Chapters Prologue
Once upon a time, in a small town named Ponyville, there were seven little ponies. The best of friends, the seven ponies were inseparable. They did absolutely everything together. They were the talk of the town, the most social and most liked mares in the area. Other mares envied them, stallions were yearning for them. They had it made and had no problems— or so it seemed.
While on the outside the mares seemed perfect and pristine, inside their lives and the world of their friendship, deep and dark secrets brewed. Secrets that, if they were ever to be exposed, would potentially ruin the lives of the ponies.
The ponies consisted of three earth ponies, two unicorns and two pegasi.
Golden Pearl was the leader of the group. She was the front mare, the one that the other ponies really envied. She had the sort of charm that could win anypony over. Named for her flowing, golden mane that fell naturally in a wave of curls, and for her off-white pearly colored coat, Golden Pearl was an earth pony. She had been the most popular filly in school and had originally come from Canterlot.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie were the other two earth ponies. Applejack came from a farming family and worked on her family's farm. Very friendly, but not the brightest pony, Applejack was a well known pony in town. She was regularly seen in town selling apples and was always helping ponies who needed an extra pair of hooves.
Pinkie Pie had originally come from a farming family as well. Home-schooled, Pinkie Pie came to Ponyville after her schooling had finished. She rented a suite on the top floor of the Cakes' home and business, Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie worked there as well. An extremely vibrant and optimistic, Pinkie Pie always threw the best parties and loved doing it. She knew everypony in town and had a talent of being able to cheer up anypony.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were the two pegasi of the group. And they were the complete opposites. Rainbow Dash loved to fly. A house in the sky and originally from Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash was the only pony known to be able to perform a sonic rainboom. Slightly arrogant and a little brash, Rainbow Dash was the daredevil of the group.
Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was quiet and gentle. A pegasus who preferred to walk, she lived on the outskirts of the main part of town in a small cottage. An uncanny ability to communicate with animals, Fluttershy was extremely shy and a bit of a pushover.
Rarity was the first of the unicorns. She was the only one in the group who rivaled Golden Pearl's beauty. Owning her own boutique and fashion line, Rarity was a socialite who liked the finer things in life. She had been in the same class as Golden Pearl in school, but the two as fillies had never interacted on an intimate level. So when they became friends later in the brink of their young adulthood, Rarity was slightly surprised.
Twilight Sparkle was the last member of their circle of friends. The unofficial co-captain of the group, Twilight Sparkle also originally hailed from Canterlot, something she and Golden Pearl had in common. Obsessed with knowledge and books, Twilight Sparkle was the most scholarly pony in Ponyville. So in love with knowledge, Twilight Sparkle lived in the library of the town.
The seven ponies became friends over one summer, the one where Twilight Sparkle had moved to town. Hearing that a new pony from Canterlot was moving to town, Golden Pearl asked Pinkie Pie to put together an impromptu party for her. And it was there that Golden Pearl declared that the six mares were her new best friends.
There was something so inviting, so intriguing about Golden Pearl, that none of the ponies could resist the new friendship. Within days they were already the talk of the town, as the most envious group of friends.
As the months went by, their friendship grew stronger and stronger. The limits of their friendship were tested. Secrets were found and kept. Some of the secrets were personal, belonging only to one pony; while others belonged to the group. But no matter the secret, Golden Pearl knew them all. She was the master secret keeper. It was because of this, that she was the leader of the group.
On the eve of the one year of their friendship, things began to chance. It was then that Nightmare Moon was about to strike, and six of the seven ponies found that they were the key to saving Equestria. Afraid that they would lose their friendship with Golden Pearl, the six didn't know what to do at first. But Golden Pearl had been uncharacteristically cool about the whole thing. She showed no signs of jealousy and no forms of anger. Instead, she had been surprisingly supportive of her six friends.
So every now and then, six of the friends would go off to save Equestria. Golden Pearl would always travel with them, wherever they went, and the six friends always included her in their victory ceremonies, or parties. Because although they made up the Elements of Harmony, their friendship wouldn't be complete without Golden Pearl.
On the second year eve of their friendship, Golden Pearl had decided to throw an enormous party, just for the seven of them. They decided to hold it in Applejack's barn, a big and private space just for the seven of them.
But the party didn't end as planned. Instead of ending with cheer and laughter, the party ended with an argument—an argument that had caused Golden Pearl to storm out of the barn. Fed up with their friend's constant dramatic ways, the other six ponies did nothing to stop her. Twilight Sparkle had run outside after a few minutes—the argument had mainly been between the two of them—but Golden Pearl was already gone.
"She probably just went home," Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes.
"Just let her go," Rarity said with a sigh. It was hard to find another pony who matched her for drama.
And so, the six friends finished the party with the sleepover they had planned. Golden Pearl never returned to the barn. As a matter of fact, the six friends never saw her again.
Missing signs and posters had covered the town and neighbouring towns by the end of the week. But Golden Pearl was never found or heard from again.
That is, until now. One year later, the six friends are now awkward acquaintances. Having had no need to use the Elements of Harmony since their friend disappeared, their friendship slowly fell apart and now, they were ordinary ponies, living their lives separately in Ponyville.
Rarely seeing or speaking to each other, the ponies were surprised to all be summoned to the main police station in Ponyville. Awkwardly crammed into one office, they silently waited until the police officer who had summoned them there entered it again.
"I'm not quite sure how to inform you all of this," the officer said, "since the case was closed long ago. But we've found Golden Pearl."
The six glanced at each other, some with surprise, some with anxiety.
"Where is she?" Twilight finally asked quietly. The officer sighed.
"She's dead."
Author's Note
The ponies may have cellphones. Deal with it.
1: Twilight Sparkle
"I... I don't understand," Twilight Sparkle said slowly.
She sat in the police station in Ponyville, her five former best friends crammed into the room as well. She pushed her dark purple bangs out of her eyes and tried to clear her head. The police officer sighed.
"The family that bought Golden Pearl's old house a few months ago decided to put a pool in the back. When they began the construction, Golden Pearl's body was found," he explained.
A few of the ponies in the room made some noises. Fluttershy whimpered, a tear rolling down her face, while Rarity and Applejack gasped. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh.
"Any idea of when this had happened? How it happened? Who did it?" Twilight asked, the questions spilling out before she could stop them.
