Au Naturalligator

by TantiMount

Rating: everyone
Tags: Gummy, Adventure, Pinkie Pie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other
Length: 5754

Gummy gets lost in Manehattan and discovers an underground city!

Pinkie is planning a party for Babs with Gummy in tow. However, shortly after the train ride, Gummy ends up far from his pony caretaker. Along the way, he discovers himself via introspection and discovers an underground city far below Manehattan. Will he ever make it back to Pinkie?

Published 2014-08-13 05:00:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-13 05:00:04 UTC

Au Naturalligator

Pinkie Pie and I are much closer than you would first think.

I don’t quite remember the early days. I know I’ve been with her as far back as I can remember, and honestly, that’s not really that long. I’ve been to her home before, and met her family, but they weren’t too enthused with me. To be fair, it wasn’t until much later that I learned that they don’t really excite at much of anything.

In fact, I don’t really know much of anything beyond Ponyville besides the second-hoof information I get from Pinkie Pie herself. I don’t get out much, but then again, Pinkie doesn’t let me out often either.

Well… Not everything I’ve said is completely true. She takes me with her on many different trips to various places in Equestria. She’s a popular pony to plan parties, as you may know, and thus, is called to do catering orders and party planning to anybody who requests it as long as it doesn’t coincide with any important parties already planned in her hometown. She primarily stays as close to Ponyville as she can, especially after meeting Cheese Sandwich and knowing he’ll take care of any parties in the far reaches of the nation.

I still don’t get out much. I’ve been thinking that I really should try to go on an adventure myself, but Pinkie isn’t keen on bringing me on her many quests. My job is to keep her balloons in line and prevent them from getting too rowdy in her absence. It’s an important duty, but I do think the Cakes can handle that for a few days themselves.

“Gummy! Gummy! Guess what?” I heard from the other side of the room. Her wild untamed mane hung down over the front of the chair while she herself was draped upside-down on it. I can’t recall how long she’s been there, but I’m sure at least half of her blood drained to her head, making her pinker than ever. Pinkie likes to bounce her ideas off of me, and I’ll always give her my honest opinion. It’s our working relationship and has prevented her from wasting too much time on inane activities when better alternatives existed.

What? I replied. Always best to stick with the simple replies with this pony, at least until she gets to the gist of things. She’s not one to accept sarcasm so readily.

“I’m getting ready to plan a party in Manehattan! Can you believe it? I got the letter this afternoon!” Her back legs started kicking in the air as she visibly became restless with the excitement of this news once again. I was wondering earlier why she was screaming “yes”s around the bakery.

When is it, and who’s it for, if you don’t mind my asking? Oh, yes. I nearly forgot. Fluttershy, one of Pinkie’s friends, seems to have this gift for understanding animals of various kinds. Given that I don’t have the gift of pony speech, communicating with the dominant race is difficult. Fluttershy is a godsend, but for some reason I haven’t been able to put my claw on, Pinkie can understand me. I tested with some of the other animals before, and she was never able to ascertain any of their speech, but with me, she’s on a completely different level.

Even better than Fluttershy, actually.

“It’s two days from now! It’s kind of soon, but aren’t they just lucky duckies that I didn’t have anything happening then? I know I can get it right for them and oh yeah! It’s for Babs Seed! You know, Apple Bloom’s cousin. I think I’ll bring you along this time, though. I’m sure she still remembers you, and maybe I’ll bring a fruit salad as a snack!” She flipped back on her hooves and was pacing back and forth by the end of it. Oh no. She was in thinking mode. “What do you think, Gummy? Should I bring a fruit salad as a snack? It could be funny, because of the parade, and the apple float and OH OH I can make ice cream floats! I’m sure she’ll remember! This is going to be a blast!”

Are you sure she’ll be happy remembering all of that? From what you told me, that wasn’t a very nice series of events. Sometimes, I need to snap Pinkie back to reality. That’s my job when she’s around. Otherwise, she may as well be speaking to a pile of rocks. She’s a loose cannon sometimes, that one.

“You’re right. It wouldn’t be very funerrific if she remembers all of that. I think I’ll just stick to cupcakes and apples. Gummy, make a mental list. Streamers, cupcakes, balloons. And let’s not forget to load the party cannon before we leave! Oh, and I can’t forget the party cannon license like I did last time. That mistake cost me an hour in party prep time!” That was the party we had for Maud last year. Any travel outside of Ponyville requires Pinkie to show her license to party in order to bring her party cannon with her. Otherwise, it gets stuck in customs for an extra day. Not so useful when you’ve got only a few hours to set up. Luckily for her, Maud was okay with normal decorating. From what I’ve heard, she’s uncomfortable with Pinkie using weapons of mass decoration.

