Somewhere
Blue eyes slowly opened to vision a grey world in front of them. While remaining the light and dark pink color she was, this pony stuck out against the world’s canvas. Looming, lighted towers rose above the ground and casted shadows downward. Feet skittered across the stone ground, softly tapping as many passed one another. While stretching out her legs, the pony’s hoof hit something flimsy, but solid. Lifting herself up, she soon realized she remained in a cardboard box.
“This isn’t my bed.”
Making this assumption, she tipped the box over and crawled out, stumbling forward.
“This is far from Ponyville.”
Walking between the elevated buildings, the grey continued throughout the distance in front of her. The cold wind cut to her, the sun was blocked by the looming shadow of the tall rectangles of buildings. The distance sprawled in front of her was empty, the sides of buildings had the occasional trash can or box next to them. Footsteps and sounds of muffled voices flew from the other side of the stone towering houses.
“Wherever I am, they seem to like the color grey. I wonder if anypony here likes parties. Birthday parties especially! I can’t wait to see somepony! ”
Through all this excitement the bouncing, party prepping pony rounded a corner and found herself under a concrete bridge. A train yard, aged steel buildings housing retired trains surrounded the property, while tracks with rotting wood and rusting steel slithered underside the stone arch.
“Huh?”
Pinkie Pie felt her head come into contact with something soft, like a fluffed up pillow. First she put her hooves on the soft spot she crashed, confirming she had walked into a object. The looking up from the cushy place her head set, she saw herself crashed into a strange creature. More specifically, this thing’s stomach. There was something contrasting about this thing, she was different from the background she inhabited. She seemed like a mare, her short straight bangs and curly hair was a similarity to most of the girl ponies Pinkie knew.
But she was in color.
Not like the world spun and created around her in it's dark colors, her mane was brown, her skin pale, and her clothes were in a range of suttle colors. Simple, but still colors.
Her face matched Pinkie Pie’s in a idea of confusion. Both simply stared at each others blue eyes, neither knowing what to say in the situation. Pinkie was the first to finally break the silence. Stepping back, the pink mare offered one of her best smiles, and began to do what she knew best, talk.
“Hi!” The pony giggled as she uttered the simple greeting.
“Um... hi.” The confused human quietly spoke back to the odd alien in front of her, slowly raising her hand as if to motion a wave, but stopped half way through. It wasn’t everyday you see a pastel colored, cotton candy maned, tiny horse crash into you. Yet, this thing, was adorable with that huge grin on its face and it's big eyes.
“Do you know where I am?” The cotton candy creature gave a questioning look with her hoof against her chin. She sat down as she stared at the stranger, trying to draw answers to herself.
“You mean you don’t know?” Slowly drawing the question out, the contrasting questioned continued to stare at the pink wonder standing in front of her. Her expression becoming more confused than before as she shited her weight uneasily on her feet.
“Nope! I can hardly believe it myself, being in a whole new city. Or even a whole new world! Oh this is so exciting, I’ve never been to a different planet, or even seen a human before. You are a human right? I've never made friends with a human before, this day keeps getting better! Woooah-” Through the shouts of joy the mare threw her arms in the air and waved them trying to preserve her balance before tipping onto her back. On the ground, and on her back, she began to laugh.
“You know what a human is?”
“Well sort of,” back to her sitting position, Pinkie Pie brought half herself up, and was now sitting on her haunches. “Lyra sometimes talks about them, when BonBon isn’t around that is.”
“Wait a second, Lyra, BonBon, are there more of you around?”
“Of course! I think they’re back in Ponyville, not here, wherever here is.”
“Earth.” The stranger human waved her hands around in a rather silly manner. “We, the strange humans, call this planet Earth.”
“Ooh! Like earth ponies!” The realization of the two similarities in different terms sparked another smile in the candy pony.
“What’s your name?” Given the opportunity, the standing human asked while the unnamed brought herself to standing on her hooves again.
“Pinkie Pie, the one and only! What’s yours?” Pinkie pointed her hoof at the puzzled girl.
“Irene, just Irene.” She added a small smirk to the answer.
“Irene, Ireeene.” The mare dragged out the sounds of the name, as if trying to make out every syllable. “I like it! It’s nice and pretty, just like you!” The complement gave Irene a slight embarrassment, or so it looked like to Pinkie. The human had a slight pink blush on her face. It was in color, just like the two of them.
“That's right! Why are you in color?” Pinkie remembered the question gathered before. This "Irene" was the first thing she founded that was different from the palette the reality around them wore. Pinkie Pie knew that she had to have an answer.
“Color? You mean me? You've noticed that the city’s grey?”
“It’s grey, light and dark variations of grey! I never thought anypony could like the color so much. Derpy looks great in the color, but I never thought of making cupcakes grey. Who would want to eat a grey cupcake?” She made a face that looked like she was thinking, and then changed to a puzzled expression. "I can't even think of the tase of one-"
“Could we slow down for a moment?” The girl waved her hands in front of her in hopes of getting the pink pony to quiet down for a moment at least. “You’re not from this world, so why are you here?”
Taking a second to think, Earth’s pink alien came up with a number of ideas, but decided to settle on one answer.
“I don’t know, I just sort of woke up, in a box. A cardboard box.”
“No idea whatsoever?”
“Nope!”
Bringing her hand up to her cheek, Irene let her thoughts wander. The wind howled around them as the sun's light tried to make it's way over the colorless buildings that refused to let it shine. Pinkie copied her newfound friend's expression and thinking pose as she thought of her own ideas.
“She doesn’t seem to be dangerous, and I can’t let her loose in the city." Irene tried to rationalize the situation, and imagine a possible solution for sending this, pony, back home. No luck was found in her thoughts. "Looking the way she does, she’s bound to draw attention other than the idea of her being in color. Other than being a bit odd, there really is no reason to turn her into the cops, or the FBI. She seems friendly enough, just looking at her, she looks like a pink marshmellow." She stole a gaze at Pinkie. "Heaven forbid they conduct experiments on her, or lock her up for the rest of her life.”
“Alright!” Turning her hand into a fist, and gently putting it on her other palm, the human smiled. “It’s unanimous Pinkie Pie, the city is dangerous for you to be on your own.”
“What do you mean? I haven’t seen anything dangerous.” Brought out of her own mind, Pinkie gave another confused look as she settled her hooves on the concrete ground.
“Trust me as a native then, I don’t think you would be safe staying here for the night.”
Pinkie Pie hadn’t thought about the idea of staying here overnight. No cardboard box could serve as a fortress against the cold and forceful winds. Being away from home was nerve-racking as it was, being abandoned only intensified the unsettlement. Not to mention being far away from her beloved friends by a planet distance away. The tiniest amount of fear entered Pinkie’s mind at the idea of staying in this unknown place alone. Her happy expression was changed to one to fit her solemn realization, she bit her lower lip slightly as she stared at the stone below her.
“Well, okie dokie lokie. I’ll have to have a sleepover with you tonight!" In a matter of seconds Pinkie was back to her energetic self. "We can make cupcakes, play pin the tail on the pony, and tell ghost stories!” These ideas added to the mare’s smile, it grew as she kept thinking of new party ideas. Each thought gave her even more excitement than the last.
