The Magic of Parents
As she bounded up the path to Golden Oaks Library, Pinkie wondered if Twilight would be in. She usually was. In fact, Pinkie couldn’t think of why Twilight would be anywhere except indoors when it was raining this heavily. Thankfully, she’d brought an umbrella hat, which was doing an excellent job of keeping her mane dry. She took it off and shook the water off when she got to the porch, then knocked loudly on the door three times.
The door opened almost immediately, revealing Twilight’s number one assistant, who was wearing a pink apron and seemed to be in the middle of baking cookies, judging by the colour of the mix that was staining the front of the apron.
“Oh, hi there Pinkie. Come in,” Spike said, stepping aside to let Pinkie out of the rain. He shut the door behind her. “What brings you here? Twilight is upstairs reading a novel. She keeps giggling, so I’ve been staying out of her way,” he explained, picking up some oven mitts. “The cookies are nearly done if you want to stay.”
“Oh thank you Spike! I think I will,” Pinkie said, leaving the umbrella hat by the door and wringing the water out of her sopping wet tail. “I have something for you and Twilight.”
Spike’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, is it a present? No wait, some muffins? Cupcakes?”
Pinkie giggled, rubbing the top of Spike’s head with her hoof. “No silly, I couldn’t bring muffins or cupcakes in the rain! They’d get all soggy and then they wouldn’t taste very good, and that would be an insult to Mr & Mrs Cakes’ excellent cooking!”
Spike mumbled and rubbed his head, skipping away to the kitchen to get the cookies out of the oven. “I’ll go and get Twilight while these cool.”
“Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie replied, taking a seat on one of the awfully uncomfy wooden chairs that Twilight seemed to have lying around in the library. She looked at the nearest book (Advanced Fluid Mechanics for Ponies) and promptly looked away again.
“One moment,” Spike said, dashing past without taking off his chef’s hat. He climbed the stairs and disappeared into Twilight’s room, where there was an exchange of voices, before Spike returned, followed by Pinkie’s favourite purple unicorn.
“Pinkie! What a lovely surprise!” Twilight said, beaming happily as she descended the stairs. “I didn’t think I’d be getting any visits in this weather.”
The earth pony giggled. “Oh, well it’s a special visit! And anyway, I brought my umbrella hat, which kept me super-nice and dry!”
Spike rolled his eyes and retreated to the kitchen, and Twilight gave her one of those looks which meant that there was something she didn’t understand, like Pinkie Sense.
“Pinkie Pie, you do realise that the umbrella hat only keeps your head dry? Your tail is soaking wet!”
“Well duh! They don’t make umbrella hats big enough to cover all of you!” Pinkie explained patiently. “Anyway, I need to give this to you and Spike.”
She dug through her saddlebag and produced a pink envelope, which she carefully handed over. “It’s an invitation to another super-duper Pinkie Pie party!”
Twilight seemed excited, and quickly pulled the card out of the envelope. “You are invited to party with Pinkie and Gummy to celebrate their joint birthday! Please RSVP so we know how much cake and punch to make.” The unicorn looked up, beaming. “Of course we’ll come, Pinkie! There’s no way we’d miss such a fun party.”
“Yay!” Pinkie exclaimed, pulling Twilight into an enthusiastic hug. “I knew you’d come! Now, can you tell me what RSVP means?”
Spike chose that moment to emerge from that kitchen, carrying a plateful of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies. The smell filled the library, and both Twilight and Pinkie made appreciative sounds.
“Help yourself!” Spike said, placing the plate down on the special food area that Twilight had designated so that food wouldn’t get too near the books. “There’s plenty more.”
Pinkie reached out and took one, enjoying the taste and warmth. “Mmm! These are delicious! Thank you Spike!”
“Yes, thank you Spike, my number one assistant! I’ve been looking forward to my mid-morning snack,” Twilight said, giving Spike a hug. Spike blushed and looked away.
“Anyway, I should move on. I have to deliver invitations to one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven more ponies, and that’s just before lunch!” Pinkie said, helping herself to another cookie. “I hope to see you at the party!”
“Okay, well don’t catch cold, Pinkie,” Twilight warned, looking at the steady rain outside. “We’ll definitely see you there.”
Pinkie nodded, but froze suddenly. “Oh, oh, oh! I forgot! Twilight, will you please deliver this for me!” she said, digging through her bag and producing another invitation. “It’s for your parents! If they’re free, of course.”
Twilight took the invitation. “I’ll give it to them, don’t worry.”
“Thanks!” Pinkie said, jumping and spinning around in mid air before trotting back into the rain, donning her umbrella hat as she did so.
“I didn’t know Pinkie would be having such a big party,” Twilight mused as she put the invitation down on the desk. “She seems to be inviting absolutely everypony.”
“Oh, it’s because it’s Gummy’s second birthday,” Spike explained, re-fastening his pink apron in preparation for the washing up.
“Sorry?”