So, the usual then? I replied. Her parties tend to be very consistent, which helps both of us considerably when it comes to prep time. She’s always good with changing up the theme, though, and she’ll usually shop for the supplies in the just before the party starts wherever she goes. Maud’s party was such an excellent get together because she knew how much Maud loves stones. Maud even confided to me that it was the best she’s had in a very long time and, I quote, “It rocked.”

“Yessiree! This is going to be a blast!” And I believe her. I’ve never known Pinkie to lie when it comes to parties. She’s always on top of things, including travel, even when she has to bring me with her. Trains aren’t my favorite mode of locomotion, however. There’s one thing I just don’t trust: wheels. Alligators like me were just not built to roll.

The train ride was awful. I just can’t get used to that odd feeling of moving without actually moving. The stopping, the starting, the seeing landscapes blurring by in the windows, just not a single thing about it that I like. Pinkie, of course, was bouncing happily the entire way, and at the very least, it kept me calm enough to prevent me from chewing on some hapless stranger. Nibbling her hoof was more than enough.

I’m used to the smaller houses they have in Ponyville. I can still see the sky over there, at least. Manehattan? I couldn’t see anything but shiny glass and weird artificial rock. Ponies are odd creatures to build something like this, so… It’s an affront to nature, that’s what it was. Pinkie didn’t seem to be affected in the slightest, affirming my initial assessment.

Both Pinkie and I waited patiently by the side of the train until they finished unloading our luggage. She’s not as heavy a packer as her friend Rarity from what I know, and I’m not going to be the reptile to carry it for her either. She’s only got a few bags, and knowing her, she filled them to bursting with only the slightest nudge in the right spot to send everything flying. She seems to be a master of packing and I can only speculate that she’d be able to reduce the amount of luggage the fancy pony carries by a considerable amount while retaining everything originally packed.

Maybe she’s got the ability to rend the space inside of any container? I can only imagine.

After putting her bags on a small cart, I jumped on her head while she began walking down the street. I have a much better vantage point up here, and have very little to worry about when it comes to traveling on the ground. From up here, I can see the other ponies passing by, the carts speeding along on what I can only assume are roads, but have much less dirt than I’m used to, and can see that a multitude of ponies just want nothing to do with each other. Strange, considering Ponyville is a very friendly place. The townsfolk are always inclined to greet each other, and in some cases, me. Here, nopony wants anything to do with each other.

Pinkie inhaled sharply, an indicator that I should probably hold on for dear life. She began to dart towards a window on the other side of the road, dodging every cart along the way with much disregard for her own safety. “I. Can’t. Believe it! This party store has the new Welcome Wagon Extreme Plus! It comes with extra confetti tanks and bakes cakes a whole two seconds faster! I need to remember to come back here to get it! My other one’s getting all battered.” She snorted.

We need to focus on the party first. And do you really need a new welcome wagon? Sometimes, this pony…

“You’re right, Gummy. My old wagon is doing just dandy.” She began to skip again when I noticed a strange hole in the ground covered by a large metal plate. “Oh, that? That’s a manehole. It goes to the sewers. I heard that there are alligators in the sewers, but that’s just an old pony’s tale.”

Sewers? Alligators? I’m not sure which one I’m more interested in. Pinkie then went on about what sewers are, and that made me question why alligators would want to live in them at all. Sounds extremely unpleasant. I agree with her statement about it being just a tale. I certainly wouldn’t want anything to do with it, so other alligators must be averse as well.

I heard a slight rumbling coming from beneath me. Pinkie sighed, and said, “I’m hungry. I can use some food. Can you hop in the wagon for a teeny tiny bit, Gummy, and make sure nothing happens?” I nodded slightly at her and jump into it. She trotted forward a bit more, took off the harness, and left the cart in the road with me in it as she entered the restaurant. I was the dedicated cart guard, and I shall live up to my title.

I jumped down and started pacing back and forth, just to ensure the random passerby knew what I was there to do. It wasn’t until a few minutes passed when I realized they were staring at me. Oh, right. I’m not in Ponyville anymore. Nopony here knows that I’m a domesticated alligator, and also have no teeth. I can tell, as they walked a wide swath around me. No matter. I continued my path, swishing my tail back and forth as I did so. It’s more entertaining than you’d think.

