlord sweeps a hoof out as he turns the scroll to reveal great mounds of snow lumping up across an otherwise featureless plain. Closer inspection shows that these lumps are in fact ruins, crumbled buildings in various states of decay.]

Stalliongrad. The site of an ancient battle between ponies and windigos, and if Princess Celestia's dreams are anything to go on, the Frozen Fire of Friendship just might be here somewhere. Once I find it, I'll have all the power of ice and snow that the windigos have... and then Equestria will either be mine, or a frozen hell of ponies in ice blocks, trapped and wishing their Princesses had surrendered instead of condemning them! Hyaaa ha ha ha ha!

[Zetta flicks his tail at the scroll as he turns to match towards the ruins, shutting it off.]

[Welp. Here's Celestia, and she doesn't look very happy sitting on her throne. In fact, she looks downright angry.]

Everypony. I apologize for this rather abrupt announcement, but I need you to be on the lookout for our...resident Overlord.

It appears he's made good on his promise to extract information from ponies' dreams, after all.

[True to her word to MayTwi, the unicorn had immediately used her scroll to contact all of the Mane Six, from her world and others. While the native ones knew about Rarity and her vanishing act, it was only right for the others to know about it as well. If she had spent time with them or done something and it came up in conversation, it would be heartbreaking to learn that it was forgotten.

Rarity was the bigger mare after all and she would face this head on.]

Girls, I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you in such a long time. Things have gotten...stranger and I cannot simply withhold this information from you any longer. We need to have a long chat.

I'll be at home.

[She just hoped that it wouldn't change things.]

[Unlike the Rarity that sent out that lovely text earlier, this one has opted for visual and she looks contemplative as she toys with one of her gems. Behind the warrior fashionista happen to be two capes adorning pony mannequins behind her. It took her longer than expected, but she has finished and just in time for Nightmare Night as well!

The recipients should know who they are simply by the sight of the capes alone. After all, they are rather dashing and designed to fit a stallion, not mares.]

As you know, my counterpart has taken it upon herself to provide for most of the new ponies that wish to have one. I offer my assistance as well for all interested. However, I think I will specialize more in temporary enchantments and accessories  than entire costumes.

[Hopefully the other Rarity won't mind, she's just trying to lighten the load a little.  She pauses for a moment, contemplating something before turning off  her scroll.]

( [Private Text to Princess Luna] )

Well, in lieu of the upcoming event, which is Nightmare night. I’m offering free costumes to all the foreign ponies. Anything your heart desires, just as long as it’s doable and not dangerous to society, I’ll make it.
So we all know the drill right? Come to my boutique, tell me what you wish and I will grant them for you. I want everyone to have a good time this Nightmare night so everyone gets a costume.

EXCEPT BERTIE AND ZETTA.

Thank you and I hope to see you in my boutique soon.

Bisous,
Rarity

And with the new season comes a new collection. My dear ponies, after spending an entire month locked away in my boutique and making sure to barricade every door and window in an attempt to keep that annoying overlord from distracting me. I’m proud to say that reds, oranges, golds and browns are the new colors of the season and the main focus of my new collection aptly named: Apple Spices.

Now I’d love to show it to you all, but it’s not quite there yet. Though, with the collection nearly finished, I’m happy to say that the boutique shall be resuming normal operations and that I’ll be taking commissions once again.

[Oh, the smirk on the unicorn's face as he addresses the scroll...]

So, Ponyville... how are you enjoying that trueberry-laced storm we had the other day?

Hyaaa ha ha ha ha! Don't sugarcoat it! Go on, be honest!

[And so we see Ponyville’s sweetheart on the scroll with a huge grin plastered on her face. No one’s seen or heard from her in weeks, and there was a good reason for that.

Behind her we see a portion her gigantic room, covered up by curtains. An covered area that clearly wasn’t there before and the curtains were obviously something she threw together just to be able to hide whatever thing she had behind it.

Honestly? For a victim of kidnapping, she seemed really happy]

Why hello there darlings! Yes, I’m still stuck in this horrible place but I do have some good news for you ponies.

I finished my summer line!

Yes! The moment I find a way to get out of this…poorly decorated castle, find a way to transport these beautiful new dresses out of here and rebuild my boutique, I’ll be sure to hold a fashion show to showcase my beautiful new designs!

Just be patient ponyville, I’ll be home soon.

As for the kind and generous pony that took me from my home and locked me here…

[Hear that? That’s sarcasm.]

I left something for you outside my door.