Imaginary

by Thunderbug80

Rating: teen
Tags: Pinkie Pie, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human, Sad, Other
Length: 5511

A young girl faces life's challenges with a little help from Pinkie Pie.

Featured on Equestria Daily
Review by Loganberry
Review by Ghost Mike
Review by Undead_Wanderer
Review by PaulAsaran

Life is full of challenges.

Pinkie Pie knows that, and will always try to help her friends smile no matter the circumstances. But when Pinkie's newest friend Sarah, a little girl from a strange new world, is faced with more challenges than anyone so young should ever have to handle, Pinkie begins to wonder if she really can keep the smiles coming.

Published 2013-07-25 15:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-07-25 15:30:01 UTC

Imaginary

Imaginary

A light suddenly turned on.

"Pinkie Pie!"

Pinkie's heart warmed at the sound of the delighted voice that called out her name. Raising a hoof up, she prodded the door open further, allowing the light to spill into the closet from the bedroom. The door swung out over the polished-wood floorboards before gently bumping into a giant, purple stuffed bunny.

"How'd ya know it was me?" Pinkie asked with a wide grin. She stepped into the bedroom, her hooves clicking softly on the wooden floor, and sat down just in front of the bed.

On the bed, almost completely buried under a thick pile of soft, pink blankets, a young, pretty girl with wide, sparkling blue eyes and straight blonde hair to her shoulders peeked out at Pinkie. She pulled the blankets off her head and sat up.

"You're the only one who comes in through the closet, silly!" the girl teased, giggling. She held out her arms and smiled, revealing pink braces.

Pinkie's brow furrowed as she crossed her front hooves over her chest. "I could have been a monster, ya know!" she stated, pretending to sound cross. The act didn't last long, however, as she hopped up into the girl's arms and gave her a warm hug. "I guess it's safe for me to be here right now, huh Sarah?" Pinkie asked, earning another giggle.

"I wouldn't have called your name if it wasn't safe," Sarah said, speaking in a tone that suggested that Pinkie should be smart enough to know better. It was all in fun, though. She propped her many pillows up against the headboard and leaned back against them. "Mommy's asleep in her room, and Daddy's not here today. We're totally safe."

One of the larger pillowcases wiggled, then unzipped to reveal Pinkie inside. The trick produced another delighted giggle from Sarah.

"So how's everything going?" Pinkie asked as she emerged from the pillowcase and placed the pillow back inside it.

Sarah gave a thumbs-up. "It's a good news day."

Pinkie smiled and nodded. "That's great! Did you get the gift I left for you last time? I'm so sorry I missed you, but you know how it goes."

Sarah's smile showed off her dimples. "I sure did!" She leaned over and opened up a small drawer in the stand by her bed. She retrieved a small, pink book with a painting of a city on a mountainside on the cover, then closed the drawer and returned to her spot on the bed. "Thank you so much! And don't worry if you miss me. You know I have to go out lots, and it's not like you can just predict when I'll be here."

"Yeah, I'm still working on that." Pinkie pretended to be deep in thought, as if she were just this close to being able to predict the future. Sarah tried to hold it in this time, but lost control and resumed giggling when Pinkie crossed her eyes.

She picked up her book and looked at it again. "Is this what Canterlot looks like?" Her eyes took in every detail of the book's cover with childish wonder.

Pinkie nodded. "Uh huh! The painting that was used for the cover was done by one of Equestria's most fantastic artists! That's probably as close to the real Canterlot as you can get without actually being there."

"Wow," Sarah breathed. Her wide eyes were still glued to the book. "It's amazing, Pinkie. Thank you!" She opened it up and flipped through the pages. "But... why are all of the pages blank?"

"That's because it's a diary," Pinkie revealed. "I know I can't be here every day, so you can use this to write all about how your days go." She smiled. "That way, if you're ever scared and alone, you can tell me how you feel even when I'm not here."

Sarah looked thoughtful as she continued to study the diary. "And you can read about what I did each day since your last visit if you show up when I'm not here..." She looked up at Pinkie. "That's an awesome idea! You're the best, Pinkie!" She wrapped her little arms around Pinkie and buried her face in her mane.

The two friends parted, then contented themselves with leaning back against the pillows and staring at the ceiling. They spent some time discussing life in Ponyville, how Sarah's parents were doing, and whether she was back in school yet. Eventually, Pinkie hopped off the bed and turned to face Sarah.

