Pinkiemania

by Apocalypse Pony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Pinkie Pie, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character
Length: 6912

The greatest foe lies within the self.

In the moments before Pinkie Pie's very first celebration, she meets a pony that will become her life long aquaintance and adversary. What's a pony to do when your worst enemy is yourself?

Published 2011-11-23 06:22:36 UTC
Last updated 2012-01-05 22:55:09 UTC

Stand Up Tall

“Mom! I need you and dad and the sisters to come in here, quick!”

This was it. The balloons were positioned perfectly, the cake was made to the best of her ability, and just the exact amount of confetti bits were scattered about the floor. If all went according to plan, Pinkie Pie’s very first party would go off without a hitch, and her whole family would get to enjoy themselves too!

The pink blur darted about the cylindrical room that was the grain silo, double--no, triple--quadruple checking each and every aspect to make sure everything was perfect! Even after repeatedly confirming that everything was prepared, she still had her doubts, since there wasn’t any real planning involved in the sudden urge to prepare a surprise party. A mere few hours ago the polychromatic explosion changed her outlook on life and she needed an outlet, otherwise she may have exploded, literally or otherwise.

After making absolutely sure everything was in the right position, she stood still in front of the door, eagerly awaiting her family’s arrival and wearing a grin that threatened to rip her cheeks apart.

“Oh, they’re just going to love this!”

“Wait, we still think this is a good idea?”

Pinkie paused her train of thought. What was that voice? She turned around and scanned the area for anypony else in the room. Seeing that there was nothing else capable of talking, she shook her head and scolded herself.

“Silly Pinkie, you’re just hearing things!”

“The only thing we’re hearing is yourself.”

On cue, a puce colored earth pony casually trotted from behind the center table in the room. She had a scowl on her face, as if she ate something sour and it left a permanent bitter taste in her mouth, and her muted pink cascading mane and tail matched nearly matched her darkened pink coat perfectly, as well as the mane hiding half her face like a curtain. Each time she turned her head to glare at the balloons her facial expression grew darker, as if she were trying to will the balloons into bursting. Despite her hostile appearance, Pinkie greeted her with her cheerful disposition.

“Hi! My name’s Pinkamena Diane Pie but I think Pinkie Pie sounds better although I came up with that a couple minutes ago what’s your name huh huh huh!?” By the time she finished her sentence she was pressed nose-to-nose with her mirror image, before the other pony retracted and turned away.

“I dont know about ‘Pinkie’ being a good name, sounds stupid in my opinion. We should already know what my name is, now shouldn’t we?” She waited expectantly for an answer, but Pinkie stared at her, smiling obliviously. She facehoofed in response. “Think about it; we look the same, we nearly sound the same, and we’re the same height. Only difference is that one is smarter than the other.” For the most part she was right; one would be spitting images of the other if it weren't for the vivid tone of Pinkie Pie's coat and mane, the style of their manes, and her bitter doppleganger’s voice being quieter, but carrying an audible venom in it that would make anypony cringe.

“....Your name’s Bruce, isn’t it?”

The muted pink pony gave a heavy sigh and dragged a hoof down her face before walking up to Pinkie and putting her forehooves on Pinkie’s face in order to ensure her clarity.

“Listening? Okay, my name, since it isn’t obvious enough, is Pinkamena. Pink-a-me-na, get it? Got it? Good. Now about this so-called party you have here-”

“Waitwaitwait, how can you be Pinkie if I’m Pinkie?”

“BECAUSE WE’RE THE SAME PONY!”

"Nuh uh! We cant be the same pony because if you’re me and I’m me than that means that you aren’t me because I cant see me unless I’m looking in a mirror and I’m not looking in a mirror so that means-” She paused for a breath, “that means that you’re somepony else that looks like me so I’m me and you’re not me.” She ended her theory with a a grin that irritated her near-copy further.

Pinkamena groaned and sat down, preparing for what might become a long ordeal. Despite how irritated she obviously was, the party pony giggled obliviously, the idea of two of herself sounding ridiculous to her.

Pinkamena decided to try reasoning with her. “Okay, let me prove it. We were born in August.”

Pinkie responded by sticking her tongue out at her. “That’s kinda easy, try something harder!”

“We’re the youngest of our sisters.”

“Well I am the shortest one!”

“Our favorite color is maple brown.”

