The group of ponies made their way into Sugarcube Corner. They found a table to accommodate all of them and took a seat. They were all quiet at first. Nopony cared to make a sound. The owners weren’t around, and there was no sign of life within the store. Strangely enough, the “OPEN” sign was still on in the store’s window. Then, Scootaloo broke the silence.

“I guess everyone is wondering why I freaked out at the tra-”

“HELLO EVERYPONY! OH MY GOSH, I HAVEN’T TALKED TO ANY OF YOU IN WHAT FELT LIKE FOREVER!” The pink pony came out of nowhere, startling everypony. She gasped as she noticed the lone stallion at the table sitting next to Sweetie Belle.

“Who are you? Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, the party pony around here! Although, I haven’t got to throw a party lately, which makes me sad. But, I know I can throw a party for you and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom ‘cause then we can celebrate Apple Bloom’s birthday, Scootaloo and Sweetie coming home, and a new friend too! Oh it will be so much fun!” Pinkie finished enthusiastically.

“Umm, Pinkie, could you hold off on the warm welcome for now? Also, he would be Sweetie’s new coltfriend Thunderstruck,” Rarity clarified, shifting her eyes. Pinkie stared blankly back at Rarity for a moment before sniffling.

“But I haven’t got to really hang out with anypony lately, especially with the Cakes’ situation right now,” Pinkie replied with a frown. The poor pony appeared to be on the verge of tears.

“I know, Pinkie, you haven’t been able to get out much due to having to take care of the Cakes’ shop. But, if it makes you feel better, we can have a small party later. Just let us know when and we’ll come,” Rarity bargained. Suddenly, she found herself caught in a bone-crushing hug.

“THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!” Pinkie shouted, before happily bouncing away.

“I think it’s safe ta say she missed all o’ youze. But, then again, I did, too,” said a new voice. The group turned towards the source of the newcomer. There stood a tall Earth pony mare with a mane two shades of red and a dark-orange coat. She smiled and pulled up another chair to the table.

“Hey Babs! We ain’t talked in awhile,” Apple Bloom said. They hadn’t seen each other in almost three years. Bloom’s eighteenth birthday was coming and it made her happier knowing her favorite cousin would be there. The world was changing all around the young pony. Truth be told, she was sad that everypony around her was growing up and moving on.
There was an eerie silence at the table. Scootaloo, her fillyfriend, was not the same filly she once was: poor, abused, neglected, bullied, but that didn’t seem to ever stop her. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were both happy for Sweetie Belle the day she got her cutiemark. However, they also felt jealous, though neither would admit it.

Scootaloo stayed quiet; there was a lot on the pegasus’ mind. The one pony she was terrified of she’d seen today at the train station. If Babs had heard them talking, did he hear them too? The thought scared the pegasus.
The stallion who’d caused her harm so many times was here in Ponyville. Then, there was the fact of her dating her best friend. He was a bigot, that was the fact of the matter, and if he had seen Scootaloo…Scootaloo shivered at the thought. The only thing Scootaloo knew for a fact was that Ponyville, the town where acceptance was the way life, was about to face some serious prejudice.

Sweetie Belle knew something was wrong. She could feel the tension in the air. The unicorn, who was now a rising star in Equestria, felt as if she were being crushed by a huge weight. Her friends and family meant everything to her, and if she lost them she didn’t know what she would do. The white pony would make sure to help her friends no matter what it took. She knew that she couldn’t fix everything, but she would try.

Babs Seed was wondering what was wrong. There was no sound in Sugarcube Corner. It almost seemed deserted, minus the ponies at the table. Something was wrong, and she needed to figure out what. Where are the Cakes? she wondered. There was no sign of any member of the Cake family, excluding Pinkie of course. She had noticed her friends heading here and expected a warm welcome. But all conversation just seemed to stop.

Her eyes landed on Thunderstruck. The colt seemed quiet and mysterious. Babs suddenly felt a shiver she couldn’t explain.

Thunderstruck, who had been friends with Sweetie Belle for a few months before asking her out, sat there in silence. He was nervous but didn’t let it show. He wasn’t smiling at all. In fact, he had a look of intensity. He wanted to speak, but could find nothing to say. These mares seemed nice, but that did little to faze his discomfort.

