Pinkie Pie gets taken by Surprise

While all buildings in Ponyville stood out as unusually bright and colourful, Sugarcube Corner quite literally took the cake, especially considering it looked just like one. As it loomed ever closer Surprise felt her heart hammering in her chest, as if it were trying to burst out of her rib cage and escape the inevitable fate. Surprise couldn’t boast to predict what would become of this visit, but whatever was going to happen, it would end this all one way or another. She reached the front door step like she was ascending the steps to the gallows. With a final look over her shoulder to Fluttershy who gave her an encouraging nod, she inhaled deeply, and pushed the door open…

“SURPRISE!”

Surprise was knocked off her hooves by the force of the shout, and would have been sent flying from Sugarcube Corner if not for Fluttershy who managed to catch and steady her. After an energetic shaking of her head, Surprise was sufficiently able to stand on her own and look into the open doorway of the bakery. There stood a very excited pink pony, with an impossibly huge smile plastered onto her face, one which simply emanated happiness

“Pinkie, what in Equestria was that for?” Surprise asked stepping forward, her feelings of anxiety momentarily forgotten.

“its your surprise ‘welcome to Ponyville’ party,” she explained leading them inside, “and boy were you surprised… well you are Surprise, but for a moment you were super duper surprised, and I thought ‘wow, I really made Surprise surprised’, and then I wondered if doing so allowed you to surpass your natural limitations and ascend to an even higher being, and then I wondered if that was even your final form.”

Not a word Pinkie had said after party had been acknowledged by Surprise who now stood in the main shop, half decorated with only five, very displeased guests.

“Oh yeah, sorry about it being so slap dash,” Pinkie said notching the state of the room, “but ‘someponies’ wouldn’t give me peace to work.”

Rainbow Dash snorted at this comment while Twilight and Spike just frowned, the other two ponies in the room exchanged confused glances, clearly they had only been given the barest possible details.

“Pinkie,” Surprise started with a sigh, “I don’t think this is a good time for a party.”

The change in Pinkie’s demeanour sent a shiver up Surprise’s spine, the words had barely left her mouth when Pinkie shot her a look that could scare Nightmare Moon and hissed “there’s always time for parties”. The change had been so sudden and was gone as quickly as it had come on that Surprise was unsure if it had really happened or not, but before she could think about it any further Twilight spoke up.

“Regardless Pinkie,” she said stepping forward, “some things need to be discussed first.”

Surprise glanced back at Fluttershy who remained firmly at her back; a single determined look from her was enough to motivate Surprise to begin.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Pegasus shot her a glare, but didn’t interrupt, “… I’m sorry.”

He words felt hollow as they passed Surprise’s lips, she meant them with all her heart, but two words hardly made up for what she did, and Rainbow seemed to think so too.

“You’re sorry?” she spat, “is that all you have to say?”

“No,” Surprise said not meeting her eyes, “I don’t expect you to forgive me; I just wanted the opportunity to explain.”

“Then explain,” Dash commanded, Surprised inhaled sharply.

“It was after graduation,” she began; all those gathered gave confused looks, clearly unsure where she was going with this. “I was so happy, not for the reasons you’d expect, I actually couldn’t care less about qualifications.

“It was because I was finally going to be able to fulfil my promise to you,” Surprise risked a glance up at Dash, who now looked genuinely intrigued, her anger seemingly dissipated. “It took all my self-control to stop myself writing to tell you I was moving to Ponyville, I wanted to surprise you, it is my name after all.”

The corner of Dash’s mouth twitched and her eyes became unfocused for a second and Surprise could see the nostalgia in them.

When the silence stretched on Twilight chipped in, “but you didn’t, what happened?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Surprise said with a bark of bitter laughter, “I came to find Rainbow and Fluttershy, they were in meadow, but they weren’t alone.”

“That’s what this is about?” Dash asked incredulously, “you saw us with Pinkie once and you assumed we had replaced you?”

Surprise glanced over at Pinkie, who had been unusually silent during the conversation; she had an unreadable expression on her face, so much for wanting to be my friend.

“Not exactly,” Surprise hesitated, this was the complicated part, “truth is, if it had been any other pony, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about it… but as soon as I saw Pinkie, I…”

She trailed off, unable to finish. It was at that moment that Pinkie stepped forward.

“Surprise,” she said, in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, “if I did something to you, I’m really sorry.”

The words rang in Surprise’s ears and before she could help it she burst into laughter, real laughter, the kind only Pinkie Pie could bring out in a pony who’d spent so many years being miserable.

All the ponies gathered looked outraged; clearly they got the wrong impression

“Pinkie, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Surprise said, smiling for the first time that day, “and the fact that you would even think this could in any way be your fault just goes to show what an amazing pony you are… and why they’re lucky to have you as a friend.”

Surprise looked between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, and then over Twilight, Spike and the other two she knew to be Applejack and Rarity.

“No, you did nothing wrong,” Surprise took a breath, no more beating around the bush, “the reason I thought I had been replaced, was because I was supposed to be the element of laughter.”

The silence that followed this statement seemed to drag on forever, only Fluttershy wasn’t completely dumbfounded by this sudden revelation, even Spike looked stunned.