Somepony walked up to me, so I looked up at him only to find that he was slowly descending to look at- oh wait. No, he was picking me up with magic, and I rose to meet his gaze. He wore a commanding blue collared shirt and a hat with the letters “MAC”. I assumed that was his name. It’s not unusual, as I know at least one other pony with that name, albeit with another name in front.

I was lifted by his magic, hovered over to the cart he had parked on the street and moved to the rear. A cage in the back glowed briefly, opening enough to fit me. I was carelessly thrown into the cage, slamming into the back of the steel-barred box. My scales luckily absorbed most of the damage, but it still stung. The door was slammed shut as other ponies watched the scene unfurl.

If you haven’t noticed, I’m an alligator. Cages aren’t something we deal with on a daily basis, or even a monthly basis, so I was quite confused about why the door didn’t open for me so I could escape. I was trapped. Foalnapped, as one could say. This pony was a gator-thief! I started looking for help, at the passerby, but as I said before, nopony paid any mind to anything besides the path directly in front of them.

Where are you taking me, you foalnapper? I snapped at him. He made no gesture of having heard me. He kept galloping forward. Oh yes. He’s not Pinkie. That was problematic.

Wherever he took me, it's darker than I'm used to. I was moved from one cage to another, but not before I was what I would like to call "muzzled." Nopony likes looking in my mouth these days...

I could hear a cacophony of other animals around me, all presumably in cages like me, but fortunately without the muzzles. Cats, dogs, rabbits, and I could swear I could hear an owl and a turtle. I must be truly losing my mind. However, it was at that moment that I finally figured out that acronym: Manehatttan Animal Control. These ponies were out to get me and every other hapless creature in the city! How could such an intelligent race be so barbaric as to entrap its fellow beings in cages like this? I could never imagine any animal doing this without reason like these ponies do.

Excuse me, but can anyone tell me where I am? I asked my fellow prisoners.

"You're in a cage! What, have you never seen one of these things before? Ha ha ha, guys, we got a house pet over here!" The room burst into laughter at the reply.

I know that much, but can you tell me where in the city I am? I'm not stupid, you know. Oh no. It came out before I could stop it.

"Not stupid? Then how'd a house pet like you end up in a place like this? Ran out of the house to take a look or something? Anyways, you're in the Broncs. As far north in the city as you can get." That's not good. If I remember the map I saw, the train station was in the south.

Do you know how I can get out of here, then? I have quite the trek ahead of me if I'm this far away. I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve been away from Pinkie? If she finished eating and found me gone, what would she do? How frantic would she be?

Calm down, Gummy. Got to get out of this mess, first.

“Get out? Newbie, if we knew how to get out, we would’ve a long time ago. It’s just not possible, what with the security in this joint.” I wish I knew who was talking. Can’t see a thing from this cage at all. I need to get out at all costs, or I may never see my friend again. What would Pinkie do in this situation?

BANG. The cages shook a little. All that tail-shaking I do when I’m bored certainly strengthened my tail for this. BANG. It bent a little this time. “Whoa, guy, I don’t know what you’re doin’ down there, but I can feel it way over here. Maybe you should calm it a bi-” BANG. One hinge came loose. Almost there.

“What’s all of this racket in here?” a muffled voice said. A stallion on the other side of the door started jingling keys to get ready to open the prison. One more. BANG! My tail slammed hard once more into the cage and the door broke free. I hopped on down, passing another (empty) cage before hitting the floor. I could see where I was a bit more clearly, but not before that cocky voice started up again.

“You were an alligator? Geez, man, I would’ve helped you sooner if I knew that.”

Sure you would’ve. Thanks for nothing. Unlike my caretaker, I’m not so keen on smiles and know when somepony deserves what’s coming to them. Or in this case, however long it takes him to get out. No bother, I started walking towards the door and kept out of sight before it opened.

“What in the cow bell happened in here?” the pony gasped. He stopped halfway in the doorway, just enough for me to slip out. I crawled between his legs and escaped into the hall. The sounds of the frantic pony from before seemed to have gotten the others to check up on him, so galloping sounded from down the hall. Knowing this, I ran in the opposite direction to prevent being caught and to hopefully find a way out. I turned into what looked to be the lobby.