“Gummy’s second birthday? It’s a big milestone for reptiles. You should bear it in mind, you wouldn’t want to seem insensitive,” Spike said, grabbing a cookie for himself.
***
Twilight trotted into Sugarcube Corner, enjoying the sunny weather that the pegasi had finally let through. Applejack had been complaining about the dry weather for months beforehand, but Twilight did prefer being able to walk around Ponyville without needing her waterproof coat.
“Good morning Twilight,” Mrs Cake said, leaning on the counter. “What can I help you with? Another batch of cupcakes?”
“Oh no, not buying today Mrs Cake,” Twilight replied politely. “I needed to see Pinkie, actually.”
Mrs Cake thought for a moment. “I think she’s gone out. Let me check.” The mare disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Twilight to stand there awkwardly, eyeing up a lemon cupcake that was starting to look more and more delicious.
“Sorry dear, she’s off delivering more invitations,” Mrs Cake said when she returned. “She’ll be back this evening, I think.”
“That’s okay. Could you please tell her that my parents say they’ll be happy to come to her party?” Twilight asked. “It’s difficult to RSVP from all the way in Canterlot.”
The older mare smiled. “Of course, dear. We’ll tell her as soon as she gets back.”
“Thank you!” Twilight said, turning to go, before she thought better of it. It was time for Detective Sparkle. “Mrs Cake, do you know who Pinkie has invited to the party?”
The blue mare paused. “Oh, well, she did give us a list. Why do you ask dear?”
“She invited my parents, so does that mean she’s invited her own parents? I’ve never met them,” Twilight explained, her brain working at double speed. “I think it’s strange that they’ve never come to Ponyville to visit her.”
“Oh, er, I don’t think she has. She didn’t say anything to us about it, and I think I would have known if they were on the list,” Mr Cake said, frowning. “Carrot and I have only met them once, just before Pinkie moved here. She has two sisters as well, I think.”
“Well, I’m going to invite them to come here and surprise Pinkie!” Twilight declared. “I’m sure they’ll enjoy one of her parties once they’re here.”
“I don’t think-” Mrs Cake started, but Twilight was being bossy and ploughed on.
“Now, I’m going straight to write them a letter, just as soon as I’ve eaten that lemon cupcake,” the unicorn said, dropping a few bits onto the counter.
***
Aloe carefully filled up the herbal bath with hot water; not hot enough to scald, but hot enough to be uncomfortable. Rarity had recommended this therapy to her; apparently it was all the rage in Baltimare, but so far the white unicorn was the only one who had ever asked for it. Aloe thought it smelled and looked like some kind of green tea.
“Thank you Aloe,” Rarity said, sinking into the tub. Fluttershy hovered into the room behind her, choosing instead to soak her hooves in a small bowl of warm water, attended to by Lotus Blossom.
“I wonder where Twilight is?” Fluttershy asked Rarity, who had closed her eyes and submerged herself up to the neck.
“Probably reading a book and forgot what time it was,” Rarity said dismissively.
“I’m sorry girls!” Twilight said as she burst into the room, giving Aloe quite the shock. “I rushed straight over when I saw the time! I was busy writing a letter.”
Rarity opened one eye and sighed. “Twilight, I’m sure the Princess would survive if you didn’t write her a letter for a few more hours.”
The purple unicorn rolled her eyes. “No, not to the Princess this time.” Without thinking, she sank into the tub alongside Rarity, before springing out with a yelp. “Ow! That’s so hot!”
“Really Twilight, it’s not worth making a fuss over,” Rarity said.
Once Twilight was settled into the tub, tears forming at the corner of her eyes, Fluttershy asked, “So who was the letter to?”
Twilight looked smug. “It was a letter to Pinkie’s parents!”
“Whyever would you write to them?” Rarity asked, intrigued.
“Did Pinkie invite your parents to her upcoming party?” Twilight asked her fellow unicorn, who nodded slowly. “Well, I found out from Mrs Cake that Pinkie didn’t invite her own parents!”
“Well, she did say that her parents were quite strict,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Maybe they don’t like parties.”
Rarity was inclined to agree with this, but Twilight interrupted. “I’m sure that they would be happy to come along to just one party celebrating their daughter’s birthday!”
“I don’t know Twilight. You should have spoken to Pinkie Pie about this first,” Fluttershy said unsurely. “She might have reasons not to invite them.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise! I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Twilight said confidently, overriding Fluttershy’s concerns. “Pinkie will be delighted when her parents arrive for her birthday party.”
Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged sceptical looks, but didn’t say anything else on the matter. Although in Rarity’s case, that might have been because Aloe poured a fresh bucket of hot water into the tub right next to her.
***
Twilight snorted. The book she’d received from Canterlot University the day before was laughable, and she was giving it a vicious review in the margins. The author clearly knew nothing about early Equestrian history.
“Twilight?” Spike called from the kitchen.
“Yes Spike?” the unicorn replied, putting the book down.
“Mail’s here.”