“But… how is that even possible?” Twilight stammered, just as flabbergasted as the rest of them.

“when I was a filly I had dreams, dreams where I met you all,” Surprise began panning once more over the assembled ponies, “in these dreams I saw us come together to vanquish threats like Nightmare Moon and Discord. We were the Elements of Harmony; we were destined to be friends before we ever met.

“At least… that’s what my dreams told me,” Surprise said, her voice dropping to a whisper, “I stopped having them after I saw Pinkie with Dash and Fluttershy, that’s why I thought I’d been replaced.”

“Oh Surprise…” everypony looked over at Twilight who had whispered.

“hang on a sec,” Applejack said, having remained nothing more than a background pony up until that point, “are you sayin’ this makes sense to you Sugarcube? ‘cause ah don’t remember havin’ any dreams an ah don’t think any of you did either.”

“I’m afraid to say, I think I know exactly what this is,” Twilight said hesitantly, “just one question first. In the dreams, were you looking down on yourself or were you looking from your own perspective?

“My own perspective, why?” Surprise asked, her heart was racing at the prospect of finally understanding her dreams.

“Then I know what the confusion is, and I’m sorry Surprise, but you were never one of the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight said, sounding as if it hurt her to even say. Surprise felt like a stone had been dropped in her torso.

“What? Then what did they mean? What am I if not an element?” Surprise asked desperately, Twilight inhaled before continuing

“You’re a prophet.”

Seriously, these long drawn out silences are becoming a bit too frequent. When Surprise remained paralysed by this revelation and was clearly not going to speak up, Twilight continued.

“Princess Celestia told me about this shortly after we first took up the elements, certain individuals come along who have the unusual ability to predict the future through their dreams, they do this by inserting themselves into the representation by using a host deemed similar enough to them for their spirits to link, they’re known as prophets.

“You were never dreaming about yourself as the Element of Laughter, you were seeing the future from Pinkie’s perspective.”

“But I got my cutie mark after the dreams first began,” Surprise whispered looking down at the balloons on her flank, “I ‘thought’ I realised my destiny that day, but know you’re telling me it was a mistake?”

“I’m sorry Surprise,” Twilight said again, pity etched in her face, “nopony in your position could have been expected to handle it any better.”

Surprise looked down at her hooves, she felt empty.

“My life has been a lie, and I threw away my closest friends for nothing.”

Suddenly she felt a hoof on her shoulder, and looked up slowly expecting to see Fluttershy. Instead Rainbow Dash was standing in front of her, all traces of anger washed away.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” her voice sounded hoarse, Surprise shook her head in response.

“I don’t know, I really don’t.” she brushed  Dash’s hoof off and turned away, “like I said, I know you can never forgive me, I couldn’t really forgive myself, but you know the truth, so I’ll just get out of your mane now.”

“Do you know why I’m the Element of Loyalty?”

Surprise froze in her tracks towards the door, Dash’s question taking her completely by… surprise.

“It’s because I never walk out on a friend,” she said closing the distance between them, “you’re my friend, and I won’t leave you behind again.”

“Me neither,” whispered the gentle voice of Fluttershy from her side. Pinkie Pie bounced forward.

“There can always be two elements of laughter,” she said leaning in invasively close, “there is never too much laughter in the world.

Then at once, Twilight, Applejack and Rarity stepped forward.

“Like I said in Cloudsdale, any friend of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, is a friend of ours, and I stick by that.”

Last to approach was Spike, which sent a pang of guilt through Surprise

“Spike, I’m so sorry I lied to you.”

But Spike just laughed, “Forgiven, don’t be so sappy, really it’s my fault for being so gullible.”

With that Surprise let out a burst of laughter as they all embraced, she didn’t even realise the tears that had started running down her face until that moment.

“Now if everypony is done making up,” Pinkie Pie announced, “then it is time, to Par-Tay!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Surprise said beaming, her jaw hurt from smiling so much but she didn’t care, she was happy, truly happy. As the party kicked off they were soon joined by Ditzy and Dinky, the former apologising for their late arrival claiming ‘she just didn’t know what went wrong’.

Amidst the dancing, the games and most of all the laughing, Surprise quickly lost track of time, and all too quickly it was nightfall and the party was beginning to dissipate.

“Sorry girls,” Ditzy said with a snoozing Dinky on her back, “but I really must get this filly to bed.”

Surprise realised that was her cue to excuse herself as well, but before she could say anything, Pinkie spoke up.

“No worries Ditzy, I can put Surprise up for the night, it’s no problem.”

And that was how an hour later; Sugarcube Corner was completely empty bar the pink earth pony and the white Pegasus. Surprise tied up the black rubbish bag of party supplies she was holding, between the two of them, clearing up was easy.

“Do you resent me for everything that’s happened?” Pinkie asked out of nowhere.

“Funny, I’ve actually been trying to ask you that very question for an hour now,” Surprise replied.

They turned to face one another, “no I don’t resent you,” Surprise said, “in fact I’m angry at myself for not giving you a chance all those years ago, I could have had a great friend.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Pinkie responded bridging the gap between them. She then raised a hoof and offered her widest smile, one Surprise returned easily. As the two ponies bumped hooves they both made the same statement simultaneously.

“Friends forever!”