My First Party

Chapters

Chapter 1: Memories
Chapter 2: Return
Chapter 3: Healing

Chapter 1: Memories

MY FIRST PARTY
Chapter 1: Memories

MLP:FiM Fan Fiction
By: Scy Storm
ssbs.furrynet.com

AUTHOR'S NOTES: So I thought a lot of this up at work, and also in some brainstorming sessions with a brony friend of mine. I decided to write a bit of a tragic backstory for Pinkie, and turn it into a journey to reconnect her with her family that we only briefly saw in the show. Also an excuse to write some Pinkie/Dash shipping. Let's see how it goes. One last note: This was conceived with Season 1 in mind, so apologies in advance if Season 2 completely wipes out the canon in the future.

"Dash! You awake? Get out here, girl!"

Two eager pegasi hopped up and down on a cloud, floating directly in front of Rainbow Dash's home. A few moments passed before the head of the rainbow pegasus popped out of one of her windows. She glanced downward at the commotion, spotting Lightning Bolt and Raindrops staring upward at her excitedly. Dash flashed them a look of annoyance. "Can't a girl get a morning routine in?!"

Raindrops laughed incredulously. "Dash, you don't even own a hairbrush."

Dash huffed and tossed her head back. Yeah, they knew her a bit too well. "Doesn't mean I don't have a routine! What are you two doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be working?"

"The sky is great today, so we got the day off for now, just like you!" Lightning Bolt said excitedly.

"Come on, Dash! You want to go do some tricks? It's been ages since we got some practice in," Raindrops added, doing a quick backflip just for kicks.

Dash chuckled and flapped her wings, hovering out of her cloud home and floating herself down to a position in front of the two. "Sorry girls, but Pinkie Pie has the day off, too."

A set of disappointed whines came from the white and gold mares. "I was afraid of that," Raindrops said.

"It's no fun doing tricks without you!" Lightning Bolt noted.

Dash chuckled once more, striking a victory pose in midair. "You know it! You girls can't keep up with me, anyway. Maybe you should go deliver mail with Ditzy instead. That'll be more your speed. Bwahaha!"

With that, Dash laughed and zipped away from the two, the shockwave of her dash disintegrating the cloud the girls were standing on. The two yelped and plummeted briefly, quickly flapping their wings and flying away from Dash's home with annoyed looks.

Rainbow herself flew through the morning air of Ponyville, doing a few spins just for fun, right over the heads of some surprised townsponies. She was happy, after all. She and Pinkie had become a romantic item only a few months before. None of her friends had expected it, and honestly, Dash hadn't either. Everyone was supportive, including Pinkie's adopted family, to Dash's surprise. If only their work schedules didn't get in the way so often. Mutual days off for her and Pinkie were getting few and far between, but now, they had one. Dash wanted to make the best of it. This is gonna be so awesome!

Thoughts of anything and everything she wanted to do today went through her head as Sugarcube Corner came into view. Pinkie certainly had to be awake, but just to make sure, Dash decided to head through the front door and ask nicely. After two quick barrel rolls, Dash landed gracefully on her feet and strolled into the shop, pushing the door open with her snout. A ringing bell alerted the shop owners to her presence. "Oh! Hello, Rainbow Dash," Mrs. Cake said cheerfully.

The pegasus practically skipped up to the front counter. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Is Pinkie awake yet?"

All signs of cheer immediately drained from Mrs. Cake's face. "P-Pinkie? Oh... Dear me..."

Rainbow tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? What's up?"

Mrs. Cake found herself at a loss for words. Her husband Carrot stepped into view. "Pinkie needs some alone time right now, Dash," he said.

"Alone time? Why? Is she sick?"

Mr. Cake shook his head and briefly considered how to answer. "No. She's just... very upset."

Dash blinked a few times. Did she really just hear that? "Pinkie Pie, upset? Is this some kind of a joke?"

"No, deary. She's not well right now and needs some space," Mrs. Cake stated, ending her momentary silence.

Dash found herself looking at the floor, rubbing her head with a hoof. It didn't sound right at all. She could only remember one time Pinkie had been in a bad mood, but that had been due to a misunderstanding on her birthday. Had something happened overnight? Why was Pinkie upset right in the morning? Why was Pinkie upset at all?! "Why aren't you two talking to her?" Dash finally asked.

"We've tried before. Our words don't help, so we just let her get over it herself. She always does," Mrs. Cake explained.

Dash looked even more shocked. "Are you telling me this happens a lot?!"

Mrs. Cake looked down sadly. Mr. Cake spoke up once more. "Yes, Dash. Every so often. She doesn't tell you girls because she doesn't want you to worry."

The pegasus' shock began to slip into confused anger. "Well now I'm here and now I'm worried! I can't imagine Pinkie just... closed up all day being sad! Why is she even sad?! Pinkie doesn't get sad!"

Mr. Cake recoiled slightly at Dash's outburst. "We... don't really know why for sure. It's too painful for her to share, so we don't press it. We care about her."

Rainbow processed these words carefully, and regained control of her emotions. Pinkie was upset and locked in her room. This was almost scary. Dash received memories of the last time something like this happened; the birthday surprise party. Something was different here, however, and the looks on the Cakes' faces said as much. Dash knew what she needed to do. "Can I talk to her?" she finally asked.

The Cakes looked at each other in slight surprise. They hadn't even considered that. "A-Are you sure, Rainbow?" Mrs. Cake asked, glancing back at the pegasus.

Dash nodded, standing tall and brimming with confidence. Her loyalty toward her closest of friends shone in her eyes. "You make this sound serious. I've... never really been good with mushy stuff. But I love Pinkie, I can't just go and leave her like this. She needs me."

The Cakes looked at each other again, Carrot smiling and nodding to his wife. Cup returned the smile. "Alright, Rainbow. She's all yours," she said.

Rainbow smiled widely. "Thank you... I'll do my best!"

Cup nodded in reply, gesturing toward the stairs with one of her hooves. "Her door should be unlocked. Just be careful. If anypony can snap her out of this, it's you."

Dash nodded, giving one of her trademark salutes before making her way to the stairs and beginning her climb. Halfway up, all her worries she had been withholding came rushing back to her. She stopped and shuddered slightly. Her gaze turned down to the shop owners, who still bore looks of sadness. She then turned her gaze to the top of the stairs and the darkened hallway that waited, a million feelings and thoughts running through her head. This was not how she expected today to go, or what she expected to be doing. That no longer mattered, however. All that mattered was helping the pony she loved. With a sigh, she continued her trek to the upper floors, a cold, heavy knot growing in her stomach the whole way. I'm coming, Pinkie...

Rainbow stood a few feet in front of Pinkie's door, staring. The knot in her stomach was fierce. Could she do this? She had never been the best at comforting her friends during a bad moment. Pinkie could possibly be even harder to crack. Dash shook her head and knocked on it with one hoof. Pull it together, Rainbow. She needs you.

With a deep breath, she stepped closer to the door. Her ears then perked as she heard the noise for the first time, muffled through the closed door. It was crying. A pitiful sobbing in that sweet, high-pitched voice she knew so well. Rainbow's courage faltered once more, her hoof frozen in the air. Fight it, Dash...

Her hoof came down, quietly pushing the handle down and unlatching the door. She slipped her head inside the room, and her eyes came to rest a most pitiful sight. Pinkie's bright colorful room was partially shrouded in darkness, the windows covered by curtains blocking most of the light. The party pony herself sat on her haunches on the edge of her bed, eyes looking down at the floor. Her face was covered by her hanging hair, which was completely straight, just like the last time Dash had seen her in a bad mental state. Her entire coat seemed to be a darker shade of pink as well, just like the last time. Dash quietly slipped the rest of her body into the room and closed the door behind her, her body shuddering now that the earthmare's crying was no longer muffled by the door. She stared at her crying lover for a few moments, a rush of new emotions coursing through her head. Never before had someone so close to her been in such a state. "Pinkie..." Dash finally said, almost too quietly due to her hesitation.

Pinkie gasped in shock. Her head shot up, bright blue eyes staring at Dash with a look of horror. "Dashie! Nonono, Dashie, you can't be here!!"

Dash stared into those scared eyes, gulping once and slowly walking toward the earthmare. "Well, I am here, Pinkie. I'm here to help you."

Pinkie whined loudly and scrambled backward onto her bed, pressing back into her jumble of pillows, as if trying to run from the pegasus. "No, Dashie, no! You can't see me like this, not again..."

Dash stopped walking momentarily and winced. This was worse than she had thought. Pinkie had been angry and upset the previous time Dash had stumbled on her in her odd straight-haired state. This time, it was outright despair. The Cakes had told her Pinkie was sad, but Dash had been not prepared for just how sad. The pegasus refused to take her eyes off the crazed mare, and continued walking forward. "Too late, Pinkie."

The pink mare backed herself against the back of her bed, curling her face away from Dash and wrapping her forelegs around a large pillow. "P-Please... I can deal with it alone! Just go home..."

Rainbow didn't answer. She hopped onto Pinkie's bed instead, watching the miserable pony sob into her pillow. Her own cheeks became wet with tears. Normally, she hated crying. She hated showing weakness. This time, however, she didn't care. She barely even noticed. Slowly she inched closer, her hoof eventually moving to brush against Pinkie's flank. The pink pony twitched hard and shivered, squeezing her pillow tighter. Dash sniffled once, continuing to pet the earthmare's pink pelt reassuringly, or as reassuringly as she could at least, given her inexperience. "Pinkie... L-Look at me," she choked out.

Pinkie shuddered hard again. She fought the urge to look, but Dash kept at it, petting her quietly. After a few moments, Pinkie hesitantly turned her head from her pillow. Their gazes met and locked. Tears dripped freely down Rainbow's cyan cheeks, her rose-colored eyes pooled with a pleading look. For the first time Pinkie had ever seen, Dash looked vulnerable. Vulnerable, sad, and yet... caring. Caring only about her. They stared at each other in near silence, the only noise being the occasional sniffle. At last, Pinkie began to shake, her pillow dropping back to the bed. "Oh Dashie!"

The earthmare leapt at the pegasus, latching her forelegs around her body and sobbing hard into her chest. Dash raised her own hooves up and wrapped them gently around the crying pony, one stroking over her head and down her straightened mane. She said nothing. Nothing needed to be said yet. She didn't know what Pinkie was so upset about just yet, but she knew right then that Pinkie needed someone. Someone to cry on. Her grip around Pinkie tightened, the pegasus continuing to ignore her own tears. Just let it all out, Pinkie. You need this. I can feel it.

It felt like all day before Pinkie was finally calmed down, her tears having run dry. Her sobbing had ceased, replaced instead with soft gasps and sniffles. Dash remained quiet the whole time, her own tears also having ceased, all dried up on her cheeks. She loosened her grip on Pinkie and stared down at her, the first major movement she had done since the embrace started. Pinkie felt it, and finally pulled herself away from the pegasus, looking up and locking gazes again. A soft, loving smile curled over Rainbow's face as she used a hoof to brush Pinkie's mane away from her eyes. "Feeling better now?" she asked softly.

Pinkie attempted a smile, but just couldn't do it. Instead, she nodded slightly. "M-Mostly."

Rainbow's smile faded only slightly. "'Mostly' is good. At least I've gotten somewhere."

Pinkie's face turned downward, eyes staring at nothing in particular. "Thank you, Dashie... I didn't know how much I needed that. Somepony to cry on."

The pegasus slid her hoof underneath the earthmare's chin to lift her gaze upward once more, a noticeable look of worry in her eyes. "Pinkie. What is all this? This isn't like you at all."

Pinkie turned her eyes away from Dash's gaze, her lip quivering. "I... I'm..." she stammered.

"Come on, Pinks. If I wasn't so worried, I'd be scared right now!"

Pinkie clenched her eyes shut, her tears threatening to well up once more. "I'm a terrible pony, Dashie..."

That was certainly not what Dash expected to hear. Well, she hadn't had a clue what she was going to hear, but these particular words caught her off guard nonetheless. "Why in Equestria would you say that?!"

The pink mare's entire body noticeably quivered, her emotions threatening to go out of control again. A soft gasp came out of her as Dash leaned forward, nuzzling her cheek against Pinkie's forehead. Immediately, the mare's quivering stopped. Regaining her composure, she spoke calmly. "I abandoned my family."

Dash blinked a few times and pondered. Pinkie's family? She recalled hearing that story. Pinkie's early years had been spent on a rock farm, of all places. Dash couldn't think of a place that sounded more boring than that. As far as she knew, however, Pinkie had connected with her family when she had gotten her cutie mark. Her first party. "What do you mean, 'you abandoned them'?"

Pinkie slowly rubbed her head against Dash's cheek as her voice continued to sound calm and full of certainty. "I ran away, and never looked back. I abandoned them. My family, Dashie. I'm a terrible pony."

With a blink of her eyelids, two fresh tears slid down Pinkie's cheeks. Dash pulled her head away from Pinkie's as she tried to process this new information. "You never told me that part of your story, Pinkie. What about your first party? You said you all danced together. What the heck happened?"

Pinkie stared into Dash's eyes with a level of sadness the pegasus would have thought impossible to see in the party pony. "Do you really want to know?"

Dash steeled her nerves and nodded. "Please."

~*~*~

The pink filly stared with sad eyes at her surroundings inside the silo. Another late afternoon spent putting her decorations back up with care, including inflating the balloons. Well, most of them. She hadn't gone all the way with the party. Most of the balloons were left uninflated, no treats had been prepared, and she hadn't even turned on the music. She tried to will herself to finish, but there was no point. All of these decorations she had bought with her allowance for her first party, and she couldn't get her family to enjoy them like they did the first time she put them up. It felt like every day that she was out there setting up the party again, and every time she received nothing but anger from her parents. Her work on the rocks was also suffering more and more with each attempt, which only served to make things worse. Why do they hate my parties? The first one was so great...

With a heavy sigh, she leaned her face down to push the box containing the rest of the balloons and decor, intent on putting it away. "Psst, Pinkie," there suddenly came a voice.

Pinkie raised her head and looked toward the door. Her two sisters were peeking inside, worried looks on their faces. For only a brief moment, Pinkie was hopeful. "You came? You came to my party?" she asked.

