Regrets
The Cakes were usually up early in order to begin baking the goods for the day, but today their early rise had nothing to do with their business. A sign hung on their front door saying “Shop closed for personal business, will reopen tomorrow.”
Mr. Cake sat at the table, tapping his hoof against the wooden surface, while his wife paced the floor in front of them. There was a tense silence that had been building since the night before. They’d be here any second, and they prayed to the Royal Sisters it would be before Pinkie.
The knock finally came, hitting the front door with a few raps. Both just stared for a few moments before the matriarch of the family walked over. With a final deep breath to steady herself, she gripped the handle and opened the door.
She had spent the better part of the last two weeks trying to convince herself that they’d look like ordinary ponies when she saw them and not terrible monsters, and to her surprise, they did. They were all dull colors, with expressions of unease on their faces, but nothing about them would have made them stand out among a crowd.
Still, looking at them, there were a number of peculiarities about them. Clyde... an unusual name, for a pony... had a face that looked worn. Pinkie had described him as stone faced, though it seemed that stone had softened and eroded. The lines on his face could have made him pass as Pinkie’s grandfather. He was well built, a certain mark of his profession, though at the same time he seemed exhausted.
Sue Pie was at her husband’s side. She might have been considered attractive, had it not been for her style of mane and glasses being the opposite of what even common sense said to use as fashion. Rarity would probably have a heart attack on seeing her. Still, she had a strong, lean figure, making Mrs. Cake a little self conscious about her own weight.
Behind them were Pinkie’s two sisters, though at the moment, she couldn’t see them well.
“Is this the Cake residence?” Clyde asked, in a voice that, appropriately enough, sounded like gravel.
“It is,” Mrs. Cake answered, trying to sound emotionless. She stood to one side and allowed the the family to come in.
As they stepped through, she got her first good look at Inkie and Blinkie. She knew Pinkie was the oldest of the three sisters, but to her these two seemed her senior. Inkie’s boulder cutie mark barely stood out among her grey fur, while Blinkie’s pickaxe mark was more visible. It was clear Pinkie alone had left the family business.
After a moment, it clicked with Mrs. Cake. Pinkie was a grown mare, but she still often acted half her age. Whatever ponies thought of that, it did make it hard to picture her as an adult. Inkie and Blinkie, by contrast, were calmer and more stoic, and their frames were closer to Applejack’s that their sister’s.
“Where’s Pinkie?” Sue asked suddenly.
“She stayed the night with a friend and will be along shortly,” Mrs Cake said evenly. “Sit down.” The missing “make yourself at home” was obvious, but not commented on.
Inkie and Blinkie had noticed Pound and Pumpkin and were cooing at them. The infants giggled and laughed happily, sensing nothing wrong with the two. Mr. Cake steeled himself for the inevitable question on their parentage, but it never came. If they did suspect what most strangers did, he guessed they kept silent out of the knowledge they were far from morally superior.
There was a long, pregnant pause.
“Well...” Mr. Cake said at last, attempting anything to break the ice, “can I get you anything to drink? Perhaps a treat?”
“No... thank you,” Clyde said. “We agreed not to take anything until we talked to Pinkie.”
“Well, she’ll be along shortly... I hope.”
The rock farmer nodded. “Inkie, Blinkie, maybe it’s best if you waited in another room,” Clyde instructed.
They both looked up from the twins, who they had engaged in a game of peek-a-boo. “But, Pa...” Inkie started.
“No buts,” Clyde said sternly. “This... this is going to be a hard conversation to have.” He softened at the last sentence. “Please...”
“But...”
The protest was cut off by the Cakes, who gently began pushing the girls out of the room.
“You can wait in our kitchen,” Mrs. Cake instructed. “Just don’t mess around the stove.”
The two were pushed through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen. Nodding in satisfaction, the bakers turned back around.
“But we want to see our sister again!” Blinkie whined.
The Cakes gaped, looking back at the doors, then at the magically appearing mares. Mrs. Cake put a hoof to her face. “Great... it’s a family thing.”