"It's getting pretty late. I'd better get going," Pinkie remarked. "The others will miss me if I'm gone for too long."

Sarah nodded. "And I need to get to sleep," she said, yawning. "But don't forget that I'll miss you, too!" she added quickly, waving goodbye. Pinkie waved her hoof in response.

"Don't worry, I'll be back. Hang in there, kiddo!" And with that, Pinkie trotted back into the closet and disappeared.

..o0o..

Three days later...

"Surprise!"

Sarah jumped back and gave a small scream. A moment later, she was all smiles as she opened the closet door the rest of the way to reveal an assorted collection of balloons, streamers and confetti. Sitting in the middle of it all, staring up at her, was a grinning Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie! You scared me!" Sarah frowned and put her hands on her hips, but the upwards curve in the corners of her mouth gave the act away. "I didn't know you were going to jump out at me," she continued in what was meant to be a scolding tone of voice.

"That's because it was a surprise, silly!" Pinkie retorted. "I wouldn't be very good at surprises if everyone I tried to surprise already knew what was coming!"

Sarah finally conceded a smile and retreated to her bed, shuffling her pink slippers across the wooden floor. She slowly climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up and over her. Pinkie bounced into the bedroom and jumped up onto the foot of the bed.

"What if one of my parents was here?" Sarah asked once she was comfortable. She lifted a finger to her lips in thought. "I don't know if I could think of any way to explain who you are to them."

Pinkie shrugged. "I knew it would be okay. It's Tuesday, right?"

Sarah nodded, but her brow furrowed as she tried to find the relevance.

"Well," Pinkie continued, "every time you get home on a Tuesday your mom goes out again. And since Tuesday is a weekday, your dad wouldn't be here either." Pinkie tapped herself on the head with a hoof. "I knew it would be safe."

Sarah held out her arms and Pinkie moved in for a hug.

"Thank you, Pinkie," Sarah said into Pinkie's mane. "I can't believe you found a way to throw me a party."

Pinkie's cheeks grew a deeper shade of pink. "Well, it's not much," she admitted. "I couldn't bring as many balloons as I wanted to, and there aren't even half as many streamers as there should be, but since we have to clean up quickly..."

"Pinkie!" Sarah interrupted. "It's perfect!" She sat up against her pillows and looked at Pinkie with her big blue eyes. "Even if there were no balloons or streamers, or any of that kind of stuff, it would still be perfect." She smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm just glad to have someone to talk to."

Pinkie gasped at the sight of the tear.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "What did I do wrong? I-I won't bring any balloons next time! Or maybe..."

"Pinkie!" Sarah interrupted again. When Pinkie fell silent, she sighed and made a show of rolling her eyes. "I'm crying because I'm happy, silly!" She sighed again and looked at the ceiling. "What am I going to do with you, Pinkie Pie?" she asked, as one might ask a child. The irony was lost on Pinkie.

"Well," Pinkie began, thinking. "You could play games with me!"

Sarah looked at Pinkie out of the corner of her eye. She smiled and shook her head in wonder.

"Okay," she said. "Let's play some games then."

..o0o..

The next evening...

"Sarah?"

Pinkie was about to turn around and go back home, but then she saw there was some movement among the shadows near the bed. The bedside lamp turned on, streaming light into the closet. Pinkie blinked and shielded her eyes until they could adjust.

"Hey Pinkie," Sarah called weakly. Her eyes were still closed as she flopped her head back onto the pillows.

"Oh no! Did I come too late?" Pinkie whispered miserably. She took a step back and began to shut the closet door. "I knew I'd get here too late. I'm so sorry, you can go back to sleep. I promise I'll come back tomorrow!"

Sarah partially opened her eyes. It took her a moment to respond.

"It's okay, Pinkie," she breathed. She closed her eyes again. "I'm just a little tired." She stuck her arm out from under the blankets and gave a thumbs-up. "It's a good news day."

Conflicting emotions ran through Pinkie's mind. She wasn't sure whether she should turn around and let Sarah get some much-needed rest or if she should hop over to the bed and give her a hug. Perhaps she could sing the little girl to sleep, but that might make too much noise...

"Pinkie?" Sarah mumbled. She opened one eye to look at the mare. "Can you tell me more about the princess?"

A warm smile appeared on Pinkie's face. She trotted over to the bed and hopped on, being careful not to jostle Sarah too much in the process. She found a good spot on the pillows and lay down.

