The flight was smooth and boring, perfect conditions for Shadow to sleep. No matter how relaxing the swaying of the carriage was, it didn't keep her from the nightmares. Her mind replayed the memories. The fire, the insect ponies, the thought of never seeing her family again. Her whimpers makes the young stallion pulling the carriage look back at the dark colored bundle.
They made it to Ponyville with no problem. The Pegasus in front undid his harness and went to the back of the carriage. Shadow laid there, shivering and whimpering. He couldn't take it anymore. He prodded her side with his hoof, no reaction. He poked her again, she squirmed. Her eyelids opened halfway revealing her deep ocean blue eyes. She turned her head and looked at the young stallion with big pleading eyes. She stood up on unsteady legs and hopped out. She nearly fell flat on her face when she landed, but the colt put his hoof out to catch her.
"Be carefully there. Don't want to hurt yourself," He said. She just looked at him, then at the ground. His ears flopped down in empathy. Shadow slowly walked to the center of the town, leaving the stallion with his thoughts.
Shadow Bolt walked slow and steady, earning concerned glances from some of the older ponies. She had to find her uncle or her cousin. There was a problem with that though. She didn't know where they lived or remember what they looked like. Her ears were down and her head was hung low.
"Hi," said a very perky voice. Shadow didn't register the word until she ran head first into a pink mare. Shadow fell back on her rump and looked at the mare. She had a big poofy mess of a mane on her head. "My name is Pinkie Pie and you must be new. I never saw you before and I know everypony in Ponyville. That must mean you don't have any friends. Don't worry 'bout that. I can help. Aw. You look sad, you shouldn't be sad. Being sad is not fun. I won't allow you to be sad. Come on." Pinkie grabbed Shadow's hoof and dragged her to a big building that reminded Shadow Bolt of a gingerbread house. "This is Sugarcube Corner. I work here. We sell cakes, cupcakes, muffins, candies, pastries, and cookies. Wait right here!" Pinkie Pie zoomed around a counter and into a door that flapped after she went through. Shadow sighed and pawed at the ground.
A bell jingled behind Shadow as the door opened. She looked behind her as a laveneder unicorn walked inside with a smile. The purple pony saw Shadow and waved. Shadow just sat down in a chair and rested her head on the table. She didn't want to seem unsociable, but she had a hard time wanting to talk.
"Hello," said the unicorn. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. What's your's?" Shadow opend her mouth to reply but the pink pony zoomed out of the kitchen and shoved a cupcake into Shadow's open mouth." Her eyes widened at the unexpected and unwanted food in her mouth. Shadow coughed out the cupcake onto the table. Twilight looked at Pinkie in shock. Pinkie just stood there, smiling with her eyes closed.
"Oh silly," Pinkie said, opening her eyes. "You're supposed to eat the cupcake. Like this." Pinkie pulled a cupcake out of nowhere and ate it in one bite. Shadow and Twilight looked at her confused. They looked at the cupcake and then back at Pinkie.
"Pinkie, you can't be serious," Twilight said. Pinkie nodded her head as fast as a hummingbird's wings. Shadow looked at her in shock. She wouldn't ever be able to do that without becoming dazed first.
"So," said Pinkie's overly peppy voice. "What is your name?" Both Twilight and Pinkie looked at Shadow expectantly. Shadow opened her mouth to speak but once again Pinkie shoved the cupcake in her mouth. Shadow spit out the cupcake and gagged.
Twilight used her magic to float the cupcake into the garbage can.Shado coughed and cleared her throat. Pinkie smiled. Shadow opened her mouth and Pinkie plled a cupcake out of nowhere and jammed it into Shadow Bolt's mouth once again. She cloed her mouth around the confection and swallowed it, gagging in the process. Pinkie clapped her hoove in approval. Twilight facehoofed.