“Good one! I don’t think I’ve ever told anypony that.”

“We cracked our left hoof when we were five while trying to move rocks.”

Pinkie laughed nervously and looked away. “Well I guess that’s one only I would know...”

‘She's starting to crack' “We snuck off the farm one night to go to the Hoofington fair.”

She didn’t respond. Pinkamena advanced again, confident in her next statement striking a chord.

“The name of that stupid pile of rocks behind the barn that we talk to is-”

“A-alright alright!...m-maybe you are me!” Pinkie finally caved in, shaken by the sensitive subject . She began to pout and she stared down at the floor.

The bitter puce pony smirked and began pacing about the room,“Now that that’s out of the way, you’re probably wondering why you’re able to talk to yourself right now, and since we aren’t a psychologist I’ll try to explain.” She ceased her pacing and stood in front of Pinkie.

“Because of a bucking prismatic explosion we saw earlier today, we got split down the middle. This means that you’re an annoying prickwhile I’m the sane one. Now, I think we can both agree that this party wasn’t one of our best ideas, so how about we just take all these eyesores down, throw them in the trash, and act like nothing happened, how does that sound?" Pinkie glanced at her and frowned. Why should she dismantle what she worked so hard to put together?

“B-but," stammered Pinkie. "But this is a great idea! Why should we give up on it when it’ll let my parents have fun for once in their lives?” reasoned Pinkie. Pinkamena scoffed and began walking in slow circles around her, giving the lighter colored pony a nervous feeling.

Pinkamena took turns between looking at the party materials and her counterpart as she spoke, “Get real, Pinkie. Our family wouldn’t know fun if they had it shoved up their flanks! We live on a rock farm and push rocks around in a field all day, not exactly the definition of fun, ya know. As soon as they walk in here we’re going to look like an idiot and they’ll think we stole supplies from the fair!”. Her choice of words and audible hostility began to scare Pinkie.

Why is she so bitter? Why cant she just go away? Pinkie frowned at her. The presence of the puce colored pony vexed Pinkie; she was everything she wasn’t, and Pinkie vice-versa. It was as if the puce earth pony’s very purpose to antagonize her.

Pinkie broke eye contact with her and began staring at the floor, but Pinkamena continued on with her bad-mouthing and began to grin, enjoying the fruits of her verbal abuse.

“If I’m bothering you that much, why don’t you tell mom and dad about it? Oh wait, I’m all in your head, which means they’ll just think you’re crazy!”. Pinkamena snickered and stopped circling Pinkie and waited for her comeback.

Pinkie mumbled in a low, agitated voice, “I’m not crazy.”

Pinkamena burst out laughing and tumbled onto her back, “If I’m here then that means you’re a nutcase!”

Pinkie was silent for a moment before she slowly lifted her head to look at her double, a calm frown on her face as she began to talk.

“Now that I think about it, I feel kinda sorry for you. If....if what you say is true, and you really are my other half, then you don’t get to have as much fun as me,” Her brow furrowed as her frown rose up into a smile. Pinkie Pie began to radiate confidence and determination as she walked closer towards Pinkamena, asserting herself. “But just because you have to be a sourpuss, doesn’t mean you can make me one too!". She came even closer to the bitter pony as her smile turned into a smug grin, and whispered in her ear.

“I’m having fun, and you can't stop me.”

Pinkamena hastily backed away with a panicked expression on her face, but she quickly righted her composure, once again glaring at Pinkie, but this time, it had little to no effect.

“Well excuse me for trying to save us from a really bad idea!”, hissed Pinkamena. “Just watch, there is no possible way they would enjoy anything like this!” She spun around on her front hooves to buck a table over, but her hind hooves phased through the table. Pinkie merely nodded her head and maintained her smug expression, Pinkamena fumed in response as she walked toward Pinkie, looking her in the eye as she spoke.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Pinkie.”

Pinkamena then reared up on her hind legs and brought her hooves down upon Pinkie Pie’s head. All that Pinkie saw after she struck her was a flash of white, and then she was sitting facing the door, in the same position she was in as she waited for her family. There was no pain in her head either; It was as if the other pony simply never was there. She heard a whisper in her ear as she looked about the room for her.

‘Don't think this is the last time we’ll meet, Pinkamena Diane Pie.’