"Princess Celestia again, huh?" Pinkie cooed. "Sure. I can tell you more about her." She looked down at the little girl's face and smiled again. "I told her about you last night, you know."

Both of Sarah's eyes opened wide. She stared at Pinkie, who simply continued to smile.

"The princess knows about me?" she asked in a forced whisper. Pinkie nodded.

Sarah's eyes were still wide as they moved around, looking at various parts of her room. Eventually they settled on the blanket right in front of her face. "W-what did you tell her?" she asked hesitantly. "Does she... I mean, what does she think of... you told the princess about me!?"

"I did," Pinkie replied. Her eyes shimmered in the dim light of the lamp. "She was very eager to hear all about you."

"Wow..." Sarah breathed. She reached over and picked up her diary, bringing it up to her face so she could stare at it. "But... she's a princess."

For a while, the only sound to be heard was the persistent ticking of the carved wooden cuckoo clock hanging in the deep shadows along the far wall. Sarah set her diary back on the bedside stand and idly fussed with her blankets, uncertain of what to make of Pinkie's revelation. Finally, she looked at Pinkie from the corner of her eye.

"So... she knows..." Sarah began.

"That you're very brave," Pinkie finished. At Sarah's look, she continued. "What? That was the word she used."

Sarah suddenly turned over to face away from Pinkie and pulled the blankets over her head.

"Don't joke about that," she scolded, her voice muffled by the blankets. "There's no way that a princess would care about someone like me."

"What!?" Pinkie yelped, a bit louder than she intended. She hopped over Sarah and turned so that she was facing the girl once more. "She can and she totally does care!" She nudged the pile of blankets gently with her muzzle. "Why in Equestria would you ever think something like that?"

The bundle of blankets moved, and Sarah peeked her head out.

"I'm sorry," she said, abashed. "I just don't know why the princess would think there's anything special about me." She looked away. "I just thought you were joking."

Pinkie used her hoof to gently pull Sarah's face back towards her. "Even I know that there's a time and place for joking around," she admitted, smiling.

"You sound just like Mommy," Sarah replied quietly.

Pinkie blinked and thought for a moment. "Is that a compliment, or..."

Sarah let out a small giggle. "I was being nice."

"Oh," Pinkie said. "Thanks!"

The room grew silent again, save for the ever-present ticking of the cuckoo clock. It persisted like some kind of shadowy sentinel, always watching and always counting the hours, minutes, and seconds left in each day. Its hands currently showed that it would not be much longer before the day would be over, left to fade to nothingness and make way for another to take its place.

"Pinkie?" Sarah mumbled, her eyes closed and her breathing slow.

"Yeah?" Pinkie responded.

Sarah reached out and put her arm around Pinkie, snuggling in close.

"So what else did the Princess say about me?"

..o0o..

Two months later...

Pinkie didn't bother to call out for Sarah; she knew the girl's schedule – or as close to a schedule as she could have, given the circumstances – well enough by now to know that nobody would be home. She pushed the closet door open and bounded into the bedroom, heading straight for the bedside stand and the book that lay upon it. A moment later, she was lying comfortably on the bed with the book opened up before her on one of the pillows. She flipped through the pages until she found the more recent entries, then settled on one from three days ago and began reading.

Monday,

It's a good news day.

Daddy came to visit today! That never happens on a weekday so I guess today was special. He sat by my bed and read to me. I liked it a lot. The stories weren't as fun as the ones Pinkie tells me, but it was still nice to spend more time with him.

But he cried after that! I asked him why, but he didn't say anything. I guess he was just happy.

Mommy came in and we all had a big hug together. I can't remember the last time we did that! Maybe they like each other again!

I kind of miss school. It was so annoying when I went there, but I kind of miss it anyway. I told Mommy and she just said I was growing up. Mommy is weird sometimes.

Pinkie sighed and thought about what she had just read. She didn't like it one bit. That didn't sound like a good news day to her. She turned the page and had a look at the next entry.

Tuesday,

It's a good news day.

But that doesn't make it a happy day. Mommy told me to stop talking about Pinkie. She said she's not real!

She's just being mean! Why can't she be like the princess? She's never seen me but she believes in me!

I sometimes think the princess believes in me more than Mommy and Daddy do...

Pinkie frowned. She knew Sarah had told her parents about her over a month ago. It was a mistake to do so, but she couldn't blame Sarah for that. The poor girl had just wanted Pinkie to feel special in the same way she had when she found out Princess Celestia knew all about her.

