Bookends 3 or Family Values

CHAPTER SEVEN

More Troubles With Pinkie

Pinkie had gone to the Cake’s after her incident at Sweet Apple Acres.  She let them know that she needed to take a leave of absence because of personal reasons.  If they needed her she would be staying at her parent’s rock farm.

It was not the first time Pinkie just disappeared for weeks on end.  However, nopony had now seen Pinkie for months.  Trixie saw lights from the old silo on some evenings, but when mentioned to the family, they said that it was nothing

It was into the eleventh month of Twilight and Cheerilee’s pregnancy.

One evening, Pinkie knocked at the door, even though it was her home.  Blinkie met her at the door.

“Sis!” she said excitedly, “come on in, we’re about to eat.”

Pinkie hugged her sister and then Blinkie led her into the dining room, the family was sitting around the table, Pinkie noticed Trixie sitting with the family.  She had known that Trixie was still working there but was unsure how Trixie would react to her after past interactions.

Trixie saw Pinkie and something chimed in her head.  With the body of the pony that she had found what had puzzled her became clear.  The coloration of the hair was just like Pinkie’s.

‘But how was the possible?’ Trixie thought.

“Hello family,” said Pinkie, “hello Trixie.  I hope it isn’t an inconvenience, but I was needing to see you, I haven’t been doing well lately.”

There was a look on her face that the family understood, but left Trixie wondering.

“Honey, you don’t have to ask,” said Sue Pie, “this is always your home.”

“Mom,” said Blinkie, “Trixie is using Pinkie’s room, remember?”

Trixie looked concerned, she was sure that she was going to be displaced.

“It’s okay,” said Pinkie with a smile, “I don’t mind using my getaway in the silo.  In fact, I’ve been using it for a while. I prefer it for the privacy.  I just need some family time right now.”

“Pinkie,” said Clyde, “whatever you need you know we’ll help with.  Why don’t you sit and join us?”

“I will,” said Pinkie, “with Trixie’s permission, I know we haven’t been on the best of terms in the past and I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.  After all, she’s living here now.”

Trixie was shocked, she didn’t know what to think of Pinkie being so concerned with her feelings.

“Why would I mind,” said Trixie, “as they said, it’s your home.  I’m just staying here.  And I think you’ll find that the Trixie you were use to isn’t the Trixie that’s working here now.”

Pinkie looked at her in an odd but pleasant way.

“I can tell that,” said Pinkie.

Pinkie pulled up a cushion and sat with the family.  She only asked for some water but the family appeared to be more warm and smiling with Pinkie there.  Pinkie actually started to look a little more chipper.

They had talked about the farm and other little issues which on the outside would appear of no consequence, but Pinkie hung on every word.  Pinkie went as far as to ask Trixie how she was liking her work at the farm and how she’d been since the Alicorn Amulet incident.  Trixie had noticed that there was no resentment in Pinkie’s voice, especially after what she’d done to the pink mare during the time the amulet was twisting her actions.

After the family finished eating, Pinkie thanked them for letting her sit in with them and said she would turn in and would be glad to help out with the work at farm, if they wanted.

Sue told her that if she wasn’t feeling well, she’d prefer that Pinkie help out in the home if she wanted to do anything that way she could keep an eye on her.  Besides, with Pinkie’s talent for cooking and baking, it would be a pleasant change.

Pinkie excused herself after giving a hug to each family member, even a friendly one to Trixie.  Trixie was never much of a hugger, but there was something genuinely warm with Pinkie’s hug.  Then Pinkie went outside to go to the silo.

Later that evening, after the rest of the family had turned in, Trixie was feeling odd.  She couldn’t get the sight of the body of the poor little pony she found and the color similarity with Pinkie out of her head.  She decided to go outside for some night air and look at the stars to clear her head before turning in.  As she walked around the Pie home she saw something on the ground half way between the house and silo.  She walked in the direction and saw that it was Pinkie Pie.  And she could tell that Pinkie didn’t simply fall asleep on the way to the silo.  Trixie was going to run back to the house to get help but she decided that she needed to check to see if Pinkie was still breathing or if she was injured.

She approached the mare and felt her.  She was warm and she was breathing slowly.  Trixie tried to rouse her but all she got as an unintelligible mumble.

