//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Where Your Heart Is // by Cloudy Skies //------------------------------// “If you could use your signature, that would be good. A lot better, in fact,” Mr. Cake suggested, frowning at the three crude balloons above the dotted line of the scroll. “Do we have another form?”         “Pha’ if ma phigmafhure!” Pinkie proudly declared, the quill in her mouth dancing around like a kite in a storm before she had the sense to spit it out. Dash snickered, quite proud of the little scribble next to Pinkie’s. Her own scrawl was properly illegible while maintaining the illusion of being actual words. She had spent time practicing her signature for her inevitable Wonderbolts gig, of course.         “I’m sure that will do just fine,” Mrs. Cake said, forestalling any further discussion on the matter by slipping the papers off the counter and into her saddlebags. “The Corner is yours. Take good care of it now, girls.”         It was impossible to keep from smiling. Rainbow Dash knew she had a big, goofy grin on her face, and she didn’t care. “Awesome,” she mouthed, doing a private little hoof-pump behind Pinkie’s back.         “You guys sure?” Pinkie asked, looking up at the kindly couple who had owned Sugarcube Corner for the longest time. “I kind of liked my cozy little roomie-broomie up there. I don’t mind. I mean, we don’t-”         Mrs. Cake chuckled and shook her head before fishing out her keys, putting them on the counter. “We’re sure, Pinkie Pie. We know you two will do a great job, just like we knew the corner was in good hooves when we had to extend our stay,” she said.         “Oh, you should probably thank Fluttershy too, then! Oh, and Twilight and-” Pinkie began. Dash jabbed her with a hoof and kept smiling all through the awkward little silence until Mr. Cake cleared his throat and spoke up.         “Anyway, it’s a bit of a relief, to be honest. Canterlot has more opportunities for the foals, and we found a nice big place with more space for us to open up a bigger bakery,” he concluded. “We’ll drop the papers off with Mayor Mare, and that’s that.”         “If you say so!” Pinkie chirped, leaning forwards to grab the Cakes in a hug that they were happy to return. “But you have to come visit! I promise we’ll take good care of Sugarcube Corner, but you have to come see, soon!”         “We will, promise,” Mr. Cake said, echoed by a nod from Mrs. Cake. There was precious little else to add, and goodbyes were exchanged. Only when the door shut, leaving Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash alone, did Dash turn to look at Pinkie in earnest.         There was no fancy sunlight to frame her face, no wind to tug at her curls. They just stood there smack dab in the middle of the sales floor of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie wasn’t even smiling - she didn't glow with that particular energy that seemed to make the world a better place; she was staring at something on the floor, a speck of dirt or whatever, brow furrowed and tongue sticking out of her mouth. For some inexplicable reason, this all just proved Dash’s point. She finally knew where her home was.         Pinkie darted forwards to lick at the floor with expert speed and precision, her face morphing into a disgusted frown straight after. “Eugh, okay, that was not chocolate!” she complained, pouting at Dash. “Oh, whatcha lookin’ at, Dashie? Did you want it? I think it was dirt.” “Just looking at you,” Dash shrugged, stretching and unfurling her wings.         “Oh!” Pinkie said, smiling. “That makes sense. Why?”         “It’s been what, a full minute already? You haven’t said anything about a party to celebrate,” Dash said, grinning. “What’s up?”         “Oh yeah!” Pinkie gasped. “This totally calls for a party! How could I forget? Oh my gosh, I am losing my touch! I may no longer be Ponyville’s premier party pony!”         Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think you need to worry about that, Pinks,” she snickered. “Come on, let’s make this the biggest one yet! We gotta invite all the girls. Oh, and we need to make a sign for the ‘Corner, something to put above the door! You know, let everypony know the coolest pony in Equestria lives here, too.”         “Ooh, we could have Applejack bring some of her special apple cider, the cider she pretends she doesn’t have!” Pinkie chirped. “You know, down in her cellar?”         “Awesome!” Dash cheered. “And I bet we could get some fireworks, too. Didn’t Rarity make a dress for Big Boom? I think he owes her.”         “A suit, silly,” Pinkie corrected her, giggling.         “Whatever,” Dash muttered, waving a hoof in Pinkie’s general direction. “This is gonna be awesome.”         “Yeah!” Pinkie agreed.         Dash settled her wings on her back again and pursed her lips, her heartbeat slowing down to a manageable level again. Pinkie let herself fall backwards to rest across Dash’s back, staring up at the ceiling in the ensuing silence.         “Tomorrow?” Dash asked with the beginnings of a smile.         “Tomorrow is a great day for a party,” Pinkie agreed. Her body shook against Dash’s as she giggled. “Tonight is a super-fantastic time for... battleclouds?”         Dash gently extricated herself from under her marefriend, making sure she didn’t fall. “I’ll get the blanket and the games, you get the cocoa and the muffins?” she asked, her body tensing up, ready for flight.         “Race you!” Pinkie chirped, bouncing over Dash and setting course for the kitchen.         Dash cracked an eye open. Pinkie Pie had poked her in the face with a foreleg in her sleep and she’d somehow gotten both of her own hindlegs tangled in Pinkie’s tail. Carefully and quietly as she could, she disentangled herself from her marefriend, pausing only to rub her eyes before she got up on all fours.         The living room was a mess. Battleclouds pieces and muffin crumbs littered the area in front of the dying embers of the fireplace, and the poor old blanket they shared had another set of cocoa-induced stains. Another set of scars. She’d have to ask Fluttershy or Rarity if they knew how to safely wash it. That was the extent of her worries. That was the worst her brain could do to her when she slowed down to think for a second. Rainbow Dash cast a glance out the open window on the far wall, and the only thing that came to her was that she hoped Pinkie Pie wasn’t cold. She bit down on the blanket and pulled it up to Pinkie’s neck, nosing into her coat as she did. The pink pony was hugging her old cloud-pillow, drooling into it in her sleep.         It was too early to get up and start preparing for the party anyway. Dash smiled at the thought even as she wiggled in under the blanket again. Slipping a wing under pinkie’s body to hold her close, Dash slept again, free and safe.         End Author's Notes and Other Things Right! First off, thank you for reading. If you made it this far, it hopefully means you liked this little fic, but I'm always glad to receive feedback of all types; notes, email or whatever, I reply to each and every one! It felt liberating to get to write this fic. While it may not be terribly innovative, I've had a lot of ideas for a PinkieDash fic that I never quite got to use. When Where Earth Meets Sky ended as it did, I finally saw an opportunity to use at least some of these ideas. I just wanted to write a classical, uncomplicated ship fic for the heck of it. I never wanted to try to do something crazy. I write limited third person PoV ship or adventure-ship fics. I'll let other, more daring writers reinvent the wheel. For me, writing Pinkie's PoV is an adventure in itself. That said, this fic wouldn't exist if not for friends and fellow writers. I owe my all to Kits for his cover art, his ideas, his continued assistance,feedback and general keeping-up-with-me-being-me. Kits, you are a champ. Also, he writes fics that are absolutely amazing, so you should go read them all. I also want to give a huge thanks to everypony who gave of their time to help me with proofreading/feedback in the final stretch. Whiteout, Stillwaters, Cormacolindor and Mister Morden. Thank you! And thank you, gentle reader, if you actually read the author's notes and the thank-yous. You are now my favorite pony of the day!