Looking at the now on a rampage of party games pony in front of her, Irene knew getting her home and out of harms eye view would be a difficult task. Walking around the city with Pinkie in tow would be opposite the definition of secretive. No use disguising her either, the best idea of a cover would fall under a horrible rendition of a pink, shaved poodle, and that would fool hardly anyone.
A piercing siren interrupted both party and escape plans in progress of thought. Resonating from a distance, it sent a chilling alarm to both the human and pony as they both stood like stone in surprise.
The party planner was the first to speak out of curiousity, “What was that? It sounds like a bird, or a- ”
“Siren. Look Pinkie we may want to start moving, I don’t like staying in one place for too long. We’ll be walking to my house , unless you have any ideas of disguise, or some transporation.”
“You mean like this?”
In an instant the pink joker had placed a pair of fake glasses with swirls,attached with a fake nose and moustache, on her face. Then put her hoof to her chin in a humorous fashion.
The siren was the only sound in the silence.
“Tough crowd.” A observation was made by Pinkie after the failed attempt at a laugh.
“Where-” The question was cut off as the siren grew louder, nearing the the duo. Looking around the trainyard, Irene couldn't see any signs of movement around. “Nevermind, we should get moving.”
Stepping forward, Irene started at a brisk pace, there was no telling where the siren was heading, but it would be ideal to leave the sound far behind. Pinkie Pie trailed her new aquaintance, bouncing with every step she took.Making sure to check back every possible moment, or when it came to mind, Irene secured the comfort that the pink pony was following. Safety would come in privacy, and the streets, the dark grey curves and turns, wouldn’t offer any security.
“You never answered my question you know.”
Now bouncing forward beside Irene, Pinkie looked at her walking partner with her vibrant eyes.
“What question was it again?” the accused asked, offering a awkward and sympathetic smile having forgotten it.
“The one about why we are the only ones in color. I haven’t seen anything other than you and me that’s in color. Is everyones favorite color grey?”
“He,” Irene gave a smirk at the idea, “Personally, I think almost every person in this dark, depressiong city wants the whole world to be grey. Other humans, in this city at least, they hate being different." She crossed her arms in a fit of annoyance. "They continue what they know, what they like, and shun anything they don’t believe in, or care about. Just as if nothing else existed, except for what they want to. I find it rather...” Taking the time to stop and try to contemplate a word, Irene seemed stuck on the search for the appropriate term.
“Bad? Ugly? Dreadful?” Pinkie Pie strewed together a list of vocabulary.
“Horrendous, inconceivable, and above all, containing.” Finishing her opinion, and her chain of words, Irene threw her arms down in frustration. Collecting herself again, she gave a quick deep breath and continued walking, Pinkie Pie in tow.
“Then, why are you in color?” Pinkie’s stopped bouncing and simply walked as she stared at her frustrated partner.
“Because us, both of us, we’re different. I’m not from the city,and neither are you.”
“Everyone from the city, grows up to be grey?” Pinkie asked.
“Actually, there is one exception. A friend of mine, we’ll be meeting her soon, just as soon as we get to my place.”
Rounding a corner, down the alleyways of the city, the city seemed to grow darker as the sun took back whatever light it tried to give to the color forsaken city. The winding road both of them ensued soon came to their destination as the cold nipped at both of the two. A tall apartment building, yet still shorter than all the other towers built near and far from it. Made of the same monotone colored bricks, it seemed aged, and cracked.
Moving around the building to the back, the returnee shifted in her coat pocket and managed to pull out a key, nestled the metal in the door lock, and opened the entrance. Without any words, she picked Pinkie up and put her under her arm, seconds after she rushed through the door, still being careful to close it after her, she ran up the stairs with Pinkie attached to her side. Nearing another door, Irene grabbed a different key from her pocket while climbing stairs, then unlocked the new door, ran into the room, and shut the entrance. Finally she let Pinkie Pie’s hooves find the floor again.
“Phew.” The runner let out a small breath, and slumped to the ground. Her back leaning against the closed door behind her. She scanned the empty apartment, the kitchen and living room visible to where she was.
“That was fun! Can we do it again?” The passenger had a large grin on her face, and was jumping up and down.
“I only did it thinking there could have been someone on the stairs, or in the hallway. I could explain myself later if anyone were to see me run past them. Explaining you, a pink pony, a talking one at that, would have been harder if they could have seen you face to face.”
The one-sided excitement, and the explanation, came to a halt as a voice yelled through the space of the apartment room.
“Kid? You home yet?”
Both of the entering party members turned their heads to see the woman entering the room. A person in full blown color. Her dark blue eyes were matched by her dark brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail. She was slender, looked like she had obvious height over Irene. She stolled into the room, but stopped as soon as she took notice of the new guest.
Taking her pause, she looked down and stared at the duo on the floor in front of her. A moment of silence came and passed as neither human, nor pony said a word. Taking her time to stand, Irene decided to be the first to talk.
“Catherine, I can explain. Just as long as you don’t start screaming...”
“You can explain what a pink pony is doing in our apartment?” Catherine focused her eyes on Irene, and pointed at Pinkie.
“Well, yes.”
“My name is Pinkie Pie.” The mare spoke up at the mention of being called a “pink pony.”
“Oh God it talks!” Catherine took a step backwards in a moment of surprise. She lifted her arms upward and turned sidways as to protect her body.
“Yes, “it,” talks." Irene took a step twoards the startled human. "Before any yelling ensues, can I please explain?”
~~~
Explaining was more simple than any of the three had originally thought it would be. The situation itself seemed more complicated than it was. But there was only really one problem, Pinkie Pie was away from her world, and was stuck in the human one. With no way of returning home.
“We can’t turn her away, she has nowhere else to go!” Irene’s voice was strained as she reasoned with Catherine. After the explanation had been said and done, Catherine had asked Pinkie to excuse the two humans into the kitchen as the pony remained in the living room.
“I’m not saying that. I’ll be damned before I turn someone, or some creature, away that needs help." Catherine kept her voice calm, she knew it was better to remain calm in these unexplainable situations. "What I am saying is that we need to find her a way home. She doesn’t belong in this grey, dark, and cold city.”
“I know, but how are we gonna get her back? I just found her near the railways, under the bridges. She obviously knows she not from here, she says she just woke up and found herself here. Nothing to go on.” Both girls gave a small sigh as they looked down in thought. It was clear the problem they had was not anywhere near having a simple solution. The two of them already knew that from the moment they saw Pinkie.
“Uh, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting, but do you have anything to eat?” Both girls turned their attention to the doorway. The stranded earth pony stood there.
“Oh, right, sorry, should have offered you something when you came in.” Catherine moved towards the kitchen's cupboards. She began to open the wooden doors before taking a pause to ask her question. “So, what are you feeling like?”
“Do you have any hay, or oats, or possibly apples? Or- oh oh oh! Do you maybe have cake, or even cupcakes?” Pinkie gave off a sparkle in her eyes as she thought of the delicious delicacy she favorited.
“Slow down there Pinks, we can find something here to satisfy your appetite.” Catherine was laughing at the excited attitude of the pony in front of her, she couldn't help but smile at the pink creature.