The pink pony gave up the search and faced toward the door again, the confrontation with her other self pushed to the back of her mind as she began smiling again.

A light brown hoof pushed the door open.........

Face Your Fears

A/N: Special thanks to Earthrise for honorable mention in Wings, and to Wheller for threatening motivation!

Pinkie Pie’s newfound talent for celebrations and bringing good cheer had done a considerable amount of good for the Pie family. Everypony was in a generally better mood, and Pinkie’s eccentric personality made it near impossible to maintain a straight face around her. The only downside was the work Pinkie began to skip out on in favor of preparing parties, which meant Clyde and Sue had to repeatedly remind her to get back to work in the fields. On top of that, they honestly had no idea where she found supplies for her weekly parties; as far as they knew, she may as well have galloped the five miles to the not-so-nearby town of Hoofington just for party favors.

A week after Pinkie’s momentous event of obtaining her cutie mark, a letter arrived in the mail from their grandmother, stating that she planned on visiting within the month. The week before her arrival was spent tidying up the house and preparing the guest room. What took up the most of her mother’s time, however, was taming Pinkie Pie’s unruly bush of a mane.

“Pinkamena, I honestly have no idea what you’ve done to your mane to make it this uncontrollable!” complained Sue. Each time she ran the heated pressing comb through her hair, it descended into a pink waterfall for a second before suddenly exploding into a clustered mess. The most she was able to do was tame all the rogue single strands into a single wild mass of what may as well be called cotton candy.

“Its not uncontrollable, maybe it it just has a mind of its own!”, Pinkie giggled as she hopped off the stool and began jumping about the kitchen, her wild mane bouncing in time with her hopping.”I can’t believe Granny Pie’s coming to see us again! She always brings all kinds of goodies and she’s so much fun!”. The excited pink pony continued to hop in circles until her mother ushered her up the stairs. As Pinkie went into her room and resumed jumping, this time on her bed, Sue stood in the doorway of her room.

“Now now, calm down Pinkamena. She will arrive tomorrow, and I’m sure you don’t want to be too tired to see her arrive, do you?”. Pinkie abruptly stopped jumping and landed back on the floor as her mother trotted to her room and shut the door.

“Nighty-night mom!”

Pinkie Pie’s room was rather simple, with a turquoise oval rug in the center of the floor, a low standing bed with red covers and a short bergundy dresser beside it were in the upper left corner of the room, under the only window in the room. Atop the nightstand was a mounted candle for light, illuminating a portion of the room with a soft glow. In the opposite corner was a slightly taller dresser, a varnished dark brown one containing a few saddles and clothing for whenever it got cold, or when the family left the house and wanted to look presentable. As for the floor and walls, they were a dark, unpolished wood paneling that creaked as soon as anypony set hoof upon them.

Pinkie grasped the covers with her teeth and pulled back, getting into bed and then blowing out the candle. Her thoughts were occupied with Granny Pie’s arrival tomorrow. She always brought a small wagon full of baked goods, from pies to cupcakes, and muffins to pastries. It always seemed like she had an endless bounty of stories to tell about her bakery, as well as moments from her fillyhood.

As much as Pinkie enjoyed her company, there were a few oddities about her that she never got answers for. For one, she always wore a small turquoise quilt over her back, and she made an effort of always keeping it on in the presence of her or her sisters. On top of that there was the constant tension that seemed to be between her and Pinkie Pie’s mother; Sue never made any attempts to make conversation with her unless it was necessary to evade suspicion. Not to mention what little dialogue between the two went fast and to the point. Maybe it had something to do with her being on Clyde’s side of the family.

As Pinkie’s eyes traced about the room and her mind drifted to other topics, the clouds outside the window began to turn black and swell with water. It was the typical routine for the winter months; they knew pegasi were scheduling rain as well as thunder and lighting, which Pinkie Pie paid no mind to. At the moment her thoughts bumbled about random topics, currently wondering about what was for dinner tomorrow. Rain began tapping on the window, speckling the light that came through it, as the sound of a suddenly heavy shower surrounded the walls, as well as thunder sounding from outside. The pink pony only was nearly lulled to sleep by the downpour, and as her eyelids began to shut, a flash of lightning illuminated a small figure sitting at the other end of the on the bed.

