Its been almost a year since Dashy died. Every day I am reminded of it, and no matter how much time is between now and then, the pain does not lessen. I was effected the hardest out of our friends, being that I had feelings for Dashy. We used to always bake together, or go to the lake. She got me, and all of my problems. She gave me a reason to smile everyday. She was the reason I smiled everyday.
I was meeting up with my friends today. It was a hot summer day so we were going to get milk shakes. I push open the door into Sugar Cube Corner, were I used to work, and make my way into the shop. A sickly sweet smell that I used to love hits my noes and I frown. Chatter was going on all around me and seeing my friends sitting at a round table by the window, I make my way over to them.
"Oh Pinky, darling! I'm so glad you could make it!" Rarity stands up and hugs me tightly. I give her a weak smile and sit down next to her.
"How are you Pinky?" Twilight asks me and reaches across the table to squeeze my hand.
"I'm fine." I say and pull my hand away. I look around at everyone, Rarity, Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Twilight, and I sigh. The girls all look at each other and frown.
"Uh, do you want a milk shake?" Fluttershy offers and smiles at me.
"No thank you." I say. I haven't eaten anything today but i'm not hungry. The girls look at each other again.
"So the zap apples should be coming in soon, do yah wanna come and watch for em with me?" AJ says and taps her nails on the table. I look at her hand and then into her green eyes.
"No thank you." I say and lean onto the table. The girls all sigh.
"Pinky.. You need to start doing things again. I know you miss her, we do too! But we can't live out life doing nothing because we are sad that shes gone." Twilight says and Sweetie Belle walks over holding a tray with four milkshakes on it.
"Here are your milkshakes you ordered." She says and starts to hand them out. "Hey Pinky, would you like one too?" I look at her and then back at Twilight.
"Yeah i'll take one. Strawberry please." I say and sigh. The girls all smile and Rarity pats my leg. Sweetie Belle writes it down on her note pad and tells me it will be right up before leaving.
"See you're already starting to get back to normal!" Twilight says and winks at me before sipping her chocolate shake. Rarity and fluttershy are talking quietly to themselves and AJ slides her caramel milkshake over to me.
"Wanna try mine sugarcube?" She asks and smiles at me. I take a sip and the cold caramel flavored milkshake hits my tongue. I smile and take another sip.
"Hmmm." I hum while moving the drink over my whole tongue before swallowing it. "Thats good AJ." I say and smile back at her. "Makes me miss working here." I look back at the counter where Sweetie Belle was standing talking to Lyra Heartstrings. I look back at AJ and Twilight who glance at each other and smile.
"Well maybe you can get you job back! And maybe even your room! I think the Cakes are just using it for storage now." Twilight says and I feel my heart rise slightly but then sink. Dashy and I used to meet here almost every day after work and hang out in my room.
"I don't know." I say and look back down. Sweetie comes back and bring my milkshake over.
"Hey Sweetie, do you know what the Cakes are doing to Pinkys room?" Twilight asks her as she sets my milkshake down in front of me.
"Uh, actually they are not using it at all. They used to use it for storage but they got rid of all their extra stuff last week at the garage sale." She looks over at me. "Are you thinking about moving back in here?" She asks excitedly
"Uh, I guess." I say and give her and Twilight my best smile. I did love living here and my job was the best. Twilight smiles softly at me as Sweetie Belle walks away to go help Derpy who just walked in. "Thanks Twilight." I say to her.
"What are friends for?" She asks and stands up. "I'm sorry ladies, but I must go now. I have work to do in the library." We all say our goodbyes to her and she leaves. I sip more of my milkshake and listen to the girls talk about all the current drama. We all finish our shakes and get up to leave.
"Its good to see you starting to come back out of your shell Pinky." Rarity says and hugs me goodbye before her and Fluttershy leave for the spa. AJ and I walk towards the door together.
"I have to go work on the farm a little, you should go talk to the Cakes about getting your room and job back." She hugs me. "I'm sure you will get em back, no problem." AJ leaves the shop and I turn back to the counter.
"Hey Sweetie Belle. Are the Cakes in today?" I ask even though I know they were. They were always at the shop during the busiest time of the day.
"Yeah, they are in the back room." She says and pulls a box out from under the counter and slides it over to Derpy. I could tell you exactly what was in that box, three poppy seed, three blueberry, three chocolate chunk, and three lemon muffins. Derpy always got the same.
I make my way towards the back room. Little had changed since I left. The room was a bit dirtier, there were some boxes that were not put away, and there was a little play pen put in for the Cakes two little kids.
"Mrs. Cake?" I say and make my way deeper into the back room. More boxes and papers lay on the floor and I hear a noise towards the back. "Mrs. Cake? Are you there?" I ask and head towards the sound. Mrs Cake's head pop out from behind a pile of boxes, unopened.