Twilight jumped up and opened the door just in time for a grey pegasus to screech to a halt in front of it. “Good morning Derpy,” she said, holding out a hoof for her post.
“Morning Twilight,” the mailmare replied, pulling a sheaf of letters out of her bag and handing them over. “Have a good day.”
“You too,” Twilight said absently, shutting the door and searching through the pile.
“Here it is!” she said triumphantly, pulling it out of the pile. “A letter from Pinkie’s parents. I can’t wait to tell the other ponies that I was right.”
Spike appeared, looking wary. “Oh, good,” he said to himself, getting ready to make a dash for it if Twilight was wrong.
The unicorn read the letter out loud. “Dear Twilight Sparkle, we were pleased to receive blah blah blah, something invitation yes, blah blah, a-ha! We will be happy to attend the party along with our daughters Inkie and Blinkie, see you soon, signed Bonnie and Clyde.”
“Well that went well,” Spike said, relieved. “I’m glad they can come. I’ve never met them before!”
Twilight was bouncing around happily. “I told those other ponies! I knew I was right!” She re-read the letter quickly, noting the time that the family would be arriving, and giggled. “Now we just have to keep this a secret from Pinkie!”
“I won’t tell her,” Spike said. “But the party is tomorrow, so it’s not like we have to keep it a secret for very long.”
Twilight tutted at Spike. “You remember what happened last time we tried to keep a secret from Pinkie Pie for a day? And you didn’t help either.”
Spike laughed uneasily, before dashing back into the kitchen to get on with some cleaning and get away from Twilight’s stern expression.
There was a knock at the door, which Twilight answered with glee. Outside was Applejack, wearing a polite expression as she removed her hat.
“Well howdy Twi. Ah just came round to pick up that book, if y’all remember which one it was,” the earth pony said, stepping inside.
“Of course I do,” Twilight replied professionally, using her magic to pull a dull-covered book from the shelf. “Here you are.”
“Thanks Twi.”
“I have some big news!” Twilight said happily, her face forming a kind of demented grin. Applejack took a few steps backwards out of shock. “Okay, are you gonna tell me?”
Spike came out of the kitchen and walked towards the stairs. “Pinkie’s parents are coming to the party tomorrow,” he said, deadpan, before disappearing up the stairs with a feather duster.
“Well blow me down! That’s great news!” Applejack said, waving her hat around for good measure. “She’ll be so pleased.”
Twilight was torn between irritation that Spike had ruined her big revelation, and happiness at being right all along. “I know! I can’t wait to see the look on her face!”
“You did the right thing, Twi. I know some other ponies didn’t think so, but I think that everypony should be able to spend their birthday with their family,” Applejack said, picking up the book. “But ah’d better be gettin’ along. Apple Bloom is frettin’ about what to wear for the party.”
Twilight waved as Applejack left, carrying the book, then went back to bounding around the library happily. “I can’t wait, can’t wait!”
“Who’s happier, you or Pinkie Pie?” Spike asked, sighing. “You did do this for her, not just to prove a point with your friends.”
“Yes,” Twilight said, stopping suddenly. “That is true. I’ll save my excitement for the party. Now I just need to think about what to wear... I wonder what the dress code is.”
“I hope Rarity is wearing one of her dresses...” Spike began, but Twilight wasn’t listening.
***
When the time of the party came around, Spike went on ahead without Twilight while she waited for Pinkie’s family to arrive. They were going to make a late entrance to surprise everypony, and Spike was going to make excuses.
“Hi Pinkie Pie, hi Mr and Mrs Cake,” Spike said when he arrived, adjusting his bow tie.
“Hi Spike! Where’s Twilight? She’s not normally late for anything,” Pinkie asked, Gummy clamped onto her mane.
Spike shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. “She’s got to do an errand for the Princesses, so she’ll be along later.” He couldn’t meet Pinkie’s eye, and now that he said it, the lie seemed flimsy.
Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and fixed Spike with a glare, but she softened. “Okay! We’ll save her some cake then!”
Wiping away beads of sweat from his brow, Spike disappeared into the crowd, looking for Rarity or the snack table. Pinkie was mingling, saying hello to everypony who arrived and offering them punch. She always prided herself on her ability as a hostess, but normally she only had to look after her five best friends. This time, though, she was getting to look after lots more ponies, which was really exciting. Of course, Mr and Mrs Cake were on hand to deal with any slip-ups, like punch spillages or the moment when Magnum tripped over Scootaloo. All in all, she would say that it was a successful party, so far.
“Does anypony want to play party games?” she asked above the din, hearing a chorus of cheers in return.
The older ponies drifted towards the snack table, chatting with each other rather than partaking in games like Pin the Tail on the Pony, but Pinkie didn’t mind, just so long as everypony had a good time. The younger fillies were really enjoying hitting the piñata, supervised closely by Mr Cake. But the fact that Twilight hadn’t shown up was making Pinkie worried. Twilight had definitely said that she was coming, and errands for the Princesses were very important, but Pinkie wasn’t sure that Princess Celestia would ask Twilight to do something like that if it meant she missed a birthday party.