Well, that's hindsight for you, she thought. She flipped the page to reveal the entry for last night.

Wednesday,

I think it's a bad news day.

Mommy won't tell me what's wrong. Daddy came over to visit again, but it wasn't nice like before. Nobody is talking to me. They just left me in my room all alone.

Where is Pinkie? I just want someone to be here. Mommy says Pinkie only comes when my brain tells me I need her.

Mommy's lying. I know she is because I need Pinkie right now and she's not here...

Pinkie closed the diary and tossed it back onto the stand with a sigh. She wandered over to the girl's toy box and stared at the colorful assortment of dolls and stuffed animals that were piled neatly within.

Sarah needed more than just the diary. She needed something she could take with her when she had to leave the house. Something small that would go unnoticed or not raise too many questions, even if someone saw her holding it.

With a sudden burst of inspiration, Pinkie rushed over to a corner of the room where crafting supplies such as paint and crayons were kept. After a bit of searching, she found what she was looking for and spent the next twenty minutes trying to figure out how to use them.

In the end, she was successful and put the scissors back into the drawer she had found them in. She then bounded over to the bedside stand, opened the diary, and placed her gift – a small lock of hair from her mane – within.

She would need to come back tomorrow, she thought. With a sad smile, she trotted back over to the closet, opened the door, and vanished once again.

..o0o..

The next evening...

The moment Pinkie stepped through into the closet, she knew something was terribly wrong.

It was dark, as no lights were on. Suddenly, a loud crash came from somewhere downstairs, followed by muffled yelling. Every few seconds a voice would raise in anger loud enough to be understood, even from her spot in the closet.

Oh Celestia, no. Not now...

Pinkie made to reach for the closet door, but a slight movement from the darkest corner of the closet caught her eye. She turned and was shocked at what she saw.

There, curled into a ball and hiding her head under her arms, was Sarah. Pinkie hadn't heard the sobbing over the noise coming from downstairs. Her heart racing, Pinkie slowly extended a comforting hoof out to her.

The girl screamed at the touch and tried to push herself further into the corner. With Sarah's hands scrambling for purchase on the floor, Pinkie could finally see her face and gasped aloud at what she saw.

Sarah's eyes were wide as she thrashed about the closet wildly. A fresh trickle of blood ran down from the corner of a puffy and swollen mouth. Her eyes finally focused on Pinkie, and she launched herself forward.

"It's a bad news day!" Sarah yelled frantically as Pinkie wrapped her front hooves around her and held her close. The girl shook uncontrollably as tears flowed freely down her face to mix with her blood. Pinkie held her tightly and ran a hoof through her hair, rocking gently back and forth and making quiet shushing noises. Sarah didn't seem to hear, however. She could only repeat the same thing over and over in between choking sobs.

It's a bad news day.

..o0o..

Two weeks later...

Pinkie stepped out of the closet and went straight to the bedside stand. She knew Sarah and her mother weren't home, so she didn't waste any time in grabbing the diary and jumping up onto the bed. She noted that her lock of hair was missing; Sarah never left her bedroom without it.

Within moments, she was reading the first of several entries since she had last visited.

Friday,

It's a good news day!

Mommy bought me some more dolls today! I asked her how much they cost and she gave me a weird look. She just said I shouldn't worry about that and that I should just have as much fun as I can.

I guess I should listen to her, huh? I won't complain!

Daddy's not going to visit this week. Mommy says he was sorry about the other day. She also says that stress isn't an excuse, whatever that means. I just wish we could all be nice to each other again.

Oh, more good news! Mommy says I don't have to go to see the doctor any more! Instead, she says we can just do fun things like go to the zoo or go out to the park! I haven't been outside to do something just for fun in... well, forever! I can't wait!

Pinkie closed the diary, hopped off the bed, and walked over to the window that overlooked the front lawn, where she stopped and rested her front hooves on the sill. Outside, the trees were just beginning to change color as Autumn began to take over. She watched as a leaf lost its hold on the branch that it had once clung to and fell gently to the ground.

Life really isn't fair sometimes, Pinkie thought.

She moved away from the window and went back over to the diary. She opened it back up and flipped through the pages until she found the next entry.

Saturday,

It's a no news day.

No more doctors, so I guess it's always a good news day now. But that doesn't seem right. I'm still not back in school, so I'll just make it a no news day.

I told Mommy about the first party Pinkie ever threw for me. For the first time ever, she actually listened! But it was the "That's nice dear" kind of listening instead of the "Oh wow, what happened next?" kind.

