Cup Cake sat behind the counter of her bakery and stared at her honorary niece. Pinkie had barged into the shop and demanded as much sugar as possible. That itself wasn't abnormal, but her limp hair and damp eyes were certainly a rarity.
"Think we should talk to her?" Her husband Carrot Cake stood beside her, a worried look on his face.
"Let her eat a bit first." Cup Cake smiled gently, "Then we can talk."
Carrot moved to the door as the last non-Pinkie customer left, and flipped their Open sign to Closed. With a sigh he turned to look at Pinkie, who stopped eating and put her head on the table. This was serious.
"Hey, Pinks." Carrot grinned, "Something on your mind?" Smooth.
"No."
"Aw, come on, Pinkie." Cup Cake also approached the table, a gentle smile on her face. "You can talk to us."
"Maud hates me."
The Cakes stood in silence for a moment, utterly shocked beyond words.
"P-Pinkie, you don't really think that, do you?" Cup Cake asked, concern in her voice. Her heart broke for the girl in front of her. She was sure it was some kind of misunderstanding, though. The bond between Maud and Pinkie was not one to easily break.
Cup Cake looked down lovingly at the sad girl. No matter the circumstances, she was glad that Pinkie had been brought into their lives.
When they first met her, they had just finished becoming foster parents, and she had been a scared thirteen year old. They got to foster a precious little girl, and she had become part of the family almost instantly. When they thought about it, both Cakes considered her their first child. Eventually that extended to Maud as well, but there was something about the younger sister that just clicked with them.
It was a year after the battle started, and a month after Maud turned eighteen, that Pinkie finally got to move in with her sister. She tearfully said goodbye to the Cakes, and promised she would keep in touch. Within a month, however,she and Maud had found a nice house in the area and, with a little help from the Cakes, moved in to it.
Maud said she couldn't take Pinkie away from her family, and the Cakes had thanked her tearfully.
Despite her sister's obvious want to help her, though, Pinkie often blamed herself for any hardship. She had begun working at the Cakes' cafe to help Maud pay for things, and picked up responsibility anywhere she could. Cup Cake had felt sorry for her, but also admired her work ethic. Pinkie was a hard worker, and was willing to do anything for Maud, and Maud her. It was a good relationship, one many people envied.
But as Cup Cake stared down at a dismal Pinkie, she realized even a relationship that good had downfalls.
"Now, come on, Maud can't hate you. She loves you so much."
"I..." Pinkie's voice broke, "I yelled at her..."
"Aw, Pinks." Carrot grinned, "You know Maud wouldn't hate you over something like that!"
"Exactly." Cup Cake agreed, "Everyone fights sometimes. It's natural."
"But... But she has to hate me." Pinkie sighed, "She's had to waste so much on me... and now she's wasting even more..."
"Pinkie Pie." Cup Cake's harsh tone made Pinkie wince. "What on Earth are you talking about?"
Pinkie was quiet for a moment before she sat up. She rubbed at her eyes and sniffled. "She... She's done so much for me for so long. And now she could go to her dream school, but she doesn't want to because of me."
"Isn't that a good thing, though? You get to stay here. I'm sure she has a plan-"
"She's not going because of me, though! It's not fair!"
And then Cup Cake understood.
"That's not your fault." Cup Cake said sternly. "If Maud wants to put you first, that's her choice. That's a brave choice."
"But it's my fault she doesn't get to go!" Pinkie turned to Cup Cake with a soft whine, "I'm just holding her back again..."
"Pinkie," Carrot placed a hand on her shoulder, "Maud loves you more than anything else. More than her rocks, or her education, maybe even more than out sweets!"
While it didn't get a smile, Pinkie wiped her eyes. "I know..."
"So then what's wrong?" Cup Cake frowned.
"She would already be there if it wasn't for me. She never would have gotten kicked out if it wasn't for me. She's already done so much for me, but I..."
"Pinkie." Carrot tightened his grip on her shoulder, "What happened to you two... That's your parents' fault. Not yours or Maud's. No matter what you did, or what Maud did, they shouldn't have done that."
"Maud loves you." Cup Cake added, "She's done all this because she wants to help you."
"But," Pinkie swallowed, "But there's so much she can't do because of me. She's done so much for me, and I want her to be happy, too."
"Because of your situation." Carrot said softly. "And that isn't something you can control. Sometimes we're put in difficult situations. We can't help it, so all we have to do is get through it."