"No, Pinkie. Mom and Dad are getting really angry again. You didn't work enough today!"

"You need to stop this, sis. Please!"

Pinkie whined and stared at her sisters with almost pleading eyes. "I can't! I got my cutie mark! This is my special talent! Why can't you all just come back to my parties? Our first party was so great!"

Before her sisters could answer, there came the loud voice of their father. "Pinkamena!!"

The two sisters practically squeaked and ran away from the silo's entrance, back toward the house. Pinkie only shuddered, and stayed put. She knew what was coming next, another repeat of the same scenario as every other day they approached her out in the silo. Eventually, the forms of her mother and father appeared at the entrance, both looking plenty angered. "Pinkamena Diane Pie! Are you decorating again?!" her mother asked.

Pinkie recoiled. "M-Mom..."

"There's a lot of rock harvesting that didn't get done, Pinkamena. How many times have we had this talk?!" spoke her father next.

The filly shivered noticeably. Too many times. "D-Dad, I..."

Clyde stomped his hoof loudly, causing Pinkie to squeak and practically leap out of her skin. That was new. "No excuses, young lady. No talking back. What I say goes around here, and I said to stop this party nonsense and keep up with your work!"

Pinkie shivered. Her father was angrier than ever. "But why, Daddy, why?! Can't you see-"

She was cut off by another stomp of the stallion's hoof. "I won't repeat myself again!"

"And for goodness sakes, comb your hair back down. You look ridiculous," Roxy added.

It was too much to bear. This angry conversation had happened too many times. The filly was practically convulsing in front her parents. Her teeth were clenched, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Day after day they had a conversation just like this, and as her parent's anger grew, so did the pink filly's own anger and despair. She had reached her boiling point. A hint of concern began to cross the faces of the two adults at the door. "P-Pinkamena, what are you doing?" Roxy stated with slight worry.

There came a noise not unlike a deflating balloon. Pinkie turned her gaze back up, anger glowing in her eyes as her mane and tail hung limp. "How could you do this to me?!" she yelled, louder than she had ever been in the presence of her parents.

The adults were momentarily stunned. Clyde quickly recovered. "Pinkamena, you stop yelling this instant!"

Pinkie ignored the order. "Don't you see my cutie mark?! I found my special talent! The party pony, the pony who spreads happiness! It's not a bunch of ROCKS! I found my true talent and you don't even care?!"

Clyde returned to being stunned at Pinkie's uncharacteristic outburst. Roxy attempted to speak. "N-Now listen here, young lady..."

"What happened? I threw my first party ever, and you and the sisters loved it. We've never done anything like that before. You were happy... WE were happy! It was amazing! Why do you hate it now? Don't you love me anymore?"

Roxy gasped. "P-Pinkie! Don't say such things!"

"I do this all for you, for the sisters! I want us to be a family again!"

"We are a family, Pinkie, always have been! We don't need parties to be a family!" Roxy tried to explain.

Her daughter wouldn't be swayed. "Family?! What kind of family bans talking and laughter and parties and... and FUN! Don't you remember dancing with me, mommy, daddy? I've been doing this almost every day for you, so we can have fun again!"

Clyde snorted in annoyance. "I'm sick of this foolishness!"

Roxy gasped and looked at him. "Clyde, don't say that!"

It may have been the worst thing to say. "I KNEW it! You don't love me anymore!" Pinkie screamed.

Her mother continued her attempts at damage control. "Pinkamena, you're wrong, we-"

Pinkie stomped her front hooves, causing her mother to gasp and cut her words short. Tears staining the floor below the filly. "You don't love me anymore! You hate my parties, you hate my cute mark, you... You hate me! You're not my parents! My parents should LOVE me, and everything I do! I hate you, I HATE YOU!!"

Like a bolt of lightning, the filly shot right past her parents, sobbing loudly. "Pinkamena, WAIT!" Clyde yelled after her.

Pinkie ran into her house, passing by her worried sisters at the front door. She ran straight upstairs to her room and buried herself in her own bed. There she cried, and cried. No one came up to the room. Her sisters may have been too afraid to do so. Eventually, she could hear arguing. Her parents argued over what had happened. Pinkie had never acted like that before, and they knew it. Her father couldn't believe he had witnessed such defiance. Her mother thought they had been too hard on her. Pinkie didn't believe a word of that. She forced a pillow over her ears to try and block out the noise. Losing track of time, she remained in a state of distress, lamenting the giant crack in her relationship with her own family, and pondering what she had to do next. She couldn't stay there, not with ponies that hated her and her talents. Making up her mind, Pinkie cried herself to sleep.

She woke up some time later, several hours at least. It was night outside. Candlelight still illuminated her room; her sisters forgot to extinguish it. She raised her head and saw that her sisters were sleeping soundly. That was good... She didn't want to wake them. Fighting back her emotions, Pinkie worked quickly, and quietly. She dug out a somewhat large set of saddlebags her grandmother had left behind for her, where she kept some of her personal belongings, such as her old ice skating shoes and a jar full of what bits she had left. She took the shoes out and packed a sizable blanket instead. She then quietly snuck downstairs, taking the candle lamp with her for more light. She packed away some food from the pantry, as much as she could get into one bag without leaving the pantry cleaned out. As she sorted through the contents of her bag, she found something. One more personal item: A simple bright pink, plastic party horn. She stared at it in silence for a time. It was precious to her, the only one she had managed to find when she had bought her party supplies. Looking at it served to remind her of her fateful first party. Tears began to form in her eyes.

Leaving her saddlebags, she snuck back upstairs, carefully setting the lamp back in its spot on the table near the beds. She took long glances at each of her sisters. They were innocent in all this. She loved them, and she didn't want to leave them, but she had no choice. Her mind was made up. She placed her pink horn on top of her pillow, and adjusted the blanket to make her bed neat. Tears slid down her cheeks as she looked at her sisters one last time in silence, before blowing out the candle in the lamp. I love you both... I'm sorry.

Pinkie went back downstairs, using the moonlight from the windows to guide her in what would otherwise be pitch blackness. She slipped her saddlebags over her back, just managing to handle the weight. As quietly as possible, she left her home through the front door, and walked away. Once she made it a few yards from the door, she began to run. Slowly at first, then ever faster, tears running from her eyes the whole way. She ran as fast she could, eyes forward, and never looked back.

~*~*~

Pinkie's head lay against Rainbow's chest, new tears having managed to manifest in her eyes as she told her story of the day she left her family. Dash was in a minor state of shock. She never would have imagined Pinkie parted with her family in such a way. The two remained in silence for a time, before Pinkie raised her head. "Do you see now, Dashie? I'm a terrible pony."

Dash blinked a few times, snapping out of her stunned state. "It... It sounds like it was horrible there, Pinkie... How are you a terrible pony?"

Pinkie sniffled, reaching up and wiping her face with a hoof. "I abandoned my family, Dash. My sisters didn't deserve to lose their big sister. My parents might have been meanies, but they're my parents. You only have one set of parents, Dashie..."

Dash rubbed her own forehead, trying to think of any way she could salvage this. "It... It just sounds to me like you got out of a bad situation. Now you're in a great one!"

The earthmare looked down at the bedsheets below. "I've thrown so many parties. I have memories of all the best ones. They were great... but I always think about the first one. My first ever party. The first time my family really felt like a family... It was the happiest I'd ever felt in my life. How could I just throw that away, Dashie? I could have tried harder to get them to open their eyes. I could have made us a happy family again. Instead, I ran away. I ran and I never looked back."

Rainbow stared at her in silence. Pinkie had laid her soul bare with calm, precise words, bitter tears dripping to the sheets below in the wake of her tale. She wasn't sobbing this time. Just... crying. The pegasus' mind was tied into ribbons. She had been doing so well in cheering up Pinkie until now. I don't know what to do...

Pinkie sniffled once, breaking the silence and wiping her face again. Her gaze turned back up to Dash, and for just a moment, it looked as if the faintest of smiles crossed her face. "Sorry, Dashie. I know it's a lot to take in. But... I think I needed this. I needed to tell somepony all this. You're a good listener."

She leaned forward and gently rested her face on the pegasus' chest once more. Dash winced. She didn't want to be just a listener. She wanted to snap Pinkie out of this, hopefully for good. She tried to find a parallel, a similarity between Pinkie's situation and her own experiences. She thought back to her time as a filly going through summer camps and eventually flight school. She remembered arguments with her parents, especially the rather heated ones. It was here that Dash had an epiphany. "Pinkie... I know what you need to do."

The pink mare raised her head back up and flashed the pegasus a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

Dash raised Pinkie's forelegs up slightly and firmly pressed their hooves together, looking into the pink mare's eyes. "You need to see them. You need to see your family."

Pinkie gasped, and started to quiver, only softly at first but quickly gaining in intensity. "I... I... N-No! Dashie, I couldn't. I could never go back!"

The pegasus leaned forward, sliding her nose against Pinkie's cheek, causing the earthmare to immediately stop her quivering. "When I was young, I was a bit of a terror sometimes. My parents often couldn't stand it. It got even worse once I was old enough for flight school. We got into a lot of fights. Some were really bad. Sometimes I even told them I hated them. But you know what always happened, Pinkie?"

"W-What happened, Dashie?"

Rainbow pulled her head back and stared into those blue eyes once again. "I went back to them. I told them I was sorry. They told me they were sorry. Even if I said I hated them, I never really meant it. They said things they regretted too, and never meant it. I loved them, and I missed them, and they loved me too. A few little fights could never change that."

Pinkie stared into Dash's eyes, her lower lip quivering. She couldn't speak. A gentle smile curled across Dash's face. "You love them, Pinkie. You love them and you miss them, and you know what I think? I think they love you and miss you too. That's what I think."

A spark of realization seemed to shine in Pinkie's eyes. "They... They miss me..."

Dash saw the spark. She was finally getting somewhere. "Yes, Pinkie. That's what is going to snap you out of this, I know it!"

Pinkie's hooves dropped away from Dash's as her eyes glanced to the side. She almost seemed... embarrassed. "I... I can't say I haven't thought about it. Going back to see them. I was just so afraid of what would happen, like they'd hate me even more for showing my face in front of them again."

For the first time in this entire ordeal, Dash actually chuckled. "Afraid? Pinkie Pie is afraid of something? You're pulling my wing, girl."

Rainbow could actually see the blush of embarrassment appear on Pinkie's face. "H-Hey... I can be afraid of things too... It's a sensitive subject!"

Dash rubbed one hoof under her chin in thought. After a moment, something clicked. An almost devious smile went across her face. "You know, I was taught a song about this once."

Pinkie finally looked at Dash again, confused. "You were... taught a song?"

"Oh, I never sang it for you before? Would you like me to?"

Pinkie looked even more confused, staring down an even wider grin on the pegasus' face. "I... guess?"

Dash stood up to all fours, humming a soft tune, her body starting to bob up and down slightly. Suddenly, she leapt off the bed, going toward one of the windows. "When I was a little filly and the sun was going doooown~" she sang, pulling the curtains fully closed for effect.

Pinkie stared for a moment, before gasping. "D-Dashie!"

Rainbow suddenly zipped next to her. "The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me froooown~" she sang, using her hooves to stretch her face into a ridiculous frown.

Pinkie stared at her with an angry look in her eyes, but the look was betrayed by the smile curled across her face. "You're stealing my song!"

The pegasus ignored that exclamation and zipped underneath Pinkie's pile of pillows, shuddering like crazy for effect. "I'd hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw..." Dash suddenly stood up, sending the pillows flying. "But Granny Dash said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all!"

She zipped up in front of Pinkie and went silent, staring into her face with an wide, expecting grin. Pinkie brought her hooves up to her face, stifling a gigglefit. Finally, she played along. "Then what is?!"

Dash suddenly leapt over Pinkie, landing near the end of the bed and striking a regal pose. "She said: Rainbow, you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fears!" She began to hop up and down in the trademark Pinkie Pie bounce across the bed's edge. "You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear: HA! HA! HA-Whoooa!!"

Rainbow failed to notice she had ran out of bed with her final bounce. The pegasus fell straight down to the floor, landing chest first, her legs spread out in four directions. She raised her head up, eyes spinning around briefly in dizziness. Pinkie looked down at the pegasus from her vantage point on the bed, at first with a worried look in her eyes. Then, a wide smile crept across her face. Seconds later, the pink mare flopped back onto the bed, giggling up a storm. "Ehehehehe!! Oh Celestia, you're Rainbow Crash again! Hahahaha!!"

Dash shook off her dizzy spell, ears perking. Pinkie was laughing? She grinned widely. Pinkie is laughing! I did it!

The pegasus hopped back to her feet, climbing on the bed again. There she saw Pinkie on her back, clutching her aching sides while continuing to giggle like crazy. Her mane and tail had returned to the poofy state Dash knew so well, and her entire body seemed to be of a brighter color pink on top of that. Dash had finally snapped her out of her rut. The pegasus briefly joined in with Pinkie's laughter. "So I guess you liked my song, huh?"

Pinkie slowly but surely suppressed her gigglefit, staring at the cyan pony and wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. Dash idly wondered if she was going to answer, when suddenly Pinkie zipped in front of her, yanking the pegasus into deep kiss. Rainbow's cheeks went red as an apple. She was used to this embrace, but wasn't expecting it after all that had happened. After a moment, the pegasus closed her eyes and squeezed her forelegs around the pink pony, returning her kiss with earnest. Pinkie draped her forelegs loosely around Dash's neck, her throat rumbling with soft noises of pleasure. After what felt like minutes, their muzzles separated, noses still pressed together. "Thank you..." Pinkie said softly.

Dash gently stroked one of her hooves through her marefriend's now-perky mane. "I love you, Pinkie. I just want you to be happy."

Their faces separated, eyes opening once more to meet each others' gazes. Pinkie smiled warmly. "I'm happy now, Dashie. Thanks to you."

Dash's face showed its own warm smile, but it soon faded as a thought came to her mind. "But for how long, Pinkie? This is just going to happen to you again, isn't it?"

Pinkie's own smile faded, her head dipping downward, a look of shame showing on her face. "Y-Yes, most likely..."