“Pinks? Is that a nickname?” The mare gave a slightly questioning look as Catherine resumed shuffling through the remnants of the stock filled drawers and cabinets.
“Well, yes, I tend to give people nicknames, I find it endearing. Like kid over there.” Taking a second to stop herself from rummaging through the kitchens shelves, she pointed to Irene currently leaning on the side of the doorway. She gave a smile as she was mentioned by her friend.
“Oh I see, Irene is Kid. And now I’m Pinks!” The hungry pony giggled to herself with her new found name.
Continuing her assault on the cupboards, Catherine pulled out any food that would have some interest to a horse. Or possibly a pony. Leafy greens, nuts, mostly vegetarian food. With the exception of some sweet desserts being pulled out every once in awhile.
After the attack on the amounts of food in the kitchen, Pinkie decided on simply having a sandwich of lettuce and tomato. Both Catherine and Irene decided on the same concoctions for lunch. The creating went smoothly, except for when Catherine was to about to put turkey on her sandwhich, which earned her a death stare by Irene. Adjusting to sharing an apartment with a herbivore was difficult, but “Pinks,” was a energetic and upbeat guest to have, and who knew how long it would be before one of them would find her a way home.
“So Pinks, where are you from?” After settling down on the brown and orange tablecloth covered kitchen table for lunch, Catherine was curious on where a fluffy pony would live.
“I’m from Equestria, I live in ponyville, in the town’s bakery." Pinkie gave a muffled answered as she chewed her sandwhich. "With Mrs. and Mr. Cake, and the two twins, Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake.” Pinkie’s voice grew quieter as she remembered her home, her mane itself seemed to flatten. Both humans gave a worried glance to one another.
“Pinkie, why don’t you ask us a question?” The sad pony’s head perked up as she heard her first-found friend give her a suggestion.
“Well, okie dokie lokie!” returning to her bright and cheery self, she took a moment to contemplate her own question. “Oh, I know!" She pointed a pink hoof at Irene. "You said Catherine was from the city, so why is she in color?”
“Oh yes, I did tell you that, care to answer it Catherine.” Irene responded while staring at Catherine, waiting for her to answer. Sitting across from her roommate, the taller of the two humans responded by first giving a unamused stare back to her friend. Changing her expression, she showed a happier face to Pinkie and started to speak.
“It’s rather simple, my father wasn’t from the city, neither was my mother. I used to live out there, out of the city, in the colored world." Turning herself around on her wooden chair, Catherine pointed out the kitchen window, above the sink. Streching her neck, Pinkie stared the marvel view in front of her. Giving a gawking expression, she saw the grey city trails blend into a green landscape filed with trees. Another half that the city seemed to try to block out, as it was a barely visable sight between the shadows of the overly large buildings.
"But after my birth, my Mother’s luck ran out, and she got horribly sick. I can’t remember her, I was still a newborn when she passed on, I only have faded pictures.” Catherine took a moment to pause, staring down and crossing her arms to lay on the table before she continued.
“After all that, my Dad took me away into the city. I asked him why when I grew older, but all he would say is that he needed a job, and he wanted to get away from the reminders. So I grew up here, made some friends, and lived life the best I could. Now, all those friends have gone their own ways, and my Dad is long gone too.” Things became quiet as the story ended with a lowered voice, the storyteller's eyes remained focused on the tablecloth in front of her. Pinkie saw Irene look sadly at Catherine, and perhaps with a small emotion of regret, before the pony broke the silence.
“I live away from my parents, and both my sisters. My full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, I come from a rock farm. The Pie family rock farm.” She said her past with a proud voice.
“I live away from my family too, I have two older sisters along with my own parents. The reason I’m here in this city is to finish college, I still visit them on the weekends.” Irene added to Pinkie’s attempt at resounding the conversation. “I’m just glad it’s summer right now, but in this city you can’t ever seem to tell by the cold weather alone.”
~~~
The wind itself howled outside of the building, the cold frigid air gave away on the outskirts of the city. Grey leading to color as the road leading out of the building infested area and into a new world blooming with a vibrant palette.
Seeing out the window was Irene and Pinkie. Their eyes soared over the grey, through the clearing of buildings, and into the haven in which the road lead. Letting their minds wander on what to imagine what could be in the contrasting land.
“Pretty, huh?”
“Yep.” Pinkie responded to her friend’s comment, never once taking her eyes of the view.
“That’s the last of the apartment tour?” Catherine walked to the two gazers, drying her hands with a towel after washing the mess made from lunch.
“Yes, I bet I could have a cutiemark for tour guiding.” Throughout the remainder of lunch and afterwards, the three shared their concepts of their worlds. From cutiemarks, to politics, and even the mention of dragons, everything became apparent of how different the two worlds worked.
“If you are done with the tour, then can we please set up a bed for Pinks? I rather get it done now than later.” Leading out the room, Catherine made her way to the hallway closet with both Pinkie and Irene trailing behind her. Opening the the doors revealed a large mattress, which was pulled by both residents to the living room floor.
“Our guest bed is nearly complete.”
‘Catherine...”
“Oh, right, our bed of funtime sleepover partying is nearly complete.” Making sure to prompt herself up, she said her statement in a resonating voice. Irene smiled while giving her friend a little nonsense head shake.
“Not what I meant Catherine, I thought instead of proclaiming on about a mattress, we could get the blankets and the pillows.”
“Sour one aren’t we?” Turning on her heel while exiting the room, Catherine added her comment and turned back around to face the doorway.
Irene snorted back at her. Pinkie couldn’t help but laugh at the bickering between the two.
“Pinkie?” Irene gave a sympathetic look as she her gaze twoards her pink friend.
“Yes?”
“I hate to ask this of you, since you’re our guest, but could you go to Catherine’s and mine's room to get the pillows? You can take them from the bed, I figured you wouldn’t want to sleep alone tonight.” Irene pointed to the door which lead to her room and looked back at Pinkie. “After all, this is a slumber party.”
“Sure, I can do it! Don’t you worry!” Pinkie gave herself a bounce as she paraded to the door. Once she found herself inside, her first mission was to find the bed. Easier done than said, she located the bed, and then the pillows easily, but managed to step on something while trying to pull them off the bed with her teeth. Looking down she managed to find to what seemed to be a book, put under the night table and sticking out slightly. Throwing all ideas of being nosey to wind, and her curousity getting the better of her judgment, she peered inside. It was full of pages, half of them blank, but quietly turning the pages, she saw wonders. Pages of colors, designs, landscapes, worlds even. This book was filled with drawings, all hand done in color.
“Hey Pinks, have you found the pillows yet? Or does Kid need to find a new talent other than tour guides?” Footsteps lead themselves down the hall and into the doorway. Pinkie took longer than she realised when she went to look for the pillows, she had gotten distracted on her mission. Catherine entered the room and saw Pinkie staring down at the sketchbook, her expression grew brighter.
“Kid left her stuff lying around again huh? She’s an artist you know.”
“These are, so pretty.”
