//------------------------------//
// What should I do, Gummy? 
// Story: Pinkie's greatest Challenge. 
// by Lethrael 
//------------------------------//

The rush of hungry ponies came finally to an end. Mr. Cake’s shift began as soon as Pinkie served the last famished patron, and she was more than relieved to be finished for the day. She wiped a stream of sweat off her face and nodded, satisfied with the work she had done. Bouncing happily from behind to in front of the counter, she ordered a milkshake and a sampler platter for lunch. She looked around while she waited for the sweets. Sugarcube Corner had become a popular meeting ground for ponies to chat and hang out with one another. Even in the former lonely corner sat three giggling fillies with empty cups on the table. Pinkie knew them of course, she knew Everypony in Ponyville! Even if somepony new came to town, she immediately became their friend, so...

A confused voice brought her train of thought to a halt and she looked to the lonely corner again.
“Hey Dinky, did you lose a letter?”
All three fillies were standing up and one of them, Lilly, leaned to her smaller friend and gave her a nudge. She had found the scroll and showed it to the only filly who had an actual saddlebag on her back.
The violet little filly shook her head and opened her mouth. She shut it again as Pinkie bounced closer, finding herself within the group. She quickly put on a trademark Pinkie Smile and started to babble.
“I actually know who lost it!
Would you pretty puh-lease with a cherry on top give it to me, Lilly?
She will definitely... return, uhm...”
Pinkie's eye stayed on the address and the half broken seal on the letter and her voice tapered off, blinking confusedly. It came out in a low whisper that only she could hear.
“Ponyville orphanage.”
She cocked her head. She knew that Ponyville had an orphanage, of course and paid it visits every now and then. She usually went there for birthday cakes and parties, cheering-up parties, or -and these were her favourite moments there- adoption and stag parties. But she hadn't seen Scootaloo at any one of these parties.
Her train of thought stopped again, as Dinky nodded and laid the scroll into her raised hoof.
“O..of course, Pinkie.
I...I would never dare to take it.”
The filly blushed deeply and drew circles on the ground, like she was caught by something bad. Pinkie inhaled surprised, shook her head and grinned.
“No, no, I don't want to claim this.
You see, I...I here!”
She gave the filly her sampler platter from her back and darted upstairs. The three fillies looked bewildered  at the floating and spinning milkshake cup. Pinkie returned quickly, caught it mid air, and whizzed away with a loud slurping sound.

The mare put the empty cup on her nightstand and gave a relieved sigh.. Fortunately she had emergency cakes in her closet for her in-case-of-accidentially-miffed-somepony-and-giving-away-your-lunch-to-apology-emergencies. So after she had put the last of her double chocolate cookies in her mouth, she rethought the situation of this morning and sat up. A few crumbs fell out of her coat and she wiped away much more from her fluffy chest.
She looked around for the scroll, but it was nowhere to be seen. She heard a strange sound directly beside her pillow and looked there.
“Gummy?
What are...”
Her pet laid beside her pillow and chewed on the scroll with an agitated look in his usually blank eyes. The chewing and wagging of his tail was a teeny bit faster than normal at the very least, and Pinkie cocked her head.
She held one front hoof in front of his mouth, petted gently over his back with another, pulled a cookie with a third one closer and used a fourth one and her tail to clean up the bed from every crumble. She smiled wide and Gummy let go the scroll finally. The seal was broken and the letter uncoiled completely.

Dear Caring Heart,

Pinkie thought of the yellow earthpony mare and her smile widened even more. The mother of the orphanage, or what was the right term again? Pinkie cocked her head and studied the scroll with one eye, while the other one glanced at her picture wall.

I regret to inform you that your nestling Scootaloo Windfoal did not  receive one positive answer. We've contacted every adoption willing couple in our archives and presented your letter and your pictures if  they were interested.

Pinkie's other eye returned to the letter and her smile faded a little bit. She pulled Gummy closer to herself with her tail and cuddled up to him, as the words get faster and faster into her mind.

Unfortunately nopony wanted to adopt such an old filly. Her very low school performance didn't make a good impression, and her...

There was a line on the paper, it looked like the pony had stopped for a moment and a small drop of ink landed on the letter. Pinkie could almost hear the sigh of the pony. She licked her lips and took a deep breath.

I'm sorry, to be honest this time, but I'm sure your nestling will never read this letter...