"Our team of specialists did some tests, and the results came back that she had died around a year ago," the officer answered, "and at this time, we are not sure of the cause of death. There are no suspects yet."
The officer sighed and removed his hat, and rubbed his forehead. "At this time, we just wanted to inform you that she was found, although the outcome is dire. We will ask you back individually to ask you some questions, as we try to gather insight into what exactly happened."
Twilight and her acquaintances took that as their cue to leave. They each filed out of the dingy office, out of the building and onto the streets. They stood in a circle, awkwardly glancing at each other, and trying to avoid each other gazes at the same time.
"I guess there will be a funeral held, or something," Rainbow Dash finally muttered, breaking the silence.
"Do you think her parents know yet?" Fluttershy whispered.
"If not, they'll know pretty soon," Rarity said.
The silence sounded again.
"Well... I sort of need to get going," Rainbow Dash said after a few awkward moments, breaking the silence again.
The others murmured other excuses to leave as well, and slowly, they began to drift apart.
"I guess we'll see each other again at the funeral," Applejack said, as she began to cross the street.
Twilight inhaled deeply and exhaled. She walked quietly back to the library, the building she had made her home. Golden Pearl had often teased her about living in a library, but Twilight had always gotten a sense that she was jealous about it. Or had been jealous.
Spike approached her as soon as she entered the building. Spike was a baby dragon, one she had made hatch during her exams into magic school. They had been together ever since. Now he was her assistant and helped her with her reports and other assignments that Princess Celestia sent her. While Twilight had graduated from the magic school in Canterlot long ago, the princess sent her different assignments and tasks in order to keep up her magical training. Plus, school was something Twilight enjoyed. She hoped to one day be one of the greatest scholars known in history, just like some of her idols before her.
"What did the police want?" Spike asked. Twilight shut the door behind her and closed her eyes for a minute. It was still settling in, the bad news. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it yet.
"They found Golden Pearl's body," Twilight said mechanically, "She's dead."
Spike's mouth fell open and he stared at her. "Are you serious?"
"Yes," Twilight said, almost somewhat impatiently, as she brushed past him, "She's dead, ok?"
"Are you ok, Twilight?" Spike asked. He followed her as she began to walk up the stairs.
"Yes," she snapped, "I'm fine."
"You sure? You don't seem fine. She used to be one of your best friends," Spike said.
"Yeah, used to be," Twilight said in reply. She turned to say something else, but stopped at the look on Spike's face. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "I'm sorry, Spike. I just... I just don't know how to process this right now, ok? I just need some time to myself."
"Ok," Spike said quietly.
Twilight continued up the stairs and slammed the door to her room shut.
A funeral was held in Ponyville the next week. Another one would be held in Canterlot a few days later. Since Golden Pearl had spent the rest of her life in Ponyville, her parents thought it would only be fitting to have a funeral in both the town she died and the town she grew up. Twilight thought it was a little overbearing and they were having trouble letting their daughter go.
Twilight wound up sitting in a row that had been reserved for her and the other Element bearers. They shifted uncomfortable in their seats, some of their gazes dedicated to the ceremony up front, others stared at the ground.
Twilight couldn't help but shake the feeling that she was being watched. The past few nights had been hard. She had gone through old photos of her and Golden, and the trip down memory lane hadn't been as nostalgic as she remembered. She remembered some of the bad things they had done, things that Twilight wouldn't have ever dared or even dreamed of doing, on her own. But Golden, or Goldie as her friends had begun to call her, had a way of persuading ponies. The memory that stuck out the most was the two of them arguing during their sleepover the year before, the night that she had gone missing. Possibly the night that Golden Pearl had died. And now, as Twilight sat in the pew of the church, sniffling ponies around her (most of Ponyville had shown up for the funeral), she couldn't help but glance around her, sure that there were eyes on her and not on the shrine of photos and flowers in the front. It was as though somepony was reading her mind and the guilt Twilight now felt about that night Golden had disappeared. If they hadn't had gotten into that fight, if Golden hadn't stormed off...
Twilight closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. But as she shut her eyes, the memory began to play out. The seven of them were in Applejack's barn. Candles were lit all around them, and they had just finished playing a game of "Epic Truth". Golden had come up with the game. It was basically Truth or Dare, except it was only Truth, and you had to answer whatever question was asked. Twilight suspected Golden had made up the gain to gather more information and secrets to hold over ponies. She had a sort of knack for doing that.
After their game had finished, Golden declared what their next activity would be. She turned around and brought out a small sack from behind her back. She untied it and dumped the contents onto the hay floor.
Seven little pony dolls fell out. They were made of scrap fabric and stuffed with hay. They were a little shotty—no pony in the group matched Rarity's skill for sewing—but the intent of the design was clear. The small dolls were supposed to represent each of the seven friends in the room.
"What are these?" Applejack asked wearily.
"They kind of creep me out," Rainbow Dash said, as she poked the one that slightly resembled her.
"I think they're cute!" Pinkie Pie said, with a gleeful jump.
"I was thinking," Golden Pearl said, pausing for dramatic effect, "that we could practice voodooism."
Twilight couldn't help but let out a snort. Golden Pearl shot her a look.
"Voodoo doesn't work," Twilight said, "Everypony knows that."
"How can you be so sure? Have you ever tried it?" Golden Pearl asked.
"I don't need to try it, it's fact," Twilight said. Golden Pearl rolled her eyes.
"Ok, fine. But that doesn't mean we can't pretend," Golden said. Twilight then rolled her eyes. Pretend play? What were they, fillies?
Golden Pearl stood up and blew out half of the candles surrounding them, making the barn look darker and creepier. Fluttershy began to shake beside Twilight.
"Come on girls, don't let Twilight spoil the fun," Golden Pearl said, "She sure does have a way of cheating us out of a good time."
Twilight felt her cheeks grow hot and anger boiled inside her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
"That you're a party pooper," Golden said with a wink. Twilight glared at her slightly. She knew what it really meant, and she didn't appreciate Golden holding it over her nose in front of her other friends. Luckily the others didn't—and couldn't—catch the reference. The reference to a secret that Twilight wished only she knew.
"OK," Golden said, "Everypony close your eyes. I'm going to pick one of you at random."
Reluctantly, the ponies began to close their eyes. Twilight couldn't help but think about how the whole thing was so stupid.