Pinkie had rolled out of Twilight’s guest bed with her stomach doing flip flops. She had wobbled into the bathroom and held her head over the toilet, waiting for the expulsion she thought was coming, but it never did. She wished it would, at least there would be some relief after.
She had cringed at Twilight’s offer for breakfast. She’d have had no appetite even if she hadn’t eaten in a week. She felt herself being torn apart. The librarian finally managed to force a glass of water on her, at least.
Then it was out the door and on the road. Every step was a battle with her nerves as the bakery inched closer and closer. By the time it was in sight, every breath was as if she had run a mile. She hardly noticed the rest of her friends already in front of the building.
“Are you ready for this?” Rarity asked gently. Pinkie didn’t answer. She hardly heard. She was taking a step at a time now, her body sweating hard. She felt dizzy, her vision was getting fuzzy. She felt like every bit of her form was distorting. She wanted, more than anything, to run... but she didn’t.
She was on the porch now, and the tears were starting to leak. She had never been this scared. He knees were shaking. She felt her knees give out, but she was caught, Applejack to one side, Rainbow Dash to the other.
“Easy there, sugar, we got you.”
She gulped, nodding. Standing back up, she took a deep breath. Before she could reconsider, she pushed forward and flung the door open.
Four faces looked at her. Both sets of parents, sitting to either side of one of the tables. Mr. and Mrs. Cakes looked at her with worry. The other faces...
Time stood still. For a long moment, nothing existed except Pinkie and her parents.
“...Pinkie,” her father spoke at last. She felt dizzy again. “Please sit down.”
With great difficulty, Pinkie found her balance. She slowly made her way to the only available chair at the table. The Cakes sat to either side of her, the Pies across from her.
The remaining five ponies stood awkwardly to one side. Mrs. Cake motioned them to the kitchen. Understandingly, Twilight led the others out of the room. Halfway there, however, she stopped.
"Hold it," she said, turning and walking towards the table. No pony spoke as she lit up her horn. For a few seconds, Clyde and Sue were bathed in a beam of light from the unicorn's horn. After a few seconds, the purple light turned red, and the spell stopped.
"Changeling check," Twilight explained, noting the confused faces. The Pies nodded in a way that told Twilight it had not been the first they had been subjected to on the way here. Clearly Celestia had tightened security on travelers.
Her duty completed, Twilight turned and led the others to the kitchen, leaving the five earth ponies to their discussion.
“Pinkie,” Clyde began, in a tone that sounded too controlled. “You know me. I’ve never been one to dance around an issue." He took a deep breath. "So I'm going to dive right into it. You need to know... what happened after you left."
Sue returned to the farmhouse, her hooves deliberately stomping the hardwood floor harder than they needed to. Inkie and Blinkie stood at the front door, waiting for her.
"Well?" Inkie asked. "Did you get her to come back?"
Sue glared at them through her glasses. "Your sister decided that her parties were more important to her than we were. So I let her run. Let her find out what it's like out there."
Both of the remaining Pie children looked alarmed at the prospect. In a flash Inkie was at the door. "Maybe we can still catch her, and..."
"Get away from that door!" her voice nearly boomed. In an instant her command was obeyed. "Your sister... Pinkie made her decision. She can either live with it, or come crawling back on her knees. But I won't let you chase after her."
"But..."
"But nothing! Now get back into bed before I take a paddle to both of you!"
Jumping, the two obeyed, running up the stairs to the room they shared. Sighing, Sue marched up the stairs herself, entering her bedroom to meet the gaze of her husband, who had not risen from the double bed.
"I told you it would be a waste of time," he grumbled.
"Not now," Sue spat, laying on her side. "I can't believe Pinkie would have up and left."
"That girl..." he growled, putting his head back on the pillow. "A cutie mark dedicated to wasting time. Bah."
No other word was spoken between the two. The sounds of the night, the occasional raven cawing, leaves rustling, were the only thing that filled the dark bedroom.