Pinkie quickly sat upward and awake, panicked at the sight of somepony else in the room, but as she scanned the space in front of and under her bed, she saw nothing there. Her eyes trailed down to the floor and locked onto the small square of dim light being projected from the window. As soon as the next bolt of lightning struck, a shadow of a pony appeared in the square, causing her to jump back in fright.

Now she was utterly terrified. Both times the shadow appeared they were from a position that would indicate that the pony was sitting on the bed Pinkie was on, so this time, Pinkie Pie kept her gaze forward, looking down the length of the bed on to the wall. She didn’t blink, fearing she may miss whatever was giving her the fright.

KRA-KOWWW

Suddenly Pinkamena appeared nose to nose in front of her with a wide malicious grin and constricted pupils, then disappeared with a following flash of light. Pinkie let out a high pitched shriek and immediately pushed herself away and to the wall with a loud thump that reverberated throughout the house. Pinkie Pie held a hoof to her chest as she hyperventilated while the sound of urgent hoofsteps approaching her door became louder.

A gray hoof pushed the door open groggily, it was one of her older sisters, Blinky. Her name wasn’t actually Blinky, it was just that Pinkie preferred calling her that. At least that’s Pinkie’s way to hide the fact that she’s honestly forgotten her sister’s actual name.

“Pinkie Pie! What’s the matter with you? Ponies are actually trying to sleep ya know!” Blinky glared at her as Pinkie stuttered for an answer.

“I-she...she was on the bed and...” Pinkie looked about the room with a panicked expression as she struggled for an explanation.

“Who was on the bed Pinkie, who?”

“It...it was me! I saw me and she was scary and and....” Pinkie sighed and stared at the floor, giving up on trying to explain what had just happened.

Blinky facehoofed. “This is exactly why we don’t like giving you sweets before bed! Just count sheep or somethin, but keep it down!”. She huffed and closed the door, returning to her room.

Pinkie was hurt. It wasn’t the fact that her sister didn’t believe a word to come out of her mouth, it was the fact that she had no logical way to explain the pony who was so dead-set on harassing her.

As soon as she turned her head to look at the covers of her bed, Pinkamena appeared with yet another flash of lightning, and disappeared with the next.

Pinkie Pie flinched and sighed. She slid herself back under her covers and stared at the ceiling.

She would get no sleep that night.

They Can't Hurt You

Pinkie Pie’s eyes opened blearily. Apparently she had fallen asleep sometime during the night, but she did’t feel any more rested than she would have if she had stayed awake until the sunrise. She closed her eyes and let out a yawn; she would’ve been content to stayin in bed if it were’nt for Granny Pie visiting....

'Oh shoot! Granny comes over today!’. The reminder was enough to force herself out of bed, but not to catch herself on her hooves before faceplanting. She picked herself up and trudged toward her bedroom door and opened it, greeted by the scent of breakfast emanating from the kitchen downstairs.

The drowsy pink filly plodded her way downstairs and plopped herself in the seat beside Inky and preoccupied herself with rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Sue and Clyde were busy at the stove preparing food when her father turned his head from the stove to look at her with a frown.

“‘Ya see what happens when you don’t get a good night’s rest Pinkie?”, he scolded. “What kept you up so long to have you looking that bad anyway?”.

Part of Pinkie’s mane was plastered against her head as she stopped rubbing her eyes and slouched forward in her seat, staring forward at nothing in particular. “Bad dream.”, she mumbled. Pinkie Pie was very much a morning pony, problem being that if she weren’t early to bard, she would be late to rise.

After a breakfast of fried hay and oats, Pinkie was more attentive, and with nothing to do until Granny Pie arrived, she set out to tend the fields. Pinkie Pie honestly had no idea why they rolled rocks about the surrounding terrain, other than they had to put it in whichever section would get the most sun exposure. After about a month of sun bathing, her father would select rocks to be pushed into a shed with some sort of machinery inside. Whatever machinery it was, Clyde refused to tell them what it was; his constant answer was that he’d tell them when they were older.

Pinkie Pie was kicking a small rock toward the northern field when a transparent puce colored earth pony moving an identical stone appeared beside her. Pinkie had gotten used to her randomly appearing at times, though it didn’t make their conversations any easier to put up with
.
Pinkamena broke the silence first, “Remind me again why we like Granny Pie so much? Old ponies can be soooo boooriiing”

Pinkie smirked, “Because she’s actually fun, something you wouldn’t understand, ‘cause you’re a meanie!”. If these conversations were good for anything, it helped Pinkie sharpen her wit.