“Spike?” Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down slightly alongside the purple dragon. “Where is Twilight? I don’t want her to miss the whole party.”
Spike looked nervous. “I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”
“What did the Princesses ask her to do that was so important?”
“Er... she didn’t tell me. Said it was top secret,” Spike said. “Gotta run, need the bathroom.”
A top secret mission from the Princesses, Pinkie thought as she resumed her hostessing. Certainly sounded like a good reason to be missing the best party of the year.
“Applejack! Do you know where Twilight is?” Pinkie asked, ambushing the farm pony as she poured herself a cup of punch.
The orange mare suddenly looked afraid. “Oh, hi Pinkie. No, I don’t know where she is.”
Pinkie sighed. “I just thought that since you’re so honest, you’d be able to tell me why she isn’t coming to my birthday party.”
Applejack paused, sweating a little. “I, er...” Pinkie’s glare intensified.
The day was saved, however, when the door to Sugarcube Corner burst open, and Twilight strode inside.
“Hello everypony!” she said confidently. “Look who it is!”
Behind her stood four unfamiliar ponies, although they were, of course, very familiar to Pinkie.
“Mom? Dad?” she said, her eyes shining.
“Pinkamena?”
***
When the party was finishing, and ponies were coming up to Pinkie to thank her for such a fun time, the earth pony was keeping her eyes on the exit to see when Twilight was going to leave. When she spotted the purple unicorn heading for the door, she leapt forwards and pulled her best friend into the biggest hug she thought she’d ever given (and there were a lot of hugs to choose from).
“Thank you Twilight!” she squealed into her friend’s mane. “This was the best. Party. Ever!”
Twilight seemed happy and hugged her back. “You’re welcome. I don’t know why you didn’t just invite them in the first place.”
Pinkie was about to reply, but Twilight pointed with a hoof. At the corner table, Pinkie’s family were waiting. Pinkie just smiled at her friend and let her go.
“Pinkamena, it’s so nice to see you,” Bonnie said, beaming as Pinkie took a seat between her sisters. “It’s been such a long time.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been back for a visit, but life in Ponyville has kept me super-busy,” Pinkie apologised, looking around at all of them so quickly that her head was just a blur.
“You look well,” Clyde said, his deep voice so familiar to the pink pony. “Making new friends has done a lot for you.”
Pinkie blushed a little. “Thanks Dad. I’ve missed you all so so so so so SO much!” She looked over at Inkie and Blinkie. “You two have grown so much! I bet you’re super-duper-great at helping out on the farm now.”
Clyde chuckled. “Oh, these two are practically running the place these days. I can just put my hooves up and relax.”
“Don’t let them get started on ‘modern agricultural methods’,” Bonnie said, giving her three daughters a smile. “We’ll be here all night.”
“Mum!” Inkie protested, but Pinkie giggled.
“I always knew that you two would be good at the family business,” Pinkie said, hugging her sisters. “So, what did you think of the party?”
Clyde laughed. “It was the most fun we’ve had in ages, wasn’t it Bonnie?”
The mare nodded. “Oh yes. We’d come back any day!”
“Your friend Twilight contacted us and helped us spring the surprise on you,” Blinkie informed Pinkie. “She’s been really friendly.”
“I wonder why she did. Twilight’s super-clever. She worked out this whole puzzle to defeat the evil King Sombra in the Crystal Kingdom, did you know.?” Pinkie said, trying her hardest not to ramble. “She must have known that you wanted to come.”
Nopony said anything, so Clyde broke the silence with his deep voice again. “So, Pinkamena, tell us about your life here in Ponyville. I hear you’ve made some new friends?”
***
“Good morning everypony!” Pinkie said happily as she bounced down the stairs from her room. She was especially happy because breakfast was leftover party food, which was her second favourite kind of food, after party food.
“Morning Pinkie,” Mr Cake said, looking up from behind the newspaper. “I see you’re well this morning.”
“Yes, thank you Mr Cake. Are my family here yet?” the pink pony asked, taking a bite out of a muffin.
He shook his head. “Not yet. They’ll probably be sleeping in a bit, they had a long journey yesterday.”
“You’re right, Mr Cake. I think I’ll take Gummy for a walk before they get here.”
Walking down Ponyville’s main street with Gummy on his leash, Pinkie waved and smiled at all of her friends, most of whom thanked her again for the fun party last night. She was heading for the hotel that her parents were staying in, hoping to surprise them the way that she had been surprised the previous evening. Except this time Gummy could enjoy the experience as well, since he was busy playing with all of the little fillies and colts last night. But as Pinkie approached (Gummy had been distracted by a stray paper bag, and had required some disentangling), she spotted her mom leaving the hotel.
“Hi! Hi!” she exclaimed, hurrying over. “I’m so glad you’re here. Last night was so much fun!”
