//------------------------------// // Surprises // Story: More Than She Could Dream Of // by Melon Hunter //------------------------------// More Than She Could Dream Of Chapter 1 Surprises         Pinkie Pie was doomed. She knew that from the very instant the words left her mouth, the red rose clutched in the crook of her forehoof more a shield from scorn than a romantic gift. The object of Pinkie’s affection opened and closed her mouth, dropped her gaze to the ground and let out a shuddering sigh. Pinkie could feel her own hope come crashing down like a meteorite.         “P-Pinkie... um... this is really nice of you to ask, but, uh...” Rainbow Dash stammered. She squeezed her eyes shut briefly and continued, “I just... don’t... see you in that way, y’know?” Dash rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I really wish I could, but I...” Her shoulders slumped, wings drooping.         Pinkie frowned and chewed her lip. Of all the possible outcomes of her proposition she’d entertained, she’d never expected this: weeping and apologising, as though Rainbow was the one being rejected. She dropped the rose to the floor and hugged Dash. “Nonono! It’s o-okay. I get it.” She blinked furiously, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes. Instead, she focused on the liquid rainbows cascading down the sides of Dash’s house. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts...         “I just... this isn’t gonna come between us, is it?” Rainbow asked in a quavering voice, pulling back and staring into Pinkie’s eyes. “I don’t love you in that way, but I do love you as a friend, Pinkie, and I don’t want to lose that.”          “O-of course not, silly!” Pinkie tried to put on a brave smile. “Why would I let that happen? You’re my b-bestest friend, right? R-remember the care package?”         “Y-yeah...” Dash sniffled, trying to surreptitiously wipe her eyes dry with a hoof. Pinkie pulled her closer, feeling her own façade crumble away, and the two mares cried quietly into one another’s manes.         Regaining her composure, Pinkie giggled quietly. “C’mon, Dashie, I thought you never cried! You said you’re not a sappy pony! What’s the matter?” She felt Rainbow’s forehooves tighten around her neck.         “I’m not. I just... I’d never try to hurt your feelings, but no matter what I do here, you’re gonna go away feeling like I’ve cheated you in some way.” Rainbow let out a sigh and moved away from Pinkie. “Some friend I am,” she grunted.         “You are a good friend!” Pinkie reassured her. “You weren’t all angry, and you weren’t all ‘Ewww, Pinkie, you like mares’ and you’re not ignoring me or—” She choked back a sob, her gaze falling to the ground. She swallowed and continued, “S-so, no, you’re just great! And... m-maybe we can get something at Sugarcube Corner or have a party together or play some pranks... just as friends, right?”         The offer brought a small smile to Rainbow’s face. “Yeah. I think I’d like that. Sometime.” She sniffed again. “Maybe later, okay? I need to get over to Sweet Apple Acres; we’ve got a rainstorm we need to set up for the next couple of days.”         Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Oh! Um... Sure. Whenever you want to, just swing by!” Dash nodded and waved, before taking off and flying quickly away. Pinkie waved back with a frozen grin until Rainbow was nothing more than a multi-coloured speck in the distance.         Once her friend was out of sight, Pinkie’s shoulders slumped, and her head hung down. With the sound of a dozen balloons deflating, her poofy mane and tail collapsed, the chaotic curls falling down into straight, flat hair that dangled miserably around her face and haunches. She let out a sad sigh and screwed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears.         Pinkie gave one last longing glance at the pegasus in the distance before turning and beginning to make the long walk back into Ponyville.         Alone.         Pinkie had slunk back into Sugarcube Corner undetected. While she was normally more than willing to be the centre of attention, when she didn’t want to be noticed she was as stealthy as a shadow. And right now, red-rimmed eyes, drooping mane and wobbling bottom lip meant she wanted to be completely alone.         She had promised herself she wouldn’t do this again, that it would hurt too much. But, even so, Pinkie found herself pulling open the drawer of her bedside table and withdrawing a journal. Her watery blue eyes regarded the cover: cloth as rosy as her coat, covered in hearts and smelling of all the confectionery of times gone by. She sniffled as she pushed open the cover.         