The bitter pony scoffed in response. “Your definition of fun might be different from mine, you know.”

“Then what’s yours?”

“Keeping you from going to sleep.”

Pinkie kicked her rock a fair distance ahead and glared at her. “Shut up!”, she yelled. But when she blinked, all she saw was her sister Inky a short distance away from her giving her an inquisitive look.

Pinkie Pie heard a voice behind her.

“Oh, and its fun making you do that.”

Pinkie’s face flushed with embarrassment as she hurriedly continued moving her rock. When she finished rolling the stone to the northern field, the sun began to part the clouds and shine down upon the rocks. To Pinkie, it almost seemed as if the rocks gained a soft glow in the sunlight, despite being dirty.

She turned around to choose another rock when she spied a figure across the wide enclosure with a personal sized cart in tow, trotting down the path that divided the fields toward the house; that had to be Granny!

The pink filly’s eyes lit up as she dashed through the farmland toward her, hopping over rock sand small boulders that littered the ground. As she neared the pony, her appearance became clearer. She was a carnation pink pony with somewhat wizened facial features and a light blonde mane, with the same turquoise quilt draped over her back, concealing her sides as well as her cutie mark
.
Granny Pie put on a soft smile as she acknowledged the rapidly approaching filly, and extended a hoof to hug her. However, Pinkie was content to clinging to her foreleg as she squealed, “Granny’s here! Granny’s here!”

That was enough to signal her arrival, as Blinky and Inky Immediately rushed over, and Sue and Clyde came outside to greet her. As the two fillies put their forehooves around her neck in a hug, the brown stallion and light grey mare stopped in front of her. Clyde wore a welcoming smile, while Sue looked nonplussed.

“Glad to see you made it mother, now how about I get that cart for ya?”. There was a pregnant pause among the three until Clyde nudged Sue in the side. ‘At least say hello’

“Hello, Catherine.” Said Sue.

Granny Pie nodded. “And hello to you too, Sue. And it’d be appreciated if you could, Clyde.”

Sue was never one for talking casually with her.

Once Clyde had unhitched her from the harness and got it onto himself, she gave her hind legs a quick stretch and went into the house, followed by Blinky, Inky, and Pinkie, but Sue remained outside with Clyde, who could only frown.

“This many years and you still wont tell me what you’ve got against her. ‘Least you can do is act friendly, please?”

She simply huffed and briskly trotted inside the house, saying nothing.

*~*~*~*

Somehow, Pinkie Pie managed to turn the few weeks that had passed since she found her special talent up until now, into an hours-long story in the presence of her sister, Granny Pie, and Clyde. Everypony was enjoying slices of a blueberry lattice pie, one of the confections that Granny had brought with her

Unfortunately the pink pony’s story had exhausted what daylight they had left, and before she knew it, it was time for her and her sisters to go to bed.

Sue trotted into the kitchen, where Pinkie was still telling her story with all sorts of eccentric gestures before she cut in, “Alright girls, time for bed.”. The three fillies whined in unison as Granny Pie begun to look confused.

“Its only sunset out, I don’t see why they have to turn in so early.”, pointed out Granny.

Sue turned around to glare at her for a second before turning away with her head tilted upward, “Early to bed, early to rise. That’s how we work, Catherine.” Sue said curtly.

Granny Pie only nodded and looked at the three fillies with a smile, “I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be here in the morning, and you three need your rest, goodnight Inky, Blinky, Pinkie.”

“Goodnight”, they all said in unison as they started up the stairs. The three ponies went into their respective rooms and shut their doors. As Pinkie Pie settled into bed, she could hear muffled dialogue coming from the kitchen. As she focused on trying to make out what they were saying, black clouds rolled into view in the window, and begun pouring rain, which didn’t make eavesdropping any easier for the restless pony.

It was only a few minutes before the thunder and lightning joined in, making her efforts useless. Pinkie sighed in defeat and settled to staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come. Just as her eyelids became heavier, a flash of lightning illuminated a muted pink figure standing on the ceiling with all her neck twisted all the way around to grin at Pinkie eerily. The sight of her caused Pinkie to shriek, but she quickly muted herself to avoid what happened the previous night.

