It all began three years ago, in a small town named Ponyville. Twilight still remained in Canterlot, as Princess Celestia's acclaimed 'Prized Student'. Not until a year or two later would she move to said small town.
Meanwhile, an eccentric, over-the-top party pony stood and waited in a cramped kitchen. A vanilla cake sat, turning more and more golden in the oven. The mare could hardly contain her excitement. This party was going to be the best party ever!... In her words. The party about to be held celebrated the one-year anniversary of when a horseshoe-making stallion had moved to Ponyville. At first, the stallion acted very shy around anypony he met. Even to this day, he still had trouble talking to ponies he didn't know very well. Still, he had a great sense of humor. Such a shame, he could never work up enough guts to try and make anypony laugh. Sure, he was happy, but sometimes everypony needs at least one friend. Enter Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie, probably the most-recognized name in Ponyville. She had an incredible gift for making friends with everypony she met. Not just being friendly towards them, but going out of her way to make sure they're always happy. She remembers the exact day of everypony's birthday, and sometimes even other special events. Pinkie will go so far out of her way to make others happy, she will inadvertently make herself miserable in the process. She'd never let this show, in fear that somepony would be upset with her. Rather than cry, she pushed her tears deep inside herself, only letting them surface at night.
Pinkie, being Pinkie, didn't let Caramel's moving to Ponyville get overlooked. This meant the world to him. Nopony had ever thrown him a party since his foalhood, and even then it was just his parents. He drew close to Pinkie, soon becoming one of her better friends. He developed deeper feelings than friendship for this mare. However, his shyness overpowered his love. He never spoke of his feelings and remained her friend.
About an hour before the party started, Pinkie had a visitor. A gray, crossed-eyed mare showed up on her doorstep. The mare frowned, handing her a pristine, white envelope. "I'm...so sorry, Pinkie," she gasped. Pinkie stared at the gray pony, a slight smile fading slowly from her face as she read the return address.
"Derpy? Wh-what is this?" She said, lips trembling. The mailpony sighed, shaking her head. She simply looked at the confused pink pony, mouthing 'I'm sorry' once more, then turned to leave. Pinkie carried the letter to the kitchen, using a knife to open the envelope. It was a simple telegram; the words obviously typed by a large machine. It read:
Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie,
We regret to inform you that the rock farm had a terrible accident. Your sisters are in critical condition. Your parents did not make it. We apologize for your loss.
Sincerely,
The Rock Farm Association
"It'll be okay, Pinkie." She repeated to herself over and over again. "You never saw them anyway. Everything will be okay." She picked the cake up and left it to cool on the counter.
Pinkie wouldn't go back into that kitchen for three years. Mr. and Mrs. Cake ended up decorating the dessert.
Naturally, Pinkie simply hid her feelings. After all, a party is one of the happiest events a pony could dream of. What kind of friend would ruin a party with their selfish tears? Pinkie wouldn't stoop that low. 'Low', being a relative term, as always.
Finally, the party started. This is where Applejack met Caramel at long last. She'd heard a lot about him from Pinkie; the two were basically inseperable. Applejack developed some strong feelings of her own for the stallion. After all, he was smart, well-built, funny.... All the things a farmpony needed in a husband. The orange mare kept quiet about her feelings, for she knew how much he meant to Pinkie.
Surprisingly, Pinkie showed up last to the party. Of all the ponies, it was the Ponyville-renowned 'Party Queen' who missed out on the first few hours of her own party? Had the world gone mad?
With eyes red and swollen, spine slumped over, muzzle dried from tissues, and mane frizzed with a few strands sticking up; somepony would tell a lie when saying Pinkie looked nice. She didn't feel too nice, either. Despite her overall apperance, one thing stayed the same: Her smile. It looked forced, but it still lay presently upon her lips. Her left eye twitched ever so slighly. Her voice cracked and squeaked when reaching high freqencies she could normally reach with ease.
A few moments later, Caramel trotted up to Pinkie.
"Pinkie? I, um, thanks for this party, and all.." He squeaked, smiling goofily. "I really appreciate it. I really appreciate you..."
"Caramel, do you think I'm.. Crazy?" She blurted, changing the subject all-too-quickly. "I mean, we're friends, and I can trust you, right?" The orange stallion tried to choose his words carefully. He knew Pinkie too well, and realized how serious- and fragile -she was on this matter.
"Yes, in the best way. And I sure hope you can trust me, it's not like I'm a stranger, right?" He teased.
"C-Crazy...mmph.. You think so? Truly, honestly, cross your heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye?" She whimpered, giving Caramel 'puppy eyes'.
"Oh, Pinks, you take everything the wrong way. I don't mean crazy literally. Don't worry about it. We're at a par--" he trailed, suddenly realizing Pinkie was crying. Pinkie. Crying. "Pinkie, what's wrong? Did I say something? I.."
"Caramel, I'm sorry, this has nothing to do with you. I shouldn't have dragged you into this, but look at me. You're the closest friend I have, so I.. I think I should tell you. It's been bothering me lately. Everypony calls me crazy, insane, you name it. They all laugh at me. It feels like mockery. I know this is..stupid, because I had established myself as this crazy pony who needs to be laughed at.. But.. I'm more than laughter, right?" She blubbered out quickly. Caramel smiled at her, lifting her head and wiping her tears.
"Pinkie, why didn't you tell me sooner? You're wrong, I'm glad you 'dragged me into this'. I know you're so much more than laugher, Pinks. Don't you ever forget that." He said softly, never taking his eyes off of her. She smiled weakly, even though the 'crazy' problem wasn't what really bothered her. She just needed reassurance she could trust Caramel. Still, she left the party empty. The loss of her parents overwhelmed her, and she made a huge mistake when trying to cheer herself up: she did it without looking for comfort from her friends.
After that party, even though she knew she could trust Caramel, Pinkie never told anypony about the loss of her family. She stopped seeing anypony, baking anything, or singing any song. This made her more and more depressed. She was forced by the Cakes to go out on Saturdays and talk to ponies. The couple worried about Pinkie suddenly shutting herself in her bedroom. The Saturdays helped cheer up Pinkie a bit, for she got her happiness and energy from talking to ponies. Pinkie grew to love Saturdays, spending the entire week looking forward to them. She still struggled with depression, for she never let anypony know about it. Pinkie needs somepony to know about her depression for it to get better.