Clyde didn't sleep. Neither did Sue, though he didn't know it at the time. He thought back, to the day Pinkie had been born. Such a bright coat color was a bit of an omen, though they didn't account for that. The Source had gifted ponies with a variety of colors, and birth parents rarely had anything to do with it. She had giggled and cooed in his forelegs and his mother had been overjoyed, tying a balloon reading "Happy Birthday" to her crib and celebrating by telling every one of his friends and families tales from when he had been a newborn. At this time, he had been mortified, embarrassed, yet he constantly looked back on it with fondness.
He looked at the side table. A picture of the family, Pinkie included, looked back at him, their happy eyes and ear-to-ear smiles mocking his current mood. He flipped the picture over so it was facing the table top. He then turned, looking at the ceiling. He tried to entertain himself by counting the boards in it, but his mind drifted back to Pinkie.
At only two, she had danced with Granny Pie when Inkie had come into the world, and eleven months later Blinkie had joined. In just four years his quiet farmhouse turned into a noisy funhouse. Granny Pie was always entertaining the kids. Story nights, happening more frequently, always ended with the family on the ground, laughing. Inkie and Blinkie had enjoyed this, of course, but Pinkie had taken to her much more intensely.
That should have been his second omen. His mother was always something of an odd one out in the family. It amazed his grandfather when his father had brought her home. Yet she was still family, her infectious nature easily worming past the family's stoney dispositions. She had embraced the simple life they chose to live, and she more than pulled her weight in chores and work, never needing much to find happiness, so any who found her out of place didn't think it was too bad.
Pinkie, however, started growing into a worry. She had embraced her granny's philosophy and demeanor, but the work ethic came slowly. She could recite tales and stories she had been told, of the legendary Midnight Castle, the Mirror Pool, and several other oddities, but could not remember the basics of rock farming. She had to sit through three lectures on the importance of rotating crops before she remembered.
Still, he had shrugged it off. Sloth was a common sin of the young, he himself had grumbled at chores as a colt, and though he remembered less than half of what he learned in school, he remembered his mother's stories as clearly as if he had heard them yesterday. He was sure the phase would pass. He was not worried about her leaving the family business. That would be her choice, but he'd see to it that she would make a responsible one.
Granny got sick on Pinkie's seventh birthday. The doctor's said she could be treated, but the procedure would require several operations, medicine, and other complications to her life. She declined. She'd lived a full life, seen her grandchildren be born, and made them smile. She was ready.
So, three months later, she told her family she loved them, and passed on into Paradise with a large smile on her face.
The family had cried. They buried her under her favorite tree. For three days, they mourned.
Pinkie was back on her hooves first. She was smiling and laughing, reminding them that Granny had died happy and content.
The attitude burned Clyde, but he knew it was true. He put on a brave face and life went on. But it became more subdued. Work became more frequent. With Granny gone the housework now had to be split up between them, usually by one of the children. Things were hard, but most of them took it in silence. Most of them.
Pinkie had been the most vocal at hating the extra workload. She did her chores, and did them well, but with great reluctance, and always dashing back to the farmhouse as soon as they were over. In her room she would dance and sing, off key at first, though it impressed him how quickly she improved. These noises lasted well past bedtime, and she had to be repeatedly told she needed to go to sleep. She was constantly caught trying to make cakes and pies, despite repeated warnings that money was tighter now, and they needed the supplies.
Clyde had realized what was happening. Pinkie, well intentionally, was trying to fill Granny Pie's void. She was reciting her stories and songs at every available opportunity. She wanted to learn to learn to bake, so Sue taught her to make bread, promising she could help with the sweets when it was time to bake them again.
It hurt, seeing her leap about. She was a cheap imitation as far as he was concerned. She could never calm down and be serious. She neglected her work more and more, he had needed to yell to get any reaction out of her. And then, now, a cutie mark in that kind of irresponsible behavior?
"Where did I go wrong?" he wondered out loud.
"Some foals just turn out bad," Sue muttered. Clyde jumped. He had nearly forgotten his wife was there in his thoughts. "Just try and get some sleep."
Sleep didn't come that night.
