Born to be friends

by Arosis

Three colorful balloons

It was evening already and Celestia’s sun was leaning towards the horizon to make way for the upcoming night, when a young filly appeared at the very edge of Ponyville.

It was clear at the first sight what pitiful state she was in. Her coat was so dusty and muddy that its true color couldn’t be distinguished. Just at a few spots, pink was visible through the layers of dirt. Her mane and tail weren’t doing much better as they drooped to the ground in messed and cemented streams.

On her back she carried two old saddlebags. They were ripped, torn and totally empty. Her once beautiful blue eyes were now looking at the world with a blank stare and only sadness and fatigue were reflecting in them. On her flank there was her Cutie Mark, distinguishable with great effort. They were three colorful balloons and also the reason for her suffering.

She’d been born on a small rock farm. At least that’s what her parents called the place. The sky there was always covered by grey clouds and the ground didn’t look much different either. Everywhere the eye could see there were just the boring rocks that prevented any greenery from growing. The few plants that managed to sprout anyway didn’t use to last long.

Here’s where she lived almost all her fillyhood, shut inside herself and her best friends were just piles of pebbles. Nopony else talked to her except family. That is, nopony else lived here. She’d likely have spent the rest of her life there, be it not for the queer wind that blew all the clouds away and brought a beautiful sparkly rainbow with it.

That’s when she felt happy for the first time in her life and she made the first smile ever coming from her heart. She felt compelled to share that happiness with somepony and so she arranged a party to cheer up her family. And they indeed were happy all together for a while. And that’s when she discovered her true talent and her Cutie Mark appeared.

Unfortunately the happiness didn’t last for long. The rainbow disappeared, the sky was overcast by grey cloud again and the hearts of all the ponies from her family were shut in again.

Our filly did her best to get them to smile at her once more, but she couldn’t succeed anymore. It was as if the place where she lived prevented that. And even though it seemed that the other ponies had accepted their fate, it wasn’t her case.

She wanted to smile and share happiness with others, but instead only despair and pity were growing in her heart. That was until she ran away one night under the shroud of darkness. She only left a goodbye letter on the kitchen table.

She travelled very long. Maybe a year or two. The days of her journey were blending together. She experienced a lot, but nowhere could she find her happiness. Instead some ponies laughed at her for trying to make them smile. Some even beat her and some attempted even worse things.

And so her journey continued through the borders of Equestria and finally into the center of it to the village known as Ponyville. The filly was now standing at the edge of it, hesitating to enter.

She was afraid that again there would be somepony, who’d want to hurt her, but the horrible hunger that had tortured her for several days forced her to proceed. Moreover she noticed in the last sunbeams of the setting sun that the local pegasi were getting the clouds ready for rain, so she knew she’d have to find a shelter in time.

She waited for most of the ponies to hit the hay and then she carefully started towards the town. She sneaked through the unlit alleys from corner to corner and sought at least something edible.

But the only thing she found was an old, moist, and partly moldy bread. She was so hungry, however, that she took no notice and gobbled it up right away.

The first drops hit the ground, so she quickly set off to find some shelter.

Near the square there was a strange building that attracted her by its scent. She peeked carefully into the showcases and she noticed it was a sort of pastry shop. It was dark inside, and so it seemed that nopony was here anymore. From under the door trailed a wonderfully sweet aroma that brought her here. And because the entrance was also roofed, she decided to wait the stormy night here.
It wasn’t long before she fell asleep, affected by that intoxicating scent, and dreamt about better times, when she’d be a happy filly again.

• • •

She was awakened by a horrible feeling in her stomach.

She lifted herself, but couldn’t even make a few steps and she started vomiting.

For a moment she felt horribly weak and her head was swimming. And so she didn’t notice the wooden crates she tripped over, making a loud mess.

In a nearby house lights turned on and someone looked out. The terrified filly ran off to the deep and rainy night.

She was still horribly sick, so she didn’t make it very far. Terribly tired and exhausted she found shelter under a nearby tree. This didn’t provide as good a cover as the porch by the pastry shop and so her mane was soaked by large drops that slipped through the leaves and at least washed down a bit of the dust and dirt from her mane and coat.

She was shivering with cold and awaiting the morning.