"Oh! Pinky?" She squints her eyes slightly. "Pinky! What a pleasure to have you here! What do I owe the pleasure too?" She stands up and straightens her dress. There was flour in her hair and her eyes looked tired.
"I was wondering if I could move back in and get my old job back?" I barely get the words out before she engulfs me in a huge hug.
"Yes you can! I was hoping you would come back to us! Its been so hard here after you left. Sweetie Belle, bless her soul, is not that great of a cook, so I have to do most of that." She sighs and a look of relief crosses her face. "Your room is a little messy, but nothing we cant fix up before you come back. When do you want to move back in?" Mrs. Cake asks me and I twirl my thumbs.
"Well I was thinking tomorrow. I don't have much anymore so I could pack it all up today and move in tomorrow." I say and smile at her.
"That is perfect!" She hugs me again and looks back at the boxes. "Well I need to get back to work. Mr. Cake and I will clean out your room tonight after work. I can't wait to have you back Pinky." She gives me one last smile and hug before turning back to her boxes. I frown slightly and head back into the store.
"So whats the news?" Sweetie Belle asks me from behind the counter. My smile returns.
"I'm moving back in tomorrow! I'll start back up working here after that." I say and go to walk out the door.
"Thats great news!" I hear behind me but continue walking. "I, uh, guess I'll talk to you later?" She says as I shut the door and start to head back to my apartment. I let the frown come back to my face. What am I doing? I will never be able to go back to how my life was before she died. She meant so much to me.
A tear starts to slide down my face but I quickly wipe it away. I won't do this again in public. Crying is for the bedroom. I look up at the sky, clear, not a cloud to be seen. Just how Dashy liked it. I kick a rock and continue towards my apartment. No one tries to talk to me, they all just chatter among themselves. Even the ones who see me don't approach me. I gave them all the reasons in the world to do that. I kick another rock.
My apartment is on the dark side of town. All the buildings were not as well kept and the signs were older. Even with the sun so bright everything just looked dark and broken. I walk up to my apartment and pull out my keys. There was an old welcome mat outside my door that used to say home is where the heart is but the black letters are all broken up and you can hardly make out the words.
I enter my house and take off my shoes. Flipping on the light I make my way towards my room. The living room was empty other then an old chair and small table that was left when the old renter moved out. I walk into my room and flop onto my bed. I sigh and flip over onto my back. My walls were blank other then a single old picture of me and my friends. I look at Dashy, who is standing behind me with her arms around me and feel a sting in the back of my throat.
You cant stay like this forever, you have to let her go someday. I step back and snuffle. Twilight is right, you have to go back to your life I flip back onto my belly. I do have to let her go. Twilight is right, its what she would want. I jump off my bed and go into the kitchen. I grab the box out from under the sink and start to put my stuff into it. I box up everything I own and grab my bag and start to stuff my clothes into it.
After all my stuff is packed up I crawl into my bed. Tomorrow I will have to tell my landlord that I am moving out and will pay double for this months rent. I sigh and let a smile come to my face. Maybe, just maybe, my life will be able to get better without her here with me. I close my eyes and snuggle into my bed. Tomorrow is the start of a new day for me.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and grab the box by the door before leaving the apartment. I take one last glance inside and sigh. The place was dark, quiet. Nothing much looked different even though I had no belongings in there. I shut the door and lock it. Making my way back towards the center of town I stop by the office. When I enter a little bell rings and the guy behind the counter looks over. He looks at the box in my hands and sighs.
"Moving out?" He asks and pulls a form out from behind the desk. "You have to fill this out and give me two months rent." He slides the form and a pen towards me as I walk up. I set the box down on the desk and pick the pen up. I had a hard time reading the form because the lighting was so bad.
"Mind if I take it over to that chair and fill it out there?" I ask and pick the paper up. He looks at me with tired eyes and nodes. I smile at him. "Thank you." He glances at me and smiles back. His eyes lighten slightly. I walk over to the chair and sit down. The chair was in the sun light so I could read it better. Using one of the few old magazines I fill out the form and bring it back to the guy behind the counter. The entire time I was living here I never bothered to learn his name.
"Hear you go sir." I say and smile at him. "It was a pleasure living here." I say and he lifts an eyebrow at me. I turn and head out of the old building and make my way towards my old new house. I smile and look up at the sky, clear again. The closer I got towards Sugar Cube Corner the more nervous I feel. What if I cant do it? What if its too hard to live there?
"Hey Pinky!" I hear Twilight and look over at her. She run up to me and hold out her hands. "Let me take that for you." She says and I hand her the box. It was not heavy, but I know how much Twilight loves to help. We walk towards Sugar Cube Corner together.
"I see you got your room back! Thats awesome. How are you feeling about all this?" She asks me sweetly and I look at her. Her purple eyes were full of hope. Hope that she would get the old Pinky back. I smile at her.
"Yeah I did, and my job too! I'm excited, I've been wanting to cook for a while now." I say and she bumps into me softly.