Maybe if I keep trying, someday she'll actually believe me. Then maybe Pinkie can throw parties for both of us!

Pinkie smiled and turned the page.

Sunday,

It's a good news day!

Mommy wants to hear more about Pinkie Pie. She calls her my 'imaginary friend' but says that she's going to try to treat her just like anyone else. How can you treat someone you don't believe in like you would treat other people?

I shouldn't complain. At least she'll listen to me now. But she does weird things like try to talk to Pinkie when she's not even here. I wonder if Princess Celestia (I learned how to spell her name!) acts like that when Pinkie talks about me. Do princesses laugh? I'll ask Pinkie the next time I see her.

Just as Pinkie finished reading the last sentence, she heard the front door open downstairs.

Oh no, they're home! Pinkie thought. With Sarah no longer going to the doctor's, there were no more guarantees about her schedule. And from the sound of it, they were coming directly upstairs.

Pinkie rushed to place the diary back where she had found it, but there was no time to get to the closet and head back home. Instead, she dove under the bed and peeked out from under the blankets that hung to the floor. Seconds later, she saw feet belonging to Sarah's mom enter the room as she carried her daughter to the bed. The mattress above Pinkie sunk down slightly as Sarah was lowered onto it.

"Just get some rest, dear," Sarah's mother said. She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "I probably shouldn't have taken you out in your condition. Is there anything you want? Need? Ice cream, maybe?"

Pinkie could hear Sarah's ragged breathing from her spot under the bed. After a few unsteady breaths, Sarah answered.

"No," she said. She took in another slow, deep breath and said, "Maybe Pinkie..."

Pinkie imagined that Sarah's mom had smiled. "Yes," she said. "Yes, if Pinkie will make you feel better, you can see her. She can even throw you a party if you want."

"You don't..." Sarah began before stopping for breath. "Understand," she finished.

The room was quiet again, save for that ever-persistent ticking from the cuckoo clock. After a while, Sarah's mother stood up.

"Okay then," she said. "But what I do understand is that you need some rest. Go ahead and take a nap. I'll have dinner ready by the time you wake up." She bent over the bed and Pinkie heard the sound of a kiss. "I love you, sweetie."

"Love you, Mommy," Sarah murmured in return. She was asleep even before her mother left the room.

Pinkie sighed. She wasn't sure when she would be able to visit next, and there was no way she could reveal herself now. Sarah needed rest, and even if she didn't, the first thing the girl would do would be to bring her mother upstairs to see her. That simply could not be allowed to happen. The princess had been very firm about that – the child was to be the only one she spoke to, as contact with anyone else could prove to be disastrous.

Moving slowly to keep from waking Sarah, Pinkie crept out from under the bed and made her way to the closet. With one last look at her friend's peacefully sleeping form, she backed into the closet and disappeared.

..o0o..

Eleven days later...

The closet door gradually swung open, revealing that nobody was in the room. Pinkie moved quietly, though, just in case. Her last visit had been a close call, and she had no idea what had happened since then. Without a set schedule, she was back to having every visit be a risk of being seen by someone other than Sarah.

She looked around the room, taking in all the sights once more. The cuckoo clock on the wall, the giant purple stuffed bunny by the closet, the pile of stuffed toys in the toy box, the craft area in the corner of the room. It had been, what, two entire weeks since she had last spoken to Sarah? It was a shame that she had missed her again, but at least she could catch up on things with the diary. She turned away from the crafting corner and stepped towards the bedside stand.

And stopped in her tracks.

No... Oh Celestia, please no.

She took another uneasy step towards the stand.

And then another.

Finally, she arrived by the stand and stood in silence, staring down at the diary. Her heart skipped a beat as she brushed the lock of hair from her mane off the book's cover, where it gently fell to the cold, wooden floor below.

Pinkie reached a shaking hoof towards the diary, then lost the courage to continue and collapsed to the floor beside the bed. A sound somewhere between a moan and a whimper escaped from her lips as she tried to focus her glistening eyes on the ceiling above.

After some time, she rolled back onto her belly and, after two tries, managed to stand up. She stared at the diary once more, but was forced to look away and trot quickly over to the window, where she put her forelegs up onto the sill. She closed her eyes and pressed her head against the cold glass.

She wanted to scream in anger. She wanted to scream because of the unfairness of it all.

Instead, she wept out of love.