“Pinkiamena-” Bonnie began, but Pinkie went into a long recount of the events of the party that Bonnie had missed. The older mare just nodded along and walked towards the town square.
“Pinkamena,” she finally said, cutting her daughter off, “we need to talk about something. Please sit down.”
“What is it? If it’s about me not coming to visit, I’m really sorry,” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down slightly even when she was sat on the bench next to Bonnie.
“No, it’s not that,” Bonnie replied, sounding tired. “Look, do you remember when you were little and I said you had to listen closely because I’m going to say something important?” Bonnie tried, assuming a motherly tone. Pinkie fell silent and nodded, also falling still. Gummy climbed onto her lap.
Bonnie sighed. “I don’t really know how to tell you this Pinkie. It’s hard for me to say.” She put a hoof around her daughter. “Your Dad... he’s been to the doctor’s, and it’s not good news.”
Gummy perked up a little, then snuggled in closer to Pinkie, who was just staring at her mother.
“His lungs aren’t so good after all of the years working out on the farm. More recently we’ve managed to keep the rock dust down, but in the old days there wasn’t any way to do that. He’s... well, Pinkamena, he’s not going to be with us for very much longer.”
Pinkie blinked, her eyes dropping down to Gummy, who seemed to look back mournfully.
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner, but we didn’t know how to get into contact with you very easily.”
“Is he okay?” Pinkie asked, her voice calm. “I mean, he’s not hurting?”
“Oh, no, no. He’s fine. But he just won’t be able to keep breathing for much longer,” Bonnie said, her voice cracking. She took deep breaths to steady herself. “Maybe a week or so, if we’re lucky.. We’re going back to the farm later today, so... so this is your last chance to say goodbye.”
“Say goodbye?” Pinkie asked, a hint of sadness in her voice. “But... I don’t want to say goodbye.”
“I know sweetie, neither do I. But we have to,” Bonnie said, a tear escaping her eye as she kissed Pinkie’s forehead. “You can spend the whole morning with him, but he’s too weak to stay away from home for any longer.”
“But he’s my Dad... he can’t go away. I love him too much,” Pinkie said, her hooves gently stroking Gummy. “I haven’t seen him enough. I’ve been here in Ponyville.”
Bonnie hugged her daughter again. “It’s okay. We understand. But we have to accept this and enjoy what little time he has left. Do you see what I’m saying?”
Pinkie nodded, swallowing hard and hugging Gummy. “Okay Mom.”
“Okay sweetie. Let’s go,” Bonnie got up, using her hooves to wipe her eyes, and then walked with Pinkie towards the hotel. “He’s looking forward to seeing you.”
“What... what time are you going back to the farm?” Pinkie asked, walking rigidly.
Bonnie smiled bravely. “Just after lunch. You’ve got a few hours yet.”
Clyde was waiting in the hotel room. He was dressed and ready to go out, but Pinkie didn’t feel like going anywhere. She’d taken Gummy home. He didn’t have to see this.
“Hi Dad,” she whispered, finding words hard for the first time she could remember. “How are you?”
“I’m fine, Pinkamena,” Clyde said. Just the sound of his voice sent a wave of emotion through Pinkie. It brought back memories of childhood colds and lying in bed while he read her a bedtime story, and of the days before Blinkie and Inkie when she’d rode on his back as he went around the farm.
“Shall we go somewhere? Seems a shame to waste such a beautiful day,” Clyde said, his golden eyes looking down at his daughter with pride and happiness.
They went for a walk through Ponyville. Pinkie pointed out local landmarks as they did so, showing her dad around the town even though he wouldn’t come back.
“Over there is Sweet Apple Acres, which is where my friend Applejack lives. She runs the farm with her brother,” Pinkie said, unable to rid her voice of the sadness she was feeling.
“Ah yes, I believe I met Applejack last night. What a lovely mare, quite charming,” Clyde replied. “Do you think she would mind if we took a walk through her orchards?”
Pinkie shook her head and led the way onto the farm, glad for the shade of the trees. It was really rather a warm day.
“Dad... I’m sorry about not coming to visit.” Clyde opened his mouth to protest, but Pinkie held up a hoof to stop him. “No, really. I should’ve come back. I was just super busy, and I liked seeing all of my new friends and helping out the Cakes. I shouldn’t have neglected you all.”
Clyde bowed his head. “It’s okay, really. Nothing makes me prouder as a father than seeing you here in Ponyville with your new life. To have raised a mare with so many friends, and who can bring so much laughter, means that your mother and I must have done something right. I’m just glad I got to see you here.”
Pinkie sniffed, hard. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, Pinkamena.”
They walked a little further, following the path that led to Whitetail Wood and admiring the vibrant greenery.
“So, tell me about your adventures here in Ponyville,” Clyde asked, looking over at his daughter. “You must have some great stories.”
Pinkie smiled and nodded. “I do! Well, I suppose the first one started when a new pony called Twilight Sparkle arrived here in Ponyville; she came in a special sky chariot! I’d never seen one before. Anyway, I saw her, and I realised she must have been new in town and then I was like GAAAAAASP!”