Dash brought one of her hooves under Pinkie's chin to raise her head back up, meeting gazes once more. "I wasn't kidding before, Pinkie. You need to see them again. You have to show your family that you still love them, and see that they still love you."

Pinkie's eyes drifted away from Rainbow's gaze as she lost herself in her thoughts. Eventually, she nodded. "I know, Dashie. I've known for so long, but I've just been so afraid..."

"Well what about now, Pinkie? You've told somepony your story. You've let it all out. Are you still afraid?"

The pink mare took a deep breath before she answered. "No, Dashie. I... I can do it, but... I can't do it alone."

Her eyes met Dash's gaze again. It was a pleading look, one full of hope. Dash stared into the beautiful blue eyes, her smile returning. "I guess that doesn't leave me much of a choice then, does it?"

Her answer was met with a huge grin and a tight hug from the pink pony. "Yaaay! We're gonna go on an adventure! We've never been on an adventure before with just the two of us, have we? We did go to the Everfree Forest, and also the mountain where you kicked the dragon in the face, but our friends were there for those. Ohmigosh!"

Dash grunted and shoved Pinkie's squeezing forelegs downward to her stomach, to free the constriction on her lungs. She sighed then, listening to Pinkie ramble. She never thought she'd actually be happy to hear the crazed rambling, but after being with a depressed Pinkie all morning, the rambling was like sweet music to her ears. "I'm glad you're excited, Pinkie, but we're not going yet. We should take a few days at least to prepare and let everypony know where we're going."

Pinkie nodded several times. "Okie dokie lokie!"

Dash smiled blissfully. Pinkie was normal again. With another shove, she popped out of the tight hug and fluttered her way to the floor. "Now that that's all settled, I had a lot of things I wanted to do today... You up for some pranks?" she asked, grinning mischievously.

"Hmm... It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Something wrong, honey bun?"

"Rainbow has been up there quite a while, Carrot. Do you think she managed to cheer Pinkie up?"

As if on cue, a streak of rainbow flew down the stairs, the cyan pegasus stopping and fluttering just in front of the door leading out. She had a sack around her neck, filled with unknown contents. "Hey! Sorry about the wait! Everything is cool now!"

The Cakes stared at her in confusion, before gasping as Pinkie came skipping down the stairs, carrying on her back two large saddlebags full of cans of multiple colors of cake frosting. "La la la la la~ Oh hey Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Dashie and I are going out for the day to have fun! See you tonight!"

Dash pulled the shop door open, letting Pinkie bounce her way outside. "Hehehe... This is gonna be so awesome!" she said before zipping out after her.

The Cakes stood there in stunned silence, staring at the door for a few moments, before turning to each other and smiling brightly.

TO BE CONTINUED...

MLP:FiM and all Characters/Locations Copyright © Hasbro & Lauren Faust
Characters/Locations used without permission

~ Scy

Chapter 2: Return

MY FIRST PARTY
Chapter 2: Return

MLP:FiM Fan Fiction
By: Scy Storm
ssbs.furrynet.com

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry for the wait, everypony! Writing is a slow process for me, given my full time job and frequent creative blocks. Plus, this is a pretty long chapter. ;) Hope you enjoy.

"So that's the whole story... We're leaving tomorrow."

Twilight Sparkle rubbed her hoof across her chin, staring up at the ceiling of her library in thought. Rainbow Dash stared back at her silently, letting her process the entire story she had just heard. "It's hard to believe that Pinkie Pie of all ponies could get that sad," Twilight finally spoke.

"Yeah, I know... I'm really glad I snapped her out of it. Now we just need to hunt down her family so this doesn't happen again."

"I'm a little confused though, Rainbow. Didn't she once say she lived on a rock farm outside Ponyville?"

Dash chuckled softly and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Well, you know Pinkie Pie. When she said 'outside Ponyville,' she didn't actually mean right outside..."

Twilight couldn't help but laugh a little. "I should have guessed. Where is it?"

"It's just outside Maresburg. I've never been there, but apparently it's a day's away by train."

The librarian nodded, though a curious look remained in her eyes. "So, you think you could be gone a week or two? I'm not sure if the one and only Rainbow Dash can survive being on a rock farm for that long."

Rainbow grinned with fake amusement. "Ha, ha, ha... The reason is her sisters. We think they grew up and moved away, so we need to find out where they are, then take more train rides."

"Are you sure you two can afford that?"

"We pooled our bits, and the Cakes helped out a little. I don't think we need very much, but it's fine."

Twilight nodded in reply, a smile curling across her face. She took a few steps forward and gave her friend an affectionate nuzzle. "It's very sweet of you to do this for her, Rainbow."

Dash felt her cheeks redden, the pegasus curling her face away from her friend's nuzzle, embarrassed. "Y-Yeah, whatever... She said she didn't want to be alone."

"I know you would have gone with her even if she didn't say that."

Rainbow smirked and forced an incredulous chuckle. Of course Twilight would be able to read her like a book. "A-Anyway, I've already told the other girls. I guess everything is set now."

Twilight nodded, still smiling. "I'm sure we'll all be there to see you two off."

Dash nodded in return, about to speak again, before both girls are surprised by a loud voice. "DASHIIIIE~!"

The front door of the library flew open, followed closely by a bouncing pink pony, two overstuffed saddlebags rattling with her movements. "Pinkie? What the hay is it?" Dash asked.

"You're done telling the girls, right? Well come on, silly filly, we gotta get ready to go! See, look, I got all the stuff I need!"

Rainbow looked at the absolutely packed saddlebags, wondering briefly what could possibly be in them. Wait, scratch that, she didn't want to know. How was she even bouncing with that much weight on her back? The pegasus groaned and pressed her hoof to her forehead. "Pinkie, we're not leaving until tomorrow, and I don't think we need all of that stuff..."

"But we're going on an ADVENTURE, Dashie! We need all sorts of stuff for an adventure! Haven't you ever been on an adventure before?" Pinkie ranted, apparently forgetting their various trips in the past.

Dash sighed audibly, taking a passing glance back at Twilight. The librarian was simply smiling and holding back her laughter with one hoof. Rainbow then walked forward, pressing her head against Pinkie as she did, forcibly pushing her out of the library. "Come on, Pinkie, we'll get ready together so I can limit the damage..."

"Oooh! Yay! Together! ... Wait, why would there be any damage?" Pinkie wondered out loud while sliding across the ground from Dash's pushing.

Twilight waited for Dash to clear the door before closing it with her magic, finally letting out a quick giggle and returning to her studies.

"Argh! I'm so bored!"

Rainbow paced back and forth across the floor of the train car, grumbling in annoyance. She was starting to get angry at herself for making Pinkie leave all that stuff back in Ponyville. Maybe there was something interesting among it all. She turned her gaze to the pink pony in question, who was lying on one of the beds and staring out the window of the moving train. She seemed mesmerized. "Oooh~!"

Dash stared at her. How long had she been laying there again? The pegasus couldn't recall. After a few moments of staring, she scooted up next to the earthmare, looking out the window. "What's got you so excited, Pinks?"

Pinkie giggled in reply. "Everything moves so fast! It's neeaaat."

Dash blinked a few times, staring at the moving scenery outside in confusion. Was it really enamoring Pinkie that much? How random could she get? "It's nothing special, Pinkie. You should try flying as fast as I do. Same thing."

"Oh Dashie, you silly filly! I don't have wings!"

The pegasus didn't even want to think up an answer to that comment. It would just hurt her head. She simply sighed and dropped her chin on her front hooves, staring out the window at the zipping scenery. The bed underneath her bounced slightly with the excited movements of her marefriend. Sometimes she really wished she could have just a little, tiny bit of Pinkie's personality. That little part that helped the pink pony find such joy in mundane things. Maybe her days would be a little more fun that way.

Dash raised her head off her hooves when a thought then came to her head. It was a question she had been meaning to ask the earthmare. "Hey, Pinkie? How did you ever manage to survive that rock farm?"

For the first time in quite a while, Pinkie turned her head from the window, looking at the pegasus with her usual everlasting smile plastered on her face. "Survive? I wasn't in any danger, silly! Always have to be careful with rocks! They're not snowballs, you know."

Rainbow groaned and turned her eyes back to the pink mare. "I mean... How did you manage? It sounds so... boring! Plus all that stuff about no talking or laughter, or... fun."

Against all odds, Pinkie's smile faded. She turned her eyes downward, away from Dash's gaze. "Oh. Yeah, that stuff."

Dash felt her heart sink. "D-Don't get upset, Pinkie, I didn't mean to... Ugh! I'm sorry!"

Pinkie shook her head and looked back up at the pegasus, a softer smile appearing on her face. "It's okay, Dashie. I'm not going to go all depressed on you again, really. It was actually kind of easy to manage there, at least before I got my cutie mark."

Rainbow nodded, though she still felt a little unsettled by Pinkie's subdued speech. It was always weird to her to see the Princess of Random suddenly talk with a hint of seriousness. This happened to be a sensitive subject, however. "It didn't sound to me like you enjoyed it even before then, Pinks."

Pinkie sighed softly, leaning her face on a hoof, her eyes turning upward as if she were losing herself in thought. "The no talking and no laughter stuff was a rule when we were working, which was a lot of the time. We... didn't really talk much in the house though, unless it was just me and my sisters in our room. We were always afraid of annoying Mom and Dad too much. It was a lot easier when Granny Pie was still alive."

Dash lowered her ears at the mention of Pinkie's grandmother, mainly due to the knowledge of her no longer being around. She didn't know much about her, other than she taught Pinkie that famous little song of hers. "She was a lot nicer?"

"Nicer? I guess. She wanted to make sure we stayed happy after all the hard work, you know? She also home schooled us. Once she was gone, my mother filled the void, but it just wasn't the same. Mom was nice too, but sometimes she took after Dad, is all..."

Rainbow listened closely, eager to learn, holding back her feelings about Pinkie's demeanor. Home schooled? She didn't know about that detail. She didn't think it was important enough to ask about, though. "Granny Pie sounded great."

Pinkie smiled from her thoughts, offering Dash a gentle nod in response. "She was great. She's the one who taught us how to ice skate when winter came along. Also baking."

"Baking? I thought you learned that from Mr. and Mrs. Cake."

Pinkie shook her head with a grin, her trademark cheer seeming to return, if only for a moment. "Nope! I learned it from Granny and Mom. I even baked the treats for my first party. They just... weren't all that amazing. I definitely got better thanks to the Cakes!"

Dash couldn't help but smile, nodding in understanding. She found herself wishing she had talked to Pinkie more about these things before. It surprised her just how little she knew about her marefriend's past. Perhaps this whole journey was going to change all of that. While thinking of what to say next, however, she saw Pinkie's smile fade, a shiver going down the pink mare's spine. Dash immediately got concerned. Did she say too much? "Pinkie, if you want to stop talking about it, that's okay..."

Pinkie glanced out the window once more. "No, it's just... I'm really nervous, Dashie. I've... actually been trying to get my mind off it by watching the scenery, but I can't. Every bit this train moves, we're closer to my parents..."

The pegasus stared quietly at Pinkie for a moment, before reaching over with a hoof, stroking it through her bouncy mane. Pinkie closed her eyes gently and stopped shivering, her smile slowly returning. Dash's own smile started to return as well. "Just relax, Pinks. Everything will be okay. I promised you that."

The earthmare inhaled deeply, before releasing a pleasant sigh and nodding quietly in response. Dash chuckled under her own breath, slipping her hoof back down and looking out the window. The two were quiet for a few moments as the pegasus noted the sky beginning to show an orange glow. Had that much time really passed? She had always felt time went by slower when she was bored. "Well, maybe we should just turn in early. I bet by the time we wake up, we'll be there," Dash suggested.

Pinkie remained quiet for a moment, before suddenly snapping her eyes open with a loud gasp. "Ooh! Cuddles!"

Dash flinched from the sudden reaction. "Er? What?"

Pinkie turned to the pegasus with a wide grin, bouncing on the bed a little again. "Cuddles, Dashie! How long has it been since we slept all cuddly-wuddly together?"

A silly grin crept across Dash's face. So random... "Uh, a long time, I think, but..." she turned her attention to the bed below them, "... I dunno, these beds are kind of small. I'm not sure it'd work."

"I can solve that!"

Dash yelped in surprise when she was suddenly lifted off the bed by the surprising strength of the pink pony, nearly hitting her head on the bunk just above. The earthmare flopped the confused pegasus onto her back, before belly-flopping right on top of her, knocking the air out of Dash's lungs. Pinkie then squeezed her front hooves at the cyan pony's sides, rubbing her nose into her multicolored mane. Dash squirmed a little to get comfortable under the sudden presence, her face heating up in embarrassment. "Oof... Dang, Pinkie, I think you need to lay off the cupcakes for a while."

A sharp gasp pierced the air of the train car, Pinkie raising her head and staring down at the pegasus with a look of shock. "Rainbow Dash! Did you just call me FAT?!"

Rainbow stared into those wide blue eyes and grinned widely, prodding at Pinkie's midsection with a hoof as if to test her words. "I wouldn't say faaaat... but at least chubby."

Pinkie gasped again, pushing her hooves down onto Dash's chest, pinning her down staring daggers down at her. "You take that back!"

Dash grinned even wider, wiggling and prodding at her again even harder. "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it, Piggy Pie?"

A look of absolute horror crossed Pinkie's face, quickly returning back to one of anger. Then, a wide, almost menacing grin went over her face as her hooves pushed down harder. "What am I gonna do?! I'm gonna eat you, too!"

In an instant, Pinkie shoved her face downward, nipping her teeth onto one of Dash's ears and tugging hard. Dash gasped, and began to giggle uncontrollably, otherwise attempting to feign being in pain. "No, noooo! Not that! Anything but that!"

Pinkie growled in an animalistic manner, nibbling the pegasus' ear while she tugged it about. "Grrr, Piggy Pie hungry!" she mumbled out through her teeth.

Dash's face lit up even more, squirming uncontrollably from the 'torture,' unable to stop her giggles. "Mercy, mercy! Have mercy on me!"

"Then you take it baaack!" Pinkie spoke again, before gently chomping on almost the entire ear.

Rainbow practically squeaked, squirming even harder the earthmare's hooves. "Hehehe, I give, I GIVE! I take it back!!"