The next morning it became clear that no pony had slept. Yet there were still chores to do. Fashion designers would be coming from Manehattan and Canterlot soon for the gems and geodes, artisans for the malachite, and scientists for the minerals they could cultivate.
The work got done, but even he had to force himself through it.
That night he broke the usual rule and they simply got take-out. Sue was too tired to cook.
Sleep came that night out of exhaustion. The next day work happened as usual. There was story and song time that evening. It failed miserably.
Over the next few days, Clyde noticed a change in his children. Inkie and Blinkie looked upon their father with respect, as they always had. But there was no love backing it anymore, at least none he could see. Fear replaced it. A fear of not living up to his standards.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he assured them. "If your cutie marks take you away from rock farming, I'll understand. Whatever makes you happy."
"But... Pinkie..."
"She didn't know the meaning of hard work," he clarified. "Pinkie wanted to goof off all day. A cutie mark in that? Disgraceful. Whatever you two do, I know it will be something you put effort into."
The discussion calmed them somewhat. But only somewhat.
It had been a week since Pinkie had left before it happened. Clyde had been standing in Pinkie's old room. He was convinced by now that his eldest daughter was not coming back. It had been painful realizing she wasn't going to come crawling back on her knees once she saw what the world was like.
Sighing, he began to pack everything away. Crayons, coloring books, and other things his two remaining children could use would be given to them. Balloons, streamers, and confetti (where had she even gotten them?) would be thrown away.
He opened her bedside table. Inside were drawings. The first was a sketch of a pedal powered flying machine. "Bah," he muttered. Then he took a closer look. There were some calculations, a few close up of parts, and the like, and notes on things to figure out later. It was crude, but it looked as if it could conceivably fly with some work.
He placed it on the bedside. The next sketch was of a cannon. One that she was hoping would shoot confetti and streamers. This one was thrown away.
The next was a crayon drawing. Of his mother. There were dried tear marks on it. He couldn't bring himself to throw it away.
Another drawing of Granny Pie. And another, and another. Then a picture of the whole family, her included, standing and smiling.
He tossed it back onto the "don't throw away" pile.
The next sheet wasn't a drawing, but a long, written story, lasting several sheets and stapled at the top right. The Tale of the Royal Pony Sisters, he realized. He moved to the next. The Mirror Pool. The next. Escape From Catrina. He rolled his eyes a bit. If ponies had been in danger as often as the old tales suggested, he failed to see how they could have survived so long.
The final sheet wasn't a story. It was a list of "Granny Pie's Super Awesome Sayings". Clyde went down it.
"Lies fly, then fall. The truth hops but keeps going."
"Laugh when you are scared."
"Remember, laughter is one of the strongest forces in Equestria. It can pick a pony up in the darkest of times."
His ears twitched. He remembered.
Even in your darkest time, in your darkest place, you'll always have somepony to look out for you. Keep a song in your heart and a spring in your trot, and everything will turn out okay.
He dropped the papers. He was stunned silent.
In a flash he was downstairs, running toward the front door.
"Dear?" Sue spoke up. "Where are you going?"
He stopped and looked at his wife. "...We've made a mistake. Which way did you find Pinkie going?"
"Clyde, that was a week ago..."
"She couldn't have gotten far in that time," he said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than his wife. "She's too young to have traveled too far. We have to find her!"
"She went north..."
"I'll ask the neighbors if they're going that way soon, ask them to look. Gather all our extra money, we'll see if we can charter a pegasus chariot."
"The harvest..."
"Our neighbors owe us a few favors. They can reign it in while we look..."
"Wait," Pinkie interrupted. She had listened to her father, too scared to speak up. But on this revelation, she simply had to inquire.
"I did," Clyde said simply. "We searched for days in the direction we saw you leave. We even hired a chariot and drove out as far as we could afford, but nopony had seen you." He was silent for a moment. "You doubled back, didn't you?"
She swallowed, then nodded. "I was... I was afraid of you finding me. When I thought I got far enough I tried circling around..."
Clyde nodded. "I figured. We searched everywhere until we couldn't afford it any longer. We gave up. For years, we thought we had lost you. Then, two years ago, we picked up the paper and saw you on the cover."