Within, in photos and cuttings and scribblings in pink ink, was a compilation of every pony Pinkie had ever lusted after. Everything they liked, and everything the pink pony liked about them, she had noted down for reference. The mare had sometimes cuddled up to the book in bed, fantasizing over the day when one of the ponies she’d written about would finally say yes and become her special somepony.         But then—that dagger of ice—every last entry, all that hard work, was slashed through with angry red lines. Some were gentler scribbles, to match the more sensitive rejections she’d been offered. Others had furious slashes, nearly penetrating the parchment. Those ponies... those ponies were not her friends any more. With a wistful sigh, Pinkie flipped through the pages, gazing over all her lost chances, remembering the heartbreak from each and every one.         Finally, dreadfully, her hoof stopped on the entry she was looking for. A nice little action shot of Rainbow Dash in flight, quietly taken from the Foal Free Press office. A stub of a Wonderbolts performance ticket, a list of hobbies and interests, even a little cyan feather molted last spring. Pinkie bit her lip, then took out a red pen from the drawer.         Feeling as though the weight of the world was upon her shoulders, the pink pony took the implement and disconsolately struck a single, diagonal red line across the page. It slashed straight across Dash’s face, marring the rugged beauty of the athletic pegasus. Just enough to remind her that Rainbow didn’t reciprocate her feelings, nothing more. In a bizarre hope, Pinkie lifted the parchment, but there were no more entries beyond that. No more ponies she wanted. Pinkie clutched the book to her chest with a quiet sob, and fell upon her bed. She tried—tried so hard—to always have a smile on her face and laughter in her heart. But ever since becoming a full-grown pony, there had always been something missing, no matter how many friends she made, no matter how parties she threw. She wanted somepony to love her, not just as a friend, but as a mare. However, there had always been something in her way, be it barely disguised distaste from another mare to a sweet-hearted rejection like Rainbow’s. But now... there was nopony left in Ponyville she wanted. The loneliness came crashing down on her as she laid on her bed, blue eyes clenched tight. After a moment of stillness, she heard a hiss, and felt a damp pressure upon her mane. The book fell to her side. Reaching back, Pinkie took Gummy up in her hooves and held him in front of her. The alligator gazed at her gormlessly, paddling his stumpy legs. “Oh, Gummy...” she murmured. “At least you’re always here for me.” Her eyes went to the discarded journal. “What do I do now? There’s nopony left for me to ask... I wanted Dashie, and she’s still my friend, but...” She sighed wistfully. She held the alligator a while longer, before a quiet knock came at the door. Pinkie put Gummy to one side and furiously scrubbed at her mane and tail until they were halfway-curled again. “Come in!” she called, masking her anxiety behind a cheerful voice. Mrs. Cake pushed open the door and walked in. “Oh! Pinkie. I wondered if you were back yet,” she said. Her gaze fell to the heart-covered journal on the bed. “Ah... I take it...?” Cup Cake’s question was left hanging, her blue cheeks flushed. “It’s fine. Dashie and I are still friends, and we’re gonna do lots and lots of fun things together even though she doesn’t like me in that way!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Well, when she has time.” Cup Cake nodded. “That’s good. As long as you’re still in good standing with one another, right?” Pinkie waved a forehoof. “Yeah... I can get by. ‘Friends’ is much better than nothing, I guess.”   The older pony pursed her lips and began to frown. “Oh, Pinkie Pie... don’t be too hard on yourself. If it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant to be.” “I... I know, but...” Pinkie sighed again. “I just don’t understand. Everypony wants to be my friend, but no matter what I try, no matter who I ask, nopony wants to be my special somepony! What did I do wrong?” Her shoulders slumped back down. Cup Cake placed a comforting foreleg around Pinkie’s shoulders. “You didn’t do anything wrong! Love works in mysterious ways. It’s like a butterfly.” Pinkie looked up at her, head tilted to one side. “It starts out as a caterpillar and makes a cocoon for itself?” She pursed her lips and looked upwards thoughtfully. “Uh... no—”  “It has a really long tongue and a pair of pretty wings?” Pinkie spread her forehooves and poked her tongue out. Cup Cake rubbed the back of her head in frustration. “No, but—” “You can find it on Fluttershy’s flank?” Pinkie