Chairs sat to my left and ahead, and a desk with a single secretarial pony was on my right. The door on the other side of the lobby was closed, so no way out here. Suddenly, a screech sounded. The secretary saw me and sounded the manual alarm. Alarmed myself, I ran over to the door, looked at the glass that made it up, and decided to just make an exit. I smashed my tail against the glass, and not unlike the earlier cage, it shattered against my scales. I hopped out, ran as far as I could, then fell into a hole. I managed to orchestrate a great prison escape, avoiding capture, only to be bested by a manehole. Life is cruel.

After falling for a few seconds, I thought I was going to hit a hard floor and braced for impact. Instead, I splashed. Being an alligator, I wasn’t too terribly worried after that part. Swimming is sort of my forte. I swam up in the stagnant water and breached the surface, only to dive right back down after my first breath of the worst smelling air I had ever breathed. What in the world could cause water to smell this horribly?

I knew that I wouldn’t have the air to move around too much, so I went up for one more breath of air, enough to allow me to swim for a much farther distance. I splashed back down into the shallow water and began to swim. I was hoping I could get enough distance between me and this animal jail to ensure my escape, but I also hoped I was heading in the right direction to reach Pinkie before she worried too much about my being missing.

After half of an hour, I noticed I was doing less swimming and more drifting. I guess I managed to find a current, so knowing this, I began to simply float along, expending little energy and not needing to worry about wasting my air supply. I’d rather not breathe in that horrible air again if I can help it. I noticed around me that filth and trash were being dragged along as well. I thought I saw a horseshoe and a bottle float past.

I simply can’t understand it. I noticed while I was drifting. The water felt more acidic than usual, trash became frequent, and I’d see the occasional rat above the surface along the edges. The water, though these tunnels were dark, was certainly not clear. It felt… polluted. Tarnished. This water wasn’t drinkable, swimmable, and definitely couldn’t harbor life. What use could these tunnels serve if they weren’t for transporting potable water?

I dropped. The water suddenly hit a lip and dropped a significant way. I splashed at the bottom, surprised initially, but after gasping for another breath of air, I started to float away once again with the current. It seemed like the tunnels were widening a bit, with several branches meeting at my channel. The flow became much stronger, and the stench became equally as intense. The tunnels began to expand upward, the water started flowing more downward, and the walls opened up into a massive dome.

Normally, this would lead me to believe to think this was a central collection point, or a buffer for other such tunnels, but instead, I saw many small islands built out of trash, huts constructed of litter, and bridges spanning garbage. I… thought I discovered something huge.

Because of the flow dragging me along, I had little choice but to swim towards the city. I was really hoping that whatever resided on those islands wasn’t hostile toward me. I can only imagine what sorts of creatures would be down here. Beady eyes, sharp teeth, reptilian scales…

I saw them. Hundreds of them, actually, all swimming about, or walking along the hastily constructed paths. These were alligators, like me, living in a self-made city deep underground. I’m wasn’t sure how they tolerated the smell, but even with that, it was incredible! I’d never seen such a thing before in my life!

The current slowed and I was deposited into the large lake in the center of the chamber, allowing me to start paddling towards the main area. I kept my head above to make sure nothing caught me by surprise, slowly adjusting to the horrid stench of this place. Suddenly, I was lifted into the air and flung very fast towards the largest island. I landed in the water only to be flung in the same direction once again. I looked down to see that I had landed on the tails of some of the larger citizens in the town, and they were giving me an express route to the center.

I was launched twice more before landing softly at the foot of, as far as alligator-based construction goes, the best-designed building in the complex. Two guard-looking gators wearing makeshift metal mail stepped to either side of me and gestured that I entered. Certainly welcoming to new guests, I’m sure.

I stepped inside, expecting something similar to Town Hall. Some sort of officiality in the design, but, as I’ve been often today, I was wrong. It was just large enough to house one large alligator with what looked like a gold-colored can on his head. The light was dim, as it was lit using only mirrors directing whatever light they had outside to the inside. I could only barely make out his age: his scales were scratched, etched with scars from work or experience, his eyes gazing longingly at those long lost, and his claws long since dulled from whatever battles he’s been involved in. This was certainly an important gator in this town.

“Please, sit, young gator. I don’t recognize you from being around these parts. Have you been recently flushed?” He stared at me, expecting a quick reply, but that term, “flushed”, didn’t quite make sense in my head. What could he mean by “flushed”? What flushes? I know of a flush from playing cards with Pinkie, but that makes no sense here. I know Fluttershy’s face flushes whenever I mention that secret room behind her bookshelf, but that doesn’t fit. What could he mean?