Applejack, the understanding mare she was, knew there was something bad coming. The orange mare felt stuck. She could break the silence and hope to make the room less tense.

The mare also knew that there was trouble everywhere. With the Cakes trying to recover from a horrible event, and the farm needing more workers than it had, the mare knew was she wasn’t going to have anything easily. She also knew death was the easiest thing to accomplish in life, but wasn’t going down without a fight.

Rarity was thinking about this long and hard. Her sister was back and she couldn’t be happier. However, she also felt betrayed her sister didn’t tell anypony of her coltfriend--not even her own sibling. Rarity was at a loss. The Element Of Generosity couldn’t think of any way to help her friends. Her own sister left the fashionista in the dark. Maybe the good times are all in the past. The funny thing is, Rarity thought to herself, I deserve it.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, a pink Earth pony was trying her best to keep her composure and make her friends treats. Money was running low, especially after paying for medical bills and a funeral. Pinkie imagined her face--so sweet, so young, and beautiful. Or…she would have been. The filly was almost like Sweetie Belle in a respect. Pound Cake cried for days after his sister’s passing. She was gone at the age of nine, almost ten. Pinkie wanted everypony to be happy, but how could one pony do that? Especially with things as they were.

Applejack knew she would have to break the silence. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth.

“So, everypony, it’s been a while. How abou’ one o’ ya’ll tell us a lil’ abou’ wha’s goin’ on?” the country mare asked. After a moment, nopony said anything. Applejack turned her Stetson down and sighed.

“Alrigh’ then, how abou’ Ah say somethin’? Now listen up ya’ll, we go’ somepony new. So, tell us abou’ yerself Mister Thunderstruck, an’ don’ be shy,” Applejack urged. The stallion knew he shouldn’t be rude, and spoke after a moment.

“Well, I’m from Canterlot, but I was born in Baltimare. Umm…I’ve always been kinda shy, and I like sports,” Thunderstruck awkwardly replied. Applejack raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Alrigh’…well, uhh, Scootaloo, care to tell us why ya’ll ‘re here?”

“Well, at the train station, I saw somepony. The last time I saw him, he tried to kill me,” Scootaloo answered. Everypony looked at her, expecting more information. Applejack merely moved on to the next pony at the table.

“Alrigh’ Rares, what ar’ ya thinkin’ abou’?”

“Oh, nothing, darling. Just business you know, so tiring,” Rarity said. The fashionista noticed Applejack raise an eyebrow. Rarity wondered if the Element of Honesty could also detect lies.

“So Babs, how’s Manehattan treatin’ ya?” Applejack asked.

“It could be betta. I like ta think life’s pretty good,” the Manehattan filly replied. Truthfully, she had no real problems here nor there. Though she dealt with a little prejudice, for the most part, she was fine. Applejack looked towards the kitchen and sighed.

“If y’all excuse me, Ah’ll be in the kitchen,” Applejack stated. The farmer felt like something was wrong as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen. She stopped in front of the door and opened it.
Pinkie was in front of the oven with tears in her eyes. The mare loved the filly like a younger sister. The pink pony didn’t hear the door open and continued sobbing. She couldn’t help herself. The pain was too much. The party pony didn’t notice a hoof wrap around her in a friendly embrace.

“It’ll be alrigh’, sugarcube. Ah know it’s painful ta lose somepony close ta ya.” Applejack spoke in hopes of consoling the mare. It was six months ago, but Applejack knew that nopony ever really gets over losing somepony.

“I know, Applejack, but she was so young…why did...” Pinkie began sobbing harder before she could finish the sentence. Applejack knew there was a lot more than loss going on. Her friends were moving on and doing other things and everypony was busy. Pinkie was pretty much alone. The Cakes were barely ever there, and Pinkie never had a special somepony.
Pinkie Pie, the party mare, was doing her best to help everypony. However, her youth was going before its time. Applejack knew she had to think of something. Suddenly, she had an idea.

“Pinkie, how abou’ me an’ you hang out aroun’ town tonight, jus’ like ol’ times?” Applejack asked the party pony. Pinkie mustered a small smile and nodded.

“Why don’ ya go upstairs an’ get some rest for now,” the farm-pony suggested sincerely. She watched as her friend exited the kitchen. The orange mare sighed once more.

Author's Note

Thanks to Bad_Seed_72 for edits.

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