frowned deeply, scratching her head. “I meant that it’s hard to capture!” Cup Cake exclaimed. “If you try too hard to catch it, and keep chasing it, it will just flutter away. It’s only when you calm down and live your life happily that it will come and land on your shoulder.” Mrs. Cake gave her charge a hopeful glance, but Pinkie merely raised an eyebrow. “What I’m trying to say, Pinkie, is that love tends to be a surprise.” She smiled, waiting for her words to sink in. Pinkie looked down, scrunching her mouth as she thought. “It does? Oh...” She turned to her journal and nudged it away slightly. “You know what? When I was a young mare in Ponyville, the stallions never paid much attention to me. Oh, I went on a couple of dates, but I’d resigned myself to being a spinster after one lonely Hearts and Hooves Day too many. And you know, not long after that, Carrot Cake moved here from Fillydelphia and practically swept me off my hooves!” Cup said with a smile.  “I know you worry, Pinkie, but there is a special somepony out there for you, and I think you’ll meet them sooner rather than later.” A smile began to appear on Pinkie face, and her mane started to curl up again in earnest. “Oh, I get it. Okay, I promise not to be a mopey-dopey, grumpypony about it! And I’m gonna make sure Dashie doesn’t feel super sad about saying no to me!” The older pony reached out and rubbed Pinkie’s back. “That’s good to hear, Pinkie. That really is. Now then...” Cup Cake hopped off the bed. “I’m baking a big batch of quadruple-chocolate cookies right now. Would you like to help? Better than staying up in your room, right?” Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Yepperoony, Mrs. Cake! Nothing like a bit of therapeutic baking!” She jumped off the bed as well, hopping along behind Cup, her journal forgotten, her heart feeling a little less heavy. By the next day, Pinkie had returned to her usual sunny self, merrily bouncing around Sugarcube Corner, baking and selling the batches for the morning customers. The twins were given their daily helping of silly faces, and for the most part, the morning ticked past as though yesterday had never happened. On the outside. Despite Mrs. Cake’s reassurances, Pinkie felt the tug of regret from her rejection the previous day. It was Thursday, and Dash would always come in for a muffin on Thursdays after her weather patrol. Yet there was a noticeable absence of Rainbow that day. By lunchtime, Pinkie was constantly staring at the door, rocking back and forth on her hooves and silently wishing her friend would come for her habitual confection. Cup Cake sidled up to her. “She probably needs a little time apart, just to mull things over. She’s not abandoning you,” the older mare said quietly. “Uh huh.” Pinkie’s reply was dismissive, her blue eyes never leaving the door. Mrs. Cake sighed. “Pinkie, I really think you should take your mind off this for a while.” As she opened her mouth to reply, Cup cut her off. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell you if Rainbow Dash turns up while you’re out.” Pinkie to let out a breath and finally looked at her. Cup continued, “Could you be a dear and get some flowers for me? I need to decorate a wedding cake and I want to use some purple blooms for it. If I recall, there’s some growing in the park. Could you pick me some, please?” Pinkie frowned slightly. “Well, I could... but doesn’t Roseluck sell flowers like that? I can just get those from her stall!” she said, gesturing out to the market. “Nonono! Uh...” Cup Cake put on a smile. “I think these flowers are extra special and only grow in the park. Would you be a dear? It would really make the difference.” Pinkie studied the older mare’s face for a moment, before exclaiming, “Oohhhhh! I get it! You’re making a super-duper special cake, so you only want the most super-special decorations, right?” She bounced up and down. “Um, yes! Of course! Don’t worry if you don’t find them straightaway...” Cup Cake realised she was speaking to thin air, Pinkie having rushed off in a blur. “‘Wedding cake’? ‘Purple flowers’?” said Carrot Cake, walking up to his wife. “What did you tell her that for?” “You know Pinkie. She has a single-track mind.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “I just wanted to give her something to concentrate on for now. I think she took being turned down by her friend harder than she’s letting on.” “I’ll defer to your better judgement, then,” Mr. Cake said quietly. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.” Mrs. Cake merely gave a mirthless smile before walking back to the kitchen.          