The blindness disappeared and Pinkie could appreciate the roof of a house. It was made of rock, she suddenly recognized she was on her bed in the rock farm, with her sister Limestone sobbing at the foot of it.
“Where am I?” she asked tired, like she was awakened from a deep sleep.
Limestone looked up and when she realized her little sister was awake she smiled surprised and happy. “She woke up. She woke up!”
Maud and Marble quickly entered the bedroom, once they noticed her sister was awake Marble ran to her, jumped on the bed and gave her a huge hug. Maud walked calmly into the bedroom carrying a letter with her, something said she was as excited as them.
“We were so worried about you,” Limestone looked more happy than she ever would. “I’m so sorry, could you forgive me?”
“This is exciting,” said Maud. “Isn’t it great Marble?”
“Mmhm.”
“What happened? I was just in Ethnicfest with my friends and–”
“Pinkie,” Maud interrupted her. “We have been taking care of you for the last six months,” the pink pony remained silent. “It happened when your tail started to shake, at first we thought it was your Pinkie sense but in the end you collapsed because of the spasm caused by stress and the impact of the situation you were living. We took you to bed and checked on you at least twice a day. Your friends came when they got the news, we gave them mom and dad’s book and they left. They gave you ‘get well soon’ presents as well.”
Maud pointed to her right and when Pinkie Pie turned her head left she saw all the gifts and presents of all shapes and sizes. Limestone took one box of chocolates from the pile.
“All of these... are from them? For me?”
“Yes,” responded Limestone as she observed the sender from the card, then proceeding to eat the content. “Alongside Cheese Sandwich somepony who really cares about you.”
“...And mom and dad?”
“They’re coming back from the market right now,” added Limestone. “The important thing is you’re safe and sound.”
“I need to see them,” Pinkie Pie tried to move but after months of stillness her muscles were so weak that they couldn’t lift her up and the only thing she felt was pain. “AH!”
“Don’t move,” Limestone said placing her in bed again. “You have to rest.”
“We’re invited to a wedding next week,” said Maud with the letter on her hooves. “We are not going anyway since you are so delicate right now.”
“No, let’s go,” said Pinkie smiling. “I’ve always said the best cure for sadness is a party.”
The rest of the Pie sisters looked at each other.
“If that makes you happy,” said Limestone.
“Do you agree Marble?” asked Maud.
“Mmhm.”
“So who are the lucky ones?”
Maud gave her the letter and when she read it her mind exploded.
“Is this some kind of cruel joke?”
It turned out that not only Paprika indeed existed, had cursed her and turned her friends into monsters but she and Discord got married after dating each other for those 6 months. Everypony in Ponyville got invited but strangely enough Pinkie remained literally tied to a wheelchair, apart from the crowd and sad for the rest of the party trying to solve the puzzle of what had really happened. Her sisters assisted her during the whole event until evening and even helped her baking the cake she wanted to give to the lovebirds but in an unguarded moment she requested to being alone for a minute or two and at the same time let them having fun. They did, Pinkie Pie put her head down. The night was sparkling, shortly after five creatures got out of the crowd and headed to her. They were: a cow, a reindeer, a classical unicorn, a sheep and a longma. Pinkie Pie looked up at them.
“I don’t know why or how,” said the unicorn. “But I have the feeling of knowing you before.”
“Are you sure Oleander?” asked the reindeer. “You told me you’d revised ze list and none of us have ever seen a horse this tiny before. No offense.”
“None taken,” answered Pinkie Pie.
“I’m sure Velvet, I’m always sure.”
“Are you ok?” asked the sheep looking at her.
“Like you would care anyway.”
“Ve care, any friend of Paprika is ours.”
“What’s so great about that evil alpaca gypsy?”
The ungulates look to each other.
“Ok, now we know ya definitely have a problem,” said the cow. “Mind to tell us?”
“Would you believe me?”
“...I guess so,” said the longma.
“Tianhuo!” the sheep reproached her. “We’ll do. Arizona’s right, you need to express your feelings to everyone even if the rest consider them unimportant.”
“Thanks Pom. Now go on.”
Taking a deep breath Pinkie Pie began to explain.