“She works on her art everyday, going everywhere to find new inspiration.” Crouching down, Catherine came to eye level with Pinkie Pie sitting on the floor. The pink mare never took her eyes of the pages. She remained in a trance with the colors in front of her. “That’s probably how she found you, the railways for the train, under the bridge, it’s one of her favorite spots.” Slowly standing, Catherine turned herself to the doorway.
“Why don’t we return to Kid with those pillows? Also, bring the sketchbook, I think Kid would just looove to explain her pictures to you.”
“Yeah! I bet she would love sharing her pictures with me!” Carefully placing the book on her head, in fear of holding it in her mouth may cause bite marks, she followed her pillow carrying host.
“Hey, Ms.Artist, Pinks has a question for you.” Stepping out of the way, Catherine let Irene see Pinkie balancing the sketchbook on her head. Her own response was another death stare at her roomate, just as she did before during lunch.
“Why?” She uttered her question straight at her friend.
“Why what Kid?”
“You know my sketches are private. That’s why I keep them in my room from prying eyes.” She pointed to Catherine. “Usually yours.”
“I didn’t mean to be nosey, but your pictures were so interesting. I guess my curiousity got the better of me.” Both pairs of eyes from the taller people in the room focused on the admirer as she talked. Pinkie seemed to shy away, in a small bit of embarassment.
“Thanks Pinkie, I’m sorry if I say anything mean, it’s just that I get shy about my work. Why don’t I tell you about it?” Offering a sympathetic suggestion, both pony and humans sat down together on the “bed of funtime sleepover partying,” to see the array of colors on paper.
~~~
Pillows buzzed the air and aimed themselves at others. Three girls enjoyed themselves with their soft weapons and tactical fighting. As time went on, the destructive sleeping gear was found on the ground, the three gladiators on the mattress.
“You knew this was a bad idea, I have to get up early tomorrow.” Now out of breath, and collasped on the mattress, Catherine had at first objected to the idea of war, but was soon drawn in after having her face assaulted with a stuffed pillow.
“When was the last time we had a pillow fight? You’re the one who called me “Sour.” Retorting to her complaints, Irene lay cuddling a pillow.
“Why would you have to wake up early?” Pinkie said curiously. “You planning a full-day of partying?”
Catherine giggled at the comment. “I wish, I have work tomorrow. Being an officer is nice, but I suppose all jobs have their downside of actually working.”
“Then can we please sleep?” Throwing her cuddle pillow at Catherine, Irene and Pinkie Pie together started a giggle fit, soon joined by the victim of the throw. All fell fast asleep, after the laughing had finally silenced and the three had said their goodnights to each other. Silence found its way in the apartment as dreams began to progress.
~~~
As time went on, things seemed to routine themselves. It was already two months, with no ideas of how to send Pinkie back to her own world. Countless attempts were made, including a ritual involving the sacrifice of radishes. The ritual didn’t work of course, but the radishes were quite delicious in the dinner made. But as the failed attempts, and time, went on, Pinkie seemed to be wearing down. Either it was a false fear devised in the minds of both human girls, or Pinkie herself seemed to be turning grey. Even her mane seemed more straight, day by day it grew longer and flatter.
“I’m worried about Pinks, Kid. She wakes up later, she doesn’t smile as much, and above all I feel like we’ve been keeping her shut up in the apartment.” Catherine expressed her worries while sitting at the kitchen table, the pink subject was still fast asleep in the bedroom. Neither of the awakened girls were not upset or worried about Pinkie’s recent behavior.
“I know Catherine, I feel the same way you are. Maybe she just needs someone to talk to. Why don’t I do it while you go to work?” Irene held her tea cup in her hands, it didn't do much to calm her unsettled nerves.
“Kid, Pinks is my friend too, I think we should both be there.”
“Then how about we talk to her together, after your work shift. We could both come up with ideas to help console her with any problem she has.”
“Alright.” Bringing herself up from the table, the officer headed towards the door.
“Homesick, I bet you she homesick. Being away from her world, stuck in this grey prison.” Grabbing her coat, Catherine opened the door and snuck her goodbye to Kid. “Well both talk to her after work, don’t worry too much about it Kid. I know how you love to do that.” Finishing her words with a taunting smile, she closed the door and was gone. Leaving Irene to deal with her own thoughts.
It was past an hour after noon before the mare’s eyes opened to the day. Seeing the time by the clock on the bedroom wall, she amazed herself by how much she had slept. Pinkie Pie still felt the fatigue slip over her, even when she was finally able to free herself from the covers. Standing up was a different problem, her legs were wobbly in her standing, her stomach growling was a probable explanation. Walking to the kitchen, she was greeted with the cheeriness that was routine.
“Good morning Pinkie Pie, I can’t believe you slept so long. I think you beat Catherine’s sleep marathon on her days off.” Giving off a smile, it seemed rather forced than Irene’s usual morning mood.
Creating a small smile herself, the awakened sleeper put on her bright, happy face. “I usually don’t sleep so long, I never like missing breakfast.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it Pinkie, I can make you breakfast for lunch if you want it.” Irene pulled out a chair at the kitchen table, Pinkie readily accepted it.
“Thanks, I really do appreciate it.” Taking a glance, Pinkie looked around the room. “Is Catherine gone already?”
“Yeah, she had to go into work, but I promised her dinner when she got back.” Bringing out a pan, and a mess of ingredients, Irene started to begin on the breakfast lunch. “By the way Pinkie, I like your mane. I don’t think you ever straightened it before.”
Startled by the comment, Pinkie ran off to the bathroom. Standing on the stool and looking in the mirror, she saw the flattened result of what her mane was. More so, she herself was seeming to turn grey. Her once pink self was growing darker, the color was draining from her. The once colorful mare could only stare at herself in disbelief.
“Pinkie? Are you ok?” Soft footsteps acted in the hallway and headed to the bathroom door. Tears now forming in her eyes, Pinkie Pie ran out of the bathroom and straight into Irene’s arms, knocking her over onto the carpeted hallway floor. Now both on the ground, the mare emptied her eyes.
“Pinkie, did you hurt yourself?” Concerned about her friend’s well-being, Irene did her best to comfort her sobbing companion.
Pulling herself away from the hug, the pink fur on the pony’s face was already soaking wet. “I miss them.” She muttered the words close enough so Irene would hear her. “I miss my home, my friends. They’re all back home, in colorful Ponyville.” Sirens were heard in the distance.
“I don’t like the noises here either.”
“I... I’m sorry Pinkie, all this is probably my fault. I haven’t found you a way home yet, of course you’re homesick, this world is too different.” Irene hugged Pinkie Pie again, unsure of what she could do. What either of the two of them could do.
Feeling the embrace tighten by her friend, the nostalgic mare thought of a way to cheer them both up. Silence passed, only the siren was heard. She had to cheer them both up, Pinkie knew it was no good to worry and cry about it all.
“I never did get breakfast-lunch, maybe we could make a french-toast castle?” Offering her a suggestion, Pinkie broke from the hug and gave an uneasy smile. Her breathing was still uneven, and she still had hiccups from her crying fit.
Irene smiled back. “Sure, we can use a pancake to create the drawbridge. I haven’t eaten lunch either.” Her stomach growled in agreement. Both of them laughed while they remained on the floor. Both their faces still wet.
~~~
“Then it’s agreed, next time we create a waffle skyscraper.”