Despite her efforts, the muffled dialogue coming from downstairs ceased, and the stairs could be heard creaking with pressure as somepony approached.

Her door creaked open to show a worried Granny Pie, who walked up to her bed as she spoke, “Pinkie dear, is something the matter? Are you having trouble sleeping?”

Pinkie opted for the best explanation she could think of within a few seconds, “I saw s-something scary.”

Granny reached a hoof forward to stroke her wild mane as she tried to calm her down. “Don’t you worry Pinkie Pie, I’m sure it was just a trick of the light.”

“N-no it wasn’t, I saw the same thing yesterday too!”, cried Pinkie, panic leaking into her voice.

Granny’s faced showed concern, “Was it perhaps.....a ghost?”

With no other plausible explanation, Pinkie nodded in affirmation.

Granny smirked in reply. “Well, let me teach you a tune that my own Grandmother taught me when I was your age.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled, and prepared to sing in a hushed tone.

“When I was a little filly
And the sun was going dooooown~
The darkness and the shadows
They would always make me frooooown~
I'd hide under my pillow
From what I thought I saw
But Grandma said that wasn't the way
To deal with fears at all

Pinkie’s face quickly turned from fear to curiosity as she listened to Granny Pie’s tune.

She said, 'Pinkie, you've gotta stand up tall
Learn to face your fears
You'll see that they can't hurt you
Just laugh and make them disappear.
Ha, ha, ha! "

Pinkie Pie began to smile as the melody’s infectious cheer began to work its magic, and to her delight, the pony on the ceiling faded away.

"Sooooo, giggle at the ghosty,
Guffaw at the grossly,
Crack up at the creepy,
Whoop it up with the weepy,
Chortle at the pukey,
Snortle at the spooky

And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just make you wanna-hahahahahah......laugh!"

Pinkie Pie broke into her own fit of giggling as Granny Pie finished her song and sighed, happy to see the change in the filly’s disposition.

“Remember Pinkie Pie, there’s nothing to be afraid of as long as you can laugh” She kissed her on the forehead and turned to leave the room. “Goodnight Pinkie Pie, sweet dreams.” She exited and shut the door behind her.

The rain outside had calmed considerably, making the conversation downstairs audible once more. Pinkie’s curiosity reignited as she focused on making out the conversation, but she wasn’t able to decipher much.

"Why are you suddenly so invested in Pinkamena’s well being?”

They were talking about her.

Now she had to find out.

She quietly slid out of bed and onto the floor, quietly tip-hoofing her way out of her room and down the hallway. Once the voices were audible enough for her, she sat at the top of the stairs and listened intently.

“I only want what’s best for her....”

Laugh and Make Them Dissapear

Catherine Pie Quietly shut the door behind her and went through the hall and down the stairs to the kitchen, where Sue and Clyde were silently sitting at the table. The light pink mare had asked asked the two of them to a private conversation earlier that day, though she didn’t specify why at the time being. She took a seat facing them and begun.

“I wanted to speak with the two of you in regards to Pinkie Pie. Her behavior as well as her appearance have....changed a lot since the last time I’ve seen her”.

Sue was the first to retort. “And since when where you so invested in Pinkamena’s well being?” she spat accusingly.

“I only want what’s best for my grandchildren, and Pinkie’s differed behavior has brought her to my concern. Now, I’ve heard her side of the story about the celebration she had suddenly cobbled together, but I want to know what the two of you thought of it”.

She glanced at the pair expectantly before Clyde raised a hoof to draw attention to him. “I think it was an enjoyable short break personally, though-”

“And now the filly strays away from work any moment she’s given! If I had known one celebration would turn her into such a slacker I’d have tried to prevent it" interrupted Sue.
d
Catherine raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Have you thought that...maybe Stone Harvesting may not be her talent, but instead something else...?”. She made certain to tread softly with her words, careful to avoid pressing any wrong buttons.

The grey earth pony glared in return. “And just what are you implying?”

“I’d like to know what the two of you think of the idea of me perhaps...taking her under my wing and show her my trade. It would-”

“I wouldn’t dream of it” hissed Sue. Catherine stared at her incredulously as Clyde put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Now lets stay civil here Sue, and at least hear what she’s got to say”. The irritated grey mare huffed as Clyde looked at Catherine and nodded.”Continue”.