Trixie sprinted to the house and called for the family, they all rushed to Pinkie.  After checking her over, they asked Trixie if she could help them by levitating Pinkie to the house.  Once inside it was suggested by Blinkie that they put her in bed with her and she’d take care of her.  Trixie was a little confused by this but she did as asked.  Once Pinkie was put into Blinkie’s bed, Blinkie crawled in beside Pinkie.  Put a foreleg over her and started talking soothingly to her.  As Trixie left the room she heard Blinkie saying;

“Hold on sis, you know we love you and I’m here for you.”

“Thank you sis,” Trixie heard Pinkie mumble, “I so love all of you too.”

The door closed and she could not hear anything else.

Trixie went back to her room and thought about all the night’s interactions with Pinkie.  Was there some illness that the family was keeping from her because she is an outsider?  Was Pinkie really so sick and they didn’t want anypony to know?

There was something about how Pinkie was acting that just didn’t fit.  She knew that Pinkie was the most open of all of Twilight Sparkle’s friends.  And a fun-loving happy-go-lucky pony.  But Trixie didn’t expect the subdued actions she saw as Pinkie came in tonight.

And the way that Pinkie was concerned about her own feelings and comfort wasn’t something she’d expected.  Pinkie was truly a sensitive pony, despite her outgoing and crazy reputation.

Plus something didn’t feel right.  There was more going on here than what she could see.  Perhaps it was because of her sensitivity to magic, which all Unicorns had, was telling her something.  Most Unicorns had a little sensitivity because which coincided with the depth of their powers.  But Trixie commanded more magic than most Unicorns, not as much as Twilight Sparkle but she was no lightweight when it came to talent.  And now something was telling her that she should keep her eyes and ears open.  These thoughts floated around in her head as she drifted off to sleep.

That next morning Trixie awoke to a knocking at her door.  Trixie was now an early riser due to working on a farm, but this was early.

“Who is it?” called out Trixie.

“It’s Pinkie Pie, can we talk?”

Trixie was stunned, what did Pinkie have to say to her?

“Come in,” replied Trixie.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” said Pinkie, entering the room and closing the door behind her.

Pinkie walked close to the bed and sat back on her haunches, Trixie had sat up on the bed curious why the pink pony was there.

“What can I do for you?” asked Trixie.

“I just wanted to thank you for not letting me lay outside all night,” said Pinkie, “I know that we haven’t interacted under the best of circumstances in the past.  Mom, dad and Blinkie tell me that you’ve been a hard and honest worker and that they trust you completely.  I’m so glad to hear that.  Understand, I hold nothing of the past against you and I truly hope we can be friends.

I just wanted to let you know that if I’m acting strange it is because I’m not doing so good.  Several things in my life have changed and I’m not sure how it’ll all work out.  So please forgive me if I act odd in the near future.”

“Thank you for letting me know that,” said Trixie, “and I do hope we can get along.”

Trixie paused to wonder if she should ask Pinkie about the pony she found;

“Pinkie, I need to ask something.”

“About the body of the pony you found?”

“Yes,” said Trixie, “I couldn’t help but notice that the hair that was left was just like yours.  Is there something I should know?”

“Trixie,” said Pinkie meekly looking at the floor, “there is something.  But I think that mom and dad should explain it, just to be safe.  I’ll let them know that it’s okay with me.”

“Are you afraid of what I might say or do?”

“No Trixie,” said Pinkie, more serious that Trixie had ever seen her, “I’m afraid for my life at this time.”

Trixie was shocked, she didn’t realize it might be that serious!

Pinkie lowered her head and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Oh Pinkie!” exclaimed Trixie who jumped up and hugged Pinkie. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to upset you!”

Trixie stood there for a moment hugging Pinkie.  Pinkie didn’t resist, in fact she put a leg around Trixie and rested her head against her and started to cry.

Trixie didn’t understand the feelings she was having.  She never cared that much for Pinkie or crying mares for that matter.  But there was something honest about Pinkie’s actions, Pinkie trusting her with very personal information.  And ponies that completely trusted her were unheard of, maybe that’s because she never really trusted anypony herself.

Trixie could somehow feel that Pinkie was actually being comforted.  Maybe she felt it because she’d never cared enough to comfort anypony in the past, nor had anypony cared to comfort her.