Pinkie grinned widely, finally letting go of the pegasus' ear as Dash began to pant, her body trying to calm down. She was given little time to recover before Pinkie suddenly pressed their muzzles into a firm kiss, her hooves slipping off of Dash's chest, relieving the pressure she had put there before. Dash's eyes went wide for a brief moment, before she fluttered them closed, submitting to the earthmare's forceful embrace and wiggling her hooves around her pink form. Pinkie's chest rumbled, the pink mare keeping up the kiss for a few moments before abruptly breaking it, slipping her hooves around the cyan pony and nuzzling hard into her neck. "Cuuuuddlllllles..." she mumbled out in a drunkenly happy tone of voice.

Dash panted into the open air, her head leaning back instinctively when her neck was nuzzled. She stared up at the wooden bottom of the bed above her and released a blissful sigh, tightening her hug on the cuddly earthpony. This was much better than pacing around, and it had the side effect of keeping Pinkie in high spirits. Why hadn't she just thought of this before? Priorities next time, Dashie. Should get us both through this easier.

Sand. Sand and rocks. Mostly the sand. That's about all Rainbow Dash could think of as she gazed upon the township of Maresburg. The entire modest settler town appeared to reside on a single main road, houses flanking both sides of it, stretching out a fair bit toward the mountain range in the distance. All of the houses were simple wooden structures of a... classical design, something like that? Where had she seen something like it before? Oh, that's right. "Are you sure we didn't take the train to Appleloosa again?" she asked the pink pony walking next to her.

Pinkie let out a snorting giggle. "Of course not, silly! No pushy yellow stallions pushing us around this time."

"I keep expecting him to pop up any second now..."

It did look remarkably similar. Then again, Pinkie did say this was a settler town. Long before she was born, some settler ponies made a caravan and formed the town to do some mining in the nearby mountain range, hoping to strike it rich. The ones that found enough riches simply moved away to bigger places. The others gathered enough resources to live a comfortable life, and a simple community banded together and continued to modestly thrive, even as the two visitors walked through. "I can't imagine living in a desert like this," Rainbow commented, voicing her inner thoughts.

"Well... Some just don't have a choice, Dashie. We're pretty far away from the bigger towns."

Various ponies walked the road of the modest town, and almost all of them glanced toward the visitors strolling through. Dash figured everypony in the small town must know each other, and outsiders weren't very common. Curiously, some of the stares appeared to be ones of outright shock. Dash felt a little unsettled, but ignored it to try and keep up her conversation. "Didn't you say once that you didn't have magic items when you grew up? Or like, any kind of electricity?"

"Yep! My parents were against it. They would say that real earth ponies didn't need all those fancy things to live an honest life. It saved money too, I guess."

Dash grimaced. "I'm surprised you didn't leave earlier than you did..."

Pinkie frowned, glancing down at the ground. Rainbow caught it, entering a minor state of panic and attempting to apologize before Pinkie's voice halted her. "It wasn't too bad, Dashie. Really. You know those weren't my reasons for... leaving."

The pink pony began to quiver, her walking pace getting slower. Dash leaned over, bumping Pinkie's shoulder with her nose. "Don't fail on me now, kid. We're too close now."

Pinkie took a breath, regaining her composure. She turned her head back to Dash and gave one of her trademark smiles. "Pinkamena Diane Pie, correct?" there came a sudden voice.

Both of the mares gasped audibly and turned in the direction of the voice. On the porch of a nearby house, there sat a brown earthpony stallion with a black mane, reclined in a rocking chair, hindlegs dangling off the front. A golden, five-pointed star adorned the flank that the mares could see. His face was partially obscured by his wide-brimmed cowpony hat until he raised his head to look at the two, calm azure eyes focusing on Pinkie. The girls could see he was fairly aged by the wrinkles on his face. Pinkie suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. "Do I know you?" she asked with a headtilt.

"Likely not. You weren't seen in town much. But, I certainly know you. We only ever had one darling little pink filly who ran away from home."

Pinkie recoiled slightly and looked away. Dash raised an eyeridge as she stared down the older pony. "So are you the Maresburg sheriff or something?" the pegasus asked.

"Retired now, actually. I was still good ol' Sheriff Buck all them years ago when your friend there skedaddled out of town. I did my best to track her down, but, no luck. Never thought I'd see her again, that's for sure."

Pinkie raised her head again, regarding the ex-sheriff with a look of surprise. "You tried to find me?"

"'Course I did. Your parents were rather worried about ya. I felt terrible about never succeedin'."

Pinkie continued to stare in slight shock, her eyes shifting over to the cyan pegasus at her side. Rainbow glanced over at her at nearly the same moment, and slowly smiled a knowing smile. Pinkie seemed to understand, a gentle smile creeping over her face as well. The old pony nearby lowered his head once more, his features once again hidden by the hat he wore. "They're still there," he spoke, ending the spell of silence.

The two mares glanced his direction once more. "What? You mean...?" Pinkie asked.

He nodded a slow nod. "Right where you left them. I'm sure they got a lot to say to you. Don't waste anymore time with me, ya hear?"

The girls didn't need to be told twice. They looked at each other once more, Pinkie's eyes seeming to cycle through various emotions; fear, hope, sadness, and perhaps a little excitement. Dash replied silently with a warm smile. New knowledge had dawned on them, but true confirmation was required. Without another word to the ex-sheriff, the two continued their trek through the rest of the small town, silently pondering what they'd do when the moment happened.

It didn't take long to reach the end of the town. Dash could see the farm sitting in the distance, flanking the nearby hills. One lonely house with one lonely silo, surrounded by a fairly empty field of desert. It was just like Pinkie described it in her stories, aside from the rock amount. For what was apparently a rock farm, there didn't actually seem to be a lot of them. Then again, the concept of a rock farm was completely lost on Dash. She had asked Pinkie about it, but Pinkie never had a straight answer for why her parents made her move rocks around. She would ask again, but it wasn't the time for that.

Dash took passing glances at the pink pony, watching her begin to quiver harder the farther they got from the town, ever closer to her childhood home. Her emotions were gathering. It was as if her body still wanted her to run away, to hide from what was necessary, like she did for so long. Rainbow couldn't remain quiet anymore. "You holding up, Pinks?"

Pinkie stopped walking, surprising the pegasus. She took a deep breath and exhaled, turning to look at the cyan pony with desperate eyes. "I'm still nervous, Dashie. I know I shouldn't be after what the sheriff said, but..."

Rainbow smiled a sweet smile, placing one hoof against Pinkie's leg. "I'm here for you. Okay? I promise it'll be okay. Just like I said before we came here."

Pinkie forced a small smile, and simply nodded. The two resumed walking the remaining distance to the house, Pinkie soon finding herself sitting right in front of the door. She turned and looked over her shoulder one last time at Rainbow, who was waiting several feet away, not wanting to get in the way of what was to come. With much reservation and a shaky hoof, Pinkie clopped a few times upon the door's surface. Then, she waited. A few simple moments felt like agony, the world around the two visitors feeling all too quiet.

A gentle clicking noise broke the silence, the door opening up, and a loud gasp tearing through the air. There stood an elder, pale gray earthpony, a fair degree smaller in size than her visitor. Her turquoise mane was tied into a top bun, and the image of three rocks adorned her flank. Small, golden eyeglasses were draped on the end of her snout, situated in front of bright blue eyes that were as wide as eyes could be. She stared with utter disbelief at the pink pony sitting before her, mouth agape, lower jaw quivering. "P...Pinkamena?" she finally spoke, her voice almost too quiet to understand.

For the first time in so many years, Pinkie laid eyes on her mother. Any desire her body had to run away was gone; it was too late to do so. She stared, her body unable to move aside from a gentle quivering. She tried to force a smile, but it just wouldn't come out. "H-Hi Mom..." she replied, also at a near whisper.

The gray pony took a few steps forward, eyes staring directly into her daughter's own. She shakily raised her forehooves, placing them on Pinkie's shoulders. Immediately, fresh tears slid down her face. She stuttered out another gasp and bit her lower lip, before leaning herself forward, her forelegs wrapping as tight as she could muster around the pink pony, her face buried into her neck. "My... My baby! You're here, y-you're ALIVE!!"

Pinkie officially lost it. She wrapped her own forelegs around her dam, consciously being careful about the elder pony's age. She pressed her nose to her mother's head, tears freely streaming down her face. "Mommyyyy! I'm so sorry, I'm so SORRY!! I love you and I don't hate you and I'm sorry for running away and... and...." she rambled, her voice trailing off into sobs.

Roxy gently rocked her daughter back and forth in their embrace, feeling Pinkie's chest heaving. She tried her best to keep some semblance of composure as her poor daughter released years of pent-up emotion. "My darling Pinkamena... I m-missed you so much..." she spoke, her voice barely audible.

"Oohhh I missed you, I missed you!! I'm such a terrible, horrible pony, please forgive me, Mommy!"

Roxy raised one of her hooves up, stroking it through her daughter's mane. "Shhh... Don't say that, dear, it's okay..."

Pinkie tried to come up with every reason why it wasn't okay, but she couldn't. She was with her mother again, the old mare trying what she could to comfort her, even with her own state of emotion. Then, there came a heavy clopping noise. Pinkie gasped and raised her head, looking inside her childhood home. There, she saw her father, having just come down the stairs at the sound of the commotion. Dash managed to get a look at him. He was large brown earthpony with a gray mane and sideburns, a pickaxe adorning his flank. He stood at the foot of the stairs, his face in shock at what he was seeing. Slowly, he began to walk forward.

Roxy heard him coming, and hesitantly slipped out of the hug with her daughter, moving to the side and out of the way. Clyde stopped only a few feet from Pinkie, the two staring at each other in silence. She was apprehensive and fearful, despite what just happened with her mother. His face remained entirely unreadable aside from his shock, until slowly but surely, his eyes began to water, his lower jaw quivering. That's exactly what Pinkie needed to see. "D-Daddy!!" she screamed, practically leaping forward.

The pink pony latched onto her sire and buried her face into his neck, sobbing all over again. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!! I love you Daddy, I love you and I don't hate you, I didn't mean it, I promise I didn't mean it!!"

Clyde reached up with one hoof, stroking it over her mane slowly and firmly. Pinkie immediately stopped rambling, and saw fit to just cry away the rest of her pent-up emotions into her estranged sire. Clyde said nothing; he simply held her close, eyes watery, a slow smile crossing his muzzle.

Rainbow Dash slid a hoof across her cheeks, smiling tenderly. This is what she had said would happen. It was what she promised. Though really, she had convinced herself as much as she did Pinkie. Everything just might work out after all. "Who might you be, young lady?"

Dash gasped, glancing toward Pinkie's mother, who was adjusting the glasses on her nose. "O-Oh, I'm Rainbow Dash. I'm Pinkie's... friend. I came with her here."

Roxy brandished a tissue to use on her face, looking at the pegasus in confusion. "Whatever for?"

"I convinced her to do this, and... she didn't want to be alone." Rainbow suddenly felt very awkward. She turned to leave and extended her wings. "L-Look, I'll just come back later, okay?"

"Wait! Don't leave, please."

Rainbow halted herself and turned back to the earthpony, who was smiling warmly. "Please stay. If you helped bring my daughter back to me, then the very least I can offer you is my hospitality."

Dash was happy to hear that, since she didn't actually want to leave Pinkie, but the whole situation still felt awkward. She trotted up to the door, eyes on the father and daughter still holding each other inside. "Are... you sure?"

Roxy nodded as she slid the tissue over her cheeks. "Quite sure, my dear. Come inside."

Finally convinced, Rainbow walked into the quaint home, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the moment. With a happy sigh, Roxy closed the front door.

"Then Rainbow Dash got all fed up and zipped in there and kicked the dragon riiiiight in the face, full speed! He was sooooooo mad!"

Dash nearly spit out her drink. "Jeez, Pinks, did you have to mention that part?"

Pinkie regarded the pegasus with a confused look. "What? You always brag about it to everypony!"

Rainbow looked away. "Well... Y-Yeah. This is kind of weird, though..."

Roxy gently laughed at the display before her. "Well, you two certainly live an exciting life, don't you?"

Pinkie turned to her mother and nodded rapidly with a grin on her face. Dash merely shrugged, and made no verbal comment. Pinkie had spent the last... however long it had been, sharing as many stories as she could in a random order with her listening parents. Dash forgot to take count of how many breaths Pinkie had taken during the entire spiel. It couldn't have been very many, by her estimation. Most of the stories were parties she had held, both before and after she was friends with Dash. Plus, of course, the more exciting stories like defeating Nightmare Moon, the Grand Galloping Gala, and the dragon in the mountain. Dash wasn't even sure if Roxy Pie was believing those particular stories. "We should toooooootally go on more adventures. I mean this is sort of an adventure we're on right now, but the other girls aren't here so it's not a SUPER adventure or anything! We should plan another adventure when we're back in Ponyville, Dashie!" Pinkie rambled.

"Sure, sounds great, Pinks..." Dash said, dismissively.

For what must have been the thousandth time, Dash glanced around the main floor of the home. It couldn't have been more... quaint? That may be what Rarity would say. A few couches, one of which she and Pinkie sat on. Her father sat on a large comforter chair. Some tables and dressers aligned the walls, with various family knickknacks sitting atop of them. Roxy herself stood in the kitchen area, having previously prepared tea that the group had been drinking during Pinkie's non-stop storytelling. It was also indeed true that not a single magical or electric light source existed in the house. Instead, various candle lamps were attached to the walls, a few of them lit to provide some extra light. Dash quietly wondered once more how Pinkie survived her youth. She then mentally chastised herself for the thought. "I wish this place was even close to that exciting, girls. Maresburg can be simply dreadful at times, but it's fine for an old soul like me," Roxy mused.

"You're not thaaaat old, Mom!"

"You flatter me, dear. The point is, I'm not a young filly with a life to live anymore. Not that I ever went around fighting dragons, mind you."

Dash felt herself blushing, and immediately hated it. "H-How long have you been here doing rock farming anyway?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Roxy turned her eyes to the ceiling in thought, as she was cleaning up her implements on the kitchen counter. "Hmm... I'm afraid I don't have an accurate number for you. Granted, I never did much of the farming here. I did appraise the rocks themselves, as well as any gemstones we recovered. That's my talent, not the physical work part."