"Hey! Fluttershy, I said close your eyes," Golden Pearl said.
"B-But you're reaching for m-my doll," Fluttershy said. Twilight opened her eyes.
"So? What's the big deal?" Golden Pearl asked, annoyance clear in her voice.
"I don't want to play," Fluttershy said quietly. She reached out to grab the doll from Golden Pearl, but Golden Pearl snatched it away.
"Everypony has to play, Fluttershy," Golden Pearl said, "otherwise it's no fun."
"But I don't want to play," Fluttershy said, her voice slightly louder. The others began to open their eyes now too.
"Ugh, don't be such a baby about it!" Golden Pearl said. Fluttershy didn't say anything. Her eyes began to brim with tears and she began to heave uncontrollably.
"Oh, just give it back to her Golden Pearl, she doesn't want to play your stupid game," Twilight said.
"What's the big deal?" Golden Pearl said again, "Like you said Twilight, it's not even going to do anything. Just let me have my fun."
"You always have your fun," Rainbow Dash muttered.
"What was that?" Golden Pearl asked.
"You heard her," Twilight said. She grabbed the Fluttershy doll from Golden Pearl and threw it back in the pile with the others, "Let's play something different. Why don't we—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Golden Pearl said, "That's not fair. Why don't we vote? See who wants to play my game and who wants to play whatever lame game you're about to suggest?"
"Alright," Twilight said, so tired of Golden Pearl always getting her way, "We'll vote. Who wants to let Golden Pearl practice her voodoo trick?"
Golden Pearl looked around at her friends. None of them put up their hooves. As a matter of fact, most of them tried to avoid her gaze. Twilight couldn't help but feel a little smug.
"And who wants to... play cards?" Twilight asked, cards the first thing that came to her mind. Only about three hooves went in the air, two of them not voting, but the message was clear.
"Hmph, fine," Golden Pearl said. She stuffed the dolls back into her sack and stood hastily, "I have somewhere else to be anyways, somewhere much cooler than here. Tired of hanging out with you losers anyways."
"Good, 'cause we're tired of you always bossing us around," Twilight said. Golden Pearl glared at Twilight. She opened her mouth to say something, but then turned on her heels and stormed out of the barn. The six of them sat there for a second, not quite sure what to do.
Twilight finally sighed and went after Golden Pearl. But by the time she reached the barn door, Golden Pearl was nowhere to be found. The mares had expected her to come back, but Golden Pearl never came back. She just disappeared.
2: Fluttershy
The funeral was long and sad. Each of the friends briefly spoke with Golden Pearl's parents, but it was uncomfortable for all of them. They had only met their sunny friend's parents once or twice.
Afterwards, the six of them stood awkwardly together again, like they had at the police station. Fluttershy fidgeted nervously. Tears still spilled down her face and she wiped them away. Golden Pearl was dead. Yes, there were times when Fluttershy would think she was better off without the radiant earth pony—sometimes Goldie's antics were just too much for Fluttershy—but now she regretted ever feeling like that. Nopony deserved to die prematurely. And what was even more terrible, so terrible that Fluttershy didn't even want to admit it to herself, is that a small part of her was relieved. Relieved that she wouldn't have to be tormented by Golden Pearl again. Her secrets went down with the earth pony, and now they would die when Fluttershy did.
"Listen, I was thinking..." Pinkie Pie said into the tense silence, "Why don't you all come over and we have some tea? I know that we've grown apart over the past year, ever since Goldie died, but... I don't think anypony else is going to realize how we feel about this, except for each other. Nopony else was as close to her as we were... And I just... Just think we should be together in this time."
Nopony answered for a second. Fluttershy could see disappointment crossing onto Pinkie's face. Pinkie had had the hardest time when their friendship sort of fell apart.
"I think that's a great idea, Pinkie," Fluttershy said. She tried to give a small smile, but she was sure it didn't come across properly. Every now and then over the past few months, she would bump into Pinkie Pie and always made sure to chat with her for a bit. Fluttershy hated that their friendship had fallen apart too. So what if Golden Pearl had disappeared? The six of them were what made up the Elements of Harmony. It was their friendship that saved Equestria. Or at least, that's what she would think at the time. And yet, she too, drifted apart from them after it was clear Golden Pearl was never coming back.
Although, I had other reasons to hide from them. It's not that I wanted the friendship to fall, I just couldn't let any of them see me. I wish we had stayed friends, wished that Golden Pearl hadn't warped my trust in friendship, so that I could have told you all what had happened, and then we would have still maybe been friends...
Fluttershy whimpered slightly at the thought. Applejack shot her an odd look, and Fluttershy looked down. She calmed herself by taking deep breaths.
"Yeah, I'll agree to that too," Applejack said. Twilight nodded as well, and Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but said she would come as well. The five of them turned to Rarity.
Rarity sighed, somewhat dramatically, and pulled out a pocket watch. She frowned at the time.
"Sorry, but I really have somewhere else to be, and I can't be late," she said, as she tucked the watch back into her bag.
"Oh, come on Rarity, you can't even come for a little while?" Fluttershy asked.
"No," Rarity said firmly. She adjusted the black hat and veil on her head.
"What could be more important than taking the time to remember one your departed friends, with the company of those who used to be closest to you?" Twilight asked. Rarity bit her bottom lip and frustration entered her eyes.
"I just have somewhere else to be, OK?" Rarity snapped. She then turned on her heels and walked away from the group, disappearing down the street.
"That was odd," Applejack said.
"Maybe she's just having a tough time with Goldie's death," Pinkie Pie said. She slowly turned and began to lead the group to Sugarcube Corner.
"Maybe. But you'd think she'd want company," Applejack said, "And you're right Pinkie. Even though we've grown apart, the only company I think is appropriate right now, is each other."
The others nodded and they walked in silence. The funeral home was slightly on the outskirts of town, a ways away from the sweets shop.
"Come on, let's go this way, it's quicker," Rainbow Dash said. She pointed down an alley, and Fluttershy stopped in her tracks. "What's wrong, Fluttershy?"
"No, we can't go that way," Fluttershy said. Her heartbeat began to race, and she could feel sweat beading on her forehead.
"Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked. She began to trot down the alley, "Rainbow Dash is right, this is a shortcut."