Pinkie quickly reached the Ponyville Park, which was sparsely populated with ponies enjoying the sunshine, having lunch and playing with one another. She exchanged greetings with a few ponies as she passed, but her eyes cast about for the purple flowers Mrs. Cake had asked for. In truth, the whole town was in bloom for spring, and flowers of every colour decorated the park, carefully cultivated in bountiful borders and beds. Every colour, that was, except purple. The harder Pinkie looked, the more it seemed like there wasn’t any purple, anywhere in the park whatsoever! The mare continued bouncing through the expanse of grass, soon coming to the conclusion that maybe the purple flowers had been overgrown by the other plants since Mrs. Cake had seen them. She began kneeling down, lifting up the verges of each flower bed, straining her eyes to try and see the elusive blooms. After looking through what seemed like the entire park, Pinkie let out a huge high. “Maybe these flowers aren’t here at all... Maybe Mrs. Cake didn’t want me around because I was being such a grumpy-wumpy pony about Dashie...” she said to herself, shoulders drooping. The sound of laughter from a group of fillies playing nearby caught her attention, and her ears pricked up. “Oh, Pinkie Pie, you silly filly...” she chided herself. “Of course! I just needed to cheer myself up! That’s what Mrs. Cake wanted me to do!” She smiled and began humming one of her songs to herself, bouncing along the path. “My name is Pinkie Pie, And I am here to say, I’m gonna make you smile, And I will brighten up your day,” she sang to herself. A few ponies turned to see what the sounds were, and their expressions brightened as they saw her bounce past. “It doesn't matter now, if you are sad or blue, 'cause cheering up my friends is just, what Pinkie's here to do...” Pinkie cocked her head slightly. She swore she could hear somepony else singing along in harmony, but there was nopony around she could see joining in. The pink pony shrugged, figuring it was nothing but a weird echo. Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile, yes I do, it fills my heart with sunshine all the while, yes it does...” There it was again! That other voice... that other, very Pinkie-like, very happy voice. Pinkie had to test this out. “'Cause all I really need's a smile, smile, smile...” she sang, then strained to hear the response. “...from these happy friends of mine!” The other voice sang. There was another pony singing along! But where was she...? Pinkie looked all about herself, before realising she was standing in the shadow of a large, low cloud. She stared up at it with an eyebrow cocked. The bottom of the cloud shifted slightly, before a white hoof broke through the vapour, moving around to create a small hole. Pinkie sat directly beneath the opening, and her eyes widened as a head poked its way through the cloud. The head was a snowy white, with a pair of big, purple eyes, and framed by a poofy yellow mane almost as chaotic as Pinkie’s. The mare looked at Pinkie Pie for a moment, before breaking into a big grin. “Hi!” she exclaimed. “Oh! Hi!” Pinkie replied. “Who are you? I haven’t seen you around before, and I know everypony in Ponyville, so you must be new!” “I am new! I came here yesterday! I’m Surprise!” the other pony said excitedly. She wriggled about until she was almost completely through the hole, dangling upside down by her hind legs. A pair of wings unfolded once they were unobstructed by the cloud. The feathered appendages began to flap, and Surprise fell through completely, hovering inverted in front of Pinkie. Her tail, curled and coiled, hung down behind her. “Ooooooohhhhh...” Pinkie said. “How’d you do that? Not even Dashie does that, and she’s, like, the best flyer ever!” “Oh, it’s just something I do, y’know?” The white pegasus gave a shrug, still inverted. “I’m not really one for flying; I’m more of a party pony.” She turned her hindquarters to show off her cutie mark of three purple balloons. Pinkie let out a loud gasp. “Waitwaitwaitwaitwait, you’re a party pony, too? And that’s your cutie mark?! Look at mine, look at mine!” She proudly showed off her own cutie mark, and Surprise suddenly landed with a loud thump, peering intently at the earth pony’s flank. “Whoa... it’s almost exactly the same as mine! This is amazing!” the pegasus squeaked. “And you’re a party pony too?” Pinkie nodded vigorously. Surprise giggled. “I never thought I’d find a pony quite like me!” “Me too! You even knew my songs!” Pinkie said. Surprise blushed and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “Heh... actually, I just like singing along and improvising,” the pegasus admitted. “So do I! And I like playing games!” “Me too! And I like dancing!” “Ooh, ooh! You know what I like the