Dash rubbed her hoof under her chin. "I... guess that makes sense. ... Hey, you know, what was the rock farming for, anyway? We have a friend who farms apples, but I've never heard of rock farming."

The pink mare nearby gasped a little bit. "You're right, Dashie! Not even me or my sisters knew what the hay we were doing," she noted.

Roxy thought quietly for a moment, before turning her head to look at her husband. "I think your father would be best at explaining that."

The two fillies turned their attention to the stallion sitting in the chair across the room, staring at the wall. It was then that Dash realized Pinkie's father had been eerily silent the entire time they'd been at the home. He never even spoke to Pinkie when she was still crying earlier. Roxy likely knew already, hence her diversion. Clyde turned his glance away from the wall when he realized all the attention was suddenly focused on him. He glanced briefly at both curious girls, before turning his gaze back to the wall. "That's not important. Not anymore," he spoke.

Dash was taken aback a bit by his voice. His tone was deep, yet tender, going against his large and somewhat grizzled appearance. He also sounded... very sorrowful. Pinkie bounced just slightly on the couch next to Dashie, unfazed by the tone of her father's voice. "Aww, come on! Tell us! We're soooo curious!"

"Clyde dear, go ahead." Roxy spoke.

The elder stallion glanced at his wife for a moment, before silently giving in, adjusting his seated position slightly. "We were farming the rocks for gemstones."

Pinkie and Dash looked at each other in confusion, quickly turning their attention back to him. "Huh? Then why were we moving them around the field all the time?" Pinkie asked.

Clyde shifted again. He seemed rather uncomfortable to be speaking on the subject. "I followed my father's belief that regular shifting of the rocks promoted better growth of the gemstones within them. To him, it varied depending on the season and conditions of given days."

Dash tilted her head. "That... sounds weird. Was it magic?"

Pinkie perked up. "Ooh! Is that kinda like how Mom would make you move the furniture to different places? Are there gems growing in the cushions?!" she asked, slipping off the couch and shoving her head underneath one of said cushions.

Roxy only laughed, an embarrassed blush crossing her face. "No, dear, that... was something unrelated."

A deep sigh sounded from her husband, the elder stallion's head hanging. "It wasn't magic. It was foolish and never actually worked. Any gemstones we got from those rocks were created at their own rate, and were probably like that years before we broke up the rocks. I worked my girls so hard for nothing."

A silence came over the room. Dash suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Is that why Clyde had been quiet this whole time? There came a gentle clopping of hooves on the floor, as Pinkie strolled over to her father, standing in front of his chair. Clyde raised his head up, staring at his daughter sadly. Pinkie herself had a look on her face showing a mixture of sadness and concern. "Why have you been so quiet, Daddy?" she asked, tenderly.

Just like Dash, she had noticed how quiet her father had been the entire day. Clyde stared at her for a moment, before leaning back in his chair and looking away. "Just... a lot of thinking."

"About what?"

He closed his eyes. "About how much I don't deserve this."

A slight gasp was heard from the elder mare in the kitchen area. "Clyde dear, don't say such things."

"It's true, Roxanne. I was a terrible father. You were there, you saw everything."

"Don't take all the blame in this. I wasn't the best mother myself, you know."

Clyde opened his eyes to turn his gaze toward his wife. "That was only because of me. I exerted my will even when you wanted me to let off. Instead of understanding what my girls were going through, I remained stubborn and angry, sticking to a hopeless family tradition. I hardly deserved the love of my youngest two daughters, I certainly don't deserve the love of my eldest!"

His eyes widened a bit when he felt a soft nuzzling on his hoof. He looked downward to see Pinkie gently nuzzling it, pulling her face away and looking up at him again once she had his attention. Her eyes shone with sadness. "Why don't you deserve it?" she asked, softly.

The stallion's face quivered slightly at the look on her face. He sighed softly, and looked away from her once more. "I drove you away from me. Never in my life would I have expected one of my daughters to run away from me. One of my own kin would rather risk her life out in the unknown world than spend another minute with me. It... It ruined me, Pinkamena."

She leaned her face against his hoof in a gentle nuzzle again. He flinched slightly, but otherwise ignored it and continued. "We tried to find out where you went, but we and the Maresburg sheriff could only do so much. My entire world came down on me. I felt I would never see you again. Later, I... felt that was best. Your life was terrible here. Now, here you are in front of me, with all your stories about your experiences. Is that why you say you still love me, Pinkamena? Because I freed you?"

Pinkie suddenly hopped her forehooves onto his chair, surprising the stallion with a nuzzle across his nose. He looked at her again. She stared at him with watery eyes, a smile adorning her face despite her demeanor otherwise. "No. I love you because you're my father. You put me in this world and I did a terrible thing by making you feel like this. You deserved to know I was still alive, and that I still loved you. So did Mom."

Clyde stared into her eyes, silent for a time. Eventually, gentle tears fell from his eyes and slid down his cheeks. "I... I love you too, Pinkamena. You've grown into such a beautiful young lady. I... I wish I could have seen it happen."

Pinkie sniffled, leaning her face forward and rubbing cheeks with her sire. "I'm sorry I took this long, Daddy..."

"You've done enough apologizing. You don't need to be sorry. As for me... there's not enough apologies I can give to you for how I was."

"I forgive you, Daddy. I promise! I don't want you to be sad anymore."

Their faces pulled away from each other. "You may forgive me, but it will be a while before I can forgive myself..."

Roxy suddenly spoke up. "Clyde, dearest. You should focus on the brighter side of this whole mess."

Pinkie slipped off of her father's lap, as her mother walked closer to the two of them, smiling warmly. "What's that, Mom?"

"It's true that our separation was a very sad event, but you did go on to live a much happier life because of it. The other thing, however, is you helped your sisters get a better life."

Pinkie blinked a few times, then gasped loudly. "Omigosh, my sisters! I've been so caught up in you guys that I forgot about them!"

Rainbow Dash, who had been quiet during this whole event, decided to speak up finally, if only to relieve her awkwardness of being stuck as a spectator. "I guess they're not here anymore, right?"

Roxy shook her head. "No, they're not. Clyde, why don't you tell them?"

The stallion nodded, straightening his posture. "After Pinkamena ran away, we were crushed. When we couldn't find her, we were crushed even more. I took some time to re-evaluate my whole life and how I had been acting. Once I saw all the errors of my ways, I resolved to make life better for the two daughters I had left. One of the first things we did was let them go to the school in town."

"Ooh, the school? As in, not homeschooling?" Pinkie asked.

Clyde nodded. "I believed the only education you needed was from us, on all the necessary subjects, as well as the rock farming business. I came to realize, however, that rock farming wasn't the life for such beautiful girls as my daughters. We were never able to have a son for me to raise in my image, so I forced the life on the three of you. It was wrong of me. You had instead found your calling in the world, Pinkamena, so I decided to let your sisters go out and discover their own, while getting a real education and making whatever friends they could."

Pinkie sat on the floor in front of him, staring and listening to his story with utmost interest. "Did it work? Did they get their cutie marks and all that?"

"Oh yes they did, eventually. They found their place in this world, and they even continued to help me farm, against my better wishes. I did not overwork them. Eventually, I realized how pointless this rock farming was, and I stopped doing it. Instead, I went out to do some real mining in the mountains. I didn't earn the mark on my flank by pushing rocks around a field."

"I told him he was wasting his time. Those mountains had been stripped bare long ago by Maresburg settlers. Oh how wrong I was," Roxy spoke.

Clyde nodded once. "I stumbled upon a hay of a gemstone cache. Biggest I'd ever seen. I mined them out myself, and sold them on the market to anypony who wanted them. Lots of fancy places came calling. Eventually, I mined all of the good rocks we still had outside, then sold off those gems. I made enough money for us to retire, and to help out this town we live in. Most of all, however, I was able to give my daughters the money they needed to move away and make a life for themselves. That's what happened to your sisters, Pinkamena."

Pinkie seemed a little stunned. "I... I caused all that?"

Her mother gently hugged her from behind. "Yes, dear. I know you feel terrible for leaving all of us, but perhaps... everything turned out better because of it. You and your sisters are living great lives now, and we couldn't be happier for you."

Pinkie smiled gently at the new revelation, though her smile faded a bit as she looked upon her father. "Daddy... Life seems to be a lot better now, for all of us. I'm here now, and I love you... Can you please try to forgive yourself? Pretty please?"

Clyde stared at his eldest daughter. For the first time since they first arrived, Pinkie and Dash saw a gentle smile curl across his face. "I'll do my best, Pinkamena."

The pink mare smiled brightly, slipping forward to hug her sire tenderly. "That's all I ask..."

The stallion gently returned her hug, holding her close for several moments. Roxy and Dash observed the proceedings with bright smiles. Dash herself felt so happy that she got Pinkie this far. The entire day possibly couldn't have gone any better. The two separated from their hug after a few moments, and Roxy spoke up. "I should probably start on dinner, eventually... But first, I still have a lot of treat ingredients hanging around here I haven't used in quite a while. Would you like to show me some of your new baking skills, Pinkamena, while I work?"

Pinkie gasped widely and zipped past her mother into the kitchen, a chef's hat having materialized on her head through unknown means. "Would I EVER!"

Her parents were taken aback by her sudden transformation to Party Pony Pinkie. Dash wasn't in the least bit phased. Roxy finally just laughed, and walked to her daughter's side. "Let's try not to make too much of a mess, okay?"

Dash laughed aloud. "Good luck with that..."

The cyan pegasus shifted under her covers. Energy begin to fill her muscles. She groaned gently, not wanting it, wanting instead to keep sleeping. Finally, she raised her head up, eyes trying to adjust to the darkness around her. She had nothing to relight the candle on the lamp, of course. Her attention naturally turned to the window. The very start of Celestia's sun was beginning to show, the faintest of orange light spilling into the room, which happened to be Pinkie's childhood bedroom. She gently groaned again. What the hay... Why are you getting up this early, body? I'm on work leave...

She sighed, turning her eyes to the pink mare curled up next to her. Although she wasn't very visible, Dash was able to see the serene look on her face as she slept peacefully, and like a rock, as was normal. A warm smile curled across the pegasus' face. She leaned her head down and planted a long kiss on her marefriend's cheek, before slipping out of the covers. She landed to all fours on the floor and stretched, a few of her joints gently cracking and loosening. Well, can't get back to sleep. Might as well make the best of it.

She decided immediately that downstairs was likely too dark. She went to the window instead, manipulating it open, and slipping outside. The morning air was very cool, possibly a little too chilly for most ponies, but not for a pegasus like her. She handled sky high cold temperatures all the time. To her, this was a perfect morning. She gently fluttered down to the ground in front of the Pie family home, keeping her eyes trained on the coming sunrise. Been a while since I watched one of these. I really need to get Pinkie up early one day so we can watch one together.

"You're up early."

Dash nearly leaped out of her coat. She turned around to see Clyde Pie looking at her, seated on a wooden bench near the front door of his home, a sprig of wheat hanging out of his lips. A wide-brimmed black hat also adorned his head, which he was not wearing in the house the previous day. The pegasus smiled awkwardly. "Err... Yeah, heheh. I have to wake up early for my job on some days. Sometimes I just can't avoid it..."

Clyde merely nodded, and then gestured toward the bench. "Good morning, then. Come have a seat. I wouldn't mind the company."

Rainbow Dash hesitated, but ultimately nodded and trotted toward her father-in-law of sorts, hopping up on the bench and sitting down. Both ponies turned their attention toward the rising sun, which was beginning to come over the horizon and enter the sky. "Why are you up this early?" Dash asked.

"Force of habit, much like you. I'm retired now, of course, but old habits die hard."

Dash nodded in response, the two going quiet again for a time, just watching the celestial body slowly rise into the atmosphere. After a few moments, Clyde spoke again. "I don't think I properly thanked you for helping my daughter return here."

The pegasus smiled and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "It's... no problem. Really. She asked me to do it."

Clyde nodded, unseen to the mare. "You two seem rather close."

Dash flinched ever so slightly. "Well we've known each other a few years or so now, heheh. She's one of my best friends. I'd do anything for my friends."

The elder stallion turned his gaze slightly to the mare at his side, regarding her in silence. Dash didn't look, but she could tell he was staring. The situation was beginning to get very awkward. "I get the feeling there's more to it than that," Clyde finally spoke.

Yep, definitely very awkward. Dash tried her best not to shake. "W-What do you mean? I don't know what you're insinuating, but I don't like it," Dash stated, unconvincingly.

To her surprise, a chuckle sounded from the stallion. "Relax, Rainbow. I already know."

Dash's eyes went wide, and she slowly turned to look at the stallion, meeting eyes with him. "Y... You know?"

He slowly nodded. "I figured it out."

Rainbow continued to regard him with shock. "You... figured it out? How did you figure it out?"

"Pinkie spoke rather fondly of you several times. I saw how you reacted to all of it, even though you tried your best to hide it. You also have those little nicknames for each other. And... the fact that you shared a bed was a rather large hint as well," Clyde explained, his face curling into a smile at his last observation.

Dash's face went red, and she looked away from the stallion. Pinkie had decided to hide their relationship until later, so it was a surprise the cover was blown so easily, and thoroughly. "You're... uh, good."

A deep, gentle chuckle sounded out of the earthpony. "There's no need to be embarrassed, Rainbow, or scared, for that matter."

The pegasus managed to look over at him again. "So... You're okay with it?"

Clyde's eyes were focused on the sunrise again. He was quiet for a moment, his wheat spring shifting position in his teeth. "I can't say I understand it very much, but I'm long past the point in my life where I'd have reacted poorly to such news. My daughter is a mystery to me now, but I'm learning more about the kind of mare she's become. This is just another part of that."

"That's... really great to hear, Mr. Pie."

Clyde closed his eyes softly. "I said the other day that Pinkamena running from me... It ruined me. However, thinking about it more deeply, I find it's a bit more than that. It ruined me, but that served to make me a better pony."

Dash slowly nodded, her awkwardness starting to lift as a gentle smile began to curl. "She... didn't want to say anything. Yet. I don't know when she intended for it."