“Sue, I understand why you wouldn’t agree with this at first, but lets focus on the facts” said the light pink mare, though Sue looked nonplussed and still unwilling to listen. “For one, Pinkie Pie has already earned her Cutie Mark, and she’s earned it a lot sooner than we could have anticipated. Wouldn’t it be a shame for her newfound talents to go to waste?” reasoned Catherine. Sue’s expression had softened a considerable amount, but she continued.

“On top of that, it’d be best if she were to share her infectious new attitude with other ponies. She’s restless excitable, and incredibly cheerful. It would be pleasant if it didn’t feel so out of place here”. She felt mildly embarrassed in her choice of words, but since the two other ponies didn’t seem provoked, she pressed on. “I think, that if she accompanied me and learned elements of my own talent, it would expand her own horizons. Do you understand where I’m coming from?”.

By the time Catherine finished her explanation, Sue’s eyes had locked onto the table in between the three, embarrassed by her own naivety. The embarrassed grey mare rose her head to look Catherine in the eye with an earnest face.

“I...I’ve been pretty hardheaded, haven’t I? I guess I’ve been overly.....overly concerned about my daughters’ future”.

Catherine flashed a knowledgeable smirk at Sue. “Believe me, I know what you’re talking about. After all, I used to worry my mane out about Clyde and and his two sisters” chuckled Catherine.

Sue’s face brightened as she joined in Catherine’s mirth. “So Catherine, just when do you wish to take Pinkamena?”.

The pink mare smiled nonchalantly. “Well, I didn’t plan on offering her an apprenticeship immediately”. She paused and tapped a hoof on her muzzle as her eyes trailed about the kitchen thoughtfully, then rose out of her seat and gave her hind legs a stretch, facing the pair confidently. “Two years”.

Clyde raised an eyebrow questioningly as Sue nodded in agreement. “If you think its appropriate, then alright”.

Catherine grinned at the pair and nodded. “Thank you both for taking this well. Now, I think it’s time that we turn in for the night, don’t you think?”. Sue and Clyde nodded in unison. “Great. In that case, I bid the two of you, goodnight”.

And with that, the three of them began quietly trotting up the stairs.

*~*~*~*

Pinkie Pie dashed down the hall and into her room as silently as possible once she heard the stairs below creak. As she slipped into bed and began staring at the ceiling, two words echoed in her head: Two years.

Even though Pinkamena wasn’t present to disturb her, she didn’t sleep any better.

*~*~*~*

Pinkie Pie trotted into the kitchen the next morning to see her untouched, steaming breakfast sitting amongst five other empty plates on the dining table. Her parents were still seated at the table, watching the three ponies busy at the kitchen stove. Sue caught sight of PInkie first and greeted her with a smile. “Good morning, Pinkie Pie. Slept well?”

That was out of the blue.

‘She just called me Pinkie Pie. Mom never calls me that! And she’s smiling!?’. Pinkie stared at her incredulously. The pink filly was caught off guard, but she couldn’t make it apparent that she heard their conversation last night.

“I-I slept great!” stammered Pinkie. The young filly never was much of a good liar; she’d normally crack under the slightest amount of pressure, be it self-applied or somepony else pressing her for answers.

Pinkie looked curiously at the three ponies who only seemed to be making a mess at the counter near the stove. “Um....what are they doing?”.

Inky whipped around with one hoof wrapped around a large silver mixing bowl and an egg beater in the other. The bowl had a beige lumpy paste at the bottom, with similar splotches covering the purple filly’s face. “Granny Pie’s teaching us how to bake!” she exclaimed. The counter space behind her had a sack of flour and an open tin of sugar, amongst other supplies.

Granny Pie acknowledged her and placed a third large mixing bowl aside for her.”I was wondering when you were going to wake up! Eat your breakfast and join us, there’s just enough mix for one more small cake" she greeted.

Normally Pinkie Pie would be excited to try making her own confection, but now she was reluctant. She saw the activity less as simply making a treat and more like a test of whether or not she was truly suited for what was to come.

She sat at the table and ate sluggishly while her sisters continued making a mess and enjoying themselves with Granny Pie. ‘What if I really am good at baking? Well, not that that’s a bad thing but...I’m not sure if I want to leave my family’ she thought nervously. Her sisters soon finished preparing their batter, though Granny wanted to wait for Pinkie, to bake them all at once. With everyone practically waiting on her, she finished her meal and put her front hooves up on the counter in front of her bowl.