Neither Pinkie or the Cakes had to ask. NightMare Moon, Pinkie's ascension to an Element of Harmony. That had been how Clyde and Sue had found her at last.
There was an unspoken question that Mrs. Cake badly wanted answered, but she waited until her foster daughter had a chance to ask it for herself.
"Why did it take you two years to come and see me?"
For the first time since he sat down, Clyde looked uncomfortable. He shifted a bit. "Pinkie... I believe your granny said something about that. 'The hardest thing anypony can do is admit when they've been foalish.'"
Pinkie's eyes widened as she realized something. Tears were spilling out of her parent's eyes.
"I would take back everything if I could. I thought that cutie mark was a sign that you had no ambition, and now look. You've accomplished things most ponies could only dream of. Please, Pinkie... I'm sorry." He spoke the words like they were the hardest things he had to say. The weight of the last several years were on them. "I've wronged you. Please..."
Pinkie sat at the other end of the table, wide eyed and slack jawed at the confession. Then, in a flash, she was at the other end of the table, in her father's forelegs, crying her eyes out.
The initial meeting between Pinkie's friends and her sisters was awkward, not helped by Twilight's insistence that they be scanned. Finding them clean, they began talking awkwardly, trying not to listen in to what was supposed to be a private conversation between Pinkie and her parents. At the sound of crying, Rainbow Dash had to be held back from storming in and demanding to know what was going on.
"Settle down, y'all," Applejack said sternly. "We'll go in when Ma an' Pa Pie are good and ready."
"Oh my, I hope everything is alright out there," Fluttershy noted.
Twilight, sitting in front of a chessboard, briefly considered using a scrying spell to see what was going on, but decided against it. She moved her knight to like up with Blinkie's princess. "Check."
Blinkie moved her princess to capture Twilight's piece.
Twilight responded by moving her prince into a new position. "Checkmate."
Blinkie fumed. "You're good."
"So are you. It's not often I have somepony that good to play with," Twilight reassured.
"Thanks," Blinkie said, setting up the pieces again. "I'd probably be better if Inkie would play me more often."
The remaining Pie sibling stopped her frantic pacing and looked at her younger sister. "How can you play games at a time like this? Our sister is in there!"
Blinkie shrugged. "There's nothing I can do until Mom and Dad are done."
"I'm ready to move in if Pinkie so much as says my name," Twilight assured her, moving her first pawn. "Anyway, I'm sure everything's going fine."
At that point, Mr. Cake stuck his head in the door. "Um... Inkie, Blinkie? Pinkie's ready to see you."
The younger Pie sisters were out the door in a flash. The sound of them saying their oldest sisters name joyously filled the other ponies ears. A lot of excited talking followed. Rainbow Dash moved to follow, but was stopped by Rarity. "Honestly, let Pinkie have a few minutes with her sisters."
The cyan pegasus fumed, folding her forelegs in a huff. "I can't stand sitting here."
"Well, you're gunna," Applejack said sternly. "'Sides, I think it's pretty clear things are gonna be alright. Sounds like they're havin' quite a reunion."
It was another few minutes before Pinkie's voice called to them. "What are you all doing in there? Come on, the party's out here!"
At Pinkie's statement, the others exited the kitchen half expecting to find the main dining room decorated by Pinkie, ready for a traditional party, but they found things undecorated. Just the family, with their tears drying, ready to celebrate.
"So, everythin' okay in here?"
"No," Twilight said suddenly. "I'm not alright. I haven't been alright in a while. I've been burying my feelings for far too long. I can't stand it anymore!" She got on her knees in front of a certain earth pony. "I love you Applejack!"
Suddenly she grew pegasus wings and magically levitated Applejack onto her back. She took off, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. "Let's be together forever and ever...
Pinkie? Pinkie?
"Huh?"
"You spaced out there for a second," Rainbow Dash said.
"Sorry," she smiled. "I was just thinking..."
"I don't blame you," Clyde said warmly. "It's been a hard day."