“Why are you deep in thought about this? Either you were or you weren’t. Do you not know, young gator?”

Erm… I don’t know what that word even means in this context. He looked at me, one, well, I’d call it an eyebrow if he were a pony, but he doesn’t really have those, raised. Apparently, my demeanor has spooked him, given how “young” he thinks I am and my apparent maturity in his presence. I’ve grown up fast, being with Pinkie and having to deal with her antics.

“I’ll take it then that you weren’t. If that’s right, how did you make it down here, young one? We’re not exactly the easiest place to find, especially being in the sewers.” The sewers! Does this mean these were those sewer gators Pinkie was adamant didn’t exist? That she called “an old pony’s tale”?

Given my situation, a beggar can’t be a chooser, and this chieftain seems to be more than willing to help me out. I started from my entering Manehattan and ended with my being flung into his presence, with all the pertinent details in between. He would nod as I told the story, sometimes stroking his chin with his claw, and murmuring an “I see…” It was apparently taken well, because once I finished, he straightened out a bit and looked at me.

“I will help you get back to your…You called her your ‘caretaker’, yes? I will help you with this. However, I must warn you. These ponies aren’t what they seem to be, toothless one.” Given my story, I felt like he was about to expose me to his story as well. Given his patience and listening, it was the least I could do.

“It started countless moons ago. I, like you, was a beloved pet of my dear Tipped Scales. She was an incredibly successful business pony, and loved me steadfastly. At least, until I grew bigger, and thus no longer as ‘cute’ as I once was. I still cared for her deeply, but as time passed, she grew more and more disgusted with me. I was hurt. Very hurt, actually. She was my life, and she threw me out as soon as I wasn’t to her satisfaction anymore.

“I would say I ran away, but that’s not true. She came home one day, stressed about a business deal she was struggling to get the better end of, left the door open, and trotted over to me. ‘This is all your fault!’ she yelled. ‘If.. if I wasn’t so scared of what you’d become, if you just weren’t here… Get out! Get out now, go!’ and she began kicking me towards the door. Gummed one, given that you have been a lone gator for much of your life, you may have never seen an alligator cry. Despite our fearsome appearances, we’re just as soft if not softer than most creatures under these hard scales. I left, and I never looked back.

“I wasn’t wanted, and, given my youth, I did nothing but cry. I didn’t notice the ponies staring at me around the city, didn’t notice that I was avoided entirely. I just wanted a place to get away. In my wallowing, I didn’t notice a hole in the street, and shortly thereafter, like you, I ended up here. At the time, it was nothing but a holding tank for the sewers of the city. It collected trash here, and I was no different.

“I wanted to start anew. So, by myself, I constructed this land. I used what these so-called sentient creatures threw out to create a city. Not everything deemed useless or unwanted can’t be used or isn’t desirable. This city and I are both proof of this. No race so willing to throw things out should be deemed ‘generous’. No beings so willing to betray those closest to them should be called ‘loyal’. No creature so willing to blame others on their own faults should be found ‘honest’. Ponies are far and beyond the most unkind creatures I have ever met, and I recommend to you to avoid them.

“Gummed one, stay with us. We are the same as you. We are alligators and can take care of you. We’ll never abandon you like this ‘caretaker’ will in the future. We’ll never leave you in sadness, and you can still live a fulfilling life without those ponies.”

I… I never thought of my life in that way. It hadn’t been long since Pinkie found me. She’s always taken care of me, and I, her. Could this change? Would there be a time when we part ways like the Chieftain has? Would she really welcome my return? Could it be easier to end it now, before things end up with me living in these sewers anyhow?

No. Pinkie wouldn’t do that. She understands me. I understand her. We’re each other’s balance, one another’s equal. Without me, her parties would be out of control! She wouldn’t know when to stop, when too much is too much, and she’d lose her spot as being the top party pony! And without her, the laughter and fun in my life wouldn’t exist. Just because we’re separate doesn’t mean we aren’t one. The way he sounds, yes, he’s hurt, but he acts as if ponies are a parasite. And given my experience today, I’d normally agree. But Pinkie is worried, I’m sure, and Pinkie and I are symbiotic. Without the other, neither would exist.