Pinkie pulled back and looked into Trixie’s eyes.  There was something heart melting in those big blue eyes. But more than that, Trixie could see a soul that was full of friends and yet at a very deep level, as empty as her own.  Somepony that really did understand her pain of loneliness.

It didn’t matter who had kissed whom, or how long it was held, nor did they care.  Trixie had kissed before, but not at this level.  The thrill of her tongue exploring Pinkie’s was beyond belief.  It was nothing she had ever expected to feel in kissing anypony.  Never had any kiss made Trixie short of breath.

Both pulled away at the same time.  Pinkie looked so grateful but also as confused as Trixie was feeling.

“I’m sorry Trixie,” said Pinkie getting up and darting out the room.

Trixie wanted to tell Pinkie that there was nothing to be sorry for.  Trixie tried to follow Pinkie, but she couldn’t be found in the house.  And Trixie wasn’t yet enough comfortable to go to the silo apartment to confront Pinkie.

Trixie didn’t see Pinkie the rest of the day.  That evening just before the meal, there was a knock at the door.  It was the medical examiner from Canterlot for more questions about the body Trixie had found.  He had said something about the position of the body looking as if it had jumped under the falling rock or was pushing something or somepony out of the way.  At that Sue got up in tears and left the room.  Trixie followed her into the kitchen.

“Mrs. Pie…. Sue,” said Trixie coming up to the pony, Sue was crying hard. “Is there something I can do?”

“No,” said Sue, looking at Trixie.  Sue then put a foreleg around Trixie and her head against Trixie’s neck and started to cry harder.

“Sue,” said Trixie softly, her own tears starting to form out of empathy.  Trixie was stroking Sue’s mane, “you know something about this, don’t you.”

Sue looked into Trixie’s eyes.  Trixie could tell that there was something that Sue wanted to say.  But she was unsure if she tell her.

Trixie could see Sue’s lip trembling.

“Somehow, it is Pinkie,” said Trixie “isn’t it.”

All color drained from the older mare’s face.

“Pinkie came to me this morning and told me that she wasn’t well, and she was in fear for her life.  I asked if there was something going on I should know about.  She said yes, but I needed to talk to you about it.”

“Yes, she told me, and she told me about her kissing you,” said Sue.

“I’m sorry about that,” said Trixie, although she wasn’t really sorry about it.  She had thought about it all day, she really wanted more.

“Don’t be,” said Sue working up a smile, “Pinkie wasn’t.  It’s just that there’s so much that needs to be understood and I don’t know how much longer we can go on like this.”

“Sue, I want to understand, I want to help Pinkie,” said Trixie, “I’m not the Trixie you may have heard of from Pinkie in the past.  And to tell you the truth, I’m not sorry for the kiss either.  Pinkie touched something in me that I’ve not ever felt before.  So I want to help, but I need to understand.”

“Trixie, Pinkie told me almost the same thing.  You have to understand how much that means.”

“Then tell me, I’ll help, I want to help!” pleaded Trixie, “I don’t know what it is but I really, really, really want to help Pinkie.  I want her to be happy! I’ve never thought about another pony’s happiness before without considering what’s in it for me.  This is different, I can’t let a pony like her suffer, not a pony that I found I might be starting to lo…” Trixie blushed brightly and paused;

“A pony that I feel something I’ve never felt for anypony before.”

Sue smiled a warm genuine smile.  Then she hugged Trixie and asked her to sit.

“It was about seventeen years ago……”

Trixie sat in shock, she’d never heard such a story before, maybe in story books when she was young.

“I can understand why nopony has said anything,” said Trixie. “But you have that medical examiner out there that needs to hear something.”

“But what?” asked Sue, “we don’t want to take the chance that they’ll take Pinkie away!”

Trixie thought, an odd smile slowly crept across her face;

“Tell them what you saw, tell them enough to give them something to think about.  But don’t tell them what they really don’t want to know.  It’s worked for me my whole life.”  Trixie said.

Sue nodded her head, she understood what Trixie was saying.

Trixie and Sue returned to the room, Trixie was holding Sue’s hoof.  All eyes looked at them.

“Doctor,” said Trixie,” I believe Mrs. Pie has something she wants to tell you.”

The rest of the Pie’s looked concerned as Sue related what she had seen on that day seventeen years ago.