“Now just take two eggs and crack them on the rim of the bowl. Take your time, hooves aren’t exactly very helpful when it comes to precision” instructed Granny Pie. Pinkie simply scooped up an egg into her hoof and tapped it on the rim of the bowl, and the yolk fell out into properly. ‘Seems easy enough’ she thought with a shrug.

After the rest of the necessity components were added, Granny Pie let Pinkie choose her own flavorings. The filly was new to baking, so she simply chose what sounded tasty, choosing vanilla extract, cinnamon and a cup of sugar, with only a pinch of salt. The resulting batter was a strange pastel pink, while the fruits of her sisters’ efforts were both a beige slurry.

After about an hour and a half of the three fillies pressing their noses to the window into the oven, Granny Pie announced that they were ready. Once she took them out of the oven and cut each of them into pieces of six, tasting each one by one.

A chorus of oohs and ahhs began as soon as the family bit into the slices of Pinkie’s creation, causing her to blush.

“Is this one yours, ‘sis?” questioned Blinky. “This one’s pretty tasty”

The three elder ponies in the room nodded in agreement as Inky put her hooves on Pinkie’s shoulders. “These are great!” she exclaimed. “What’d you put in these?”

Pinkie smiled bashfully and bit into her slice. “I just put in what I thought would’ve been tasty!”

*~*~*~*

Afterwards, Granny Pie began packing her possessions back into her cart and preparing to leave. The whole family was outside to bid her farewell as Clyde helped her back into the harness. Granny typically stayed for at least 4 days, however, a pegasus mail courier came that morning with a letter regarding something that required her immediate attention.

“Um, I’ve gotta go....use the bathroom, I’ll be back in a sec!” said Pinkie Pie. She darted back inside and quietly trotted up the stairs. Once in the hallway, she passed by the bathroom and toward the window at the end of the hall overlooking the western rock field. She glanced upward, and spotted the cord hanging from the attic hatch in the ceiling. The mischievous filly hopped up, caught the cord in her teeth, and hung limply from it before the door gave way to a set of stairs that quickly unfolded to the floor. She quickly ascended up the stairway and into the attic, seeking a small rectangular case amidst the dusty chests and boxes. Pinkie Pie immediately found the object and took it by the handle in her mouth and trotted up to the open window overlooking the path parting the rock fields.

She set the case on the floor beside her and flicked it open, revealing a short maple brown telescope with gold painted rings around each section where it extended for better magnification. She picked it up with both hooves and set it on the windowsill, closing one eye and peeking through it, following Granny Pie as she went down the path.

Once the mare she was following moved out of view, she used her left hoof to extend the scope to keep sight of her. The farther she went, the more often Granny would look about her surroundings, as if she were making sure she wasn’t being followed.

What happened next surprised Pinkie Pie. The pink mare she had been tracking abruptly stopped her trot, craned her neck and bit on her quilt, pulling it off to reveal a pair of fully grown pegasus wings. She exercised them with a few experimental flaps before breaking into a gallop and taking off into the sky, cart and all.

Pinkie Pie gasped and tried to continue tracking her, but she tilted the telescope too high and it fumbled out of her hooves and over the window frame, rolling down the roof and falling to the ground below. She winced as it fell with a metallic shattering sound, followed by the sound of hoofsteps on the front porch.

“Is someone up there?” sounded a young voice as Blinky trotted out into view to inspect the broken telescope. She looked upward toward the house and spotted a dazed looking Pinky in the window of the attic, staring outside . “Pinkie Pie, what’re you doing up there? Get down here and help us clean up the kitchen!” she shouted, though her sister didn’t seem to hear her. “Pinkie! Earth to Pinkamena?”

“A-huhwha?” Pinkie snapped out of her reverie and saw Blinky eyeing her from the ground below. Even though she didn’t hear a single thing her sister was shouting about, the grey filly’s expression made it clear enough that she didn’t want Pinkie up there.

“I-I’ll be down in a sec!” Pinkie shouted back to her sister below. She backed away from the window and shut it swiftly. As she went back down the staircase and toward the kitchen, her mind was preoccupied with her recent discovery.

‘Why wouldn’t they want us to know Granny’s a pegasus?’