When Eric and Twilight returned home the four other girls were either nodding off or out like a light. Fluttershy was slowly dozing with Rainbow Dash’s head in her lap completely out and snoring. Rarity and Applejack were leaned up against each other on the sofa Applejack half awake and Rarity deep asleep. Eric took extra care to wake them up and send them to bed, but Rainbow wouldn’t budge.

“Well I could try something, but don’t want her really too awake,” Fluttershy said thinking about saying something like ‘the cider is ready’.

“Don’t worry,” Eric said throwing his arms under Rainbow’s legs and armpits. He carried her to her room, set her on the bed and kissed her forehead. Eric turned to see Fluttershy smiling very tenderly at him causing a deep nervous knot in his stomach.

“Thank you so much, I needed that more than she did,” Fluttershy whimpered. She encased Eric in a hug before her tears started spilling.

“It’s a pleasure Fluttershy,” Eric said shaking giddily. Fluttershy was just as soft and warm as Eric could have imagined. She pulled back and Eric wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Come Fluttershy, time for bed,” Rarity said leading the way. Fluttershy smiled at Eric the whole way and Rarity winked at him before they disappeared up the steps.

Eric closed Rainbow’s door, “Goodnight Eric,” Twilight said.

“Goodnight.” Twilight went to bed and Eric went back out to the front room to find Applejack still sitting on the sofa.

“Applejack?” Eric asked.

“I can’t sleep,” she muttered.

“What’s the matter?” He asked.

She sighed sitting up, “Ah’ve always felt responsible for Pinkie Pie, in a manner of speakin’. We’re both Earth Ponies and out of the six of us I’ve known her the longest. I guess ah’m tired o’ feelin’ useless,” She said miserably. Eric sighed and sat next to Applejack.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “You know, you don’t always have to be so strong. Sometimes crying on the inside just hurts more in the end,” Eric said.

Applejack’s face scrunched up and she pinched the bridge of her nose, “Someone has to be,” she said softly.

“There’s a time and place to be brave, no one’s looking,” he said burying his nose in her hair. Applejack threw her arms around him and quietly let tears spill from her eyes.

“Ah j-just always had mah family to go back to at the end o’ the day to tell me everything was alright. I don’t know how ta handle this,” she sobbed. Eric held her until she cried it out. To be so far from home with the prospect of never returning was something Eric understood. Though the situations were vastly different the feeling it left in the heart was the same.

“You know your family are really just the ones who’d never stop loving you no matter what. I’d say you’ve got at least some family with you hmm?” Eric asked pulling back to look at her smiling warmly and wipe her tears away with his thumbs.

“I guess yer right,” she said smiling a little.

“And besides, this is Pinkie Pie we’re talking about. How much trouble can she get into without immediately getting out of it through intuition or Pinkie Sense?” Eric asked.

Applejack snorted, “Ah guess so, but ah do wonder what in tarnation she’s doin’ exactly.”

The next morning Eric went to Party City with Rarity and Twilight. Eric looked around the store while Twilight tried to focus and Rarity sweet talked all the associates of the store. “Hey yeah I remember her, tall pink cotton candy ball of energy she was. Picked out a buncha stuff, but found out the hard way that she didn’t have the money for it. Said somethin’ about not knowing how to get home and that she’d make some money herself,” the short male worker said.

“Alright, if any of you guys see her again can you give her this?” Eric asked giving him an envelope. Inside was a piece of paper with the address to his house and a map of how to get there from the store. They left for home feeling a little better that she was still being herself.

“Well she’s not hurt yet, so that’s something,” Eric said.

“I suppose, but how is she going to make money on the street?” Twilight asked.

“This is Pinkie Pie we’re talking about darling. She can play ten instruments at once, sing like a pop star, and do various other . . . unusual things. I’d be amazed if she couldn’t find a way to make money doing street performances,” Rarity said.

The three of them went home and made lunch. Applejack and Rarity started to help with the cooking since they were all starting to get used to using fingers for more intricate tasks.

“Ya know it’s actually kinda nice to have thumbs,” Applejack said.

“Indeed, it’s much easier to peel apples and potatoes while holding them,” Rarity said skinning some apples for cider. Eric wasn’t exactly thrilled with having to go vegetarian while they were there, but having them all there made him smile more than watching the show ever had. It gave him a reason to work full time, to live in a large house, and to have a Costco membership.

As Eric thought this the front door burst open and Pinkie Pie dashed into the living room carrying several bags from party city. “You GUYS! I found a store that literally sells nothing but party supplies, It’s a PARTY CITY! So I went in and got a bunch of stuff for a house party, but then a I realized that I didn’t have any money and then I also realized that I walked waaaaay too far from home and I didn’t know my way back. So I put together trashcan a band with some nice guys in Orangevale and we toured all the way back to Citrus Heights and by then I had enough money to get breakfast and get enough stuff at the party store for our amazing house party. Then I found out that Eric left me a map so I took a bus back home and walked in the door realizing that I never put shoes on and now my feet hurt like crazy!” Pinkie Pie said in one breath before collapsing on the couch in tears.

Everyone flocked to Pinkie Pie while Eric grabbed his first aid kit, a pot of hot water, and a washcloth knowing what Pinkie’s primary problem would be. Applejack pulled Pinkie’s head into her lap and ran her fingers through Pinkie’s miserably unkempt hair. Fluttershy sat on her knees at Pinkie’s side taking Pinkie’s hand and placing it against her own face to reassure herself that she was actually there.

Eric returned with everything and took Pinkie’s dangling legs and dropped her feet in the canning pot with hot water and Epsom Salt. “AH ah ahhooohhhh,” Pinkie Pie cooed appreciatively.

“You really need to wear shoes Pinkie Pie,” Eric said gently running the washcloth over her mutilated feet. Only a few spots were bleeding, but she looked like she had scabbed and callused her feet pretty heavily the last few days. No signs of infection so that was good. Plus her clothes look just the way they did when he last saw her save for some obvious grime.

“Pinkie Pie, ya gotta stay hidden for a bit. Ya scared the livin’ daylights outta all of us,” Applejack said caressing Pinkie’s face.

“I know, I’m sorry it’s just my hair was going straight and I had to do something about it,” Pinkie said.

“Next time you might try to be a little more specific and tell us what you have in mind before leaving,” Twilight suggested.

“Worry about that later first get her into the bath tub,” Rainbow Dash said dramatically covering her nose. On top of Pinkie Pie being gone for three days she also hadn’t bathed since she left. When Eric finished Rarity drew her a bath and Pinkie Pie was in there for about an hour before they realized she had fallen asleep in the water.

They woke her up, dried her off, put her in pajamas and dragged her to bed. By the time everything was said and done it was past dinner time. “Uhg, I’ll order a Pizza holding the meat . . . for maybe two,” he said remembering that he had seven ravenous people in his house. He called round table and just got 2 XL combos vegetarian style. When they arrived the girls were a little hesitant.

“They don’t have anything like this back in Equestria,” Fluttershy said nervously.

“Well you’re not ponies right now, this is human food. Trust me on this one,” Eric said. Rainbow-considering herself the bravest-took the first bite . . . followed by ten more.

“This is great!”

“Marevelous!”

“So tasty.”
Eric smiled to himself watching the girls enjoy themselves. He only had two pieces himself, but he hadn’t really concerned much with his needs that past two weeks. What bothered him was that it was Saturday and on Monday he would be going back to work.

Author's Note

So yeah Pinkie Pie was just trying to help . . . sorta. I'm going to start doing a little time lapsing, but before that I'll probably write a descriptive chapter just to explain the girls' physical dimensions so things make a little more sense.