"I-I-I..." Fluttershy stuttered. But she didn't know what to say. What could she say, without them figuring it out? How could she phrase that she didn't want to go near the orphanage, without them figuring it out? Figuring out that she had practically disappeared from the face of Equestria after Golden Pearl had gone missing, and then suddenly reappeared roughly 10 months later? Wouldn't they figure out the math?
"She's probably just scared of the alley," Rainbow Dash said, impatience clear in her voice, "You'll be fine Fluttershy. Now hurry up."
Reluctantly, Fluttershy slowly began to make her way down the alley. She tried to figure out what time it was in her head. What time the funeral had started, how long it was, and then approximately how long they had been walking. Maybe they would all still be inside the orphanage. Maybe she still had a few more minutes before recess, before they all came barreling outside to play. Before she had the potential to see them.
"Ok, but let's hurry up," Fluttershy said, determined to make it past the orphanage before all of the foals came out. The others didn't question the shy pegasus's new found determination, and they all followed her through the alley. Past the orphanage.
When they reached Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy quickly ran inside and shut the door tightly behind them once they were all in. She exhaled loudly and closed her eyes. She slumped back against the door and breathed deeply.
When she opened her eyes again, the others were giving her odd looks. She just stared back for a second, and then sort of shrugged it off.
"Let me help you with the tea, Pinkie," Fluttershy finally said. Pinkie Pie slowly nodded and led the group into the living room. Fluttershy sighed again and glanced out the window quickly before she followed them. Even though she couldn't see it now, she knew the foals were outside, playing on the playground of the orphanage. And she knew that one of them, a small little filly, looked almost identical to her.
3: Pinkie Pie
Fluttershy set down the tea and Pinkie Pie put out a plate of small cupcakes. The five of them sat quietly in the Cakes' living room. The Cakes were the family that owned the bakery, and Pinkie Pie lived with them. Her real family owned a rock farm a few miles out of Ponyville. She had been home schooled, along with her two younger sisters. Then a few years after she had gotten her cutie mark, she moved to Ponyville.
She had taken Golden Pearl to meet her family once. Twilight and Applejack had come along too. The trip was one that she tried to forget. It wouldn't have seemed like a terrible trip to anypony—as a matter of fact, it would have been a quite pleasant, normal trip by anypony else's standards—but it was one that Pinkie always tried to push from her mind.
Pinkie Pie reached for a cupcake and began to munch on it quietly.
"How... how do you think it happened?" Rainbow Dash asked finally.
"I don't even want to think about it," Fluttershy said, "I don't want to know what happened."
"You don't want some sort of closure?" Applejack asked.
Fluttershy shook her head and took a sip of her tea.
"I wonder who would have done something like that though? Who would have want to hurt Goldie? She was the most liked pony in town," Rainbow Dash said.
"Or so it seemed," Twilight said quietly. The other four turned and looked at her. Pinkie reached for another cupcake.
"What do you mean by that, Twilight?" Applejack asked. Twilight sighed.
"We all knew how Golden Pearl really was. She had a way of getting under pony's skins, even if it wasn't in a good way," Twilight said.
"A part of me... feels like I've always been holding my breath," Fluttershy said very quietly. Pinkie almost missed what she said, but then slowly nodded along.
"And now it feels like I can breathe properly again," Pinkie said. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. Slowly, the other three nodded in agreement as well.
"She had a way of being liked and hated at the same time," Rainbow Dash said.
"You're saying you hated Golden Pearl?" Twilight asked.
"Of course not," Rainbow Dash said quickly in defense, "She was one of my best friends. But like you said, you know how she was. She had a way about her... a way of... keeping things... ponies, in line."
"Holding stuff above you," Pinkie said. Rainbow Dash nodded.
The group fell into silence, everypony avoiding eye contact. Pinkie quickly glanced at them all, sure that they were thinking along the same things she was. There were secrets that Golden knew about Pinkie that nopony else knew. And now that she was gone, Pinkie felt relieved that her secrets were now safe to herself.
"She knew a lot of stuff, about all of us," Twilight said quietly.
"What did she tell you about us?" Rainbow Dash suddenly snapped. Twilight jumped slightly and shook her head.
"Nothing, but if she was like how she was with me when we were alone, then I wouldn't be surprised if she was the same with you," Twilight said.
"Keeping your darkest secrets above you," Fluttershy whispered.
"Making sure you don't step out of line," Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes slightly. Applejack and Pinkie nodded.
"And then there's of course, the Derpy Thing," Pinkie said quietly. The others shifted uncomfortably.
"Thought we weren't suppose to talk about that anymore," Applejack said stiffly.
"We were never supposed to talk about it," Rainbow Dash said, "Nopony can know what happened."
"And nopony does," Twilight said, "Except for us."
"And Rarity," Fluttershy said quietly.
"She was implied," Twilight responded.
They fell into silence again. Pinkie Pie reached for another cupcake, just as Rainbow Dash did.
"You take it," Pinkie Pie said, as she stared at the empty plate, "I'll go get some more."
She sighed in relief as she entered the kitchen. Although she dearly missed her old best friends, there was a lot of heavy stuff going on in that room. There were things that they didn't know that she didn't really want to bring up—things that Golden Pearl knew though—and even the stuff they did know, like the Derpy Thing, she still didn't want to talk about. But no other conversation except their departed friend was being brought up.
Pinkie stared down at the plate, trying to remember how many cupcakes she had originally put out and then how many she had eaten. Did I really eat more than half? I swear I only had two... maybe three... She sighed and began to put more cupcakes onto the plate. But as she did so, the memory of the trip to her rock farm began to surface.
Pinkie Pie had been extremely excited to show her friends—her best friends —where she had grown up. She knew that rock farming wasn't exciting in the least, but she was so thrilled for her friends to meet her parents and her sisters. Pinkie and her sisters were close. They wrote to each other every day. They were the ones that Pinkie had fallen back on when she and her friends had grown apart. She wasn't sure what she would have done if it wasn't for them.
Golden Pearl, Twilight and Applejack had come along with her. Applejack was interested in other kinds of farming, while Golden Pearl and Twilight had the weekend off and wanted to meet Pinkie's family.
They had arrived early evening, just as Ma Pie was putting out dinner. They all exchanged big group hugs at the door. Twilight and Applejack had stepped further into the house as Pinkie's sisters, Inkie and Blinkie, began to give them a tour. And that's when it happened. A small, probably innocent comment that came from her mother, that would haunt Pinkie until this day.