"Yay! I'm excited too! You made the best cupcakes ever!" I laugh and we stop at the door. "I cant go in with you, I'm teaching some of the students at the school today. Special guest." Twilight giggles and winks at me. "I will catch you later!" She says and hands me my box back.
"Thank you Twilight for the help. I will see you later." I say and head inside. Today it was not very busy, there was only one couple sitting at a window chair. Sweetie Belle was snoozing behind the counter and I head towards the stairs in the back. I glance back towards the door before heading up. I could go back, give up on this dream, but I cant. I have to do this. For Dashy.
I make my way up the all too familiar stairs and turn down the hallway to my room. Looking back one more time I open my door and head in. Not much had changed from where I left it, even though it had been almost a year after I moved out. My bed was still sitting there under the bed and the little mirror was still sitting on the table next to my bed. I smile. The sweet smell from downstairs reached my room and always made it smell great. I put the box down and grab my stuffed bear out of it. Rainbow gave it to me for my birthday before she died. Almost one year ago, Dashy died. On my birthday. Tears start to sting my eyes and I hold the bear close. I just miss her so much.
A knocking on the door makes me jump and I wipe away the tears quickly. Tuning around I open the door to a smiling Mrs. Cake.
"Hello sweetie. Are you moving in just fine?" She asks and looks at the little box on the ground.
"Yeah I am thanks." I say and pick the box back up, moving it to the desk by my bed. Truthfully I just want to be left alone of a while. Mrs. Cake walks in and self consciously touches the pink railing to my upstairs.
"Um, well, I was wondering if you could manage the shop today? I have not had a day off to spend with Mr. Cake in such a long time and I was thinking about taking one today." I look over at her and she had the biggest smile on her face.
"Yeah i'll watch the shop. Will Sweetie Belle be there?" I ask and smile back at her.
"Oh thank you Pinky! I will pay you more then usual for today." She walks over to me and gives me a hug, surprising me. After a moments hesitation, I hug her back. "Sweetie will be here today yes, so you will mainly have to work the back and do some cooking." She pulls away but keeps her hands on my shoulder. "Thank you again Pinky. This really means a lot to me!" She says and hugs me again before making her way to the door.
"I will see you later Mrs. Cake. Have fun with Mr. Cake." I say and wink at her.
"Oh I will!" Mrs. Cake giggles. "I will see you tomorrow." She says and leaves. I go back to my box of stuff and look into it. Not a lot. Some bathroom stuff, some personal stuff, my picture. I pull the picture out of the box and look at it. All six of us look so happy in the picture. It was the day we all graduated high school, last summer. All of us huddled close, Rarity and Fluttershy hugging, Dashys arms around me, AJ and Twilight both making funny faces on the two sides of us. We were all having so much fun that day.
I put the picture down on the desk next to my mirror. I'll have to get a frame for that later, after work. I take my bag off and throw it onto the bed. I'll put my cloths away after work as well. I look up at my upper room area and smile to myself. This room is so much better then my apartment, and I dont even have to pay rent.
I make my way to the door and back down stairs. The sound of chatter reaches my ear and I pick up the pace. I round the corner and see that most of the tables are taken up and sweetie was talking to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo behind the counter.
"Hey girls. How are you?" I say and walk up to them. Apple Bloom and Scoot look at each other and then to Sweetie Belle.
"Wer' good." Apple Bloom says.
"Uh, i'm ok." Scootaloo replies after her friend.
"I'm great! Are you starting today?" Sweetie Belle says excitedly and her friends look back at her shocked.
"Wait, you mean shes working here again?" Scootaloo says and Apple Blooms jaw drops.
"Yup! As of today!" She says and smiles at me.
"YAY!" The two other fillies reply in unison. I smile at them both as they jump onto me and give me a huge hug. Sweetie Belle pauses for a moment before joining in. I hug them all back and smile.
"Uh, hello?" I look up and see Colgate standing at the counter waiting to order. Sweetie Belle blushes and goes back to work.
"Alright you little fillies, I got to go back to work, so I will see you all later." I say and step back. They both smile at me and then make their way towards on the of open tables and sit down talking to each other. I smile and walk to the back room. There are boxes everywhere still so I start to pick them up and break them down. I make a pile for the old and used ones and the ones that could be used again. I hum to myself as I work, and it brings my mood up from where it was before. I smash all the boxes down and pick up some of the old ones to bring it over to the garbage.
A slight dizzy feeling hits me and I pause for a moment. I drop the boxes and grab hold of the shelves to steady myself. A tingling feeling goes down my entire body and I start to pant. After a few minutes, the feeling passes and I am left dripping in sweat. Catching my breath, I stand up straight and let go of the shelves. The feelings were gone, But I still felt a bit shaky on my feet. I look back at the hallway back towards the shop and bite my lip. I'll just go sit behind the counter for a little, sweetie can take the floor. I take a step and the second my foot hits the floor, I collapse, and everything goes black.