“With frosting snow.”
Both artists of the french-toast castle sat at the table, neither wanting to move. After finishing off their creation, they planned for their next masterpiece. One containing more waffles, and less toast. But as fate would have it, the phone decided to ring in the middle of the two’s sweet-toothed blueprint ideas. Irene, slowly rising out of her seat, answered the phone that was lying down on the kitchen counter. She brought it up to her ear and spoke.
"Hello?" The other side sounded busy, there were numerous voices of people, all sounding worried and rushed.
“Is this the residence of Catherine Watson?” Irene didn’t recognize the woman’s voice on the other side, but she somehow knew of her friend. The woman didn't even bother with formal greetings, she simply went straight to business.
“Yes, but Catherine is out at the moment. Is there something you need to tell her? I can leave her a message.” Turning around from the counter, Irene faced Pinkie and gave her a smile, which was returned. Irene didn’t want Pinkie to be concerned about a simple phone call. She already had too much to worry about at the moment.
“I’m sorry to inform you, but Catherine is in intensive care at the moment. She has been wounded badly.” The sentence froze Irene. Her happy expression was gone, and utter shock and fear filled her face. Pinkie stared from the table, unknown to what was happening.
“But, how? C-c-atherine was going to come back...” Irene stuttered her words, she scrunched her nose as tears started forming in her eyes.
“I was informed you knew her, she was on patrol, when she was apparently shot. Her condition is still trying to stabilize.” Now kneeling on the floor, Irene had tears welling up. Pinkie stood next to her, trying to understand what was happening.
“She’s currently located at Mercy Hospital, in downtown. Do you need directions?” The women on the phone was far too calm, she was calling about a loved one perhaps being near death. It made Irene sick thinking about it. She barely understood what was happening at all.
“I don’t need directions, I know the way. Th-thank you.” Now curling up into a ball, Irene’s face was growing soaked with each tear flooding down her face. Pinkie felt helpless, she knew something was wrong, she put a hoof on her friend's shoulder.
“Alright, you may come and see her when you like. But her health must stabilize fir-” Cutting off the woman’s sentence, the sobbing girl hung up the phone. What was to happen to Catherine?
“Irene? Is everything ok?” Looking over, there were those blue eyes of Pinkie. Her mane was flat, she looked so confused. It took a minute of silence before an answer came.
“Pinkie, Catherine is...” Irene took a pause before she could talk again. “She’s in the hospital. She got hurt.”
“What? How? How did she get hurt? We have to go to her! She needs us to get better!” Fear and a shocked expression filled the face of Pinkie. She stomped her hooves, rearing to run straight to her friend.
Stopping herself from crying, just for a moment, Irene thought of a plan. “I know a way through some back alleys. We could run to the hospital, the shortcuts are faster than the main road on foot." Not waiting for an answer, soaked cheek, and shaking, the brown haired girl lifted herself up and ran to the door. Snapping on her coat, and slipping on her sneakers, she dashed out to the hallway with Pinkie tailing behind. Once the door was locked, the two sneaked out the back and into the grey snake-ways between the buildings. Both of them running as fast as they could.
~~~
Walking through the white plastered hallways of the hospital, Irene felt sick to her stomach. The only color here was either white, or red. Usually there wasn’t a choice on there being red clashing with the white. Even in the grey slated city, the only color was involuntary. Pinkie Pie would have stuck out in the blank hallways and rooms, pink on white draws attention. It was a dangerous thought to let her in as she was. She volunteered to stay outside, around the back of the building, as not to be seen, but still be close.
Footsteps were as busy as they were in the city streets. Small clicks of shoes on the shiny floor, passing one another. Their volume seemed to intensify with each sound, the white walls seemed endless with the lights glaring down. Hospitals seemed like a death sentence, the grey faces that pushed their way past Irene were no comfort either. Eventually she was able to reach the door. Irene slowly reached for the door handle, it was cold to the touch. She took a moment, bracing herself for what she never wanted to see. Cold shivers went up her spine with each hospital staff passing behind her, she could feel their gazes on her stance.
What she saw inside was what chilled her to the bone, she could never really prepare heself. Catherine lay in the white hospital bed, sleeping, her red cheeks going against the stainless room. Small beeps from the machine laying next to her, making noise to say she was still alive, silenced Irene’s footsteps to her side. It was hard to see her laying there, it brought horrifying images and ideas of how she was shot, the wound being made, the contrasting red color adding to her own. Irene tried to instead focused her attention to the window, It pointed to the back of the hospital. Shadows seemed to creep one their own across the bleak distance, the sun was hidden away. Catherine was appointed a room after they took the bullet out. Irene shook her head trying to dispell the image of her oldest friend lying on a metal bed, waiting for the doctors to save her. Turning away from the window she spotted a piece of paper and pen nearby on a table across the room.
"It must have been left behind by a worker here." Irene thought to herself. A idea came to mind.
Pinkie waited patiently in the back of the building, sitting with her back leaning on the wall behind her. The looming dark covering of the hospital froze her to the bone, along with the dead silence. Scared and confused, she just kept wishing for Catherine’s recovery, or even something to just reak the unbearable quiet forming around with the shadows. Pinkie barely understood what was happening.
"Catherine has to be okay, how did she even get hurt in the first place?" Trying to summon an idea about how her human friend might have been injured, she couldn't imagine the way Irene had described on the way here. She described to Pinkie that she was, well, some weird word called, "shot." Never before had she ever heard of the term, or that other one, "gun." This world was so different, not just the grey color, but the whole society.
Back home, a planets distance away, there was no such things as mechanisms for killing, everything was in color, she didn't have to hide everywhere she went. Looking at the sky in the distance, she searched for the blue color she dearly missed. The blue reminded her of Ranbow Dash, a rainbow and the cerulean blue sky would have resembled her pegasus friend. She thought of the white snow and the purple aymethest like Rarity, or the sunset skies orange like Applejack. The bright pastel yellow color of flowers, and the rosy pink like Fluttershy. Then the purple of Twilight, like the cakes she used to ice herself.
She let her head fall, as she tried to recall all the memories with her friends.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she spotted something white land in front of her. The blank color easily stood out against they growing black background. Upon a further inspection, it turned out to be a paper airplane. Out of a force of curiousity and wonder, Pinkie took it in her hooves. Opening it up revealed a message, “Look up.” Raising her head as the words told her, she saw the smiling face of Irene above, in the second window up.
Turning herself around, away from the wall she leaned back against, instantly she started waving her hooves, Irene smiling and laughing at the pony below her. The sender gave Pinkie a sign, a one second finger, and dissapeared into the room and away from the window. As moments passed another airplane soared out and landed in front of Pinkie Pie again. Opening the aircraft, she saw another message from her friend above.
“Pinkie, Catherine is going to be fine. She’s sleeping at the moment, I didn’t want to try and wake her. She probably is going to need her rest to recover. I’m coming to you now, I’ll tell you what the doctors told me. Just wait for me Pinkie Pie. I’ll be there soon.”
Putting the letter down and looking up, Pinkie let a smile escape onto her face. Catherine was going to be fine.
