In Pursuit of Happiness.
by
Spice of Life
"Rarity's been gone for two weeks. I know it's been two weeks since I have two cakes. Ohhh, I can't wait to see her again, I hope she gets back soon." Pinkie Pie sat on the soft grass walkway leading up to Carousel Boutique, talking quietly to herself as she looked this way and that, with a smile on her face.
Rarity would be back from Canterlot today and Pinkie Pie was ready. She had decorated the front of the Boutique with balloons and a big banner saying 'Welcome Back Rarity!'. "I wonder if I should go to the train station? She said she was going to try to take a chariot back but maybe she got on a train instead." Pinkie stood up, ready to run to the train station. "But..... if she does come back in a chariot... then I'll miss her." Pinkie danced from one hoof to the other. "Ohhhh, I guess I should stay here. I know Rarity will have to come back to the boutique no matter what." She plopped back down in front of Carousel Boutique then wrapped herself with her forelegs and squealed. "I can't wait to see her again!"
Time passed and eventually Celestia's sun hung high over Ponyville, leaving almost no shadows. Pinkie watched the ponies in Ponyville as they went about their day. "*yaaaaawn* Sooooo booooooored, I hope she gets here soon, I've got all these hugs saved up for her." Pinkie scanned the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of a chariot flying in from Canterlot. She didn't see a chariot in the cloudless blue sky, but she did see a rainbow contrail soaring across the sky. "I wonder where Dashie is going?" She wanted to follow Rainbow Dash but the thought of missing her beloved white unicorn stopped her from leaping up and chasing the rainbow maned pegasus. "Ooooohhhhhhhhh, when is Rarity gonna get here?"
The sun was starting to disappear on the horizon, soon to be replaced by Luna's moon high in the evening sky. Pinkie lay on her back on the grass in front of Carousel Boutique, her hooves wiggling in the air as she waited. She watched the banner swaying gently in the breeze, several of the balloons had become untied and were lost to the breeze. "Where is Rarity?" She muttered.
"Hey there Pinkie." Pinkie Pie looked in the direction of the call and saw an orange mare with blond tail and mane wearing a Stetson hat trotting towards her. "Rarity still ain't back yet?"
"Hiya Applejack. Nope, I thought she was supposed to be back today but nopony has come to Carousel Boutique all day, maybe I got the day wrong. Maybe she decided to stay longer. I wish I could have gone with her but the Cakes needed me to help them." Pinkie let out a deep sigh.
Applejack sat down next to Pinkie and put her foreleg around her. "Cmon now, Ah'm sure she'll be back before ya know it."
"I hope so, I miss her." Pinkie leaned against Applejack.
"Ah know ya do sugarcube, ah wouldn't have seen you sitting here all day if ya didn't." She noticed two white boxes stacked on top of each other next to the door, she pointed her hoof at them. "What's with the boxes?"
"Oh, those are two cakes for Rarity."
"Ya made her two cakes? Why two?"
"I bake her a cake every week and she missed the cake last week so I have two cakes for her." Pinkie looked up at the sky "I... The sunset, it reminds me of the first time she told me she loved me." Pinkie's breath caught in her throat as she kept watching the last rays of light disappear.
Applejack let her hoof fall from Pinkie's withers and just sat next to the pink mare, watching as the sun disappeared below the horizon. She heard a sniff and could see a tear well up in Pinkie's eye and slowly slide down her cheek.
Applejack could see Pinkie deflate before her, her whole body sagged. Even her mane seemed less bubbly. "C'mon now, it'll all be alright. Maybe she just got held up." Applejack gently patted Pinkie's back. "Have you eaten today? How bout we go git some supper."
Pinkie let Applejack help her up and leaned against her while they walked in silence to Applejack's family's farm, Sweet Apple Acres.