I’m sorry, but I have to decline. I see how you feel, I truly understand your plight, your history. I just don’t think Pinkie is that way. We trust each other. We’re more than just pet and pony. We’re friends. And friends simply don’t betray each other, ever. He looked at me again, his elder eyes looking me over, before finally sighing.

“Young one, I cannot say you are wise. You haven’t felt hurt yet, and have no experience of that, so you can’t say you understand. However, you do have a good head on your shoulders, and for that, I respect your decision. I don’t agree with you, and think you’ll come around soon enough, but I won’t ruin this… experience for you.” He clicked his claw against the floor a few times, in a rhythm not unlike Pinkie’s favorite welcoming song.

The two guards from out front entered quickly and awaited the orders of their leader. “Guide this one down the southern corridor towards the train station and get him out at Year Lane. If needed give him a ride down there. He doesn’t belong here.” Both guards nodded and gestured toward me. I assume I was to leave now. I looked towards the elder gator and nodded.

Thank you very much for this. I know I can’t change your mind, but I hope there is somepony out there that can. He nodded back at me, but stayed silent. His life was hard, and I don’t expect him to change his mind soon. I can only hope.

I walked out of the building into the water once again, where, expectedly, I was launched again. Word get around fast here, apparently. I saw building after building pass below me, each more refined than the central hut that housed the Chieftain. His was certainly the first. Admirable, his desire to give purpose to these alligators, but his reasoning is a bit…

I saw a small platoon of alligators below my next landing spot, my guides to Year Lane and my dear Pinkie Pie. I landed softly on their backs, gripped my claws into their scales gingerly, and prepped myself for the launch. They both began swimming in unison, much faster than I ever could have managed, heading directly into a tunnel ahead of us. I assume this is south, but it’s difficult to tell without the sky above me.

Minutes passed, as well as turn after turn, rats waved at me as we passed. I didn’t have the time to wave back as we sped past them, but it’s the thought that counts, right? The smell didn’t bother me as much anymore. I’d been down here for so long that my nose essentially clogged up. Maybe if I return, I can bring some potpourri?

Suddenly, the two below me stopped. A small sliver of light shined above me, near a drain, I assume. They looked at me, grunted once, and then launched me directly to it. I managed to reach it on my first try and clawed my way up into the street. I heard them bump into each other a bit before rocketing off back to their town. I wouldn’t be surprised if they share the same sentiment as their leader about my equine friends.

Initially, I thought because of the light I saw that it’d be daytime, but instead, I was met with empty streets and a single lamppost above shining light on top of me. The moon above indicated it was about midnight. The party had been done for hours. Pinkie would be long gone. He… he was right. Pinkie just threw me away like-

“GUMMY! Gummy you found me you came back oh I was so worried I’m so happy you’re back Gummy!” I was tackled, thrown into the air, and landed back in the hooves of one pink party planning pony. “I waited for you for so long and I called Babs’ family and told them I couldn’t make it but got Cheese to do it for me and I waited and waited and oh I was so worried Gummy you’re back!” She kept spinning me around, never letting go, and occasionally hugged me. I was lost for words.

She waited for me? For this long? In the same spot? I… I can’t believe I even doubted her for a second… I’m such a horrible friend… I… I’m sorry, Pinkie.

“What for?” She stopped spinning me for a moment. “You didn’t do anything. I heard from the carrot vendor across the street that you were snagged, bagged, and tagged. It wasn’t your fault.”

No, not that… I… I doubted you. I didn’t think you’d still be here for me. I almost thought you left me, Pinkie. She bent down and looked me in the eyes, face all scrunched up in concentration. Then she giggled, stuck her tongue out, and put me on her back.

“Silly Gummy. I didn’t, did I? You’re not a horrible friend for doubting me. I’d be a horrible friend if I actually did it. You can’t trust anyone you’re not able to doubt, and if I told you I doubted that you’d come back for a teensy bit of time, wouldn’t you think that would make us the bestest of friends?” I paused.

That… doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make any sense at all! But.. but…

“Gummy, not everything has to make sense all of the time. Sometimes, you just gotta go with the flow and trust your friends to make it alright. I made that mistake once, so it makes sense you’d need to learn that too!” She snorted. “It’s like we’re one big cake with two different flavored layers, you know? We taste good by ourselves, but we taste even better together! But who’d want to eat a Gummy- and Pinkie-flavored cake? I know I wouldn’t!”

I missed you, Pinkie.