Mr. and Mrs. Cake, with some help from Sue and Applejack, were passing out sweets to everypony, and a feeling of festivity was beginning to fill the air. Twilight was the next one to approach the patriarch of the Pie family.
"Sorry about the scan," she said. "I've been a little on edge since the invasion."
The rock farmer waved her off. “I'm fine. We went through about three checkpoints on the way here. I'm amazed the Princesses had them set up that fast. Though, from what I hear, the breach in security was a big one."
"You don't need to tell me," Twilight said a bit sourly.
"And they were nothing compared to that group outside the city."
At that, both Pinkie and Twilight looked at him with alarm. "What was that?"
Clyde blinked. "There was a group about a mile outside of town. They followed us for a bit, asking us if we were aware of what a tyrant the Princess was. They kept shoving pamphlets in our faces."
He paused as he took in the two mares' shocked faces. "Is that something we should be worried about?"
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*phew* This was one of the things I'd been waiting for, and I'm glad it went well. =)
It takes a big stallion to admit his mistakes and follies. Today, Clyde showed what a truly big stallion he is. Well done, Clyde, you didn't let me down, and neither did you, Darth.
You've written Clyde a lot like Stoick from How to Train Your Dragon, in that he goes through all the emotions when it comes to his daughter, loving her, trying to live with her, hating her, etc. Like Stoick, he goes through all these emotions like a real human being would, and not just some one-dimensional character. He's not some mean-spirited ogre, you've written him like a real human being. That takes a lot to do for a character who the readers are initially so angry at.
Props to you, Darth. Props.
Hmmm you have captured my interest
Let tears turn into wind and blow the clouds of sadness away,
To make way for the dawn of happiness as laughter comes into full sway
I loved the TwiJack joke, and this chapter made me cry a little. Glad you didn't make Pinkie leave her parents because they were physically or sexually abusing her like so many do. It was beautiful. Now only Scootaloo remains.
Heh
Glad you updated. It's nice to see peace between Pinkie and her family. Family issues are very hard to deal with and require a lot of healing in most cases.
D'aww... It's so nice to have something go irrevocably right for once in this story.
Huh. That worked out a lot better than I expected.
Long delayed reunion... success!
And I can't help but think that Pinkie's family may be useful to have around for the upcoming conflict with the anti-royalty group, if they stick around long enough for it that is. There was a hint or two in there that Pinkie isn't the only special daughter.
This. This is when the story shines at its brightest. I still don't care for the conspiracy stuff, but if you make it awesome it will take me less than two years to admit that I was wrong.
found a very slight error.
I believe this should be your sister
Also, yay, one more issue has been resolved wonderfully. Now we just have to deal with scoot, her father and his group. I still want him to rot in a ditch. I don't care if he thinks he is doing right, he is torturing his daughter.
FINALLY THE ROCK.... I mean DARTH LINK HAS COME BACK.
welcome back.
Yay closure for Pinkie and all the Pie family
... Two years ago? That's very similar to Halcyon Hearts... you can really see the collaboration now.
Still, an excellent chapter, and a heartwarming ending to Pinkie's Arc... only to bring up the troubles of this group, and how big it is getting.
2553900seconded.
With Pinkie and Spikes subplots dealt with, all that's left to do is gather olive and speedy so I can teach them an excellent recipe for Cupcakes
Wow. I admit, at first I hated Clyde. However, now I understand him, and see he was actually trying to be a good parent the only way he knew how...and he recognized when he went wrong and worked to make it right. I empathize with him now.
If you pull this with Speedy Delivery, however, someone's getting killed.
wait until Clyde finds out that pinkie pie actually built the flying machine as well as the party cannon and they both work lol
My inner cynic can't help but feel that that was way too easy. I understand Clyde's motivations and way of thinking, but the timing coincides with the 'rebellion' and the other problems too well. They even have a cover story on how they met the anti-Celestines.
Also, what was with the Big Lipped Alligator Moment in there? That was weird as hay.
2553985
Err, the greater part of Spike's subplot is still afoot.
