Utaan

by Imploding Colon

The Twilight Dialogues, Part Four

They heard it as they crossed an interconnecting web of strings: the very first roll of thunder. There were very few land structures to echo the rumbling noise. The waters below rippled, calmed, and that was it.

And from then on—with agonizing persistence—the eastward sky shook and broiled. It was made all the more haunting by a distinct lack of lightning. When Rainbow Dash asked about it, Kepler explained that all the thunder hailed from "beyond the edge." Rainbow and her friends took some time to contemplate this, until Twilight prompted Rainbow to ask Kepler precisely how far away the edge was from the shore. When Kepler explained less than two hundred miles, even Rainbow Dash was alarmed.

"That's not natural lightning and thunder," Twilight said, stating the obvious. Rainbow and her friends tried to imagine what precisely would be causing such loud noises to ripple westward for literal hundreds of miles. Eventually, it occurred to them that they had never been near the edge of the world before, and what frightened them now was simply a preview to an epicness hitherto unfathomed.

To say the least, it gave the ghostly mares abundant jitters. Rainbow Dash—on the other hand—felt a tinge of excitement that she hadn't experienced since landing on the western shores of Rohbredden. Nevertheless, she kept her cool, and helped her friends focus on a far more pertinent conversation at hoof.

---

"And this year, I've found you a really good gift for Pie Sisters Surprise Swap Day," the monotone voice in the air droned. "I can't give it to you in person. So I'm storing it away for when you return. So far, we are at two Pie Sisters Surprise Swap Day gifts."

"Awwwwwwwwww!" Pinkie Pie squee'd. "You are the bestest bestie older-middle-sistie ever!" She hugged her phantom self as she floated through the air. "I'm gonna have to do lotttttttttsssss of shopping at the rock stores when I get back! By then—who knows!" She smiled wildly. "It might be ten P.S.S.S.D. Gifts!"

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and spoke to the air. "Your sister Pinkie's really thankful, Maud. What's more, she promises to get you a bunch of Swap Day gifts once she returns to Equestria."

Pinkie gasped. "Although, by that time, it's gonna be more like a buncha P.S.A.B.R.S.S.D. Gifts!"

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow glanced aside. "Huh?"

"Becaussssssse I'll have my body back, right?!"

"Well..."

"And that makes it an even bigger celebration! Because I can hug my sister Maud again! Which means I'll have to get her twice as many P.S.A.B.R.S.S.D. Gifts and confetti and—DUAAAAAAAH!" Pinkie suddenly gasped. "Omigosh! Omigosh! I've missed two Pie Sister Surprise Swap Days in a row! That means I gotta do the dance and the song!"

"I'm sure Maud will understand, Pinkie—"

"Quick! Rainbow!" Pinkie made to grip her shoulders but only phased through. "Do the Pie Sisters' Surprise Swap Day Song!"

"What?!" Rainbow blanched from the back of the wagon.

"Sashay to the side while singing! Quickly!" Pinkie hyperventilated. "The legitimacy of my Pie Sisterhood depends on it!"

"Pinkie, I-I don't even know the first thing about that! I don't even know the lyrics!"

"She's asking you to do the Pie Sisters Surprise Swap Day Song, isn't she?" Maud's voice droned.

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted. "...maybe?"

Twilight and Rarity giggled.

"Pleeeeeeeeeease, Dashie!" Pinkie floated on her knees, eyes sparkling. "Be a buddy! Be a pal!"

"Pinkie Pie..."

"Maybe I can make it easier for you, Rainbow," Maud murmured. "I'll do the lead."

Pinkie squeaked inward, her ears drooping. "Maud... is g-going to lead?"

"Wait..." Rainbow squinted into the cosmos. "So you're going to dance and everything?"

Maud's reply was simply: "Ready?"

Rainbow blinked. "...as I'll ever be."

What pierced the heavens next was like a manabattery producing dull static in the shape of words. "It's the Pie Sisters' Swap Day Sonnnnnnnnnng..."

Even Bard and Wildcard glanced skyward from where they trotted through the shallow waters.

In the uncomfortable silence, Rainbow fidgeted, then eventually blurted: "Hey."

"EeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEeeeeeeee-heee-heeeee!" Pinkie Pie squealed, eyes tearing. She flung her limbs aside and hugged the closest thing she could—a supremely wide-eyed Fluttershy. "Ohhhhhhh that makes me so happyyyyyyy!"

"Guh... mrmmfff..." Fluttershy squinted through one eye as she was surrounded in pink fuzz. "I'm... h-happy for you too, Pinkie."

"Ahem." Rainbow smirked into the glowing air. "Pinkie's tickled pink, Maud. Well, pinker."

"That is good to know, Rainobw Dash," droned the voice in response. "Now I must go."

"Awwwwwwwwww..." Pinkie dropped Fluttershy and pouted into the constellatory sky. "But we just started talkinnnng! You got somewhere to be? Is it the rock school?"

"I think Pinkie wishes you could talk more, Maud," Rainbow simply said.

"I'm not leaving. It's just that they have very little time to speak with Pinkie and I think they deserve to have the leylines now."

"Huh?" Rainbow blinked.

"Oooh!" Pinkie "hopped" in midair. "Who? Who? Mr. and Mrs. Cake?"

The silver light fluctuated. Just then, two voices crackled into existence, both slightly raspy.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie... are you there?"

"Hello, Pinkamena. It is... most agreeable to hear your voice once again."

"Maud Stone Pie has been steadfast as granite in insisting we have a word or two with you once again."

Pinkie Pie's smile slowly faded. As her ears drooped, a breathy voice tapered out of her: "Mommy? Daddy?"

Fluttershy looked up with a silent gasp. Rarity and Twilight exchanged glances.

"Pinkamena? Are you there?" spoke a female voice.

The male voice interjected: "She cannot answer us directly, beloved. Rainbow Dash must speak for her in her current incorporeal state."

"I swear. I will never understand these unicorn curses."

"It's not a matter of unicorn spells, dear. Spike the Dragon explained such to us."

"Way to go Spike," Applejack murmured. She tilted her hat back with a smirk and glanced aside.

"Well, Pinkie?" Twilight smiled. "Go on!"

"Say something, darling!" Rarity insisted.

Pinkie Pie sniffled. Her mane hung noticeably heavier across her shoulders. Nevertheless, she bore a tearful smile as she lifted her head and spoke: "Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy. I miss you..."

"Mr. and Mrs. Pie?" Rainbow gazed at the stars. "Pinkie Pie says 'hi' and that she misses you—"

"And-and-and I-I'm doing my best to keep everypony here plus Rainbow Dash super happy and super energized!"

"And she's doing her best to cheer us on..."

"And I miss raking the pebbles on the lawn and the rock soup and Holder's Boulder and making stone ponies for Hearth's Warming..."

"And... she misses a lot of things. Like doing lawnwork, rock soup, Hearth's Warming, something about... a Holder's Boulder..."

"And... and..." Pinkie's voice grew soft. Her muzzle quivered, and she eventually murmured: "I'm... I'm sorry, Mommy and Daddy..."

Rainbow flashed her a look.

Pinkie rubbed her cheeks dry, shuddering. "I'm sorry if... if the parties were too much. Y'know... mmmm... when I was little and I got my cutie mark and all. You all liked your peace and quiet and... I-I just couldn't let you have it." Another sniffle. "Before we go to the super-gloomy dark side, I just want you to know that... in case you never get another chance to know... th-that I'm sorry." She gulped hard. "I've h-had a lot of time to shuffle stuff around in my fuzzy, pink head and... I think I get why you sent me to Ponyville in the first place."

Rarity and Flutterhy had their lips pursed.

Twilight blinked hard.

Applejack glanced at Rainbow Dash. She very firmly nodded.

Rainbow cleared the lump out of her throat and gazed towards the stars again. "Uhm... Mr. and Mrs. Pie? Pinkie wants you all to know that..." A deep breath. "That she's sorry if her partying got way out of hoof.. after she got her cutie mark and such. She knows that the two of you like peace and quiet, and she's sorry she didn't let you. If... uhm... if that's the reason why she was sent to Ponyville in the first place or not... Pinkie just wants you all to know that she's sorry." She bit her lip.

The reply was far swifter than anypony had anticipated: "What malevolent deception is this? We never would have sent Pinkamena away!"