• • •

A cock-a-doodle-doo roused her from the light sleep she’d fallen to, when the rain finally stopped short before morning. She was still horribly cold and didn’t feel much better though. She actually felt even worse. Shivers were running all the way down her freezing body.

Slowly and unsurely she got up and stepped into the sunbeams to warm up a bit. That instant she spotted something she wouldn’t have even dreamt about before. Everywhere the eye could see there, in all directions there was a vast apple orchard. On the trees there were beautiful colorful apples covered with raindrops and glistening in the morning sun.

She watched them for a while and her mouth was quickly watering. But even though her stomach was convulsing of hunger and even though many ponies treated her badly, she didn’t want to harm anypony by stealing the fruits of their hard work.

In the end, however, it was hunger that prevailed and she slowly approached the nearest tree, shook down a few apples and started to collect them hastily in her saddlebags.

She had them nearly full when the orchard echoed with a cry: “Cut it out right now, you thief!”

The filly looked terrified in the cry’s direction and spotted another filly charging at her in full sprint. Her coat was orange and her hay-colored mane was waving wildly in the wind. She had a brown hat set on her head.

The pink filly didn’t inspect that running pony further and started running away. She raced wildly between the trees, jumped across fences and it seemed that she would escape her pursuer when she suddenly lost balance, she tripped and fell over. The old saddlebags didn’t survive the strain, they snapped and the apples rolled all over the place.

She attempted to stand up, but she couldn’t. Her head was still spinning wildly and her front leg was killing her.

• • •

Applejack was mad, when she noticed the other filly, who was stealing her apples. She put so much time to caring for them and now somepony tried to steal them. She took after her immediately and cried out. The filly noticed her and started escaping and Applejack followed right after.

Applejack knew she was the fastest pony in Ponyville and there was nopony able to outrun her. To her amazement though, she found out to be no match for the other filly. Slowly meter by meter the thief was getting away.

Then, however, to her luck, she tripped and fell to the grass and before she could get up, Applejack was there.

Full of anger she raised her front hoof overhead and was about to hit the thief under her, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t hurt anyone, not even from anger. And moreover, after looking carefully, she noticed a mere little, scared, and terribly dirty filly. Furthermore nearly as old as herself.

She noticed how horribly undernourished was that filly, up to the point of her ribs standing out. Around the blue tired eyes looking terrified at Applejack, the first tears started forming.

“Please don’t hurt me,” sobbed the caught filly and she tried protecting her face with her front hooves.

Applejack realized she was still threating her with the front hoof, so she put it carefully back down.

“I’m sorry, sugarcube. Didn’t intend that. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt ya. I’m some Applejack. And what’s your name?” started Applejack with the most friendly tone she could manage.

The filly under her hesitated, then said quietly: “Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

“You’re not from around here, eh?” asked Applejack.

The filly just shook her head for answer.

“Come then, I will get you something to eat and everything will be alright,” said Applejack caringly and helped her get back on her hooves.

The dirty filly leaned against her with all her weight and stayed that way. Applejack didn’t mind at all and so she led her, supporting her, back to her farm.

They walked just a few hundred meters, when the filly besides her suddenly staggered and sank to the ground. Applejack immediately gave her a caring look, she seemed to be asleep. She nudged her with the muzzle, but the little filly didn’t react at all. So she put her muzzle on her forehead and it was burning hot.

“Now that’s all I needed,” grumbled Applejack and put the filly on her back. She was even lighter than she expected. Almost like a feather or a balloon.

Applejack picked up pace. She walked past the farm and continued towards Everfree forest to the place, where a little cottage was hidden at the bank of the stream.

• • •

Pinkamena had a beautiful dream. She dreamt about being a pegasus filly who is just lying in the clouds and birds are flying and singing all around her.

Slowly she began to wake up, but the pleasant feeling of comfort and birds singing didn’t stop to her surprise. So she slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

She was lying on a soft sofa buried in duvets and cushions. On the walls and the ceiling there were various boxes and openings disappearing in the walls with all sorts of birds flying around them, whose voices she heard. Occasionally a different animal showed up.

She hadn’t lied in a soft bed for a very long time and because it seemed that nopony was around, she decided to properly enjoy the feeling. Even though just for a short while, a happy and satisfied smile appeared on her face.