Really enjoyed the pacing of this, wasn't drawn out like some authors would have made.
2553985 I have some Dark elder Haemonculi who would love to meet/make them beg for death but will never get it as new forms of pain are introduced to them.
My reaction (or maybe Twilight's if she knew) to Pinkie's daydream about Twilight/Applejack
Tears, not liquid pride, tears. Full blow tears, but happy tears.
A family forgives their eldest daughter is the first step of harmony but there are 2 to 3 more problems yet to be solved: A power/control struggle for Princess Celestia, a Pegasus filly's life, and a Baby Dragon's livelihood is in the hooves of the Elemares of Harmony.
Absolutely superb writing, well done.
Gotta say though, I'm still rooting for some TwiJack.
Run Twilight quickly to the library and to Spike! Oh yeah that heart felt reunion made me
Soooo... More Scootaloo?
2554086But that part of Spike's Subplot is tied to the terrorist subplot, which is in turn part of tied to the Scootabuse plot. Olive and Speedy flavored cupcakes fix all three of those in one go.
2554093I don't know what those are, and besides the cupcakes will be so yummy
Very touching! Clyde is right, the two hardest words for anyone to say are, "I'm sorry." Followed closely by, "I was wrong." Hugs all around! Hugs! Hug hug hug!
And you know what? I love how Pinkie being so happy and fulfilled, that something like this has wonderfully happened, can only think of the happiness of her friends as well. Applejack and Princess Twilight Sparkle, flying off on a rainbow together, having an adventure!
2554296 Dark Elder Are a race that Thrives on the Suffering/pain of others in 40k.
Haemonculi are the Dark elder who make Torture an art form in a race of already sadistic aliens.
Cupcakes is a sappy happy children's book to them.
I had a happy cry.
OMG that end.....
I see problems incoming....
MOAR!
Clyde you really need to stick around. You made mistakes in the past but you've admitted to them, you've learned why what you did was wrong. You need to teach Olive Branch and Speedy Delivery the error of their ways, show them why their vendetta against Celestia isn't worth all the pain and suffering they've caused. Tell them how wrong abuse is and tell them what it feels like to have your own offspring hate you and refuse to be around you. And remind they of how close they are to seeing those things come true with Scootaloo.
Sue you could also be useful in teaching Scootaloo's mom (I forgot her name) how to stand up for herself and not lot others make decisions for her, help her realize that what her husband is doing is wrong and isn't worth all the trouble it creates for Scootaloo.
Hear me and hear me well Olive Branch and Speedy Delivery. You have one last chance to see the light and stop this whole thing. If you give up now and throw yourself at mercy of Celestia herself then perhaps you will be forgiven and allowed to start fresh. If you continue down this dangerous path you only ensure your eventuall downfall. It may not happen right away but sooner or later something will go wrong in your plan and then when it's too late you'll wonder how you ever could've been so stupid.
There is nothing wrong with being upset with how your leader is handling things, that's the reason for free speech it allows for good to come out of bad situations, what is wrong is turning that freedom into a twisted vendetta determined to bring about a form of order that noone could possibly like, and you can't call it chaos because what you've done is nothing compared to what Discord himself could come up with.
So thing about your options, look deep inside yourselves and ask yourselves this question "How do you expect Equestria to get better when you remove the very figure or power who knows more about the country then you may ever know?"
Yay!
And so the pie family has been reunited once more. That now leaves Scoots problem to be dealt with along with the anti-Celestia problem.
And like so many others, I too that Scoots abusive father gets what he deserves.
*temporary breaking the fourth wall (with Pinkie's aid of course)*
- Me: Hey! Rainbow Dash!
- Rainbow Dash: Huh? Yeah, what is it?
- Me: If anything happens at this dinner you're going to at Scootaloo's house...do me a favor will ya?
- Rainbow Dash: ...okay. Annddd what's that?
- Me: If her sorry excuse for a father tries anything funny, could you please have Soarin and you kick is sorry flank for me?
- Rainbow Dash: Uhhh... Yeah! Sure!