As the two approached the farmhouse. Pinkie began to feel a bit more like herself. She shook her head and started walking beside Applejack instead of leaning on her. Going to a friend's house for dinner was like going to a party, just with less balloons and streamers. And Pinkie did love to party. By the time they reached the door to the house Pinkie decided she had enough walking and was hopping along next to Applejack. Rarity's absence still weighed on her but Applejack was right, she would be back soon.
Applejack was relieved to see Pinkie seeming to go back to her happy self. She had only seen Pinkie with deflated hair briefly once before and it worried her to see it again. When it had happened, Pinkie seemed both angry and sad. What little Rainbow Dash had told her about the incident gave her cause to worry. Something about Pinkie being surrounded by house-hold objects and acting like they were talking. Applejack decided she had best keep an eye on Pinkie till Rarity got back, as they approached the farm house and stepped inside.
Dinner went normal, well, as normal as any dinner with Pinkie Pie could go. All of the sadness that Applejack had seen at the Boutique was gone, replaced by the almost annoying cheerfulness that Pinkie was known for. Rarity's influence on the pink pony was obvious; she only danced on the table once and when she juggled the plates she managed to catch all of them.
Pinkie and Applejack walked out of the farm house after Pinkie said her good-nights to the rest of Applejack's family. "Want me ta walk you home Pinkie?" Applejack asked as they approached the fence next to the road that lead away from the farm.
Pinkie seemed to deflate slightly and the effervescent mood she had been in moments before sobered. "Thanks Applejack, but I want to check the boutique again. Maybe she got back while we were eating." Just moments ago her voice was full spirits, but now the cheer bled out of it and it took a much more melancholy tone.
The two mares stopped at the gates of Sweet Apple Acres. "Want me ta come with ya?"
Pinkie shook her head. "That's okay. Thanks though, goodnight Applejack." Pinkie started trotting along the road towards Rarity's boutique.
"Alright then, g'night Pinkie Pie. Ah'll be here if ya need me." She called out after the pink pony. Applejack was still tempted to follow her but she wasn't sure if Pinkie would be more annoyed by that or not. She sighed and turned back to the farm house. Hopefully Rarity had arrived back home while they were busy with supper.
Pinkie Pie arrived at the doorway of Carousel Boutique. The whole building was dark. In the moonlight she could see that one side of the banner had come undone and it hung to the side of the door. She sat in front of the doorway and read the banner. 'Welcome home Rarity!' it read. She had decorated it to one side with her cutie mark; three balloons. The other side had three diamonds, Rarity's cutie mark. She looked at the banner for a long time, watching as the nighttime breeze lightly rustled it. She felt empty inside, like part of her was missing. She knew exactly what part. She wished she had been paying more attention to what Rarity had told her about her trip. All she had heard was that Rarity had gone to Canterlot to display some of the dresses she had made, including one that Pinkie had helped with.
Pinkie Pie stood up and took the fallen end of the banner in her hoof then got on her hind legs and reached up, attaching the banner back above Rarity's door. "Rarity will be back tomorrow, I just know it." she tried to tell herself but she was having a hard time finding the smile inside her. She sighed again and curled up against the door of the boutique. She watched the night for a long time before her eyelids slowly closed and she drifted off into a troubled sleep.
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By the time the first rays of Celestia's morning sun reached her bedroom window, Applejack had already finished her breakfast and was heading to the apple orchard to start the days bucking. The sun rose in the sky as she continued to work, going from tree to tree, rearing up on her forelegs and slamming her powerful hind legs into the tree, expertly knocking down all the apples into the buckets she had placed around the trunk. Then her brother, Big Macintosh, would come around and collect the buckets and dump the apples out into carts that he could pull back to the house.
Applejack was on the hill at the east end of the orchard. From up here she could see most of Ponyville. She noticed the top of Carousel Boutique in the distance.
"Ah wonder if Rarity has come back yet?" She asked herself as she reared up on her hind legs to get a better view. She sighed as she saw a pink mound in front of the boutique. "Ah, guess not." She put all four hooves back on the ground as she heard movement on the grass behind her.
"What's going on AJ?" Big Mac asked as he trotted up behind her.