"Indeed so. The parties were somewhat taxing, verily, but if I recall Pinkamena left because Ponyville was the only town within a boulder's throw that had a bakery! One that our cousins ran!"

Almost instantly, Pinkie's mane fluffed back out with a distinct balloon noise. "Oh!" She grinned, happy as a hummingbird. "Well then, when I get back, I'm gonna bake you the most delicioussssss glacier cake with gallons of muzzle-lickin'-good icing! Heeeheeheee! You're gonna lovvve it!"

Rarity's eyebrows twitched. Fluttershy rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Rainbow Dash? Is Pinkamena alright?"

Rainbow sighed, then smirked into the sky once again. "Better set up some appointments with the dentists, Mr and Mrs. Pie, because you're in for a whole bunch of cavities once I bring Pinkie and the gang back to Ponyville..."

Comments

[RoboRed]

You still write an amazing Pinkie, dude.
Always the exuberant ball of energy, and when she's sad, you feel it.

Also, these descriptions of the area as the get closer to the edge are amazing. I can't wait 'till they finally make it there.

[Revan]

*loads page*

*0 views so far*

WHOA. I never expected that I would be first to read a new chapter of East Horse.

Unless there’s hacking involved…

derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/11/12/149726__safe_twilight+sparkle_pinkie+pie_animated_spike_text_image+macro_royal+guard_night+guard_seems+legit.gif

[IceKitsune]

Awww Pinkie I just want to hug her! Glad she got to talk to her folks though really heart felt indeed.

[Rysek]

I wonder where the misunderstanding with Pinkies parents originated from?

[IceKitsune]

7401398

It looks like he's kind of taking it from fandom depictions of how they would be like; I've seen that exact depiction of them so many times; just fed up with Pinkie so they get rid of her or try to stop her having parties/fun of any kind.

[Hestia]

Pinkie is so sweet. That was adorable.

[star1wars3]

They heard it as they crossed an interconnecting web of strings

Strings? Maybe streams?
Good Pinkie times are good

[Super Trampoline]

So hey, this song is relevant for the rest of the story, right?

[Nevlamas]

P.S.A.B.R.S.S.D

Pie Sisters and Body Reunion Surprise Swap Day? Strictly speaking it's going to be a new body, right, not the old one returned. So we should probably make that P.S.A.N.B.R.S.S.D. instead.

[Cynderfall]

The Pie family are weird...

[Hazard]

Maud sounds so excited.

[SolidFire]

This chapter had a surprising bit of heavy emotion from Pinkie for a bit... aaaaand then it's back to the exuberant energy. I guess the next one will have another family reunion to make us all teary eyed. Oh, and then there's the proximity to the edge too. That's making things pretty interesting. But... damn, now we have no idea how much longer the book will be. I guess I'll miss that about the 200 chapters, but I like that you're no longer constrained by that. Keep up the great writing, ):(!

~SolidFire

[Seraphimus]

7404484 It was very fitting for pinkie pie though. For her to hit that point when she heard her parents voices that she just mellowed out. And yet, Pinkie pie is still pinkie pie, and always will be

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Poor Pinkie...

[arancaytar]

Ponkfeels

(Oh hey, it's my birthday. Well, was, when this came out.)

[Cold Bolt]

I feel like I've mentioned this somewhere before, but I like it when authors of longer fics include canon details that were revealed after the fic started.

[Youdidwhat]

We never hear from Rainbows parents. I can't remember, does she have parents?

[meanderingNekomata]

8866786
This is true, he keeps up to date with the main series with lore, aside from things he established before the show went a different direction. For instance, Fluttershy's brother likely won't show up due to IC's explanation for not having a familial dialogue for Fluttershy, with them being distant due to having a large family. The episode that goes into Fluttershy's family (unfortunately imo) came out months after that chapter was published. Same goes for Marble and Limestone being called Inky and Blinkie, though IC could probably excuse those as nicknames

[Tim the Planes-pony]

Even the emotionless adult Pies care about their kid more than Fluttershy's parents care about her. That is both nice to hear, and completely miserable at the same time.

11/09/2019
17:18 UTC

[NeoNymph]

9069058
They’re dead. It was explained in the flashbacks in Eljunbyro.

[hypervelocity]

Poor sweet Pinkie. She thought she was a burden but her parents clearly miss her so much...