"Looks like working and living at a bakery has done its damage," Ma Pie had said. She had said it with a soft laugh and pulled Pinkie into a big hug. Pinkie knew, she knew deep down, that it was an innocent comment, that her mother meant nothing by it. She hadn't out right called her fat. Pinkie even knew she wasn't fat. She was a very energetic pony and because of it, she often ended up exercising daily by accident.
She hadn't been able to eat her dinner. She poked at it and ate a few bites, but she couldn't help but stare at the others around the table. Both of her sisters were slender and slight; Golden Pearl had the best body of anypony Pinkie had seen; Applejack was lean and in-shape from working on the farm; and Twilight had a very healthy diet and a fast metabolism. And at that moment, Pinkie just felt like a bucket of butter. Flabby and icky.
And so, after dinner, Pinkie was in the bathroom washing up. She scrutinized herself in the mirror, inspecting every single piece of her body. Was that a bit of fat on her legs? Didn't her stomach look flabbier?
Before she knew what she was doing, Pinkie Pie grabbed her tooth brush. She pushed the end down her throat and vomited into the toilet. But not before Golden Pearl had opened the door and seen everything. And from that day, she never let Pinkie forget about what she saw, which was terrible, because the last thing Pinkie wanted to do was to remember.
"Pinkie Pie? You ok?"
Pinkie snapped back to reality. She looked at Fluttershy standing in the kitchen doorway. She then looked down at the smushed cupcake that she had been holding on her hoof.
"Yes, sorry," Pinkie said.
She quickly filled the plate up with cupcakes and followed Fluttershy out of the room, the memory fading away.
4: Rainbow Dash
Rainbow Dash stepped into her house and took a huge sigh of relief. Finally, she was at home, alone and in peace. Her home was situated just outside of Ponyville, and was designed to look like one of the homes that floated in Cloudsdale, where she grew up. The house was tall and made of clouds. It had three levels, impressive columns and rainbow waterfalls cascading around the exterior.
She idly floated up the stairs and flew into her bedroom, landing on the bed with a soft thud. She took another deep breath and sighed, as she stared up at the ceiling. She then turned over and lazily picked up the latest copy of Daring-Doo and began to flip through the pages.
The meeting with her "friends" had been awkward. They had sat around Pinkie Pie's living room and had tea and cupcakes. Most of the time they sat there in a tense silence, other times somepony would bring up Golden Pearl. What else could they talk about? Their friendship had been slowly deteriorating since their golden earth pony friend had disappeared. And Equestria hadn't needed the Elements of Harmony in a long time, so there was no need to maintain their friendship.
When they had parted at Pinkie's door, Twilight had suggested that they should try to get together more often, try to rebuild their friendship.
"For Goldie's sake," Twilight had said. Rainbow Dash had sighed and rolled her eyes, and seemingly reluctantly agreed. But in reality, parts of her were aching for her old friends. Yes, there had been times in the past when they had annoyed her to no end. But they had still been friends.
But Rainbow Dash wasn't sure how efficiently she was going to follow through with this whole "rebuilding friendship" thing. For starters, Rarity had bailed on them right after the funeral, so their new vow to get together wasn't really official. And Rainbow Dash had new friends now, friends that were more like her. Friends that understood parts of her that Goldie had understood, but the others wouldn't. Did she really need those other five weighing her down?
She sighed and tossed the book back onto the pile. She wasn't as in the mood for reading as she had thought. She then reached for her phone and flipped it open. She scrolled down her list of contacts and then clicked on the one she had abbreviated as "LD."
Hey LD. Want 2 cum over & hang?
She hit send, the message swirling into the electric air of excess magic that hazed across Equestria, and lay back as she waited for a reply. Rainbow Dash didn't personally use her phone that much—not as much, as say, Rarity or Golden Pearl had—but she liked to keep it at home for when she felt lazy, and could just send an instant message instead of flying over to find someone.
Her phone beeped and Lightning Dust's reply sat in her inbox.
On my way. C u soon!
She tossed her phone to the side and sat up. She and Lightning Dust had met a few months ago at the Wonderbolt Academy. Lightning was just as fast and brash as Rainbow Dash. It was almost as though they were long lost sisters. Surprisingly, Rainbow Dash was the more level headed out of the two. Lightning had almost been kicked out of the academy because of irresponsible behaviour, but Rainbow Dash had managed to convince the academy officials to keep Lightning and put her on probation. Her probation ended soon and she'd be a regular student again.
For the first month of training at the academy, cadets stayed on site. But once their first month was over, they only returned every two weeks for a week of training, and then were sent home with specific exercises and a log. In a few more months time, they'd have a huge test to see who would go onto the next level of training. Rainbow Dash had finished her most recent log in the first day she was home.
Rainbow Dash stood and looked around the room. It was a big room, decorated in different hues of blue. A big fireplace sat on one side, and her bed was on a raised level of three steps. Different ribbons and trophies lined the walls.
She walked over to her closet and pushed the doors opened. Unbeknownst to her old friends, Rainbow Dash had a huge walk-in closet, one that would for sure make Rarity envious. Inside though, was mostly junk. Junk that Rainbow Dash found hard to let go of. And junk that she didn't want anypony else to see.
She stepped inside and pulled on a light. The bulb above her illuminated and she looked around her. Various scarves and goggles, a few hats, lay around. Boxes full of childhood trophies and ribbons were stuffed in one corner. The back of the closet doors were covered in photographs. Pictures of Rainbow Dash and her old friends. Some of the pictures dated back to when Rainbow Dash was a filly. Fluttershy was the only one in those pictures with her.
Not quite sure what had pulled her into looking in her closet, Rainbow Dash glanced around a bit more. She then turned to leave when something shiny caught her eye. She picked it up and an odd knot formed in her throat. It was a gold watch. The second hand ticked away, proving that it was still in working order. When she looked into the box that it had come from, other various shiny trinkets lay inside. Three or four more watches. A fancy pair of goggles. An anklet that she had never worn.
As though the watch burned her, Rainbow Dash quickly threw it back into the box. She then began to push the box further into the closet, hidden behind the clothes she never wore, but something behind the box prevented it from going back any further. Rainbow Dash held her breath, and stepped away. She knew what was behind the box. A lumpy sack that clinked slightly when she poked it.