It was only then that she noticed she wasn’t dirty anymore, but beautifully bathed and combed, even her mane. Moreover she smelt wonderfully like some wildflowers.

She hadn’t felt this comfortable since the time, when she ran away from home. Something inside told her, though, that perfect never lasts forever.

Suddenly the door opened and a pegasus filly she’d never seen before walked in. She was canary yellow and not much older than herself. Her almost unbelievably long mane and tail were pinkish. In her mouth she had a basket with protruding various pieces of fruits and vegetables. She put it on a table next to the door and walked towards her.

Pinkamena was anxious. What did the pony want from her? Could she want to hurt her like the others?

Her heart started beating fast and she didn’t know what to do, so she rather pretended to be asleep.

The yellow filly approached her in the meantime and put her muzzle on her forehead. “It’s much better now. You’ll be alright soon, Pinkamena,” she whispered and caressed her mane with her hoof.

Pinkamena couldn’t take it anymore. She had an immense fear. Nopony had cared for her like this for years and she didn’t even recall the last time anyone caressed her.

She jumped off the sofa sharply and cried: “How do you know my name? What do you want from me? Everyone, just let me be.” And with tears in her eyes she ran away.

When she was almost out of the door, a quiet sob sounded behind her, and that made her stop. She turned around and looked at the yellow filly she was running away from. However, she, instead of following her, just laid there, leaning against the sofa, and looked after her sadly.

Pinkamena didn’t know what to do. She wanted to run away, but at the same time she felt sorry for that filly and she felt the need to apologize to her and cheer her up a bit. She hesitated for a while, and then, as always, fear prevailed inside her. She turned around and fled.

Just as she left the door she noticed the massive wall of the forest ahead and so she aimed towards it to hide. She barely reached the first trees and she collapsed again. Her heart was pounding like crazy with fear and strain and her head was swimming again.

“What have you done?” a strange voice sounded, but when she looked around, there was nopony in sight.

“Why did you do that? Why did you hurt her?” that strange voice continued and to her horror she realized she was hearing it inside her head.

“I didn’t mean to,” she whispered for an answer.

“So you didn’t mean to? Why didn’t you turn back and help her then?” growled the voice at her.

“I was afraid,” whispered Pinkamena again.

“You’re a naughty, bad pony!” the voice began to grow in strength. “Your talent is to make other ponies happy and you’re just hurting them instead. You don’t deserve your Cutie Mark! You should get rid of it! Burn it! Cut it off!”

“No! No! No!” cried out Pinkamena and she started weeping.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie! Cut the weeping right away and look at me!” another voice echoed in the forest. This voice, however, conveyed an almost incredible strength and Pinkamena found herself having stood up involuntarily and she looked into the eyes of the pony standing in front of her.

It was a plum-violet filly with green eyes that Pinkamena couldn’t look away from. They radiated with immense authority as well as compassion and understanding. She felt the stare of the green eyes penetrate her deeper and deeper in her soul and suddenly she didn’t feel any fear anymore. Just the opposite, she felt her mind calming down.

“Come then. We should go back to Fluttershy’s house,” said the violet filly with a stern, but caring voice. “You don’t look so good yet.”

Pinkamena said nothing, but followed the filly obediently back to the cottage she’d run away from a while ago and where the yellow filly was waiting for them already. Her eyes still had tears in them, but a beautiful smile began to grow on her face.

They were almost at the door when Pinkamena gathered enough courage to speak. “I want to apologize to you two, for running away. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright,” smiled the violet one at her. “Nothing terrible happened after all. By the way my name is Cheerilee and this is Fluttershy,” she said and pointed at the yellow filly.

Pinkamena just lowered her head guiltily before the other filly and said nothing. She felt sorry for making her cry.

Fluttershy wasn’t even thinking about that anymore. She took Pinkamena home and laid her back to bed. Then she took the basket that was still standing on the table by the door and together with Cheerilee she aimed to the kitchen. Soon enough a wonderful scent was wafting from there.

Fluttershy appeared soon and put a plate of still steaming and amazingly smelling vegetable soup on the table by the sofa.

“Just dig in,” encouraged her Fluttershy, when she noticed her hesitating look.