most?” Surprise’s eyes lit up, and the pair of ponies said in unison, “PARTIES!” Pinkie smacked her forehead. “In fact, I was so excited about meeting you, I completely forgot about giving you a welcome party! A big ol’, entire town’s invited, no-holds-barred party for another party pony, right?!” Surprise gave another embarrassed grin. “Um, actually, that’s why I’m in Ponyville. I threw one of those parties up in Cloudsdale, and it may have gotten an eensy bit out-of-hoof. And I think the ponies I’m in trouble with will notice such a big party.” The white pony saw the slightly dejected look on Pinkie’s face and continued, “But hey, I’d love to have a party with you!” She motioned to the cloud above her. “I brought my little mobile cloud home with me, and it’s chock full of party supplies. We could have it right here!” Pinkie nodded. “And I have my emergency party supplies stashed all over Ponyville! I bet there’s one around here somewhere...” She brightened up, bouncing happily on the spot. “Yeah! We can have the best party in the park ever!” The two ponies jumped up and down together happily, and Surprise fluttered back up to her cloud to begin gathering up supplies. As Pinkie went to find her own secret stash, she began to feel the old lightness in her heart coming back. Dash’s rejection began to be eclipsed by the happiness of finding such a kindred spirit. With a happy giggle, Pinkie realised coming to the park was the best thing she possibly could have done that day. Despite being organised by two ponies whose special talents were partying, the event in the park was a rather low-key affair. To her surprise, Pinkie found herself none too bothered about not inviting other ponies to the impromptu party. Instead, she was more than content to simply spend the afternoon with her new friend. “Mmmmf! These muffins are good!” Surprise mumbled, speaking around a mouthful of the baked goods. “How’d these stay fresh?” “Oh! Uh... To be honest, I have no idea! In fact, whenever anypony else makes them with my recipe, they taste really bad...” Pinkie scratched her head and shrugged. “Guess it’s just a little bit of magic!” The white pegasus giggled. “You’re the most random pony I’ve ever met! And that’s totally a good thing. Most of the ponies who live near me are all ‘Gurrr, Surprise!’” She waved her forelegs about, adopted a gormless expression and spoke in a gravelly tone. “‘You have to be all boring and work in a weather factory! Aren’t clouds great? Who needs a stupid party?’” “Awww! That sounds horrible!” Pinkie knitted her eyebrows, the corners of her mouth twitching downward. “Everypony in Ponyville loves to party! Even Cranky Doodle grew to love it, and he was a real crank when he turned up!” She looked around the park, noting there were no ponies about, the sun having sunk near the horizon. “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a big, blow-out welcome party. I don’t know why everypony was so shy today!” “It’s okay, Pinkie! I enjoyed it! A party isn’t better because it’s bigger; it’s better because you have friends there with you!” Surprise exclaimed, throwing her forelegs wide and flaring her wings. Pinkie smiled, before letting out a startled gasp. “Waitwaitwait, ‘friends’?!”  Surprise nodded with a grin of her own. “How could we not be? We both have practically the same special talent, and you threw a welcome party for me despite having never met me before!” She beamed at her new friend. “I really like you, Pinkie! I wanna get to know you better.” Pinkie gaped at her. “I wanna know you, too! I mean, I know everypony in Ponyville, and pretty much everypony I know here is my friend, but I really, really want to be your friend, y’know?” She realised she had mangled her words a little, but Surprise nodded in understanding nonetheless. Pinkie felt a deep warmth within her, and a grin spread across her face. Her eyes flicked past the other pony, and she jolted and let out a gasp as she saw the sun’s position. “Oh no! I’ve been out all afternoon!”          “Oh? Is there a problem?” Surprise looked at her with wide eyes, now hovering just off the ground. “Well, I came out here to get some flowers somepony asked for, but I was sent out at lunchtime! Not that I mind spending time out here with you, but they’re probably wondering where I am...” Pinkie’s mouth twitched downward. To her surprise, the pegasus gave her a one-armed hug. “Awwww, it’s okay! If you need to get back, then don’t worry about me. Although...” Surprise looked thoughtful. “Do you wanna meet up again tomorrow?” Pinkie nodded vigorously. “You mean like, a d-date?” She mentally cursed herself for the abrupt question. “Yeah... yeah! A date!” Surprise smiled and spread her wings slightly. “That’ll be nice! I saw a café in town when I was flying in. Wanna get lunch there? Tomorrow at noon?” Pinkie hesitated, wondering whether to suggest Sugarcube Corner instead. She reasoned that neutral ground might be a better place to bring a new friend and said, “Sure! That sounds great!” “Awesome!” The pegasus grinned at her. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, huh?” A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. “Yeah! I’ll... see you then!” Pinkie waved, before scurrying off into the distance, giggling in delight. A date!         By the time Pinkie crept into Sugarcube Corner, the sun had practically set, and the sky was awash with the reds and oranges of dusk. In her mouth were a few purple blooms she’d bought off of Roseluck just as the market closed up. Although they probably weren’t the flowers Mrs. Cake had seen in the park, the pink pony had figured they would do as a substitute.         She was hit by a wave of noise as she opened the door, and nearly half a dozen ponies rushed toward her. “Pinkie, where have you been?!” Mrs. Cake exclaimed.         The pink pony spat the flowers out into her hooves. “Oh! Here you go! I found them!”         “You’ve been gone all afternoon!” Twilight said. “Pinkie, you can’t just go running off like that!”         “‘Running off?’ But... Mr. and Mrs. Cake knew where I was going! It didn’t matter that much, right?” Pinkie blinked innocently at the group.         “You just have a tendency to be rather... um... drastic when upset, my dear,” Rarity explained, rubbing her chin with a hoof.         When Pinkie only gave a confused frown, Fluttershy piped up, “Um, Pinkie, we heard. A-about Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry.” Her cyan gaze met the floor. “We just thought you may have gotten a bit sad about it...”         “W-wait, Dashie told you all about yesterday?” Pinkie’s ears drooped.         Twilight frowned, and nodded. “Only after I asked her why she was acting so downcast and she almost burst into tears,” she said. “Rainbow told us you wanted to stay friends, but when you disappear for a few hours the very next day, it kinda makes everypony... worried, y’know?”         “O-oh. I think I get it. I’m sorry, guys.” Pinkie sighed. “Is Dashie around?”           “Rainbow and Applejack are out looking for you,”  Fluttershy said. “They’ll be back soon,”         “Pinkie Pie, what were you doing out for so long?” Rarity asked.         “Oh! I met somepony new! She came here from Cloudsdale, and she’s a party pony, just like me! I spent all afternoon with her welcome party, and we’re going on a date tomorrow! She’s... she’s really cute!” Pinkie realised she was blushing slightly, and gave a giggle. She noticed the horrified looks on the faces of her friends, and turned around.         Behind her, forelegs folded, hovered Rainbow Dash. Beneath the pegasus, Applejack stood. Both mares looked weary and irritated.         “I’m glad you can get over it so quickly, Pinkie.” Rainbow said quietly. “A date already, and it only took you a day.” Before Pinkie could respond, she continued, “We were out looking for you all day. Did you not think about us? About your old friends?” She gave a snort and landed heavily.         “I-I’m sorry, Dashie...”         “It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re safe.” Dash rubbed her eyes with her forehooves. “But seriously, you sure move quick.”         “Ah have to agree, Pinkie... You seem to have gotten over all of this mighty fast,” Applejack conceded.         Pinkie’s eyes shot wide open. “Oh, nonono! I still want you, Dashie! It’s just this pegasus is just the right pony for me, and she likes me back! I didn’t want to lose that!” she exclaimed. Rainbow flinched and took a step back, clenching her eyes shut for a second. Applejack frowned and placed a foreleg around the pegasus, leading her away. “Did I... say something wrong?”         “Just... try to be a little more sensitive to Rainbow’s feelings, my dear,” Rarity said quietly. “None of us begrudge you for finding a special somepony, but... well, you did force her to hurt you with honesty yesterday, and now you’ve outright told her you’ve replaced her with somepony better in your affections...”         “O-oh...” Pinkie looked on at Rainbow’s retreating back.         “Just let her sleep it off, Pinkie,” Twilight said grimly. “You can apologise to her tomorrow.”          Pinkie felt the gazes of her friends burning into her. A sadness built up inside her, knowing she couldn’t fix her friendships till morning. As she said a desolate goodbye to her remaining friends, the only solace Pinkie could take was in the thought of the pretty white pegasus of her desires.