She quickly repositioned the box so it hid the sack, turned off the light and slammed the closet doors closed. She closed her eyes. Visions of a terrible—yet thrilling—day rushed back at her. A black mask, a few other ponies in matching ones, the sack over her shoulder. Terrified ponies inside a Canterlot bank. Sirens wailing.
It wasn't the first time that Rainbow Dash had taken something that wasn't hers. The other shiny trinkets proved that. But the lumpy sack was the first time she had done it without Golden Pearl. It was a bigger score and a bigger thrill. And thankfully, it was a secret that her gorgeous earth pony friend had never known about. And one she would never know about, because it happened after she disappeared.
When Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, she jumped back and shrieked. Lightning Dust laughed, her face inches from Rainbow's.
"Your door was unlocked, Dash," Lightning Dust said. She waggled her hoof in front of her and winked, "Not very safe."
Rainbow Dash straightened, and then shrugged. Her voice was cool and calm, "I knew you were coming over."
"Why so jumpy then?" Lightning asked.
"My friend's funeral was today. I told you about that, right?" Rainbow Dash said. A flicker of concern crossed Lightning's face.
"That's right. I'm so sorry. You ok?" Lightning asked. Rainbow Dash shrugged again.
"We were friends a long time ago," she replied, though really, a year ago wasn't that long. Not long enough, anyways.
"Come on. I already texted Gilda, and she's meeting us in Cloudsdale," Lightning said. She turned and began to walk out of the room. "I know you said you wanted to hang here, but I think you need to get out. Get your mind off of things."
Rainbow Dash glanced at the closet and then back at her friend.
"You're right," she said, as she began to follow the green pegasus, "I definitely need to get things off of my mind."
Author's Note
Ok, have officially introduced cellphones to ponies. I'm going to try and limit my use with the phones though.
5: Rarity
Rarity stepped off the train at Canterlot. She was still wearing her wide black hat with a delicate lace veil, that covered her face. Despite the fact that her face was covered, she also wore large black sunglasses, and had put on a skirt, so that her cutie mark was covered as well. Nopony would recognize her.
She walked into the streets, carrying her heavy overnight bag, and she hailed a cab. She pulled out a piece of paper and handed the address to the driver. Then she sat back in her seat and sighed. She replayed the funeral in her mind. It had been tragic. So many ponies had shown up. And that was only the funeral for Ponyville. There was going to be another one in Canterlot.
In some ways, Rarity was very relieved her friend was gone. And she had no shame in saying that. Golden Pearl was a beautiful pony, who took advantage of other ponies because of her good looks and charm. While Rarity was just as beautiful and charming, she was the opposite—she would never do to ponies what Golden had done. Plus there were things that Golden knew that Rarity didn't want other ponies—especially her friends—to know. Things like where she was going right now.
Rarity had really wanted to go to Pinkie Pie's house. She came to realize that, although she was a very social pony and had many clients and acquaintances, she didn't have any friends. And when their friendship started to fall apart, Rarity realized just how lonely she was in Ponyville. But she had made a choice. A choice between potentially fulfilling her dreams or a choice between her friends. And she had chosen the former. And they could never know about it.
She knew that Rainbow Dash had reacquainted with Gilda and that she had another pegasus friend that she hung out with. Pinkie Pie visited her sisters, took care of the foals, and generally was always with somepony. Applejack rarely left her farm. Twilight had never needed friends in the first place, as long as she had her books. And Fluttershy... well, Fluttershy had vanished from the face of the earth and resurfaced a month or so ago.
It's not like Rarity had been spying on her former friends—spying was too tacky. No, she had merely been very observant. Mostly because whenever she went to Canterlot, she had to ensure that none of them were following her. Nopony in Ponyville knew her secret except for Golden Pearl. And now she was gone.
The cab stopped and Rarity paid him. She waited until it rounded the corner and then she walked across the street and down an alley. Rarity tentatively crossed the street again and approached a wealthy estate. She entered in the password for the gates to open and then she quickly stepped inside.
She took a deep breath and stiffly walked up to the grand doors of the estate. She rang on the bell three times and glanced around. She always felt like she was being watched when she came here. The door opened and the butler let her in.
"He's waiting in the lounge," the butler said.
"T-thank you," Rarity said. The butler nodded and took her bag upstairs. Rarity glanced at the clock and felt her legs go numb. She was late. She took another deep breath, tears already forming in her eyes. She then walked into the lounge.
"You're late."
Blueblood was sitting in front of the fireplace, a newspaper in his hooves, a glass of cider on the table. Rarity couldn't help but check the label of the bottle next to it. Thankfully it wasn't from Sweet Apple Acres.
"The train ran late," Rarity said, her voice in defense, "I was on time."
Blueblood rolled his eyes.
"What is that ridiculous thing you are wearing?" he asked. Rarity pulled off her hat and held it in her hooves. She loved this hat. She had worked really hard on it.
"I was at a funeral today," she said, "Don't you remember me telling you about it?"
"Was it a funeral for your fashion sense?" he snorted. Rarity took a deep breath and kept her tears at bay. She had a great fashion sense, the best in Ponyville.
"No," Rarity said. She had to stop herself from snapping. Sometimes he could be so insensitive... And by sometimes, she meant all the time. "It was for an old friend of mine."
"Well, if they were old, I'm not surprised they died," Blueblood said. He looked back down to his paper and took a sip of his cider.
"That's not what I—"
"Go make me a sandwich," he said, abruptly interrupting her.
Rarity stormed out of the room. She knew better than to argue back, knew it was useless to point out that not only did Blueblood have a butler, but he also had a chef. She made her way into the kitchen, grumbling to herself. She slammed her hat down on the counter, and nodded over at the chef. The chef sighed and brought out the sandwich supplies. Rarity then quickly slopped together something and made her way back to the parlor. Blueblood could tell when Rarity made the chef make it. And that never ended well.
Rarity roughly put the plate on the table and then turned to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" Blueblood asked.
"Going to take a shower," Rarity mumbled. Blueblood just shrugged and reached for his sandwich.
Rarity left the parlor and made her way up the stairs to her room. It was a beautiful room, ordained in pink and soft creams. It was twice the size of her room back home, and it had its own ensuite.