Pinkamena hadn’t eaten anything so good for years and so the soup plate was gone soon. She was still starving, though, but was shy to ask for seconds.

Fluttershy just smiled at her and as if she could read her thoughts, she took the plate to the kitchen and soon she was back with another portion.

Pinkamena gobbled that one up, too. And so it repeated several times until her tummy was filled up with the tasty warm soup.

“Alright, now lie down and tell us what’s bothering you, little one,” asked her Cheerilee, who joined them again in the meantime, when Pinkamena put the plate, this time unfinished, down on the table.

Pinkamena was silent at first. She felt the growing fear again, but somewhere deep inside she felt she could trust these two fillies. And so she finally overcame the fear and started talking.

She talked about everything. From running away from home, through the adventures she experienced on her journey, up to her short stay in Ponyville. With every spoken word the talking was easier and easier and Pinkamena felt a weight falling off her heart she’d had no idea about before.

Fluttershy was sitting right next to her and listened carefully. Just occasionally she pet her mane or hugged her. That’s when she was talking about the unpleasant or nasty things.

Cheerilee also listened to her story although it seemed she was thinking about something intently.

When she finished it was night already. Cheerilee parted with the two fillies and aimed to her own home. Fluttershy then said goodnight to Pinkamena and was about to leave upstairs to her bedroom.

“C-could you stay here with me, p-please,” stuttered Pinkamena shyly.

“But of course,” smiled Fluttershy kindly at her and lied on the sofa besides her. Pinkamena snuggled her up and buried her face in her mane. She hadn’t felt the warmth of another pony on her for so long and she knew right away that she was indeed missing it so much.

The last thing she remembered was the lullaby Fluttershy was singing to her and soon she was sound asleep.

That night the wounds on her heart finally started healing.

• • •

Pinkamena slowly woke up and opened her eyes.

Celestia’s sun was already shining through the window and Fluttershy was gone somewhere. Instead the orange filly that had chased her yesterday was looking at her through her green eyes.

“Umm… Hello,” began Applejack nervously. “I wanted to apologize. I’m mighty sorry for what happened. I shouldn’t have chased you.”

“It’s alright. I’m not mad at you. And what’s more, you brought me here, right?” smiled Pinkamena and she surprised herself a little by that.

“You got that right. I told you you’d be alright after all,” said Applejack with pride in her voice. “Yea and here you got’em apples,” she added and pointed at a basket full of juicy red fruits laid on a nearby table.

“Thanks,” peeped Pinkamena rather unsurely. It had been so long that anypony cared for her this much and now she met a whole bunch of amazing ponies that helped her, that cared about her, even though they didn’t even know her. In her heart she felt that soothing feeling that hadn’t been there for a very long time.

A sudden knocking on the door interrupted their beginning conversation and a white unicorn filly stepped inside.

Pinkamena had never seen such a beautiful creature. Her alabaster white coat was shining in the sunbeams and her dark violet mane was flowing freely to the ground. Next to her there was a somewhat larger package, floating in the blueish glow of her magic.

When she noticed the awoken Pinkamena, she smiled and began:

“So it is you, who my friends talked so much about. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rarity. And you must be Pinkamena, right?”

Pinkamena managed just a slight nod and Rarity continued.

“What an unfit name for a beautiful filly like you. A name should fit, shouldn’t you think? How about we call you say…Pinkie?”

Pinkamena’s usually pink face flushed red. She liked the name, though. That’s how her granny called her on the rare occasions, when she smiled at her.

“And not to forget,” continued Rarity again “I brought her something.” And she levitated the package in front of Pinkie.

“Oh come on, just unwrap it and don’t be afraid,” encouraged her Rarity impatiently, when Pinkie hesitated with acting.

Pinkie thus opened the package and carefully brought its package to light.

They were her own old saddlebags, but changed beyond recognition. All the holes were so diligently patched that the bags looked completely new. Moreover they now had new balloon-shaped clips, decorated with beautiful blue sapphires.

“Do you like them?” asked Rarity nervously. “I fixed them for you a little bit and added some improvements.”

Pinkie just stared surprised at the bags she held in her hooves, too shocked to speak. She’d never received any gift in her life. Tears of happiness started flowing down her face.