"And she is happy." Cup Cake promised, "She's with you. She probably doesn't want to move either, you know."
Pinkie considered that. "I guess... That's possible..."
"I think you should talk to Maud." Cup Cake said gently, "See what you two can come up with."
"And if you want to come back here, you know the way in." Carrot added.
"I... Yeah. Okay. Thanks, guys." Pinkie's smile returned, not as radiant as normal but still there, and she hugged the Cakes. "I'll talk to her."
******************************
Once again Maud found herself waiting anxiously for Pinkie to return home. She had texted all of Pinkie's friends, but none of them had seen her. Thankfully she got a text from Mrs. Cake that calmed her, if only slightly.
She felt terribly guilty as she waited for her sister to walk in. When she finally heard her footsteps walk towards the kitchen she hung her head and sighed. Guilt and shame bubbled within her, but she kept her neutral face.
"Sorry I yelled." Maud blinked in confusion and looked at Pinkie. Of course that was what she would worry about.
"Don't worry about it." Maud's lips flicked up to the smallest degree; a smile. "Let's just... talk this time, okay?"
Pinkie sighed. She really didn't want to bother Maud any more than she already had, but the Cakes' voices reminded her that they had to talk. Pinkie couldn't deny it, and they couldn't go on like that forever.
"I... I don't want you to have to hold back because of me."
"Pinkie... Let me finish what I was saying earlier." Maud cleared her throat. "I'm not wasting anything on you. You are my sister, I would gladly do anything for you. However, this isn't about that. I'm not doing this because of you, I'm doing it because of us. I told you we would stick together, right?"
"Well, yeah... But-"
"No, listen. I'm doing this to keep you happy, of course. But that's not the only reason. Seeing you happy makes me happy." She smiled at Pinkie. "I know you know what I mean. You love seeing others happy, too. It's the same for me. You're not holding me back, or making me unhappy."
It was mostly true. Sure, there were things Maud couldn't do, due to having Pinkie living with her, but it wasn't something that really upset Maud.
"Besides, you've sacrificed, too. It was hard to leave the others, wasn't it? And I know you miss Marble." Pinkie winced at the mention of her twin, and nodded. Things hadn't been easy since she left home.
That first year had been extra hard, though. Pinkie made quick friends at Canterlot Middle, heck she made great friends everywhere she went. But no one could say they didn't see the fear and loneliness in her, too. The girl was shaken to her core, and it was up to Maud to keep her from going back.
That was a lot of pressure on a seventeen year old, though. Her age was one of the biggest factors against her. Had she been eighteen or older the battle could have gone smoother, but they knew Pinkie didn't have that kind of time. The other sisters weren't like Maud and Pinkie, who were obvious outcasts, but Maud still wanted to help her other sisters, too. Marble mainly, since Limestone seemed to enjoy the farm at least.
Maud had become even more silent and withdrawn in the year of the battle. She had to work to keep a steady income, along with classes and training that the courts wouldn't pay for but still required her to do. It had been hard, and many times she was tempted to quit. But she reminded herself that quitting would be giving up on Pinkie. And that was something she could never, ever do.
"...S...So you don't hate me?" Pinkie's genuinely confused and hopeful face made Maud cringe. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have taken the letter. And I..."
"It's okay."
Pinkie was silent for far longer than a Pinkie should ever be silent, and Maud began to worry.
"I don't want to hold you back." The words sent a stab of sadness through Maud's heart. "If you want to go, you should. I don't want you to miss out on anything else because of me. Even if that's for your own reasons, too."
"Oh, Pinkie..." She got up and sat by her sister, and wrapped her arms around her. "Never, ever, ever. I promise. Pinkie... You're where I want to be." The sappiness had a ghost of a smile on Pinkie's lips. "I've already talked to the dean, I can put it off until next year. Then you'll be graduated and eighteen, and I don't have to move you again."
Pinkie's eyes widened. "You... You already..."
"I told you I had things covered. We're sticking together for as long as we can, right?"
Pinkie's smile was back, and she held out her little finger. "...Pinkie Promise?
"Pinkie Promise."
They were quiet for a moment. "I... I told my friends. And we got a 'My Sister is Super Smart' party started. I guess we could still have it, if you wanted?"
Pinkie's grin and hopeful expression made Maud smile. She wasn't one for parties, but she couldn't say no to that.
"Anything for you, Sis."
Anything.