LETTERS - CHAPTER TWO: WE WANT YOU BACK
Hopeless longing. That was all Pinkie could feel as her heart pounded and her hearing was filled with the steady drumbeat. She stared off into space, her usual smile locked in a war with a frown.
Her mind was thinking of a certain time, one that had brought her here to Ponyville and left her with the Cakes. There was a flash of orange, screams and cries, pain and sadness and tears, and a lone set of stones on a small hill, duly reflecting a setting sun.
There was a long trek through the dark, an experience where her cutie mark amounted to nothing and was as useless as a pile of sticks extinguishing a wildfire. A town had appeared, and she found a single shop with the lights on in that early morning, and she knocked.
- - - - - -
Knock, knock.
Mrs. Cake looked up from the table where she was sitting with her husband, chatting into the night and onto the sunrise.
“Who could that be?” Mr. Cake asked. “It’s barely even time for half the townsponies to wake up.”
Mrs. Cake stood, went to the door, and opened it. Outside stood a trembling pink filly, eyes full of terror, mane and coat frazzled and torn, tree sap and dead bugs glued to them.
“Uh, how may I help you?” Mrs. Cake asked, furrowing her eyebrows and examining the foal in interest.
“H-hello,” the small filly said, voice full of fear. Her eyes were wide and her legs shook. “I-I want to h-have a p-place t-to stay. D-do you have anywhere?”
Mrs. Cake blinked a few times, trying to process her thoughts.
“G-give me a moment,” she said, turning back into the building.
She approached her husband, who was still sitting at the table, watching with mild interest and complete confusion.
“Dear, I-I am not sure what to do at this point,” the mare stated, trying to come to grasps about a young, terrified filly appearing on their doorstep looking for a place to stay. “This filly wants a place to stay, and I don’t know if I want to offer it to her. I can hardly stand to see a child looking so sad and alone, but I’m not sure if I can trust her either. She could only be here to take advantage of us. You know that there are little foals like that.”
She stole a quick glance back at the pink filly, whose eyes had gotten a small spark.
“I think we should let her in,” Mr. Cake said. “We can’t leave anypony outside in the night looking like that.”
Mrs. Cake nodded her head and trotted back to the foal, who lifted her head to gaze into the mare’s eyes.
“You can come in,” she said, waving a hoof as she led the small pony in. “I will show you where you can sleep.”
She led the pink filly upstairs to the attic, where a single mattress rested on the dusty floor.
“I’ll get you some blankets,” Mrs. Cake said, leaving the pony to stare at the room for a few wide-eyed moments. The blue mare returned, a couple blankets thrown across her back. “Here you go!”
She dropped the fluffy objects onto the mattress. She started to go down the stairs again when she stopped.
“Ah, yes!” she said. “What is your name? I’d hate to know you as that ‘pink filly.’”
“I-I’m Pinkie Pie,” the pony said, slightly smiling. “And, um, t-thank you for letting me stay here. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I hope I’m not a b-burd-bur-”
“Burden, dear,” Mrs. Cake said with a chuckle.
“That’s it!” Pinkie Pie said with a beam.
Mrs. Cake went down the stairs to her husband.
“So, how is she?” Mr. Cake asked.
“She seems nice,” Mrs. Cake replied. “Her name’s Pinkie Pie, so I don’t see how anything could go wrong. We’ll ask her about herself in the morning.”
- - - - -
Knock, knock.
Pinkie jumped out of her memories and shook her head. She stood and walked over, attempting to revive her smile. She opened the door.
“Twilight!” she said, a smile now genuinely forming on her lips. “I’m so glad to see you!”
The unicorn giggled as Pinkie grabbed her in a hug. However, the hug soon escalated a bit further than necessary as Pinkie tightened her grip, making Twilight struggle for breath.
“Pinkie... can’t... breath...” she said breathlessly. “I... do... not... have... iron... lungs...”
“Oh, sorry!” Pinkie said, releasing her friend.