Her bag was already sitting neatly at the foot of her bed. She took off her skirt and neatly folded it, and placed it on the bed. She sighed as she realized she left her hat downstairs in the kitchen, but couldn't be bothered to go get it.
Rarity walked into her bathroom and turned on the hot water. She let it run for a minute, before she walked under the shower head and let the soothing water run over her. She watched as the water began to swirl in a mixture of whites, creating a milky color. A sob caught in her throat, as it always did when she showered, as it did whenever she saw her carefully painted makeup run off her body, and slowly expose the bruises and cuts that she hid from the world every day. The results of her abusive attempt to be royalty.
7: Pinkie Pie
Pinkie Pie walked down the main street of Ponyville the next day with her sister Inkie and their mother. She had invited her family over for dinner, but Blinkie had a terrible cold, and Pa Pie was had a business meeting regarding the rock farming trade.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping. There was a sweetness in the air and Pinkie Pie couldn't quite place. It was as though since the town said good-bye to Goldie a weight had been lifted. Like everypony had been holding their breath, waiting to learn what had happened to the pretty pony's mysterious disappearance, and now that they had lay her to rest, everypony could breathe.
A weight had certainly been lifted in Pinkie Pie's chest. While she still felt gloomy—not a feeling she usually or easily felt—over the loss of her friend, she felt relieved at the secrets that had gone down with her. The only secret of hers that the others knew was The Derpy Thing. Nopony else had known about Pinkie's one-time binge, and now, that horrible memory was hers alone to keep and bury.
It was a memory that haunted Pinkie Pie still to this very day. She had never pushed the end of a toothbrush down her throat again, as she didn't want it to become a habit, but she felt like she had lost a sense of security. She had always been so sure about herself, had known who she was. But her mother's words and Goldie's smirk on her face after hearing them always floated in the back of Pinkie's mind. She could never figure out just why it bothered her so much. Was it because she was maybe secretly jealous of the way that Goldie had always gotten attention? That Goldie had once briefly mentioned before that Pinkie couldn't borrow her pink skirt because it wouldn't fit her?
Whatever the subconscious reason was, Pinkie had never been able to enjoy sweets and treats like she had normally. She had almost considered moving out of the Cakes's residence just to be away from the intoxicating and tempting aromas, but Pinkie also loved baking and selling treats, so she had decided to stay. She just always turned down seconds and never had any free samples any more.
As though her mother could read what her mind was circulating around, Ma Pie turned to Pinkie and said, "Pinkamina, you're looking too thin these days. You used to look so much healthier."
Pinkie Pie nearly dropped the groceries she was carrying and stared at her mother. Inkie shot her mother an odd glance, and smiled awkwardly at Pinkie.
"She looks fine mother," Inkie said.
Pinkie sneaked a glance at herself in the nearest shop's window. She didn't look too thin... Did she? It's not like her ribs were showing. They were almost showing, but they weren't. One could feel them no problem, but Pinkie didn't want to look like a skeleton. She had become very careful about what she ate and worked out regularly. But perhaps her legs were a bit more spindly than they used to be, and her cheek bones were a bit more pronounced. Her stomach churned slightly as she stared at herself in the window. She realized that she didn't like what she saw.
Was there such a thing as too thin? Pinkie had never heard of such a thing. But maybe her mother was right. First she was too plump and now she was too thin. This was not helping her self-consciousness.
Ma Pie glanced nervously at her pink daughter and then cleared her throat.
"Oh, Inka, you're right. This bright sunlight is playing tricks on me. Come, Pinkamina, let's go pick up some apples. I want to make a pie for dessert," Ma Pie said.
Pinkie slowly nodded and followed her sister and mother down the road.
Pinkie Pie and Inkie stood in the Cakes's kitchen. Inkie was working on a tray of sandwiches and Pinkie was making a big salad. Their mother was freshening up in the bathroom, while her pie baked in the oven. The sweet aroma filled the air and Pinkie Pie sighed audibly. No matter how tasty and delicious the Cakes's sweets were, nothing ever smelled as delicious as her mother's pie.
"Are you alright, Pinkie?" Inkie asked quietly.
"What do you mean? Of course I'm alright," Pinkie said cheerfully. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I just wanted to make sure that mother's comments didn't bother you like they did last time," Inkie said. Pinkie stopped chopping carrots and slowly turned to face her younger sister. Inkie nervously rearranged sandwiches on the tray. She kept building and rebuilding the pyramid she had put them in.
"What are you talking about?" Pinkie asked slowly.
Inkie sighed. "Nevermind. It's not something I should bring up now."
"No, tell me," Pinkie said. Inkie sighed again and looked at her sister square in the face.
"It was a while ago... long while, actually, but I remember mother said something to you when you came to visit that time with your friends. I didn't quite catch what she had said, but I remember you barely touched your food that night, and since then... I don't know, it just seems like you've never quite been yourself. Maybe I've imagined it all... But you do look quite a bit thinner than normal," Inkie said quietly.
Pinkie turned and slowly began to chop up carrots again. Inkie had noticed that her mother's words had hurt her that night? Did she know what Pinkie had done because of it? The consequences on her self-esteem that had resulted from it?
"Well... well you did imagine it all," Pinkie said a bit louder than she had meant to. Her voice shook slightly too. "I'm perfectly fine. I don't even remember what mother had said."
Inkie let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's good. It's been bugging me for a while now, but I never wanted to bring it up because your friend went missing and now... Now we know what happened to her..."
A grave silence filled the room.
"Either way, I'm glad it never bothered you. I thought whatever mother had said was ridiculous anyways. I've always been jealous about how great you always look, and wanted to conk her over the head when she said that," Inkie said. The buzzer went off and Inkie took the pie out of the oven. She set it on the windowsill.
Pinkie stared at her sister, a little loss for words. She had needed to hear that. She had actually needed to hear that over a year ago, but now was as good as ever.
"Honest?" Pinkie whispered quietly. Inkie turned, a little startled at Pinkie's soft voice, and smiled at her.
"Honest. Don't let the opinions of others take away the essence of who you are. It's the opinion you have of yourself that matters," Inkie said.
Pinkie jumped over and hugged her sister. Another huge weight lifted from her chest. No more dieting for her. Tomorrow, she was going to have all the free samples she wanted. Pinkie felt so relieved that maybe she would go around and make deliver samples to everypony in town. Everypony deserved to feel as good as she felt right then and there.