~~~
Breaching the outside of the hospital, Irene snuck herself to the back, and soon found Pinkie waiting for her. Teary eyed and smiling. Without any words being said, they both started homebound.
Breaking the silence between the two first was Irene.
“The nurse told me she had been shot in the shoulder. The bullet missed her heart, but she lost so much blood that she fainted. If we want the whole story we would have to see the other officers. I have their numbers but I don't know them too well." Irene paused and waited for a answer from Pinkie. Without getting one, the silence started to impede back in. She gave another idea, hoping to get her pony friend to speak.
"Or we could just wait for Catherine to be better, and have her tell us in her bravado style.” Irene chuckled to herself, she could just imagine her friend telling an action tale, complete with descriptions of imaginable explosions. Pinkie seemed to be happy as Irene was about the future recovery, but her mane was still flat, and her bright color was still faded. Yet that small smile on her face reassured her that she was doing fine. Trying to get her to rev up a conversation between the two for the walk home, Irene brought up another point.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t see Catherine, Pinkie. Truthfully, I could barely stand remaining in the room for too long. I felt sick seeing her the way she was.”
“It’s not your fault." Pinkie's soft voice was at last heard. "We’ll both see her together when she gets out.” Looking over, Pinkie held her head up, remained looking at the road in front of her, and kept moving forward.The comment was more than enough to warm Irene up. Even in the cold city, where the sun was blocked out, she felt warm with Pinkie by her side. It was the same way she felt with Catherine by her.
~~~
Early next morning the phone began to ring. Irene grumbled, it was far too early for any type of movement. Putting her laziness on hold, she lifted herself up, and making sure not to wake Pinkie sleeping across from her in Catherine’s bed, tiptoed out of the room to get the phone. Reaching the kitchen, and stumbling once in the hallway, she managed to keep herself awake to arrive at the source of the ringing.
“Hello?” She mumbled her greeting through the device, still half-asleep and groggy.
“Miss Irene, correct? We spoke over the phone yesterday, I have some news about Catherine’s condition.” It was the same woman from the day before. Still calm as ever. There was something nervewracking and sick about it. Then again, Irene did hang up on the other day before she could even finish speaking.
“Um, yes go ahead. I don’t get many calls so early in the morning.” Trying to explain her reason for any mumbles, Irene had an uneasy of any news this caller would offer.
“I’m sorry if I woke you, but this is something you need to know. I would ask you not to visit Catherine today, there has been signs of an infection in her wound. Doctors are trying to clear it, but no signs of recovery have been shown.”
Irene was silent, she couldn’t make any noise, Pinkie was still asleep.
“Miss, are you -” Hanging up the phone on the caller for the second time, Irene sat and let her head rest on the kitchen table. Never uttering a sound, she tried to the let the news sink in.
Waking up moments later, Pinkie brought herself up from her dreamland. Eyeing the clock, she was surprised at how early she arised. But more importantly, where was Irene? Not even she would wake up so early, Catherine stated before that Irene loved her beauty rest.
Stepping out of the covers, and off the mattress, Pinkie put her hooves on the ground, and searched the bed across from her. No sign of the missing human. Thinking she might have went to the bathroom, Pinkie had the idea of making breakfast for her friend. It might just cheer her up.
Arriving at the kitchen, Irene was already there. Pinkie immediately sensed something wrong, her head was down and her breathing was ragged. It was the same moment as yesterday, when Catherine got hurt.
“Irene?” Nudging her side gently with her head, Pinkie tried to get Irene to respond. After another poke, she finally lifted up her head in acknowledgement.
“Pinkie, you're up early.”
“That doesn’t matter, what's wrong? Catherine is going to get better. They said she was going to be fine. There's no reason to be so down.” Giving off her best serious face, Pinkie quickly changed it to a smile to help brighten up her host.
“She got an infection, Catherine, in the gunshot wound. I don’t know how, they didn’t say. All that woman told me on the phone is that they’re trying to heal her now. We can’t see her today.” Irene was silent for a moment before talking again. “I’m just worried, and terrified, of something happening to her. I can’t be there for her, like she usually is for me.”
A few moments after she finished speaking, Pinkie ran to the door. She gave Irene one last word and a determined look before opening it and galloping away.
“I’m going to see Catherine, she’ll be fine. I Pinkie promise I’ll do everything I can to make sure she's gonna be ok.” She was gone with the last syllable of her sentence spoken.
At first Irene didn’t know how to react, either to let Pinkie go, or to run after her. It only took a second for her to spring into action. Changing out of her pajamas first, she ran to the door, grabbing her coat and slipping on her sneakers. She couldn’t let Pinkie into the grey city alone.
Pinkie Pie ran as fast as she could, trying to remember the way to the hospital. Everything looked so similar in the grey world. Her heart raced along with her hooves, her mane itself still remained flat, blowing in the wind. No sun shone on her, the blowing air seemed to cut cold into her fur. Her breath iced the moment it left her mouth. But she couldn’t stop, not until she saw Catherine. Not until everything was going to be okay again. Ignoring the temperature and the wind's cold blast cutting through her fur the best she could, she kept on running.
Irene was also running, except she was looking for color. Any sign of the color pink, any idea of where her friend was on the way to the hospital. Turning at the corners, making ways through the railways, she kept her legs steady. Each foot making a thump against the concrete, just as the other steps beyond the buildings did in unison. Until she finally arrived, the hospital was now in sight. She hurried herself to the building, in any and all hopes of seeing Pinkie Pie.
There she was, she was sitting in the back. Under the window that was Catherine’s room. She looked tired, she was shivering from the cold. She wouldn’t look up when Irene came next to her, she just kept looking down, at the cracked concrete ground. Taking off her jacket, Irene put it around Pinkie's shoulders, and drew her into a hug. She could hear her softly crying, and felt hooves on her back. Slowly, and gently picking the fading pink pony up, Irene stood, and set off for home.
~~~
Neither one of the two could fall asleep, the day went by slowly. They both remained by the phone, just waiting for a call, someone saying that Catherine was ok. To spend time the two of them drew, they drew cards, get-well cards. They littered the living room floor, some filled with hearts, others with messages, and some had balloons drawn on with crayons and colored pencils. Other than the fiasco of paper that created the floor of the living-room, there was the call to parents saying Irene couldn’t visit this weekend, and explaining of Catherine’s situation. Then a disgruntled look at the calendar in the kitchen. But nothing seemed to match the moment the two had in the morning at the hospital.
Night fell in a surprise, neither of the artists noticed the dark creep up on the city, or the glow of the lights from the other buildings. Both girls went to bed in silence, promising each other to clean up the cards tomorrow. In their own beds, trying to gather their warmth under the sheets and covers, they could only stare at the ceiling, neither saying a word. It was dark, but sleep would not come. The world outside was dead quiet, despite the wind that howled day and night, never resting. The silence remained, until Irene heard soft hoofsteps approach her bedside. The darkness took shape to a short figure, one non-human. Feeling a soft pressure put on her shoulder, and a tiny whisper that was too quiet to be heard. Irene spoke up.
“Can’t sleep either, Pinkie?”
The shadowy figure nodded. “I can’t fall asleep. I tried counting sheep and imagining them jump over fences, but I can’t sleep.” She spoke so quietly that it was barely recognixable as her voice, it was even a bit strained.