Pinkie gasped and hugged Gummy vigorously. Because of this a squeak sounded through the room, but it wasn't clear, whether it came from Gummy, or Pinkie herself. Well she read ahead, firmly nestling to her pet.

...her very unique mannerism, that you have mentioned in your evaluation, makes it even more difficult to interact with her. Her tomboyish attitude makes it almost impossible, that...

Pinkie Pie paused, nuzzled Gummy and tried to suppress her upcoming sadness. It didn't work out, it just grew stronger and the first tears were streaming down her face.

...anypony would adopt her here, or even would take care of her as a foster parent.
I apologize for my honesty, but your request was a mistake right from the start.
I can understand, that you would use the last straw, but the pegasi here just want a filly who can actually fly. I'm very remorseful, that it did not work out as you had expected.
I wish it was different, really I do.

Love,
Your Nestling Wings.

Pinkie sobbed as she finished the letter, pressed her eyes into Gummy and let everything everything she’d been holding in; out. She cried into her small friend, but one thought in her mind fought down the flurry of emotions strangely fast. Or more precisely a memory. She wiped away her tears and followed the memory.



Pinkie sat beside a sobbing blanket lump on a bed and tried to stay calm. Marble cried, very silently, but she cried and Pinkie couldn't stand this.
She wanted to protect her, but didn't know how. She wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how neither.
She wanted...she wanted… Thoughts raced in her mind as she tried to grasp for an unknown word but couldn’t.
Her own sobbing started to drown Marble's out. Pinkie even wailed and cried out loud.
“But...but I want to help you!”
Somepony galloped quickly through the room and hugged her vigorously. She buried her eyes in a warm coat and sobbed into it. Somepony caressed softly over her head and spoke in a gentle, calming whisper. .
“Pinkamena, what's wrong?”
The monotone voice sounded worried -for Pinkie at least- and the hug was an idea gentler than usual.
“Oh Maud, I think Marble has hurt herself and I want to help...help...”
The tears overwhelmed Pinkie again and she pressed herself closer into the hug. She sobbed again and nuzzled her older sister frantically. Maud started to speak and one gentle hoof rubbed the small of Pinkie’s back very comfortingly.
“I'll become sad too, every time I see you cry.
But when you cry right now, nothing will change and you can't help her.
Come on, Pinkamena, it’s not the time for tears. Hug her and help h-”
She interrupted Maud's calm voice with her trembling one and looked at her with a tear soaked face.
“Could you...could you do it first?”
The older sister just shook her head and pushed the crying filly to the sobbing blanket bulge.
“You can do it!”




The last sentence brought Pinkie back into her present self and she wiped away the remaining tears. She swiftly looked to the picture wall again, returned her attention back to her pet and took a deep breath. So deep, that she almost started to hover! However, as she breathed out like a balloon with a loud PRRFT!, she landed beside the bed again. She smiled seriously, coiled the letter with her nose, and put it into her mane.
“First...first...say Gummy, what should I do first?”
The little alligator blinked very slowly and Pinkie took a breath as long as he blinked.
“You're right, no time for panic.
Should we put our heads together and think?
Uh, I have the right pony for this....”
Pinkie Pie whooshed away and bounced downstairs.
She returned quickly and kissed Gummy on his toothless mouth.
“You're the best in calming everypony down and even...
Gummy stared pervasive at her and Pinkie nodded.
“You're right. I should go and...”
She bolted away, but came back again. She pranced in front of the bed and blabbered nervously.
“What if Twilight says that I shouldn't read a letter that isn't addressed to me?”
Gummy blinked slowly and Pinkie grinned.
“Right, it was an accident and it won't surely be so bad and...”
She rushed away again, but for the third time she returned almost immediately.
“What if I don't know what to do after I speak with Twilight?”
This time her murmur sounded very low and almost frightened. Gummy flicked his tongue quickly and touched Pinkie's nose with it.
“Oh! Right, thanks Gummy. I will ask Twilight then... right!
See you!”

This time she darted away for real. Pinkie rushed out of the house and bowled down a small orange filly as she ran down the stairs. Scootaloo tried to hold on to the bigger mare and stay on her hooves, but she failed and dragged her along. The filly and the mare rolled down the two steps then fell down on the ground below. The letter flew out of Pinkie's mane and glided slowly down beside them. It unfurled, and with all of the bad luck in Tartarus, landed right beside Scootaloo’s mane.