The stallion opened his eyes again. "I can keep it to myself for now. She can tell us when she feels she's ready. It warms my heart to know she's happy with somepony, no matter who that pony is."

The pegasus nodded again, although she looked at him with a curious stare. "Well... Why are you telling me all of this then?"

Clyde's gaze turned back to the pegasus. Slowly, a warm, caring smile curled across his face. "I wanted to say... Take care of her, Rainbow Dash. I can tell by your presence here that you're very important to her, perhaps even an emotional pillar for her to lean on. You're important to her, and that makes you important to myself and my family. I couldn't ask for a better kind of pony to take care of my little girl."

Dash stared at him, her eyes threatening to mist up. A determined smile came across her muzzle. "Y-Yes sir. You can count on me."

Clyde nodded silently, the two turning their gazes back to the sunrise once more. They remained in silence for the rest of Celestia's sunrise, the pegasus never letting her smile go away as she bathed in the soothing rays. She became more determined than ever to see Pinkie through the end of this family journey, and perhaps bring the whole family closer together as a whole. Yet deep down, Dash knew she and Pinkie had more to learn about each other, as well. The hard part is over with, Pinkie. I'll be there to take out the rest of those little demons inside you. I promise.

TO BE CONTINUED...

MLP:FiM and all Characters/Locations Copyright © Hasbro & Lauren Faust
Characters/Locations used without permission

~ Scy

Chapter 3: Healing

MY FIRST PARTY
Chapter 3: Healing

MLP:FiM Fan Fiction
By: Scy Storm
ssbs.furrynet.com

"This will make things a LOT easier!"

Pinkie held up the parchment before her eyes, grinning widely as she scanned over the words written on it. Nearby, Dash was finishing getting her saddlebags in order. She glanced over at the nearby Pie family, tilting her head. "What's that, Pinks?"

"Where my sisters live!" the excited pink pony answered.

Roxanne turned her attention to Dash. "Our daughters write us letters every month. I've given you their addresses so you may find them easier."

Dash blinked a few times. "Ooh... Why didn't I think of that? Of course you two would know."

Roxy chuckled softly and nodded. Pinkie bounced in place on her rump, before rolling up the scroll and shoving it into her own saddlebag. "I can't wait to see them again! ... I hope they don't hate me or anything..."

"Perish the thought, dear. Your sisters miss you terribly. They're going to be so overjoyed to see you," Roxy stated matter-of-factly.

Pinkie smiled widely and nodded several times, before noticing her father drop a small bag at her hooves. It landed on the wooden floor with the obvious metallic sound of a bunch of coins. "Take these as well," the large stallion spoke.

"Bits? Daddy, I don't need any money..."

"Think nothing of it. We have plenty."

Roxy nodded in agreement, smiling at her daughter. "Besides, you are visiting Margaret, after all. I believe you're going to need some extra funds for her."

Pinkie raised an eyeridge. "Huh? Why would I need extra for her?"

The two elders simply chuckled. "You will see, dear," her mother replied.

Rainbow Dash walked up next to Pinkie, her saddlebags hanging over her sides. "Don't argue with free money, Pinkie. Gives us more fun funds!"

Pinkie turned to look at the pegasus briefly and giggled loudly. "Kay!"

She swiftly swept up the money bag and stuffed it into one of her saddlebags. Her parents smiled to each other as the pink pony slipped the saddlebags on. "This has been a wonderful few days, hasn't it?" Roxy asked, to nopony in particular.

"Yep yep yep! I almost don't want to leave, but if I didn't leave then I'd never see my sisters or Ponyville again and that would be soooo sad! I really want to see you two again but- OOOOHHH!"

Pinkie leapt in the air with a huge gasp and seemed to hang there for a moment. The other three ponies stared at her. "Uh, what is it, Pinkie?" Dash asked.

"A party, Dashie! A PARTY! I can get my parents and my sisters together in Ponyville for one of my super awesome parties! It'd be the best party EVER because my whole family would be there just like in my first party ever!! We gotta do it, we gotta do it!"

Pinkie bounced up and down as she shouted her intentions. Roxy and Clyde looked at each other, sad expressions gradually appearing on their faces. Pinkie noticed, and started bouncing much more slowly. They turned their attention to her. "We're... sorry, dear, but I don't think we can do that," Roxy stated.

The pink pony stopped bouncing and regarded them with an utterly confused expression. "Huh? But why?"

"We're getting up in years, my dear. Travel just isn't kind to us anymore. And don't you think about holding that party here in boring ol' Maresburg," her father explained.

Pinkie looked down at the floor sadly, causing Rainbow to compulsively reach over and stroke a hoof down her back. "We're sorry, dear. Really. But you should definitely get your sisters together and hold them a party. They've wanted another of your parties for so long," Roxy said.

The pink mare raised her head and returned to her usual smile, nodding softly. "Well, okay... but I'm going to write to you now. Every month, just like my sisters do! I'll tell you all about my trip and also about my parties and my friends and just... Everything! I promise!"

Her parents smiled brightly. "We'll eagerly await those letters, Pinkie," Clyde said.

Pinkie gasped loudly again, her eyes wide. "... What did you say, Daddy?"

Clyde chuckled a little, apparently having expected that reaction. "That's what you prefer, right? You always have. Me and my stubborn self... I could get used to saying it."

"And I will be sure to reply to your letters, my darling Pinkie," Roxy added.

Pinkie stood there stunned for a few quiet moments, before quivering and leaping forward, latching her forelegs around her parents necks. "Ohhhh I love you so much! I'm so, sooo happy I came back!!"

The two elder ponies reeled briefly from the forceful hug of their daughter, before each closing their legs around her, returning the hug. "So are we, dear. So are we," Roxy replied.

The three remained there hugging silently for several moments. Rainbow observed quietly, a wide smile on her face, the feeling deep in her chest as warm as Celestia's sun. Pinkie eventually pulled away, the brightest of smiles on her face. She reached up and wiped her cheeks of a few happy tears. "Have a safe trip, Pinkie," Clyde remarked.

Rainbow opened the front door of the home, noticing Pinkie wasn't immediately following, just staring at her parents with a wide grin. "Come on, Pinkie, how about we not miss the train?"

"I love you! I'll write to you right after my trip is done!"

Her parents merely nodded, and observed as Dash walked up and forcibly pushed Pinkie toward the door with her head, the pink mare sliding backward on her rump and waving. "They get it, Pinkie, now... come... on!"

The two elder ponies laughed softly, waving back to their departing daughter as Rainbow's tail grasped the door and shut it behind her.

The train lurched its way down the tracks with a gentle swaying as the two mares entered the bedding car, once again devoid of anyone but them. Dash sighed, slipping her saddlebags off and unceremoniously tossing them on one of the beds. "What an emotional roller coaster," she remarked aloud.

Pinkie's saddlebags dropped on the bed as well, and almost immediately Dash felt herself tackled onto one of the other beds. The pegasus cried out in shock, ending up shoved face-down in the sheets. She was quickly turned around somewhat, just able to visually register the pink pony above her before their lips met. Pinkie kissed Dash's muzzle only briefly, pulling away to pepper the rainbow mare's face with little kisses. Rainbow couldn't help but squirm and blush red. "Gaah, Pinkie!"

The pink mare let off, raising her head up and giggling. "Oh Dashie, I'm just so HAPPY!" she yelled, bouncing up and down a little on top of the pegasus.

Rainbow grunted and shifted. "That's nice, but I'm kind of in pain right now!"

Pinkie blinked, and then noted Dash's somewhat twisted position. She slipped off the blue mare and grinned sheepishly. "Oh... Sorry!"

Dash rolled herself back to her stomach and smirked. Pinkie's eyes were misty, her grin as wide as Dash had ever seen it. She quickly settled herself next to the pegasus and nuzzled into her neck incessantly, her body practically quivering with energy and emotion. Rainbow continued to blush, a goofy smile on her face as she just accepted the nuzzling. "I'm really glad to see you like this, Pinks."

Pinkie giggled a little, her body leaning as close to Dash as she could. "Everything went so perfect! They even called me Pinkie! I'm just... Just so..."

Amazingly, the normally rambling pony seemed lost for words. She simply giggled again in sheer happiness, turning her face so she could kiss Dash's neck. Rainbow lifted her chin a little, her chest rumbling with a gentle noise of pleasure. "Well as long as you keep doing this, I'm fine with this mood of yours," she said, grinning after.

Pinkie pulled away a bit, smirking at the pegasus. "You're naughty!"

"Uh... Duh?"

They both shared a laugh before their muzzles met again, kissing for a few moments. Pinkie slipped out of the kiss, resting her face back against Dash's neck and sighing, finally appearing to gain some composure. Dash rested her chin down on the pink pony's poofy mane, smiling gingerly, going quiet while simply enjoying the closeness. Her eyes stared out the nearby window at the passing scenery, feeling the earthpony's cheek gently sliding up and down against her cyan pelt. In more ways than one, the trip to the parent's house went way better than Dash could have expected. She's not sure what she had really expected, other than she knew the Pie parents would be happy. She definitely didn't expect the morning conversation with Clyde. She learned a lot about Pinkie's life and history over that time, as well, from both Pinkie and her parents... Though, now that she thought about it, some details were missing.

"Hey, Pinkie?"

"Mmmnnnyes?" the earthpony mumbled out from the pegasus' pelt.

Dash stifled a giggle. That was cute. "I was wondering about something."

"Mmmhmm~?"

"You never mentioned how you got to Ponyville."

Pinkie went quiet for a moment. She lifted her head away from Rainbow's, eyes rolled back in thought. "... Nnnope! I didn't!"

Rainbow raised an eyeridge. "Uhh, any reason why?"

Pinkie thought for another few seconds before shaking her head, grinning. "Not really. I just forgot!"

Dash groaned and pressed a hoof to her forehead. "That seemed like an important detail to me, Pinks!"

"Weeellll, no one asked! I guess. I didn't walk all the way to Ponyville or anything."

Dash lowered her leg and stared at the party pony. "Well then what did you do?"

Pinkie turned her eyes to look out the window, going quiet in thought once more. Dash became worried momentarily that she asked a bad question, but Pinkie softly smiled. "I took the train."

"The train? How?"

"It was late at night, and cold. No one was out in the town, so I just walked to the train station and managed to get into one of the trains. It wasn't even locked or anything! I went to one of the cars with all the seats where I thought it'd be easy to hide, then curled up in my blanket in one of the seats and slept."

"So you didn't get caught?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Not quite. Somepony did find me, but by that time it was already the next day and the train was moving."

"How'd you get out of that one?"

"He was one of the workers, and he asked me why I was alone and where my parents were. I panicked and asked what the next stop was and he said Ponyville. I let out this biiiiig sigh and said that's where my parents were, I was on a trip back home from my granny's house. I thanked him over and over for waking me up so I didn't miss my stop!"

Dash let out a hearty laugh. "He actually bought it?"

"Yep! ... Thankfully. I'm... not sure I want to know what would have happened if he didn't," Pinkie noted, looking a little forlorn suddenly.

Rainbow winced a bit. "Yeah, I guess so... So then you just got off the train in Ponyville and moved on?"

Pinkie nodded a few times. "Yep. Packed up my blanket and wandered Ponyville. Eventually I found Sugarcube Corner, the best place in all of Equestria! And, well, you know the story from there."

Dash smiled. "For the most part, I guess I do... I'm learning a lot of things about you lately, Pinkie."

"Hehehe, I guess you are, huh?" Pinkie smiled brightly at Dash, until a thought came over her, causing the smile to fade. "... Have I not been very open to you, Dashie?"

She looked at the pegasus with a bit of concern. Dash shook her head and smiled. "I guess you haven't been, but I think we're both guilty of that."

Pinkie tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Dash rubbed the back of her head. "We've been friends for a while, but I never really thought about asking you about your past, and you haven't really asked me about mine. Then, ever since this whole... relationship thing started, you and I have mostly just been having more fun together than before. I knew a few things about your past, and that was about it. It's... actually pretty nice to learn more about you, Pinks."

The pink pony giggled softly, resting her cheek against the pegasus' own. "I'm happy to share, Dashie."

Dash flicked her tail and nuzzled cheeks with the earthpony, going quiet for a bit before changing the subject. "Well, we got a bit of a journey until our next stop."

Pinkie pulled away a bit and grinned widely. "Soooo more cuddles then?"

Dash laughed a little. "Sure... But I'm on top this time, Piggy Pie."

"Ooooh, okay~" Pinkie cooed, flexing her brows.

Dash blinked a few times, then reddened in the cheeks. "Oh, and you call ME naughty!"

Pinkie started giggling incessantly and flopped herself over. Dash smirked and promptly hopped atop the pink pony, cuddling up while laughing alongside her.

"I'm getting deja vu again."

The two brightly colored mares trotted down the main street of Trottingham, their saddlebags gently bumping against their sides. "Well I hope you're not expecting Braeburn to pop out again, Dashie!"

"Actually, I'm expecting another you to pop out and start welcoming us to the town."

Pinkie giggled. "Oh, that's silly, you silly! There's only one me."

Trottingham did look a lot like Ponyville, to be sure. The architecture was different on the buildings, but otherwise, it was a little more than a small town in Equestria, possibly the same size overall as Ponyville. Various ponies trotted their way down the streets, happily chatting with each other and going about their business. None of them seemed to regard the new visitors immediately. One thing the two did notice was a prevalence of spotted earth ponies amongst the populace. "Ooh, pinto ponies. Lots of them!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Well that little colt in Ponyville did say he was from here, didn't he?" Dash noted.

Pinkie nodded a few times, then leaned her head over to her saddlebag, swiftly yanking her parent's scroll out of the pocket and unrolling it with her hooves. "Okay! So we need to find where Bellamina lives. Where is Caballus Street?"

"Uh, why are you asking me, Pinkie? I've never been here either."

Pinkie didn't reply, tapping her chin with a hoof while looking around the immediate area. Eventually, something clicked, and she rushed right in front of an unsuspecting pinto pony, who stopped dead in his tracks. "Hi, I'm Pinkie! I'm new in town, can you tell me where this place is?" she asked, holding the scroll up in front of him with one hoof pointed to the address.