“Why don’t you jump into my bed and we’ll talk until one of us falls asleep?”
“Okay.” Pinkie gave a yawn and climbed onto the mattress. Pulling the covers over herself, she felt the warmth lying next to her friend. Barely being able to keep her eyes open, she at last slipped into dreamland.
“Pinkie?” Hearing the soft breathing from her friend, Irene knew she was finally asleep. She could only hope she herself would be soon aswell.
A day passed before either of the two even thought of visiting Catherine again. They didn't want to travel through the cold and be told that she was still not seeing visitors, or perhaps worse. No calls were made from the hospital, both hoped it meant that their friend was alright and recovering. Or perhaps the woman didn’t want to call, in idea of being cut off again on the phone. But today was the day they would visit her, both Pinkie and Irene decided on that, and pray that Catherine would finally be awake.
Their steps were light on the grey concrete, Mercy Hospital always seemed farther away each time they took the winding road leading to its unbridled white walls. Pinkie seemed to bounce in her step, yet her mane was still flat, and her color was still faded. While seeing her smile always brightened up Irene, seeing her friend the way she was, happy an bouncing, yet still turning grey as the city, put her into a contradictory mood. Seeing Catherine was bound to perk them both up.
Returning to the same building that seemed to plague them, Irene entered and walked to the front desk as Pinkie went to the back. Both had themselves in high hopes, wishing for the gleaming light of the sun to finally shine it's rays of light. Even when the starch white hallways were the same, the city stayed the same, and everyone continued their lives in their repeating ways, things always changed. Hope always changed, and changed things in return.
“Catherine?” Peeking her head slowly in the doorway, quietly opening the entrance, in a effort not to wake her friend if she was still sleeping, she tried to spot the patient in her bed.
“Well, it’s about time you got here Kid, it’s not like I was going anywhere.” Her eyes held endearment, her smile expressed her unbridled happiness, as she stared at the entrance.
Irene’s eyes watered as she ran to the bedside, and was pulled into a hug.
~~~
“So she was awake?” Pinkie eyed her accomplice as they followed the twists and turns on their path home.
“Yep, awake and cheery. They say she’ll be out in one to two weeks, if all goes well.”
“Then that’s a one to two weeks of party planning we have to do!”
Her color came back, and she began bouncing as she kept up her pace. Irene noticed it slightly at first, and then found herself staring at the bubblegum color she was used to. Her mane remained straight, but it was now more vibrant and vivid. Things were starting to turn back to the happy ways they used to be, the way the last two months used to be. But the dawning question would never leave either of the two.
When would Pinkie Pie finally be able to return home?
Morning came again and woke the two sleeping under their mountains of covers. Last night’s rabbit burrows, that turned into blanket tents, didn’t go as smoothly as either hoped. Neither could sleep with the excitement of seeing Catherine alive and well. Their enthusiasm lead to late night story readings, and party plannings. It was pure exhaustion that allowed the two to sleep at last.
Even on the way to the hospital, neither could hide their smiles on their faces, not that they attempted to. The only time their expressions were paused is when Pinkie asked about the bag Irene carried. A shoulder messenger bag, brown and worn down. She never had carried it with her before. Irene simply smiled again at Pinkie's question, and told her it was a surprise.
Entering the door of the hospital, tapping her feet on the floorway as the staff did, Irene greeted Catherine as she entered her room. Greeting her friend back, Catherine quickly asked a question in return.
“You bring it, Kid?”
“Yes, as I said I would.” Bringing two tin cans attached together by a red string out of her bag, Irene quietly opened the window, hoping Pinkie wouldn't notice.
“Ready to talk to your visitor?” Irene returned to the bedside and offered a hand to Catherine.
Pinkie waited in her usual spot. Under the window, close to Catherine, as close as she could get. Even if she couldn’t be in the same room, it didn’t matter how far away from someone you are. They always are your friends. Even if they’re a worlds length apart from you. She softly hummed a melody to herself, closed her eyes with a smile, and recalled her home.
“Hm?” Noticing what sounded like a odd sound of metal hitting something hard, Pinkie looked up and saw a tin can being lowered from the second window. When it reached her level, she saw another paper airplane breach the wind and fall a meter or two from her. Gathering it up from the ground, she opened it up in search of another message.
“Hold the can and listen for something, Pinks."
Recognizing her own nickname, she uttered a "oh." and held the metal cylinder with her hooves and waited.
“Come in Pinks. Are you there?” Vibrations shook the can as a voice went thorough, it sounded like Catherine's.
Stuttering a bit with her voice out of surprise, she replied. "Pinks here. Is that you Catherine?”
“You bet. You have been taking care of Kid, right? I tell her she worries too much, and eats too many sweets. She complains that diets are too hard, I say she’s a slave to sugar.”
Giving Catherine a unamused stare, Irene remained standing next the chair near the window occupied by the chatty girl at the line's end. Holding the tin can, the patient replied to the look with a teasing smirk.
Talking through the makeshift walkie talkies went on until the sun went down from its place in the sky, once again failing to shine through the thick grey buildings. Even then the two chatterbugs still had things to say, they had to close their conversation with words still left lingering to be said and done later.
“Pinkie?” Irene called for her companions attention as they walked back together.
“Yes, Irene?” Nothing could beat the bright happiness put on her face.
“I think you’re finally back.” Looking at Pinkie now, she was finally back to her full color scheme. On top of it all, her mane was finally back to its curly, bouncy, mass it used to be. The colored pink pony was finally back, and as cheery as ever.
~~~
The two weeks went by as both Pinkie and Catherine made sure to talk on every visit. Irene herself made sure to schedule the visits whenever she could, which was rather often. As the time went by, Catherine was finally allowed to leave Mercy Hospital behind. Both Pinkie and Irene planned to be there when she was freed.
Carrying three balloons, even though Pinkie insisted on more, Irene waited outside of the front of the hospital. As if these helium creations weren’t enough, the waiting girl felt rather under-decorated waiting next to the colorless gift-shop. But of course, Catherine’s expression was nothing but pure happiness and gratitude when arrived at the front and saw her standing by the door. She looked at healthy as ever, the only difference from before she entered the hospital was the white bandage tied up around her shoulder.
Embracing her friend in a hug, Catherine was already teary eyed. Following Irene out the door, making the turn between the buildings, she was tackled by a pink figure. The concerned worries of the one remaining standing were acknowledged, and ignored, by the two on the ground. Catherine could feel the water falling on her jacket as Pinkie was refusing to let go of her newly released friend.
In time, the two were finally brought back up, and Irene’s worries were not confirmed as she’d feared. Walking back to the apartment, the wounded officer shared her story in her own bravado style.
“It was five against one. I knocked out three, and was planning on letting the two go to warn all others of the indestructible me. But before I knew it, one drew out a gun and shot me in the arm.” Catherine pounded her fist into her palm, adding to the story with effect. “I took them both out with my bare fists, but fainted due to my loss of blood. They swore revenge before blacking out, and then other officers rushed in and came to my aid.” Finishing her story, she put her arms to her hips in her heroic pose.