“Ow,” Twilight muttered as she rubbed her ribs. “Why did you do that? You haven’t tried to hug me like that since the ‘Hug Party’ you had a few months ago.”
“It’s just that I’m so happy to see you!” the pink pony said, hopping jovially.
“Uh, okay,” the lavender mare said. “Could you just not do that to me again?”
“Oki-doki-loki!” Pinkie said with a laugh. “SO, why are you here?”
“I’m in the mood for a treat!” Twilight said, looking at the counter, where behind a layer of glass, there were an assortment of baked goods.
Pinkie went up behind the counter and cleared her throat.
“How may I help you ma’am?” she asked in the deepest, most manliest voice she could muster.
Twilight was silent for a moment, and then she started to laugh uncontrollably.
“That was great!” she chuckled.
“I know!” Pinkie said with a snort. “But in all seriousness, what do you want?”
Twilight mulled over the sweets until a particular slice of cake caught her attention. She pointed to it and levitated a few bits from her saddlebag.
Pinkie carefully took out the cake and placed it on the counter. Twilight dropped the bits on the glass.
“You’re my friend!” the party pony exclaimed. “You don’t have to pay!”
“Pinkie,” Twilight said. “It’s a kind offer, but I’m here to get a treat, not steal from the Cakes.”
“Alright,” the Pinkie said as Twilight took a seat.
“Hm... what’s this?” the unicorn asked as she saw the letter that Pinkie had been reading.
“A letter,” Pinkie said, picking it up. “A personal one.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Twilight said. She took a bite and nodded in approval. “That’s some good cake!”
“Glad you think so!” Pinkie replied. “It’s a new kind I’m trying out! If you like it, then I’m sure everypony else will.”
“Pinkie, I’m not the world cake authority,” Twilight said with a smirk. “I don’t exactly have high cake standards. Cake is cake, and cake is good.”
Pinkie snorted, “Of course! I should get Rarity to try it! Rarity’s pretty picky about her sweets!”
Twilight smiled.
“It was nice talking, Pinkie!” she said, standing. “But I have to go back to the library. I left Spike in charge while I was gone, and I honestly don’t think I should’ve done that.”
“Oh, um, Twilight...” Pinkie said, grabbing her friend’s shoulder. “I may be gone in a few days for something. Just thought you’d need to know.”
“That’s alright,” the lavender pony replied. “Should I let Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy know?”
“Sure,” the party pony said. “Have fun back at the library!”
Twilight smiled and waved as she walked out the door. Pinkie sighed and ran upstairs to her room. She opened up the closet and pulled down a saddlebag, which she tossed on the bed. She stared at it for a few long seconds and grit her teeth.
“I need to let Mr. and Mrs. Cake know before I leave,” she whispered. “I need to.”
She dropped down onto her bed, her eyes becoming watery. Her legs were beginning to feel like lead as her eyes drooped down. She fell asleep, and dreams took her.
- - - - - -
“Damn cobwebs,” Dad said, hoisting up the torch to burn them away. “Come on, Pinkie!”
Pinkie followed and watched in a dazed sort of fear as her father flamed away wave after wave of cobwebs.
“What’s back here?” she asked.
“Our old grain storage,” he replied, ducking under a low hanging beam. “According to a Pie family legend, there’s a treasure under here. Something older than time. But, I figured older than time means quite a lot of money.”
“We could leave the rock farm if we got it?” Pinkie asked happily.
“Most definitely,” her father said, turning back to her. “I know it seems like I never wanted to leave, but I just couldn’t make it any harder on you. You already wanted to leave so much, retained your color far past what we expected, and earned a cutie mark in something I never could’ve imagined. If I had acted as though I wanted to leave, you would try too hard to make that dream come true.”
“Really?” Pinkie replied. “That... thank you.”
Pinkie hugged him, and he laughed.
“But if we don’t find, or it’s not real, promise me you won’t try and get us away from the rock farm?” he said.
“I promise.”
“Pinkie Promise?”
“Yes. Pinkie Promise.”