The pony regained his composure, looking over the address briefly, before chuckling. "Well of course, that's Belle's Bakery! Everypony knows where that is!" He remarked.

Pinkie blinked a few times in surprise. Rainbow trotted up to the pair. "It's a... bakery?" she asked.

The stallion nodded, turning his head and motioning toward the west with a hoof. "Caballus Street is right over there. Just follow it and you'll spot the place. It's pretty impossible to miss."

Pinkie put the scroll back in her bag, then grasped the pony's raised hoof in her own and shook it several times. "Thanks a lot, mister! Come on, Dashie!" she said, before breaking into a canter in the pointed direction.

Dash shook her head in annoyance and followed after her quickly, leaving the confused stallion behind. She quickly caught up to the pink pony, smirking at her. "You're really eager."

"Of course I am, Dashie! I get to see my sister again!"

"Really? You're not nervous this time?"

Pinkie blinked a few times, and suddenly slowed her walking speed, her smile fading. "... Well now that you mention it..."

Rainbow slowed down as well, chuckling and bumping her nose against the earthmare. "Don't sweat it, Pinks. Everything will be fine. Let's just find out what building it is."

Pinkie's smile quickly returned, and she nodded at her marefriend. The two trotted their way calmly down the street, observing the buildings they passed, until one building in the distance proved to stand out from the rest. It was three stories high, and adorned with a large, well-made sign. The sign featured picture of a large golden bell, flanked by the words "Belle's Bakery" in stylized lettering. The two stared at it for a moment, as Dash smirked. "Well, that guy wasn't lying."

She turned toward the pink pony, who regarded her with a nervous smile. Dash smiled reassuringly, and the two made their way through the bakery doors. The opening of the doors triggered a big golden bell, and also blasted the two with the scent of fresh bread and other assorted goodies. Many different types of bread could be seen for sale on the shelves, as well as an entire plethora of cookies, brownies, and other baked goods under the cover of glass counters. Several menu-like signs detailed special bakery items that could be made on request, like cakes. On a different day, Dash knew that Pinkie would be absolutely losing her mind in a place like this. The two stepped into the middle of the shop foyer, glancing around at the many items for sale, Pinkie taking in deep breaths to absorb the scents as much as she could. Eventually, they heard the sound of a pony approaching.

A male earthpony emerged from the doorway behind the counter, likely leading to the kitchen area. His coat was tan-colored, and his mane and tail a rich brown. He wore an apron around his body, bearing the bell logo of the bakery. The apron came just short of covering up his cutie mark, a loaf of dark brown bread. He smiled brightly and regarded the visitors with his hazel eyes. "Welcome to Belle's Bakery! What can I interest you in?" he asked, cheerily.

The two mares looked on in confusion, having expected a completely different pony to be greeting them. Dash said something she almost immediately regretted. "You don't look like Belle."

The stallion chuckled heartily and shook his head. "Not even close. My name's Rye Flour. You two are new in town, I take it."

"Ooh? How'd you know that?" Pinkie asked.

"Although it is growing, Trottingham is a still a small town, by most pony's standards. We're the only bakery in town, so as far as I know, everypony visits us at least once a week. I've never seen you two before, so I made an assumption."

"Yep, that makes sense to me," Rainbow remarked.

Pinkie nodded, and smiled nervously at the stallion. "We are new, yes. We came here to see Bellamina, actually."

Rye looked at the pink pony and blinked in surprise. "Bellamina? It's... not often somepony calls her by her full name. Are you two friends of hers? I don't recall seeing you at the wedding, let alone in this store before."

Dash blinked and raised an eyeridge. Pinkie just shook her head. "Actually, I'm, um... her sister."

The stallion looked even more confused. "Her sister? But, you don't look anything like Marg-" he said, cutting himself off as a realization hit him, his eyes going wide.

Pinkie noticeably twitched, knowing immediately that Rye knew the Pie family history. She looked down at the floor, scraping her hoof across it nervously. "Y-Yeah... I'm THAT sister..."

An awkward silence befell the room for a few moments. Pinkie eventually turned her eyes back up to meet the stallion's. Rye seemed to be shaking a little, eventually clearing his throat and adjusting his apron. "This... will be interesting then," he remarked.

Rainbow turned her gaze toward Pinkie, keeping her distance for the moment, much like she did at the rock farm. "Hang in there, Pinks," she said quietly.

Pinkie nodded, raising her posture up and waiting. Rye walked back toward the doorway leading to the back area, sticking his upper body through. "Belle dear? You have... visitors here for you," he stated with a raised voice, stepping aside from the doorway afterward.

"Oh? Give me just a moment!" came a female voice from the back.

The pink mare gasped and shuddered a little at the sound of her littlest sister's voice, now older, but still recognizable. After a minute or two, she came into view from the kitchen. The grayish-blue coat Pinkie remembered had shifted to a more rich blue color with adulthood. Her long gray mane was stylized into a bun above her head, fitting for a baker. She wore the same apron as Rye, but adorned on her flank was the image of three multi-colored candy-dotted cookies. She entered the room with a bright smile, which quickly became a look of intense shock toward the pony her hazel-colored eyes laid upon. Her gasp was so sharp it was almost unheard, instead sounding like a sharp inhale of breath. "P... Pinkie..." she stammered out quietly.

Pinkie stared at her grown baby sister, pushing a smile across her face, her body lightly shaking. "H-Hi Belle..." she stated, calmly.

Belle stared in absolute shock for a few moments, before showing what must be the trademark Pie family speed, zipping around the counter and latching her forelegs onto her older sister. She squeezed tightly for a moment, soon leaning backward, staring at the pink pony and prodding her with her hooves. "It's you! It's really you!!" she practically screamed, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Y-Yes, Belle, it's me- grk!"

The youngest Pie sister squeezed tightly around the pink mare, burying her face into her chest, sobbing loudly. "I... I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again! Oh Pinkie!!"

Pinkie felt the urge to lose herself, just like she did when she finally saw her parents again. The flood of emotion didn't come. Instead, it was Belle herself that had lost all control, squeezing desperately to her long lost sister, spilling more tears than Pinkie even did. Somehow, Pinkie remained composed, gently wrapping her forelegs around the blue pony, resting her chin on her bunned-up mane. "I-It's okay, Bella... I'm here now. I missed you so much, little sis..." she spoke softly, gentle tears dripping from her eyes.

Her sister said nothing, instead staying desperately clung to the pink mare, letting years of emotion flow out of her. Pinkie stayed quiet as well, content to hold her sister close until her condition ran its course. Rainbow Dash stared at the sisters, a bit stunned at how well Pinkie was keeping her composure, especially after what she witnessed back at the rock farm. She took a passing glance at Rye, who remained behind the counter, misty eyed and with a large smile on his face.

The smell of lavender tea filled the air of the kitchen, mostly overcome by the smell of baking goods. Belle sipped from her cup, finally calmed down from her long emotional spell. The tea helped matters. The three mares sat at a kitchen table situated near the stairs, away from the larger kitchen area where all the baking happened. Rye Flour himself kept busy, checking the goods and occasionally leaving to the foyer to answer a ringing bell. "I'm so sorry about my behavior. I... I completely lost it," Belle proclaimed.

Pinkie giggled a little bit. "Don't sweat it, sis. I probably would have done the same thing in your position!"

"I'm surprised you didn't in your current position," Rainbow idly remarked, staring at her cup of tea, never having been much of a fan of the drink.

Bellamina hrmed in thought. "Who is your companion, Pinkie?"

Dash glanced upward briefly, while Pinkie just smiled. "This is my... friend, Rainbow Dash. She's helping me on my adventure!"

"Your... adventure?"

"Yep! An adventure to see all of my family again. We came here from Maresburg."

Belle gasped. "You saw mother and father? I hope that went well..."

Pinkie nodded and sighed wistfully. "Better than I could have ever hoped."

Belle sighed as well. "That's such a relief... I mean, Dad changed so much after you left. I'm not sure why I was worried just now."

The two sisters sipped from their cups, Pinkie's poofy mane bouncing a little as she shifted in her chair. "They told us about what happened. How you got to go to a real school and get your cutie marks and everything. I was so happy!"

The blue mare giggled softly. "It was definitely a positive change. One I really needed... That was actually how I met Rye originally. He lived in Maresburg too, went to the school."

Rainbow raised her head up, recalling something she heard earlier. "That reminds me. Didn't he mention something about a wedding?" the pegasus asked.

Belle blushed only slightly, a wistful smile crossing her face. "Oh. Yes. Rye is my husband."

Pinkie gasped in shock. Dash wasn't surprised at all. "Yeah, I figured that. Married a childhood crush then?"

The earthmare blushed a little deeper, and giggled. "We were too young for that back then! We met up again long after school was over with."

Her smile faded when she glanced over at Pinkie, who looked rather forlorn. Dash turned her glance and noticed it as well. "Uh, Pinks? What's wrong?" she asked.

"My little sister got married and I wasn't there to see it..." Pinkie replied, sadly.

Belle bit her bottom lip a little, leaning over slightly and rubbing her hoof on her sister's. "It's okay, Pinkie. Don't be sad. ... If it makes you feel better, Margaret isn't married yet..." she noted, fishing for anything to cheer Pinkie up.

Pinkie pondered for a moment, before perking up suddenly with a bright smile. "You're right! What am I doing? I should be happy that my baby sister found looooove~"

Belle leaned back again, her blush and smile returning. "Y-Yeah, that works, I guess."

She gasped in surprise as Rye appeared next to her, kissing her on the cheek and chuckling at her jumpiness. "Why don't you tell them how you got your cutie mark, dear? That'll explain how we met," he suggested.

The bell rang in the store front, causing Rye to excuse himself. Belle shifted in her seat and smiled brightly. "Alright, I can share that story... It was pretty much his fault that I got this ol' thing," she said, referring to the batch of cookies on her flank.

"So it was at the school in Maresburg?" Dash asked, finally sipping some of her tea afterward, wincing a little at the taste.

Belle nodded. "One passion I carried over from my foal days was all the baking we used to watch Granny Pie do. So as a schoolfilly, I frequented the baking class at school to try and learn how to do it myself. That's where I met Rye. He was my best friend, outside of Maggie. We tried out a lot of neat stuff in the baking class... and made a lot of messes too."

Pinkie giggled. "Sounds like me in my early days at Sugarcube Corner!"

Dash smirked at her. "Sounds like you nowadays too."

Pinkie stuck her tongue out at the pegasus as Bellamina continued. "One day, Rye came into class with these big loaves of bread that he said he baked himself at home, based off of techniques he picked up from his father. The bread was just amazing! Some of us put butter on it, others made sandwiches with it, and all that stuff. As he watched us all enjoy it, his cutie mark appeared, right in front of everypony! I knew right then that I needed to do the same thing. I had to floor everypony in the class with my baking skills too! And I knew exactly what to make..."

Her sister gasped and perked up with a bright smile. "Granny Pie's Super Special Candy Cookies!" the pink pony yelled excitedly.

Belle bounced in her seat and grinned widely. "That's right, sis! ... Only problem was, Mom lost the recipe. She remembered what she could, and I had to fill in the rest myself. I totally winged it... but it was like magic, Pinkie! Not only did I recreate Granny's recipe, but I made it even better! I brought them to school and floored the whole class, including Rye himself. It was perfect... and there it appeared. My cutie mark. Now Belle Pie's Super Special Candy Cookies are the top selling item of this bakery."

Pinkie clopped her forehooves together and cheered as Belle raised her chin up proudly, with Dash rolling her eyes at the cheesiness of the display. The jittery Belle gasped again when Rye made another unexpected appearance, nuzzling under her raised chin. "And it was those cookies that brought me back to you, don't forget," he noted.

Dash and Pinkie glanced at each other, then back at the couple. "What's that mean?" Dash asked.

Belle rubbed a hoof over her blushing face, smiling meekly. "Well... Rye's family moved away to Fillydelphia some time after I got my mark. A few years later, once I was done with school and Mom & Dad hit it rich, I decided to move there was well. I figured I could try and find my best friend again."

"Unfortunately, my family and I had already moved to Manehatten by then," Rye interjected.

Belle nodded a little, continuing. "I got a job at a baking company there anyway, and made a name for myself. Eventually they decided to relocate me to here in Trottingham. They purchased this bakery we're in now from the retiring owners. They felt I was talented enough to run it on my own. Which I did, for a good while, though not without my fair share of troubles."

Pinkie tilted her head a bit. "What kind of trouble?"

Rye looked at Belle with a hint of concern, as she went silent for a moment, before waving the comment off with a hoof. "Nothing important. Really. What is important is that this dashing stallion came back into my life," she said, prodding at him with her hoof.

Rye chuckled softly and pushed her hoof away. "I got tired of the big cities and decided to move somewhere smaller. I ended up here in Trottingham and went looking for its bakery. When I got here, what else did I smell but... her cookies. She made them a few times before I moved out of Maresburg, and I never forgot the scent," he said, pressing his nose against one of her earbases.

Belle blushed and flicked her ear a little, her smile wide. "All of my problems seemed to wash away when my best friend came back into my life. I helped him get hired by my parent company, and he immediately brought his amazing skills to the bakery here. Somehow, despite already being the only bakery in town, we got even more popular."

Rye nodded slightly. "Our repeat customers came by almost constantly, and we even took orders from out of town!"

"We became so successful, that we were actually able to purchase the property from our parent company and start running the place ourselves, complete with a nice bit of redecorating. And along the way, well... We sort of fell hopelessly in love..."

She blushed and leaned her head back into Rye's chest. Pinkie watched them, misty-eyed, her forehooves pressed together. "That's... so... ROMANTIC!" she squealed.

Dash rolled her eyes so hard she thought they would fall right out of her head. Pinkie managed to notice without glancing over, Dash grunting when one of the pink pony's hindlegs bumped her chair. Rye kissed his wife on the head before heading back to the ovens to check on some baking bread loaves. Belle sighed dreamily and turned her attention toward Pinkie. "What ever happened to you, sis? Where did you end up?"