Mixed expressions were made between the two. Irene remained smiling, but unimpressed, while Pinkie hanged onto every word Catherine said with excitement. Needless to say, expanding the truth was a specialty of the storytelling of the heroic officer. Irene was just glad she didn’t add fifteen unnecessary explosions, but as the story was to be retold, it was bound to be added.
Bringing themselves home, both Pinkie and Irene opened the door to reveal the whole apartment covered in colored decorations. Cake was put on the table, it’s edible words spelling out “Welcome Home Catherine!” Cards circled the baked good, all filled with pictures and words of happiness. Irene and Pinkie set off confetti from their party poppers. There was even hanging words saying, “We missed you!”
Tearing up for the second time that day, Catherine brought both of the party planners in warm hug. All three of them smiling together.
The next day consisted of the kitchen and living room being filled with random colors. As everything from cards, confetti, and games laid on the ground. Sleeping peacefully, the three partiers were on a mattress in the middle of the mess on the floor of the living room. They all swore to their hearts that they would clean the apartment up in the morning. If they had the energy to do so.
Pinkie was the first to rise, her happy mood was quickly dampened by a strange feeling. She had watery eyes, and a slight ache in her chest. Thinking of the signs, she recognized her Pinkie sense trying to warn her. These symptoms together could only mean one thing, she was going to leave someone, she had to say goodbye.
To Pinkie, it could only mean one thing. Today was the day she would finally return home, there wasn't another thought of what it could have meant. Looking around the apartment, and then at her sleeping mates next to her, she knew what she had to do. Being the first one up, she began quietly cleaning up the mess after the welcome home party that had been hosted. She would need all the time she could get, she didn’t know when exactly she would be leaving. She needed to make every moment count.
When the mess was cleaned up, to a degree, Catherine woke up, and decided to tickle Irene awake when she saw Pinkie missing. They were rather surprised at Pinkie Pie’s cleaning, but subsided it knowing how helpful the pink mare had been the past months. All three said their goodmornings, and began to make their breakfasts for the day. During the moments passed, Catherine and Irene both had worried thoughts on their minds about Pinkie's behavior. She was back to her old self, smiling, bright pink and bouncy maned, but she remained silent throughout most of the morning. As if she was deep in thought.
“I have an idea! For today, in celebration of Catherine’s return, why don’t we go back to the railway tracks?” Pinkie smiled brightly through her words, hoping to have her friends agree with her plan. She looked at them hopefully as they all ate on the kitchen table.
“You mean the same one I met you at? I’m not opposed to the idea, but why the sudden want to return?” Curious as ever, Irene gave a questioning glance to her pink friend before taking a bite of her pancake.
“Because of color! I thought an artist as good as you needs a big canvas. So we should create a giant mural under the bridge. Something as spectacular as that!” Pinkie gave her biggest smile in hopes of the two accepting the idea.
“Sure, why not, Kid here can create her life’s work on the wall. It’s better than spending the day recovering.” Giving her famous taunting smirk, she stared at Irene.
“Alright fine, we can all make a mural under the bridge.” Tossing her hands up, she let in to the plan being created around her.
~~~
“Is this a good spot?”
“It is the only clear, non-graffitied spot under the bridge. We’ll have to take it, Kid."
“Okay then, let’s get started shall we?”
Picking up the brushes with their hands, and mouth, all three started to bring color on the grey concrete. Bright colors of pink, orange, red, brown, blue, and more created the beginnings of a masterpiece in front of them.
The day passed, the sun rose and fell, and was now resting on the distant horizon, never once reaching the city's inhabitants. Covered in splotches of paint, sweat, and the odd spot of dirt, the workers were finally finished.
“Well, that’s a good looking mural if I ever knew one.” Catherine was the first to praise the art that was now done. Letting her aching arm dangle by her side, she was rather relieved the mural, that was now decorating the grey underside of the city, was done. She reached for her shoulder and applied pressure with her palm, she told herself she would let recovery happen tomorrow.
“I have to agree, I think this might be our greatest work yet.” Throwing her arms up to accentuate her pride, Irene was content with the finished product.
“What about you Pinkie?” Turning to the pink artist next to her, Irene expected a predictable excitable answer.
Seeing the colors in full view in front of her, Pinkie recognized every image painted. From Catherine’s picture of the connected tin cans shared by Pinks and her, to the creations made by herself and Irene, and finally, Ponyville with her own pony friends done by her own paint. The ache in her chest started pounding, while her eyes started tearing up and overflowing.
“Pinkie?”
"Pinks?"
She knew it was time, she had to say goodbye now, it was almost the end of the day. The sun was lowering on the colored horizon out of the city.
“I’m sorry,” the words were spoken so quietly as both Catherine and Irene had to move in closer to hear what Pinkie was saying. “I have to go, back home.” Taking pauses between words, her tears started to flood down her cheeks.
“What?” The single word was spoken by both of the humans in unison as they now were on the ground at Pinkie’s level.
The sun said it’s last farewell as the light of the day was slowly extinguishing. Pinkie was disappearing with the light. Becoming no more in the grey world, she slowly was losing more of herself as she became transparent.
Stunned, and at a lack of words, both of Pinkie’s friends pulled her into their last embrace. Through their own tears, they were finally able to spell out their goodbyes.
“Pinks, you didn’t want to tell us, huh?” Choking on her words, Catherine realised the reason why there was the sudden desire to create the mural. Her own cheeks were now dampened, as she tried to stop herself from sobbing.
“If I did, we would have all spent the day sad and crying. That wouldn’t have been any fun!” Cluching her chest from the aches, Pinkie remained smiling. “Catherine, don’t you leave Irene again, and make sure you support her drawings. Oh, and don’t work yourself too hard! And beat up all the evil meanies!” She pointed to Catherine with her hoof.
Catherine nodded her head in agreement, “I promise to take care of Kid, there isn’t anything anyone could do to make me stop” Pinkie gave her a quiet nod back.
Focusing her attention on the silent artist, Pinkie gave her last thanks.
“Thanks for all the sweets! I know I didn't ever belong in a world full of so much grey, but that makes us alike! The three of us are different, but that's what brought us together. Also, don’t worry so much, I won’t forget you or Catherine! I Pinkie Promise to remember you both forever.” Moving her arms in a certain manner, she recited her words, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Finishing with a pretend move to stick a hoof near her eye, she let her hooves fall and stared at both her friends in front of her.
“Pinkie, I’m really going to miss you.” Talking between her sobs, Irene knew it was finally time to say goodbye to one of her best friends, wiping her tears away, she gave her best smile “But don’t you worry either, I won’t forget you either.” At a lack of words, Irene made herself, Pinkie, and Catherine a promise to remember.
All three of them pulled in their last hug, and let go.
“See you, Pinks, take care of yourself.”
“Goodbye Pinkie, I’ll make sure to take care of Catherine.”
“Thank you both, no matter how far away friends are, they always remain friends. And I'm happy that I met you! So you be happy too!” Giving her last words, Pinkie Pie slowly disappeared completely. All the time she was smiling.
The stars started to shine as the sun finally left. The black sky was lite up with the small orbs of light. Both girls remained under the colors given off by the mural, glowing their own colors as the city remained its own grey.