~ Super-Brony12
Yay!
And so the pie family has been reunited once more. That now leaves Scoots problem to be dealt with along with the anti-Celestia problem.
And like so many others, I too that Scoots abusive father gets what he deserves.
*temporary breaking the fourth wall (with Pinkie's aid of course)*
- Me: Hey! Rainbow Dash!
- Rainbow Dash: Huh? Yeah, what is it?
- Me: If anything happens at this dinner you're going to at Scootaloo's house...do me a favor will ya?
- Rainbow Dash: ...okay. Annddd what's that?
- Me: If her sorry excuse for a father tries anything funny, could you please have Soarin and you kick is sorry flank for me?
- Rainbow Dash: Uhhh... Yeah! Sure!
~ Super-Brony12
2554522
I would have to agree with you. Even though Discord has a rude way of going about with his humor, he at least doesn't abuse little colts and fillies like Speedy Delivery and Olive Branch do.
What would be hilarious is if Discord himself was the one that brought upon their judgement!
~ Super-Brony12
2554576 The worst part is that these two assume they're doing the right thing. It takes a true monster to look at yourself and convince yourself you are doing the right thing even when it causes so much agony and sorrow. (Just look at Frollo from Disney's The Huntchback of Notredame and The Onceler from Dr. Suess' The Lorax, both of them thought they were doing the right thing and in the end they lost everything because of those beliefs. They had multiple chances to stop, they were given several chances to make things right but they didn't do so and they payed the price.)
This is quite possibly your best chapter yet. The way you handled the reunion was absolutely perfect and I loved Clyde's characterization. He's still very much a "strict, no nonsense" type of parent but he genuinely learned from his mistakes and realized there was more than one way to live well. Amazing how you managed to cram that much character development into a single chapter without it seeming rushed.
2554386Oh I have heard of them. by the way it is spelled Eldar, not elder. note the A.
Go back and read the comments for the previous couple chapters. I have been suggesting Psycho Pie's Patented Pegasus Cupcakes as a fitting punishment for the Second worst Scootabuser since I started reading these stories. It's either cupcakes, or we drop him off on planet Skaro.
Ah that's a relief. I was expecting another twist like you had in the other story arc(s) so far. Thank you for making this one plain, simple, and to the point (kind of like the Pies anyway).
Now..onto the Scoots issue..and make her fly blast it!
Well..more than before..if..that's okay with you 
My reactions in order
1.
The story
The mention of a party
the shipping
The ending (In other words - Oh shi...)
2.
3.
4.
Things turned out better than expected, what a relief.
Good for the Pinkie, family's important.
So now the "League of Idiots" is passing out pamphlets? Great.
Sleep is for the weak...
That's nice. I like a nice ending.
So that leaves the Moron Patrol and Scootaloo.
...Well. The Pie Family Reunion ended a little better in the Nuptialverse than it did in my fanfiction.net fic. Try this on for size:
---------------
Pinkie was silent for a long, long time; for well over a minute, the only noise was the wind.
"I know that the mature thing to do would be to say yes" Pinkie said softly. "To bury the hatchet, accept apologies, and mend ties."
A spark of hope swelled in Mr. & Mrs. Pie's hearts.
"But…"
And then it began to die away.
"But I… I can't. I just… can't do that."
And then it faded out completely.
"After all that you did to me… The ways you hurt me, and stood back & let me suffer… Everything you said and did… I just… can't forgive you. It still hurts way too much. I still… hate you for it. I cannot forgive you. …Please… leave. Just… go, back to your home. Leave me alone. I… I don't ever want to see either of you again, for as long as I live. You're not my mother and father anymore. …You never were."
Mrs. Pie choked back a sob, her heart breaking, while her husband bowed his head, utterly defeated and lost. "V-Very well" he croaked out. "We'll… be on our way now. …Goodbye, Pinkamena. I'm sorry that it had to end this way."
-------
I was wholly expecting something along those lines.
well I can;'t hit the like button again...
I know how pinkie felt ttrying to go through that door, and she's lucky to have had that strong group support of her friends.