***
Lunchtime came far too soon, and Pinkie found her hooves following the familiar trail out of Sweet Apple Acres back towards town.
“And so even after all the stuff we messed up, they decided to award the games to the Crystal Empire after all! It was super-exciting!” Pinkie finished, her heart sinking with dread as they approached the hotel again. There was only lunchtime left before her dad would have to leave.
“Sounds like you have a lot of great friends there, Pinkamena,” Clyde said, as they reached the hotel. “Are you going to join us for lunch? I know the others would like to see you.”
“Okay,” Pinkie said quietly. “There are a few nice cafes around Ponyville.”
Once they had collected Bonnie and Pinkie’s sisters, the five of them went to the cafe on the town square.
“What are you having?” Bonnie asked Pinkie, peering at the menu with interest. “We don’t usually eat this sort of thing at home.”
Pinkie was staring absently into the distance, and shrugged. “Oh, everything is nice. Try the sandwiches.”
Clyde hugged his daughter. “Come on, enjoy yourself. Not every day you get to eat at a cafe, eh?”
The pink pony nodded. “I guess. I’ll have the hay fries.”
Inkie and Blinkie brought up some of the fun times they’d had at Pinkie’s family parties before she’d left for Ponyville. The first party was the best one, of course, inspired by that super rainbow in the sky, but she’d made them a regular event to help everypony relax after a hard day working on the farm. When she’d decided to go and live in Ponyville, and work at the bakery, Clyde had been the one who had encouraged her and helped her, even writing to the Cakes to make sure there was someplace for Pinkie to stay. She felt bad about not organising any more family parties, but she’d come out of her shell and made all kind of great new friends in her new home.
Lunch passed much faster than Pinkie had hoped. The walk in the morning had made her hungry, and her hay fries were gone before she knew it. When the waiter brought the check, it was hard to fight back tears.
“We’d better make a move, otherwise it’ll get dark before we’re home,” Bonnie said, her eyes meeting Pinkie’s. She was apologetic, but Pinkie understood. it had to happen eventually.
“Lets get our things from the hotel, then,” Clyde said, getting up and putting a hoof around Pinkie as they walked away.
“I’ll go and get Gummy,” Pinkie said. “He’ll want to say goodbye too.”
When Pinkie got back, with Gummy sitting on her back, the rest of her family were waiting outside, along with the cart that would take them back to the farm, and away from her forever.
“Pinkamena, I’m really glad I got to see you,” Clyde said in his reassuring tone as Pinkie approached. “I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Pinkie nodded, looking at him and pulling him into a hug. “Don’t go,” she whispered.
Clyde chuckled. “Come on, you’ll embarrass me,” he said, but he didn’t pull away from the hug. When they finally broke apart, Clyde stepped up into the cart, but not before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Pinkie swallowed and blinked, but Clyde leant close.
“I’m just sorry that I won’t be around to hear about all of the exciting things you must have planned for the future with your friends,” he said, kissing the tip of her ear like he used to do when she was a foal. The cart started and began rolling away, leaving Pinkie standing in the middle of the track.
“Bye Dad,” she said, not loud enough for him to hear, and she waved. He waved back, blew her a kiss, and then disappeared out of sight. She stayed there for a few minutes, a solitary tear running down her cheek, then she wiped it away and walked back to Sugarcube Corner. It wasn’t even time for afternoon cake, and she’d lost her dad. Gummy nipped her mane in a comforting way.
“Pinkie? Are you okay? You were gone a while,” Mrs Cake asked, serving three slices of battenberg to some ponies in Sugarcube corner. “Pinkie?”
“I...” the pink pony started, before bolting towards the stairs and running to her room, locking the door behind her.
“Pinkie!” Mrs Cake called, her tone worried, but Pinkie didn’t reply. She stood in the middle of her bedroom, panicked, before diving under the bed and hiding in the darkness.
There was a gentle knock at the door. “Pinkie, are you okay? What’s the matter?” Mr Cake asked.
“I’m okay. I just... I just want to be alone,” Pinkie said, struggling to keep her voice level.
Mr Cake disappeared, and Pinkie was alone with her thoughts. Gummy curled up beside her to keep her company as she silently let tears run freely down her cheeks. No matter what she tried to think about, it would somehow lead to a memory of Clyde. That time they’d had the hard winter and he’d made up card games to keep them amused in the dark and the cold. When Inkie and Blinkie were born, and she’d been afraid of the noisy foals in the house, and he’d taken her outside to look at the stars and told her all about her new sisters. The time when, inspired by the rainbow in the sky, she’d thrown a party, and Clyde had danced with her and hugged her tightly when she got her cutie mark. He was the best dad she could have possibly have hoped for.
His voice has always been reassuring, and she hadn’t realised just how much she missed him until his visit. She was foolish for not going back to visit, but now it was too late to do anything about it. The reality that she would never seen him again just wasn’t sinking in; she still believed that if she went back to the farm, he’d be there, welcoming her back and cracking those same old jokes about rock farming that they’d all heard a hundred times. They still made her laugh, which just made the tears flow faster.