"Looks like Pinkie is still waiting fer Rarity. Ah wonder if she even went home last night?" Applejack gave the tree beside her a quick buck, causing the apples in the tree's branches to fall into the surrounding buckets. "Can ya finish up here? Ah wanna go check on her."
"Sure, isn't much left to do today, take your time."
"Thanks Big Mac, Ah'll see ya later." She called out as she galloped to Rarity's Boutique.
Pinkie was curled up in a ball, not asleep but not really awake either. Her doubts and fears about her relationship kept bubbling up in her mind. Had she done something wrong? Was it her fault that Rarity wasn't back yet? Did Rarity still love her? Her mind began to replay all the times Rarity had been frustrated or annoyed with her.
"Pinkie! That's going to stain."
"Wahahaaaaa, what happened to my kitchen!?"
"PINKIEEEEEE, you don't put bubble bath in a sauna."
"You made a tent out of my good fabric!?"
"Pinkieeeeee, you were supposed to secure the rope!"
"Please leave."
That last thought sent feelings of regret and fear straight to the pit of Pinkie's stomach. Maybe Rarity didn't love her after all. Maybe they were just too different ponies. Maybe she found a pony who is a better fit for her in Canterlot. Curling up into a tight ball. She knew that after each time Rarity got mad at her that they had made up and Pinkie had learned from each one and in the end they each seemed to make their relationship stronger. Her head knew that Rarity loved her but her heart kept telling her that Rarity was gone and she wouldn't be coming back.
'Hey kid.'
Pinkie opened her eye, she thought she could see a grey stallion standing next to the stoop. "Rocky?" She said and blinked a few times.
"Howdy there sugar-cube, Rarity ever come home?"
Pinkie Pie shook her head, she didn't see the grey stallion anymore, just a pile of three large rocks next to the grass walkway where he had been. But she heard something that sounded like Applejack also. She reached up and rubbed her ear with her hoof as she stared at the rocks. "Rocky?... or are you Applejack?"
Pinkie reached out to poke the pile of rocks but before she could she heard a pony clearing her throat. "Err Pinkie, are ya alright?"
Pinkie glared at the rocks, that was Applejack's voice, and it wasn't coming from the rocks, which meant that Applejack was here. Finally Pinkie lifted her mane that covered her right eye and saw Applejack standing there with a concerned expression.
AJ watched as Pinkie leapt up. "Oh, Hiya Applejack." The pink pony called out as she got up on her hooves. Her hair poofed up instead of hanging straight down and some of her pinkness seemed to come back despite her sad expression. "No, no sign of Rarity." She hung her head and dragged her hoof across the grass.
Applejack sat next to the pink pony and put her leg around Pinkie's withers. "Don't ya worry none, Ah'm sure she'll be back soon, probably just got held up."
"I hope so." She leaned against Applejack and sighed. "I haven't even gotten any letters from her, she said she would write."
"Ah'm sure she just got distracted, ya know what those Canterlot ponies are like." said Applejack as she waved a hoof in a dismissive gesture.
Pinkie looked at Applejack with a curious expression. "No, what are those Canterlot ponies like?"
"Uhhh err, ya know." Applejack looked blank. "They are all high and mighty and don't like to get their hooves dirty."
"Ohhhhh, you mean how they don't like to party, but I don't see what that has to do with Rarity. She doesn't mind getting her hooves dirty." Pinkie sat back and started to gesture with her front legs. "In fact there is this one thing she does with her hoof when we *mpphhh*"
Applejack covered Pinkies mouth with her hoof. "Ah don't need to hear bout' that kinda thing." She looked up at the sky. "Anyway, looks like its past noon, have ya had lunch yet?"
"No, I don't want to miss Rarity if she gets back while I'm gone."
Applejack sighed "Ya've been here since last night haven't ya."
Pinkie only nodded.
"Alright, well ah'll go get ya some lunch." Pinkie nodded again at this and Applejack galloped back to the farm.