"Thank you," Pinkie said.
Ma Pie walked into the kitchen as the two sisters came out of their hug.
"Let me finish up this salad, Pinkamina. It looks great! Inke, you go set the table and bring out the sandwiches. Pinkamina, you get the pie and the drinks. I don't know about you two, but I'm starved!" Ma Pie said.
Pinkie burst out laughing, and Inkie joined her. I've been starved for a long time now! Pinkie thought. She bounced over to the pie and took a long, deep whiff of its scent. It was going to taste so good.
Just as she was about to lift it off the sill, Pinkie Pie stopped. A small, folded piece of paper attached to a toothpick was sticking out of the pie. Puzzled, Pinkie Pie picked up the piece of paper and turned towards her mother and sister. Both of them had left the kitchen and were in the other room.
Shrugging, Pinkie Pie opened the piece of paper and felt her heart stop. The pit of her stomach boiled and she felt like she was going to be sick.
You might want to get a new toothbrush before going crazy on the sweets, Pinkie.
-G
6: Applejack
Applejack arrived home just as Granny Smith and Apple Bloom were putting dinner on the table. The smell of sweet hay and sautéed mushrooms filled the air and Applejack's stomach grumbled. She hadn't been in the mood for any of Pinkie Pie's cupcakes earlier, and she hadn't had anything to eat since before the funeral. But now with the smell of dinner in the air, her stomach rumbled like thunder and she realized just how hungry and exhausted she was.
"How you holdin' up hon?" Granny Smith asked. Like almost everypony in Ponyville, Applejack's grandmother, sister, and brother had been at the funeral. Although Applejack had sat with her former friends, she was relieved to know that her family was out there for her.
"I'm doin' alright," Applejack sighed. She collapsed into a chair just as Big Mac entered the kitchen and sat down beside her. He shot her a small smile and began to pile food on his plate.
Applejack was extremely close to her family. As her relationship with her former friends began to disintegrate, she spent more and more time on the farm. She had her older brother had grown closer together, and she had begun to spend a lot more time with her younger sister. Granny Smith began to share more family stories with her and Applejack had learned a lot about her parents that she hadn't known before. Who needed friends when you had friends amongst your family?
"It was a beautiful ceremony," Granny Smith said as she sat at the table.
"But it was sad. How can somethin' be beautiful and sad at the same time?" Apple Bloom asked. She shoved a spoonful of mushrooms into her mouth, a small frown set on her face.
"Many things can be two things at once, AB," Applejack said. Things and ponies. Ponies like Golden Pearl. She could be so polite and rude at the same time. She was beautiful and ugly. Sunny and dark. Good and bad. "It's not something I expect you to understand at your age."
"Sounds confusing," Apple Bloom said around her mouthful of mushrooms.
"It's so sad that poor young mare was missin' for a year and she was buried in her own backyard. And nopony knew," Big Mac said. Applejack pushed her food away, her appetite suddenly gone. Tears formed in her eyes as Big Mac's words set in.
"Hush now, Big MacIntosh. Time to talk 'bout somethin' else," Granny Smith said sternly. She looked over at Applejack and gave her a look of concern. Big Mac looked down at his plate, and Apple Bloom coughed uncomfortably.
"If y'all excuse me... I don't have much of an appetite after all," Applejack said. She pushed away from the table and headed up to her room. Closing the door behind her, Applejack collapsed on her bed and buried her head under her pillow. She bit back her sobs and took a deep breath.
It had taken Applejack nearly a year to get over the disappearance of Golden Pearl. She had been the main pony to put up the missing posters all over ponyville. For the first few months she had regularly gone down to the police station to see if there had been any updates. Applejack hadn't carried a phone at the time, and had to do everything by foot. She had gone out regularly with search parties, and had even conducted a few privately on her own. Even long after the other girls had given up, Applejack didn't. She couldn't. Because Golden Pearl had meant so much more to her than just a friend.
The feelings she had had for the sunny earth pony were unlike any other feelings Applejack had ever had. She'd never spoken about her feelings, unsure of who to talk to about them and who would understand. Surely her grandmother and siblings would look and think of her differently if they had learned that she had romantic feelings about one of her best friends. But they were so much more than just romantic feelings. The way her heart fluttered and nearly burst out of her chest every time she saw that golden curly mane. The way that her hooves would instantly sweat whenever she looked into those emerald eyes. Golden Pearl was the sun in Applejack's world, and when she had disappeared, it was as though the actual sun itself had vanished.
And now, after it had taken her so much effort to try and let Golden Pearl go, to know that she must have run off on some fancy adventure, probably with some handsome stallion, only to learn that she was dead and buried in her backyard... All of this talk about her was bringing up old and strong feelings that Applejack had gone to great lengths to bury. Of course now there was no way for her to explain or outlet her emotions, except to cry into her pillow. How was she supposed to express her feelings for Golden Pearl, if she was gone?
There had only been one brief time, shortly before her disappearance, that Applejack had tried to take a stab at expressing her feelings for Golden Pearl. And for one brief, short moment—a small, stolen kiss in the silo—it had seemed like Golden Pearl may have returned her feelings.
But now Applejack would never know for sure. Sometimes, when she thought back on that kiss, she really felt that Goldie had shared her feelings, that she was just as secretive and shy about them as Applejack was. And other times, more often than not, she figured that Goldie was just being herself, playing Applejack for a fool and adding her embarrassment to her long list of secrets to hold over her and the others.
"Applejack? You alright?" Apple Bloom's voice came from the other side of her door. Applejack sniffed and pulled her head out from under her pillow.
"Y-Yeah, I'm alright. But I'd like to be left alone for a while," Applejack said.
"Alright. I know you said you weren't hungry, but I brought you some dessert anyways. It's just outside the door here," Apple Bloom said.
Applejack sighed and listened as her sister walked back down the hall. She waited until the footsteps were gone and then quietly opened the door and slipped the piece of apple pie inside. She sat back up on the bed and pulled out a box from underneath it. Slowly, she began to pull out old photos, flipping through them, careful not to spill any pie on them. Pictures of Golden Pearl and the others. Pictures that she had hidden away for a long time, along with all of her other feelings. Feelings that she could not stop from resurfacing. More tears began to spill from her eyes, as Applejack sat on her bed, filling her broken heart with apple pie.