Gummy wiped a few of her tears away with his nose.
“Thank you Gummy,” she said, her voice barely audible.
***
“Twilight, thank Celestia you’re here. Pinkie’s locked herself in her room and we can’t get her to come out, not even with cake,” Mrs Cake said as the town librarian stepped into Sugarcube Corner. “Carrot and I are so worried.”
“She’s probably just upset that her family had to leave so soon,” Twilight explained. “I thought they’d stay for a few days, but they’d had to hurry back to the farm.”
“Oh, well she seemed really very upset. Go and have a word with her,” Mrs Cake said, smiling. “I’m sure she’ll listen to you.”
Twilight nodded and headed for the stairs, picking up the pink cupcake that Mrs Cake had left on the stair.
“Pinkie? Pinkie Pie? I have a cupcake here from Mrs Cake,” Twilight said, knocking gently on the door. “Please open up. I just want to talk to you.”
There was no reply. “I’m not going to go away until you talk to me, Pinkie. We’re all worried about you.”
Still nothing. “Look, I’ll just sit here until you unlock the door. I’m not going anywhere.” Twilight sat down on the wooden floor with a thump, placing the cupcake on the floor beside her. The look in Mrs Cake’s face had really worried her, and she was desperate to know what could have upset Pinkie this much.
It took three hours, but eventually the bolt slid back and Pinkie opened the door a crack. Twilight took one look at her tear-stained face and gasped.
“Pinkie, what’s the matter? Can I come in?”
Pinkie nodded miserably, opening the door wider and allowing Twilight to step inside. Gummy was attached to her mane, and he stared at Twilight protectively. The purple unicorn sat down on Pinkie’s bed and hugged her. “Can you tell me what’s the matter?”
The earth pony shook a little, but nodded slightly. “It’s... it’s my dad.”
“Clyde?”
More nodding. “He’s... he’s going away... he’s leaving.”
Twilight had to think for a few moments about this, but she worked it out and inhaled involuntarily. “Oh my, Pinkie... I’m so sorry.” She hugged tighter, feeling Pinkie’s tears soaking into her shoulder. “This is just awful.” Pinkie was silent, which unnerved Twilight. Something was clearly seriously wrong, and it was going to need more than a pink cupcake to fix.
“Twilight?” Pinkie whispered without looking up.
“Yes, Pinkie?”
“Please don’t tell anyone. Not even Mr and Mrs Cake. Please.”
“But they’ll want to know what’s wrong. They care about you very much,” Twilight explained. “I don’t want them to worry.”
“Pinkie promise. Please Twilight, I just want to be left alone for a while. I don’t want... rumours,” Pinkie said, struggling to keep her voice from cracking. “I’m sorry.”
Twilight smiled. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. I won’t tell anyone.”
The earth pony seemed reassured by this, but there was a fresh flood of tears which Twilight helped to soak up.
It took another hour, by which time it was getting dark, for Pinkie to speak again.
“I... I should have visited them,” she whispered.
Twilight shook her head. “You can’t feel guilty about this. It’s not your fault and they didn’t love you any less because you were here in Ponyville.”
Pinkie tried to think of a reply but couldn’t, and just buried her head in Twilight’s mane again. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured.
“It happens to all of us eventually, Pinkie. Doesn’t mean it’s your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. You’ve made him proud,” Twilight said, somehow feeling sure that all of this was true.
***
Twilight stuck to the lie that Pinkie was just feeling upset about her parents leaving, and made sure that everyone who cared about the pink pony knew. She didn’t want anypony to worry more than they had to, although Pinkie was reluctant to leave her room at all for the next few days. It broke Twilight’s heart to see the happy, optimistic pony so sad, even more so that she couldn’t share her anguish with her closest friends. Fluttershy dropped by the library three times a day to ask about Pinkie, but Twilight never had any updates. Pinkie wasn’t improving, nor was she getting any worse.
Pinkie couldn’t find it in her to venture out of her room. Mr and Mrs Cake brought her food, but otherwise she kept herself shut in. It was too painful to talk about it to anyone, and even the slightest mention brought back floods of memories and a consuming feeling of guilt. The only time she felt better was when she was asleep and could dream about being with her dad, so she spent a lot of time in bed. Gummy had taken to sleeping in her mane, which was one of the few things which comforted her.
After four days without leaving her room, there was a gentle knock at the door. Pinkie couldn’t sleep; the guilt had hurt too much. She got up and opened the door.
“There’s a letter for you,” Mr Cake said, handing over the envelope.
Pinkie looked at it and blinked. “Can you please get Twilight, urgently,” she said quietly, before closing the door and bolting back to her bed, leaving the envelope on the floor near the door. She knew what it would be about, but she didn’t have the strength to read it alone. Not even with Gummy nuzzling her neck. It was too scary.