Pinkie lay back down on the grass to wait for Applejack. She didn't have to wait long. Applejack soon returned with a bucket of apples for them to share. After she finished eating Applejack sat down beside her and waited out the rest of the day by her side.
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For the next few days the events repeated themselves. Applejack would have Pinkie over for dinner and the pink pony would go back to Carousel Boutique and sleep on the grass in front of the door, waiting for Rarity. Each day Applejack would finish her work at the farm early so she could go keep Pinkie company and everyday Pinkie would become more and more depressed from the lack of news about Rarity. As the days passed, more random objects would appear surrounding the entrance to the boutique. The pile of rocks was always stacked up neatly despite Applejack making a point of knocking them over. On the second day a bag of flour showed up, on the third day a bucket of turnips and on the fourth a large ball of lint appeared.
On the fifth day Applejack headed for Carousel Boutique as she had for the last few days. She trotted down the path hoping that Rarity had shown up that night but sure she hadn't, she hated to see Pinkie so depressed but she wasn't sure what she could do. Maybe she should ask Twilight about this, she might have a book about this sorta thing.
As Applejack approached Carousel Boutique she could hear voices. One of the voices sounded like Pinkie Pie, the others sounded similar but different from Pinkie. She slowed to a trot as she approached. She could see Pinkie laying on the grass as usual, her mane hanging limply, covering the side of her face, preventing Applejack from seeing her expression. She heard Pinkie's voice. "But, she said she'd be back."
Applejack watched as Pinkie reached out to the rock pile and wiggled it around. "Nah kid, she ain't comin back, she's left ya for some fancy shmancy Canterlot pony."
Then Pinkie moved her hoof to the ball of lint and started moving it around. "I agree, she has completely abandoned you, she must have found a pony who throws better parties for her there."
"I don't think she would do that, she's just been held up, she will be back." Pinkie said then reached out to the rock pile again.
"She was just messing with ya kid, you know she don't care about ya."
"That... thats not true." Pinkie said as she shuddered.
Applejack decided she had seen enough and stepped forward. "Heya Pinkie, how are ya doing today?"
Usually Pinkie would regain some of her happy carefree self when Applejack showed up but today her mane and tail continued to hang limp. She lifted her hoof up to push back her mane so she could look at Applejack. "Hi Applejack, my friends say Rarity isn't coming back."
"Err, yeeeeahhh, uhh, how about we go see Twilight, maybe she can help with that." Applejack said as she shuffled uncomfortably.
"I'm not going anywhere, my friends know wha-" a mailbag landed right next to Pinkie, interrupting her and knocking over the bucket filled with turnips.
"My bad." A grey pegasus with a bubble cutiemark said as she landed and picked up the mail saddle bags. "Somepony decided it would be funny to grease the straps on this thing." She reached her muzzle into the bag and pulled out a letter, she was about to slide it into the slot when Pinkie grabbed it from her.
"HEY, that letter's for Rarity." The grey mare looked like she was about to grab it back when Applejack intervened.
"It's alright Ditzy Doo, Pinkie is Rarity's special somepony. Ah don't think she'd mind."
Ditzy Doo frowned and looked from Applejack to Pinkie. "Well, just make sure Rarity gets it." She said before she spread her wings and flew away to finish her deliveries.
Applejack looked back at Pinkie as she tore open the letter. "Well, what's it say?"
"It's from Hoity Toity. That big wig fashion pony from Canterlot." Pinkie held out the letter as she read. "Dear Miss Rarity, I immensely enjoyed getting to see your new designs and the whole fashion community was impressed by your work. I do so look forward to your visiting again and you simply must tell me how that little excursion with those rather brutish ponies went. Frankly I doubted they know how to put on a suit let alone have use for such a skilled fashionista as yourself. Next time you are in Canterlot I hope you shall call upon me. Yours, Hoity Toity."
"Well shoot, that don't tell us much." Applejack said as she shook her head.