Pinkie slurped the bottom of her empty cup and set it back on the table, licking her lips. "I live in Ponyville now! I got there when I was a filly and shacked up at this totally cool place called Sugarcube Corner! Mr. and Mrs. Cake are the best bakers in aaaall Equestria!" She blinked a few times and grinned in embarrassment when she realized what she said. "Um... No offense."

Belle couldn't help but laugh. "None taken. But, does that mean you're a baker too, Pinkie?"

Pinkie nodded several times. "Yep! Personal apprentice to the Cake family!" She then let out a loud gasp. "Ohmigosh! We're both bakers now! We can toootally bake things together!"

Bellamina was taken aback by the pink pony's excitement, but only for a moment. The idea hadn't occured to her either until Pinkie said it. She slowly smiled widely and slipped out of her chair to all four hooves. "That sounds like a great idea!"

Rainbow Dash audibly groaned and dropped her chin to the table. "More baking? Didn't you make enough of a mess at your parent's house?"

Pinkie zipped right next to Dash wearing a floppy chef hat. "There's always time to make a mess, Dashie!" she stated, plopping another chef hat onto Dash's head.

Dash blinked and raised her head up, eyes looking up at the hat on her head. Where did she even GET these things? "Oh no, Pinkie, you're not dragging me into this! I can barely make toast!"

The pegasus then felt her forelegs grabbed by both Pie sisters, pulling her out of the chair and toward the large kitchen area. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Ms. Dash~!" Belle cooed.

Rye could be heard laughing nearby. Rainbow went limp with a heavy sigh, hindlegs dragging across the floor. "Why did I come on this trip again?"

"Come on, sis! Where are we going? Tell me tell me tell me!"

Pinkie hopped circles around Rainbow and Bellamina as the three mares made their way down one of the roads of Trottingham. Belle had her hair down, the long gray mane swaying a little as she walked. It reminded Dash of Pinkie's mane when she was sad. "It's a surprise, Pinkie! You're the big party pony, I thought you liked surprises!" Belle replied to her sister.

The pink mare stopped bouncing and walked alongside her. "Well duuuuh, I love surprises! But this is different, cause you're my baby sister and I'm just so eager, I wanna know so bad!"

Dash grumbled in annoyance. "She's not telling, Pinks, so just wait."

"Ohhh, okay, Dashie, but only cause you said it!"

Pinkie skipped alongside her sister then, humming a tune, as Dash quietly thanked Celestia that actually worked. The rainbow mare glanced around the street as they walked, listening to most of the ponies they passed give a greeting to Bellamina. She responded in kind, even knowing the names of most of them. "You sure are popular here," Dash remarked.

"Well, small town, one bakery... and we did get more attention than we thought we would. I don't mind it too much. The ponies in this town are wonderful."

Rainbow glanced in her direction. "You sure Rye can handle it by himself?"

"He'll have no problem, Ms. Dash. It's a bit of a slow day today anyway. He'll probably join us later."

"I'm surprised the kitchen survived the Pinkie Pie tornado yesterday," Dash said with a smirk.

Pinkie bounced right next to Dash suddenly and hip-bumped into her. "You were part of it too, Dashie!"

Dash frowned and shoved her hip right back at the pink pony. "Only because you dragged me into it! It took me a while to get that dough out of my tail, you know."

Belle couldn't help but giggle. "Don't fight about it, girls. It was the most fun I've had in my bakery in long time! Even if it did require a lot of clean up..."

Pinkie giggled and hip-bumped Dash once more before bouncing to her sister's side, Dash grumbling a little, but privately smirking. She opened her mouth to say something, but got cut off by a sharp Pinkie gasp. "Whoa, that place is big!" the pink mare stated.

Rainbow glanced ahead, seeing the road they were on lead right toward a large complex, possibly the largest building in the small town. Big letters on the outside of the building read "Trottingham Event Center." Belle grinned widely. "We're here!"

"An... event center? Something special going on?" Dash asked.

"There's always something special going on here. What they have set up right now, though... I just had to bring Pinkie to see it."

"I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait!" Pinkie rambled, as the three mares approached the entrance.

Dash herself was very curious by that point. After a quick trip through the opening halls of the event center, the three ponies made their way through doors leading to one of the main event areas. Pinkie's resulting gasp was one of the loudest Dash had ever heard. "AN ICE SKATING RINK?!" the pink pony screamed.

In front of the threesome was indeed a large, indoor ice skating rink, surrounded by a modest crowd of ponies enjoying some carnival games and concession stands that were dotted around the rink. The rink itself had a dozen or so ponies on it, happily skating in circles and talking, some doing tricks. Dash stared in silence for a moment. "Ice skating in the summer?" she eventually asked.

Belle nodded. "Yep! Lots of events get set up here all year, and during the hot months, the ice skating rink goes up. I try to come down here when I can. I have skates back at home, but I didn't bring them, cause I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

Dash pondered for a moment, a memory returning to her. "Oh yeah. Pinkie mentioned she ice skated a lot with her sisters. She does it in Ponyville during the winter."

"Yes, I figured she still has a passion for it..." Belle remarked, glancing over at her sister, who had to pry her jaw off the floor.

"OooooOOOOHHH THIS IS GREAT! Let's go skating, let's go skating!!" Pinkie yelled, running circles around the two mares.

Dash raised her hoof briefly, before suddenly stomping it down on Pinkie's tail, causing her to stop dead and flop on her stomach. "Go ahead, Pinkie, but you're not dragging me into this one."

The pegasus moved her hoof and let Pinkie stand, the party pony immediately pouting. "Well what are you going to do, Dashie? What's better than skating?"

"A lot of things..." Rainbow flicked her tail and glanced toward the pony crowd. "I'll try some games or something. I'm no skater. Why are you worrying about it, anyway? Go skate with your sister!"

Belle tugged on Pinkie's poofy tail excitedly. "Yeah, come on, big sis! There's a place where we can rent skates."

"Skates! Yes! Let's do it!" Pinkie yelled, zipping off with her sister in tow.

Dash watched them go, and sighed heavily. A little peace, for once. She loved Pinkie more than anything, but it got a little grating sometimes, especially with a long lost sister hanging around. She actually didn't want to play any of the carnival games that were setup like she had told Pinkie. She was perfectly content with relaxing and watching the two sisters skate. She had watched Pinkie do some skating before the last Winter Wrap Up, and it was actually somewhat entertaining, not that she'd ever admit it out loud.

The pegasus made her way to a seating area largely ignored by the other ponies, and sat down, eyes on the ice rink. Within a few minutes, the two sisters made their appearance, skating onto the rink with some scarves on their necks, likely also borrowed from the skate rental area. They joined the circle of ponies making laps around the rink, wide grins plastered on their faces. Jeez, I bet I could see those grins from space, Dash thought to herself.

After several minutes of happy skating, Pinkie noticed a few ponies doing tricks near the middle of the rink, and she said something to her sister. The two moved away from the skating line and into the middle area, facing each other, staring down the other with determined looks. Dash perked up a bit. Oooh... Sisterly challenge? This should be fun...

"Looks like I got here just in time."

Dash turned her head in surprise, seeing Rye Flour approaching her with a smile. "Oh! Hey, Rye. Closed up shop for the day?"

The stallion sat down next to the pegasus, nodding. "Yeah. We close early sometimes if it's a slow day, or if we have plans. No one ever complains."

Dash nodded, the two turning their attention to the skating rink, where Pinkie and Belle had begun to take turns doing tricks. They began with simple skating movements, waving their hoofs in and out of each other, eventually resorting to doing spins. After a few moments of silence, Rye chuckled. "I don't think Pinkie is gonna win this," he remarked.

Rainbow smirked. "Yeah. She only does her skating in the winter. It sounds to me like Belle comes here a lot."

"Not a whole lot, really, but she tries to get some practice in at least every other week. She'll skate for hours. Managed to get me on the ice a few times. I felt like a putz."

Dash grinned at him. "Guess that's why you're not out there right now, huh?"

Rye laughed softly. "Well, sure, but mainly I wanted her to have some time with her sister. Just the two of them... not counting the other ponies on the ice."

The two Pie sisters had managed to attract a bit of a crowd with their tricks. Most of the ponies skating on the ice had stopped to watch, forming a wide circle to give the two space to work. The sisters had begun to take to more complex tricks, skating around in circles doing balance acts, and occasionally gaining speed for jumping spins. They started to get attention from other ponies around the rink as well. "Ms. Dash? May I ask you something?" Rye suddenly spoke.

Dash glanced toward him, and chuckled. "You can call me Rainbow. I don't mind."

"Oh! Right, sorry..." Rye rubbed his head a little. "I remembered hearing all the conversation yesterday, while you girls were baking. I was wondering why you came along with Pinkie on this trip."

Rainbow turned her attention to the skating pie sisters, briefly pondering what she was going to say to answer that. "Well... Actually, I was the one that got her to do this. She... wanted me to come with her, so she didn't have to do it alone."

Rye went quiet for a moment in thought. "What prompted you to make her do this?"

Dash pondered briefly if she should tell Rye what happened. She turned her glance back toward him. He was looking at her with a caring, curious look in his eyes. Something told her that it would be alright. "Well... When I found her on that day, she was really sad. Like, crying her eyes out sad. Pinkie never gets sad. I... got her to tell me why. Memories of her family, and all that. She was a mess, and had been for a while. So... I knew she had to go out and see them again, to fix her up. I never want to see her like that again."

Rye stared at her for a moment, before turning his glance downward. "That... sounds familiar."

Dash looked at him with confusion. "What does that mean?"

The stallion turned his gaze up to the ice rink, where he witnessed Bellamina do a crazy flipping move through the air, landing on her skates perfectly and leaving Pinkie absolutely floored. The pony crowd around them cheered. "Belle kept herself from talking about it yesterday after you two arrived. I guess she didn't want to worry her big sister who just came back to her life."

"Talk about what? Rye... What's wrong?"

Rye sighed deeply. "Belle was... really torn apart by the loss of her sister. She was such a little foal when their grandmother died, I guess it affected her too much emotionally. She looked up to her oldest sister so much. When Pinkie left, she was hit the hardest."

Dash winced a little. "That doesn't sound good."

Rye nodded just slightly, eyes still on the ice rink. "Her other sister, Margaret, had to step in and help keep her together. Then, once they got into school, Belle became friends with me. We were sort of her pillars of strength. I never would have known that at the time, of course. I learned about all this history later. I was sad to leave her when I moved away, but I figured it would be okay." He sighed wistfully. "When I found her again, all those years later, I was so happy. Turns out, I was really lucky too."

"Really lucky? How?"

"Belle had been living alone, working the business for quite some time. She kept in contact with her family with letters, and her parents even visited her a few times. But... Without Margaret or me there, she started to... fall apart, emotionally. She missed us. She missed Pinkie. It was affecting her state of mind, her work ethic. Her boss had to come down and get her to see a therapist here in Trottingham to deal with it. It worked, for the most part, but she was still in bad shape. Then I showed up..."

Rye leaned back a little bit as some cheers erupted from the ponies on the ice. Dash turned her gaze that way, seeing the sisters happily skating together, doing tricks and partner moves to the delight of the audience. "We were so happy to see each other, and couldn't wait to get me working at that bakery. Everything was going fine until I was exposed to her fragile emotional state for the first time. She skipped some therapy sessions to work with me, and I eventually made her go back to them..." A gentle smile crossed his face for the briefest of moments. "As it turned out, though, falling in love with her was the best thing I could have done. I was her pillar of strength again, a little light in her heart that kept her going every day. It's kind of a scary thought, I guess, but I was happy to do be in the position. Once we got married, I thought everything would be okay..."

Dash quietly wondered why Rye was telling her such... personal details. She was basically a stranger. She also felt his last words there were rather ominous. "Well... um... was everything okay?"

Rye closed his eyes. "The wedding was the happiest day of our lives. It was also the first time Bellamina had been with her family together in one place since she and Margaret moved away from Maresburg. But, there was one piece missing."

Dash bit her lower lip slightly. "Pinkie..."

The stallion nodded and opened his eyes again, Dash turning her gaze toward him. "Being with her family again made her realize that Pinkie still wasn't there in her life. All of those memories she had been repressing in her happy times with me came rushing back. I loved her, Margaret loved her, but Pinkie... Pinkie still wasn't there. She had to start doing therapy again. Some nights, she would just lay against me and cry herself to sleep. Eventually, we drifted away from therapy again, and those sad nights got few and far between... but they still happened occasionally. All I could do was hold her close and tell her it'd all be okay..."

He went quiet for a spell, Dash continuing to stare at him, wondering how she could possibly respond to all this. Then, slowly, a smile crept across his face. He turned his gaze to the pegasus and motioned his head toward the ice rink. "Look."

They both looked at the ice. Pinkie and Belle were finishing their partner skate with a surprisingly well-choreographed routine, which came to a close with the two spinning like tops for a moment, followed by striking a double pose. The ponies around them erupted into applause. The two sisters stared in awe at all the attention, before letting loose fits of happy giggles and hugging each other. A huge smile stretched across Dash's face at the scene. "Wow."

"I think it will change now, Rainbow. Yesterday, when you two came into the store, and I realized it was Pinkie... My heart almost seized. I called Belle into the room... and I watched her cry. She cried so hard right there, hugged up against her long lost sister. It was the hardest I'd heard her cry in a long time, but they were all happy tears. Beautiful, happy tears. I felt like I'd been waiting my whole life just to see that happen, right in front of me. With her biggest sister back in her life... I think... I think she can finally heal, Rainbow."

Dash stared almost unblinkingly at the ice. The crowd had dispersed to go back to enjoy skating, and the two sisters skated tiredly side by side, bright smiles on their faces, talking about something the pegasus couldn't hear. What she did hear, however, was a sniffling noise. She turned her glance toward Rye, who also stared at the ice, with gentle tears dripping down his cheeks and a bright smile on his face. After a moment, he turned toward her. "Thank you, Rainbow, for bringing Pinkie back into my wife's life. Thank you so much."

Rainbow stared at him in stunned, emotional silence. After a moment, her lower lip quivered as she extended it into a smile, a tear falling down her cheek as she did. The two turned their smiling faces back toward the ice rink, and Dash heaved out a warm sigh, eyes fixed on the happy faces of the two sisters.

"You're welcome."

TO BE CONTINUED...

~ Scy