Pinkie woke up the next morning with her cheeks stained with tears, her eyes a light red from crying too much. She probably cried herself to sleep last night, she could tell from the puddle on her pillow and bed sheets. She wiped her eyes and got up, going to the mirror to see her hair was flat and dark, as it normally was when she was like this, she was a fool to think otherwise. She still knew how to maintain it from her days on the rock farm and did just that, using the small brush that she's had when she was little to keep it clean and free from knots. She got dressed in some darker clothes, putting some lighter ones in a bag in case she felt better. She did however, put them on sloppily, the shirt ragged and the pants tattered. There were no intricate design on them like there are on all her other clothes, these were just plain and red.
She went down the stairs only to be greeted by the Cakes and their twins with a big breakfast on the table in front of them. The twins were grabbing for Pinkie, wanting her to hold them and hug them. Even when she was upset, she could always smile at the twins, she loved kids after all. She held the kids and hugged them softly, nuzzling their little heads. The Cakes however, weren't so sure she was fit to be with the kids in her state after seeing her abnormal attire and her straight hair. Pinkie reluctantly let the kids go and sat down at the table, eating slowly.
After the parents tucked their kids in, Mrs. Cake went into the kitchen and sat next to Pinkie who barely ate half of her plate before pushing it away, full. Mrs. Cake patted her back, smiling at her with her normal soft smile. "Pinkie dear, I can't say I understand what you're going through, but I feel it must be very tough," she said soothingly, trying to calm her down as best she could.
Pinkie nodded, not wanting to race against her family, however she knew that she had to, they were going against Equestria, it had to be done. "I never thought I'd see them again like... like this," she said, holding her face in her hands, trying to fight crying again.
"I know deary, however, I feel it must be hard for them too, they do have to race against their precious daughter and sister, they love you, I can tell."
Pinkie turned to Mrs. Cake, "How do you know? You don't know them! You don't know my history!" she shouted angrily.
Mrs. Cake merely hugged Pinkie softly, "Motherly instinct Pinkie, when you become a mother, you'll know this too..."
Pinkie pushed her away, shaking her head, "No... they don't love me... if they did, they wouldn't do this."
Mrs. Cake shrugged, "They might have other reasons you know, they don't seem the type to want to take over..."
Pinkie just cried harder, the thoughts and her jumbled mind physically hurting her. She couldn't take it anymore, but she still has to do it, and maybe, just maybe if she wins, she will find out what her parents were thinking. Why they were racing for Discord. Pinkie got up and went to her convertable, pulling out of the garage and driving to Twilight's library.
Upon reaching the library, Pinkie hopped out of the car and knocked on the door, waiting for Twilight to answer. It took a moment but Twilight opened the door, holding a large pile of books, covering her face. "May I help you?" she said, her voice muffled by the large amount of books covering her face and mouth.
"It's me Twilight, I'm here to update my car..." Pinkie said, the sadness in her voice apparent.
"Oh! Right, hi Pinkie!" she said, "Spiiiiiiiike! Spiiiiiiiiiiiiiike!" she called, waiting for her assitant to show up.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Spike called, heading down the stairs in a hurry, his green hair in its usual spikey mess, his purple clothes baggy and loose. He really needs to buy new clothes.
"Spike, come get these books," Twilight says, turning around, holding the books out.
"On it!" he said, going over to her, holding out his hands, waiting to get the massive pile of books. Twilight dropped them on his arms and he carried them with no problem to the corner where he put them down gently, the books still going down, toppling over and landing on him with a large crash. "Whoops, I'll clean these up..." he said from below the books, trying to dig his way out.
Twilight just shook her head, "Oh what am I going to do with that boy?" she asked herself before turning around, looking at Pinkie with a smile... and then she saw Pinkie's hair a flat, straight mess. She was sad, very, very sad. "Pinkie, are you sure you want to do this?" she asked her friend, concern in her voice, "We can get Fluttershy or maybe Rarity to do this!"
Pinkie shook her head, looking at Twilight in the eye, her eyes filled with a mix of determination, sadness, and anger. There was no room for enjoyment in them. "No Twilight, this is something I have to do..." she said, her voice dull and lifeless.
"After all these years, I should know better than to argue with you, so if this is what you want, I won't stop you..." she said, going outside to Pinkie's car. "So how would you like this?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter to me," she said plainly.
"Alright then," Twilight said, focusing her magic on the car, closing her eyes, making a few gestures with her hands and casting a spell on the car, transforming it into a battle vehicle with buttons all over the wheel and dashboard. The side of the car a bright pink with cupcakes, balloons, and confetti painted all over the sides of the car. Pinkie let out a soft smile at the sight of it but that quickly went to a frown due to her remembering who she's racing.
"It's great Twilight...," Pinkie said, hopping in and looking at the buttons, trying to see what they do. All the buttons were neatly labeled with funny and cute pictures. Very Pinkie esque.
"I figured you'd like it," Twi said, hoping in the back seat, "Anyway, let's go get the other girls, I'm sure they want to be there for you."
Pinkie nodded and drove to her friend's individual houses, picking up Fluttershy last since she was on the way to Fillydelphia. Fluttershy sat in the front seat, holding Angel like a teddy bear again, smiling at Pinkie, looking at her with concern as well as beauty. She always thought Pinkie looked beautiful with her hair down, however she wished she would do it when she was happy. Rainbow Dash was in the back, looking out of the convertable without a care. She wouldn't tell anyone, but she was also really worried about Pinkie and if Gilda wasn't in the race, she'd take her place in a heartbeat, with or without Pinkie's consent. Rarity was in her usual dress, sitting in the back, sighing a bit, looking at Pinkie, concern clear in her eyes. She tried to hide it by working on some knitting, however she knew that her guise wasn't very convincing. Applejack was eating an apple. An apple she originally offered to Pinkie upon seeing her sadness. It took a while, but AJ finally backed down and got in the back.
Pinkie began to drive, going towards Fillydelphia and staying silent, stopping every once and a while for gas. The other girls talked amongst themselves, the topics varied and random, however they all seemed to end with them wondering if Pinkie was ok. They never asked her though, after they asked once, she just screamed, saying that she was fine. It scared all of the girls, especially Fluttershy.
They reached Fillydelphia late at night, going to their hotel and checking in, getting in for free, being a racer and all. Pinkie went to her room without a word, slamming her door and going into bed to sleep, ready for this day and the next day to end. The other girls talked for a while, ate some dinner and went into their individual rooms, ready to spectate one of the hardest things Pinkie ever had to do.