Pinkie Pie just stared at the letter. Suddenly she leapt up and squealed. "OHHHHHHHHH she DOES love me!" Her hair pomfed back up and her coat regained all of its pinkness. She leapt forward and grabbed Applejack's front hooves and danced around with the orange pony before spinning her away.
Applejack regained her footing and put her hat back on her head. "Err, ah'm glad you're feeling better sugarcube, but ah don't see how that says she loves ya."
"Because." Pinkie pointed at the letter. "Hoity Toity would have known if she wasn't coming back. She never would abandon fashion, I mean, I know she wouldn't abandon me either but not every relationship works out so you can't expect two ponies to be together unless they both really mean it. But but fashion is her passion, it's like her whole reason for living." Pinkie's chest moved in and out as she grinned excitedly at Applejack.
"So, what do we do now? Ya wanna just wait here more for her to get back?"
Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. "We go find her, duh. The letter said she went somewhere with some ponies who didn't look like they were into fashion so we go to Canterlot and talk to Hoity Toity and find out who they are and where they went." With that, Pinkie Pie grabbed Applejack, tossed the orange pony onto her back and galloped away from Carousel Boutique, knocking over the stack of rocks as she went.
"Ohhh, almost forgot." Pinkie ran back to the boutique and grabbed the string that tied the two white boxes containing the cakes together and tossed them onto her back next to Applejack. "Rarity is going to love these." Pinkie turned and raced to Sugarcube Corner at a speed that would make Rainbow Dash jealous.
"But... but Pinkie, where are we going now?" Applejack cried as she was carried by the suddenly-full-of life-pony.
"First we gotta go to Sugarcube Corner to get my hot air balloon, then we go to Canterlot to find out where they went, then we go find Rarity and then we come back here." Pinkie said as she raced through Ponyville, only stopping once they reached the shop where Pinkie Pie worked and lived. It looked like a normal house, aside from its roof, which resembled a ginger bread houses roof, complete with white frosting around the sides and two large cupcakes stacked one on the other on top. She dumped Applejack off her back and raced inside.
Applejack was stunned. Just a moment ago she had seen Pinkie talking to herself in the depths of depression but now the pink pony was totally back to being Pinkie Pie and suddenly they were both going to Canterlot. She had to tell Big Mac. She was about to get up and run back to Sweet Apple Acres when Pinkie bucked the door open again, pulling her hot air balloon behind her in her teeth.
"Ah should really tell Big Mac ah'll be gone for a bit," she said as she backed away from Pinkie.
Pinkie Pie ran forwards and grabbed her. "There's no time!" She yelled as she ran back to the balloon and stepped on a button that was laying beside the basket. A huge flame erupted from the burners, filling the balloon up almost instantly.
"Shouldn't we at least get Twilight or Rainbow Dash to come help?"
"We are on a mission from Celestia and there's no time to lose." Pinkie tossed Applejack into the basket followed by the boxes of cake and finally the pink pony leapt into the basket. She propped herself up on the side of the basket and pulled a string attached to the burner causing the balloon to lift off the ground. Looking down Pinkie could see a purple unicorn with a small dragon walking beneath them in the Ponyville market. "Oh, hey, theres Twilight."
"HEYTWILIGHT, MEANDAPPLEJACKAREGOINGTOCANTERLOTTORESCUERARITY, TELLBIGMACTHATAPPLEJACKWILLBEGONEAFEWDAYS, WE'LLSEEYOUSOONBYEEEEEEEEEEE." Pinkie sat back down in the basket. "Whew, well that takes care of that. Now everypony will know where we're going."
Twilight Sparkle watched as the hot air balloon floated off into the distance. "Spike, was that Pinkie Pie yelling at us?"
"Uhh yeah, I think so, Twilight. What do you think she just said?"
"I think she said she was going to Canterlot, it looked like Applejack was with her too. I wonder if it was important."
"Naaah, if it was important she would have told us."
"Hmm I guess you're right." And with that Twilght Sparkle and Spike went back to their shopping.