“Are you okay, my dear?” asked Rarity again, this time noticeably more nervously.
“Maybe I just somewhat overdid it with the sapphires, or…”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” stopped her Applejack. “Maybe we should leave Pinkie alone for a while. Come, we’ll join Fluttershy in the kitchen.”

• • •

Several days passed before Pinkie fully recovered and regained all her strength. She spent the whole time at Fluttershy’s in her house and the nearby surroundings. Every day she was also visited by her other three friends. Rarity, Applejack and Cheerilee.

By the time she made friends with all of them and she felt really happy. However, deep inside, she was still touched by uncertainty. She was afraid that this would all end one day and she’d have to go. And everything would be like before.

Then, however, one morning Rarity took her for a walk around Ponyville. She showed her the house at the lake shore, where she lived with her parents and her little sister Sweetie Belle. She also took her to the spa and finally they aimed to the place that Pinkie immediately recognized.

It was that pastry shop, whose entrance Pinkie had used as a shelter from the rain a few days ago.

“Good morning, miss Rarity and you, young lady. Welcome to Sugarcube Corner,” greeted them an older and plump mare. “What can I bring you?”

“I’d like a cup of hot chocolate and this piece of this wonderfully looking strawberry pie,” ordered Rarity. “And what about you, Pinkie?”

Pinkie wasn’t listening to her, though. She felt like in heaven. All the smells, the colors and the piles of yummy goodies. She just stood there and looked at all the stock with gaping mouth.

Rarity smiled. “Choose anything you like.”

Pinkie slowly recovered and started inspecting the displayed sweets and especially their contents. Soon she got a plate with a bit of almost everything.

She didn’t wait for anypony to tell her twice and dug in. “Mhmm, delicious,” she mumbled for herself.

Rarity, who noticed that Pinkie had her hooves busy, turned to the older mare. “Mrs. Cake, we need to talk. But it would be best in private.”

“Of course, miss Rarity,” replied Mrs. Cake and led Rarity to the kitchen.

“I heard you were looking for someone to help you in the bakery. And that you are also offering accommodation to it.”

“You’re right, miss. My husband and I would be glad if somepony could stay in the shop overnight and helped us with baking before we open. It’s becoming too much for the two of us and we even have one nice free room upstairs in the attic.”

“I think I have a suiting pony for you then,” announced Rarity, satisfied.

“I’m sure you mean the friend of yours you came here with today. I’d like to know who she is. I’ve never seen her in Ponyville.”

Rarity hesitated shortly and then got to talking about what she head from Fluttershy and Cheerilee.

“I still have the feeling that Fluttershy kept some things she told her secret. Just please don’t share the things I told you today with anypony. Especially not with Pinkie. Hopefully she will tell you one day by herself.”

“Poor filly,” uttered Mrs. Cake caringly. “We’ll gladly keep her with us. After all she’d gone through, I couldn’t let her roam like that again.” Afterwards they both returned from the kitchen.

“Pinkie, Mrs. Cake here wants to talk with you,” said Rarity and smiled.

• • •

A month passed since the time, when Pinkie first arrived in Ponyville. And during that month she changed a lot. She was no longer skinny and day by day she kept smiling at the world more often.

She also learned a lot. Every day she helped Mrs. Cake in the bakery and she could already bake lots of various goodies. What’s more, Rarity with Applejack helped her arrange the attic room and so she now slept in the pastry shop, too.

Every day she found some time to go check out on Fluttershy and the rest of her friends, though, and sometimes, when it was needed, she helped them out, too. She even got to know more ponies around.

She kept thinking about all the things the four did for her, and she knew she’d have to pay them back some way. So she saved every bit of her salary and finally one day she threw a party for all four of them in her new home.

One couldn’t say the party was especially rich in any way, but the five enjoyed it immensely. They danced, played games, ate and drank.

When they were finished, Pinkie led their friends to their homes and was on her way back.

It was late night, but her path was beautifully lit by the moon. The sky was without clouds, so all the stars were clearly visible. Just the wind was lightly blowing.

She felt like the happiest pony in the world and so she began to sing. Soon enough she started hopping in the rhythm and she didn’t even notice that her mane got all tousled in the wind.