“I’m here Pinkie, what is it?” Twilight said breathlessly. She’d galloped all the way from the library. Pinkie merely pointed to the letter, which Twilight picked up.
“Twilight? Can you open it for me? A-and read it?” Pinkie managed, burying her head in a pillow and trying not to burst into tears again.
Twilight nodded soberly, opening the envelope with her magic and sliding out the paper. It was two sheets; one was in the spindly handwriting of Bonnie, and the other in the thicker, heavier hand of Clyde. Twilight read the letter from Bonnie first.
Dear Pinkamena,
I’m sending you this letter because your father, Clyde, passed away. He didn’t suffer at all, and he passed while surrounded by his family in his bed. We buried him just behind the farmhouse, in his favourite spot to sit in the sun.
Seeing you really meant the world to him. Please don’t feel bad about not visiting more often; he preferred you to be living your own life rather than hanging on here. We’re really devastated by his passing, but we’re moving on, and I hope you can too.
We’ll be back for a visit soon.
Love from Bonnie, Inkie and Blinkie.
Pinkie didn’t make a sound throughout the entire letter, but when Twilight was finished, she hugged Gummy tightly and looked up at the unicorn through her tears.
“There’s another one,” Twilight said, but she couldn’t bring herself to read it. She left it on the dresser and hugged Pinkie, feeling terrible for her friend.
“It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay,” Twilight said, trying to reassure her. “Really.”
Pinkie nodded. “I think so. I’ll tell... I’ll tell everypony what’s happened. If you come with me.”
“Okay,” Twilight said, helping Pinkie to her feet. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
“Yes,” Pinkie said, taking a deep breath. “It’ll help me. And he wouldn’t have wanted me to stay in bed all day. He liked to get up and start work early.” She sniffed.
***
Applejack trotted down into the orchard, her usual brown hat swapped for a more appropriate black bow. The other five were waiting, so she quickened her pace until they’ll all arrived at the side of the river, where Pinkie was staring sadly at the ripples.
“Well, now we’re all here, I’d just like to say a few words,” Twilight said, clearing her throat. “We all know that Pinkie has been going through a hard time lately, but we’re all here to support her. So today we’re going to mourn the loss of her father, Clyde, who passed away yesterday.”
All six ponies stood in silence for a few minutes, watching the river flow by. Applejack has only met Clyde once, at the party shortly before his death, but he has obviously meant so much to Pinkie Pie, and that thought made her bow her head.
“Thank you,” Pinkie said. Her voice had returned to its full strength, even if her usual optimism was a bit slow to return. “It’s really helped me to know that the five of you are here to support me.”
“We’re always here for ya, Pinks,” Rainbow Dash said, giving her an encouraging smile.
“Thanks Dashie. It’ll probably take me a few weeks to get back to normal, but with your help, I think I can do it,” Pinkie said, addressing all of her friends again. “Before... when we were walking here, he loved to hear stories about our friendship. And... the last thing...” she let out a sob, but steadied herself. “The last thing he said to me was that he was sorry, sorry he couldn’t hear more.”
Touched, Applejack smiled and joined in the spontaneous group hug. Pinkie had managed to fight off tears since Twilight had read the letter, but she seemed on the verge.
“I’m lucky to have such good friends,” Pinkie said, blinking to try and stop her eyes from welling up.
“We’re lucky to have you, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy replied, summing up the sentiments of the other four perfectly.
“I... I miss him so much,” Pinkie finally said, before bursting into noisy tears for the first time.
***
“Pinkie?”
“Yes, Twilight?” Pinkie replied as they walked towards Sweet Apple Acres cottage. Twilight hung back, so that the other four would go on ahead.
“I was wondering... did you read the letter that Clyde wrote for you?” the unicorn asked.
Pinkie smiled sadly. “I didn’t think I needed to, but I did.” And then the earth pony turned and began to bounce away. They were slow, sad bounces, but bounces nonetheless.
***
“Thank you for the apple juice, Applejack,” Pinkie said as she walked towards the door. “I’d better get back.”
“Sure y’all don’t wanna stay fer another?” the orange pony asked. “The others have gone, it’d be our secret.”
Pinkie paused for a moment. “Applejack, can I talk to you about something?”
“Sure sugarcube,” Applejack said, offering Pinkie a seat. “Shoot.”
“When you... lost your parents. Do you feel like there’s... like there’s an empty space?”
Applejack smiled. “Of course ah do. S’only natural to feel that way. Ain’t nothin’ that can replace my parents.”
“Does it ever go away?” Pinkie asked.
“No. No it doesn’t. But it’s like a reminder of them, you know, that they’re always there, watchin’.”
Pinkie nodded. “Okay. Thank you. I’d better go.”
“Are you sure you don’t wanna talk about anythin’ else?”
Pinkie shook her head sadly, and then trotted out of the door. Applejack followed, stopping on the threshold and looking up into the starry night as Pinkie’s mane bobbed out of sight.