“What if I told you all of you were my friends before?” She paused. “You were ponies like me and we had saved the world multiple times. We were in a festival and you befriend her but because I accidentally destroyed her home she cursed me because of that and the curse was all of you transforming into her old friends so she was able to be with you once more and the only reason I’m guessing I’m here at her wedding is for her to tell me ‘in your face, now your friends are mine and you’ll be alone forever.’”
None of the ungulates believe her, they turned around and headed to the party.
“I told you she was crazy,” said the longma.
Pinkie Pie then began to speak as she watched them walking away from her, although her sobbing made her difficult to understand she knew what she was singing.
PP: “Nopony better say nothing bad about you my friend. ♪”
In the end she burst into tears, not noticing the ungulates came back one by one when they recognized what she was singing.
P: “There’s no kind of gossip you can spread around. ♪”
A: “That’ll change mah opinion. ♪”
Her eyes and throat got cleaner, letting her to sing better.
V: “They can make it up. ♪”
T: “They can talk like trash. ♪”
O: “You know who I am and I know who you are. ♪”
She smiled briefly and her eyes and throat got cleaner, letting her to sing better.
PP: “Anything that you need. ♪”
F5: “I’m here for you. ♪”
PP: “Whatever I need to be. ♪”
F5: “I’m there for you. ♪”
PP: “Unconditional, even when we are not cool. ♪”
F5: “I’m there when you need me. ♪”
PP: “If you need a laugh. ♪”
F5: “I’m there for you. ♪”
PP: “If you need some advice. ♪”
F5: “I’m here for you. ♪”
PP: “Unconditional, I know you know you’re my buddy. ♪”
F5: “And you’re my best best friend. ♪”
Pinkie struggled to break her bonds from the wheelchair, moving the best she could and when she finally freed from her diving bell she fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Maud, Limestone and Marble heard her from afar and ran to her as fast as they could. They tried to help her sister to stand up but she rejected them, then they thought the ungulates had hurt her but she stopped them; with her remaining strength Pinkie Pie crawled to the ungulates and hugged the unicorn’s leg.
“I love you girls. Please don’t forget me, I Pinkie promised that I’d save you.”
Paprika looked from afar the scene and she was touched. She, accompanied by Discord approached them slowly. When they arrived the ungulates turned around and saw her.
“You can’t stay with me anymore because I know you don’t exist,” they raised their eyebrows. “I wish you could be here with all your perfections and imperfections... but no... You’re just a shade. You’re just a shade of my real friends, you’re the best that I could do but now I realize that as long as you are with me I’m hurting someone... somepony else. We had our time together but I have to let you go.”
Paprika closed her eyes and suddenly balls of light came out of nowhere and covered the friends elevating them to the sky, the Pie sisters and Discord watched carefully. When the effect finished the balls of light came to the ground and dissipated, the ponies were freed and all had been returned to normal. All of them looked confused.
“What happened?” asked Twilight as she and the others stood up slowly.
“My plan worked,” Discord explained the situation. “You see, when you summoned me I knew that the one I should help was Paprika here. So I waited all these months to her became conscious about her actions. Now if you excuse me I want a slice of the Pie sisters’ rock cake.”
Discord departed. Paprika spoke to the Mane 6.
“I’m sorry for what I did, I just wanted to see them again,” Paprika put her head down. “You can go home now, I beg your pardon.”
Paprika turned around and walked away from them. Instantly Pinkie reminded what her sister Marble said, ‘But sometimes the cycle never repeats itself in quite the same way.’ She commanded her sisters to take her to the alpaca, they placed her in the wheelchair and move her. She touched her shoulder and Paprika stopped and turned around to her, Pinkie Pie requested her sisters to leave them alone. They proceeded.
“Look, we both did mistakes in the past but you can always redeemed yourself. Those friends of yours don’t deserve to be your friends, they’re not even at your wedding, so why not start a new cycle in your life by making new ones?”
Paprika smiled at her.
“Let’s start from the beginning” Pinkie held her hoof with hers. “I’m Pinkie Pie.”
“...I’m Paprika Paca, nice to meet you.”