She leaned her back against the wall and slid down to the floor. Her throat hurt from crying. Her eyes couldn't focus on anything. She didn't care.

She weakly stood up and crawled onto the bed, wanting nothing more than to find Sarah hiding somewhere under all of the blankets. Her search was fruitless. She closed her eyes and took in several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Her legs still shook. Her breathing was still uneven. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe Sarah had simply forgotten her lock of hair.

Pinkie knew better.

With a final, shaky sigh of resignation, she hopped off the bed and went to the diary. There were only four entries she hadn't seen yet.

Monday,

It's a bad news day.

The worst news. Mommy finally told me what the doctors had told her. I understand now. Why I don't need to see them anymore.

I guess I don't have long. To be honest, if I had a choice, I would spend my time with Mommy and Pinkie. Together. I think I'd like that. Maybe Pinkie could get Mommy to stop crying.

It's been four days since I last saw Pinkie. Or maybe five. I can't remember. Was Mommy right? Maybe now that I know the truth, I don't need Pinkie any more. Is that her hair on my stand, or is it just pink fluff?

Did Mommy buy me this diary?

I just don't know anymore.

The pages of the diary became damp in places as tears fell onto the paper. It hurt. To be thought of as a figment of Sarah's imagination, it cut Pinkie to the core.

But even then, it was better than what the following pages had to offer.

Tuesday,

I miss having Pinkie around. Even If she actually is just part of my imagination, I could really use her right about now.

But if she's real, why isn't she here? Where did she go?

I just want to be held.

Wednesday,

Why isn't Pinkie here?

I'm scared. Mommy had to go out but... I'm scared. I think it's almost time and there's nobody here to say goodbye to!

Pinkie! If you're real, come now please. I'll believe in you if you come, just please hurry!

Pinkie closed the diary and slumped to the floor. She was numb. Her legs, her throat. Her mind. Everything was just numb. There was one more diary entry to go, and she was terrified of what she would find. She stood up and lifted the front cover, then shut it quickly with a wail of despair. Taking some more deep breaths, she opened the diary one last time, flipped the pages to the last entry, and began reading.

A moment later, she was on the floor again, crying.

..o0o..

The next day...

With a tired sigh, Princess Celestia sent the last of what had been a large pile of official royal responses to various ponies across the country. They had covered everything from personal letters to requests for appearances, and other appeals for various favors and assistance.

The princess was just beginning to look forward to a well-deserved rest when another letter appeared on her desk with a quiet pop.

With a patience born from centuries of royal duty, she gracefully walked back to her writing desk and sat down to read it.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Hi! My name is Sarah. I'm the girl Pinkie Pie told you about. It's really amazing to be writing to a real princess! Please don't think I'm weird. I just think you're cool!

If you are really reading this letter, then two things must be true. First, you must really be real! And if you are reading this, and you are really real, then that's really awesome!

The other thing that must be true is kind of sad, but don't cry! Well, you're a princess, so I can't really tell you not to cry. But please don't be sad. If you're reading this, then that means I have died.

Well, I'm still alive now. But probably not for much longer. It's taking all the strength I have left to write this, but it's very important to me. And if you're reading this, then... you get the idea.

Anyway, I'm writing this letter for a few reasons. First, I wanted to tell you about something that Pinkie taught me.

You see, we didn't really know each other for very long. Even though we weren't together for long, Pinkie was able to make me really, really happy! There were some days that I was really sad, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that Pinkie taught me that even if you are part of someone's life for only a little while, you can still make a huge difference in that person's life!

Miss Celestia (is that proper? I'm sorry if it's not!), can you please let Pinkie know that even though Mommy said she was imaginary, and even though Pinkie's not here right now, I really, really believe that she is real. How could she not be? My feelings are real! I couldn't feel them if everything we did never really happened!

Miss Celestia, the other reason for my letter is just a simple request. I'd just like to ask you to tell Pinkie Pie that I'm going to miss her, and that I love her.

She made me smile so many times! I'm even smiling right now as I write this (and my wrist hurts from writing it!). They are real smiles meant for a real friend.

I love you Pinkie! Maybe we'll see each other again someday, somehow! (I know you're going to read this. Can you give it to the princess for me? Thanks!) (Miss Celestia, don't worry about this part. It's for Pinkie.)

Your friend forever and ever,

– Sarah

Author's Note

If you enjoyed this story, perhaps you might also enjoy its sequel, Ever After Never Came.
Or perhaps give If Only In My Dreams a try.