Rest of Their Lives

by babyuknowme13

The Pie Family Reunion

It was probably a bright, sunny day in Ponyville, but Pinkie didn’t know for sure. She just hoped that if anypony threw a party that they’d at least think of her while they did. Right now she was on the train station of her old hometown, Rockfalls!

It was just as dark and somber as she remembered! Even that rock themed playground still had the same rock where Maud had gotten her hoof stuck when she was twelve!

Nopony was there to greet her, but that was fine. Her mom and sisters were probably really busy getting everything ready! Pinkie’s mouth watered as she thought of all the rock candy she was going to eat. Hopefully Maud would remember to get that special dissolving string for the necklaces, in case Pinkie accidentally swallowed one again.

She’d thought nopony was there to greet her, which is why she was so surprised when she saw her father standing by a tree.

At first she thought maybe he was waiting for another relative, one who didn’t know the way to the old rock farm, but she was proven wrong when he noticed her and trotted right over.

“Pinkamena.” He nodded slowly to her.

“Father.” She smiled. “It’s really good to see you again!” He looked, older. Of course, she’d known he would, it had been years since they last saw each other, but this was worse than she’d imagined.

He was thinner, his skin hung from his frame where muscle should have been. He hadn’t shaved and there were deep bags under his eyes.
But most worrying of all was his hooves.

They looked fine.

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie gasped and rushed to his side. “Are you okay? Are you sick?” Even up close she couldn’t see any cracks or chips, no evidence that he’d been working in the fields.

But Igneous Rock Pie always worked the fields.

“Pinkamena, calm down!” The old stallion waved her off. His reassurance was lost as he bent over and coughed, hard and dry.

“Yes, I’m sick.” He admitted. “But don’t fret so, your mother’s already been doing enough of that to last a lifetime.”

“Come now, your mother will have supper waiting on us and your cousins have already mostly arrived.” But Pinkie did not stop worrying. She also did not stop asking him what was wrong.

“Alright, alright, thou would drive a saint to drink.” He gave in and led them off the road to a flat bedrock.

“Pinkamena, first let me say that I am sorry for the way I acted when you were a foal.” He began. “Your parties and laughter brought light to our fields, but I felt it was too soon for you to leave the farm to share them.”

“I am sorry for making you believe I did not support your dream, I have supported all my children in the lives they wish to lead, though none as soon as you.” He sighed with regret.

“I’m sorry for leaving so soon.” Pinkie sniffed. “I felt like I had to. Something was calling me.” Friends, destiny, many things had called for a pink furred foal.

“Pinkamena, don’t apologize for where life takes you unless you can honestly say you would not do it again, if given a second chance.” He scolded her. “Because you would have left again, just the same, if you felt the call of your cutie mark.”

“Tell me about the life you’ve led.” He requested.

“Well, I traveled to Vanhoover first, it’s the closest big city!” She said as if he did not already know. “I only stayed there long enough to get another train ticket though,”

“My mark was calling me to a town called Ponyville.” As soon as she’d stepped off the platform she’d known this was the place she was meant to be.

“I threw a huge party and invited everypony in town!” Though only fifteen or so had accepted the invitation. “After that, I started looking around for work.”

“That’s when I saw a Helping Hoof Wanted sign in the window of a bakery called Sugarcube Corner.” Mr. and Mrs. Cake had been newly wed then, and hadn’t been sure about hiring a filly who hadn’t even finished school, but they’d given her a chance.

“After a couple weeks of working there they offered to let me rent the attic room, and I lived there until a few weeks ago. I’m renting my own house now!” She continued with a tale of the Summer Sun Celebration, giggling at ghosties, fighting dragons, Twilight becoming a princess, and generally spreading friendship across Equestria.

“First mare in our family to ever lead such an exciting life.” Igneous shook his head with an unwilling chortle. “What will your Aunt Filly think?”

“Aunt Cream Filling is going to be there?” Pinkie gasped in horror. Her mother’s sister, who never approved of anything Pinkie or her sisters did or said and who wasn’t nearly as sweet as her name implied.

“I don’t think I brought enough party supplies.” She tapped her chin.

“It’ll be fine.” Igneous promised. “She’s promised to keep the peace given the, err, circumstances.”

“What circumstances?” Pinkie asked.

“Pinkamena,” He paused to order his words. “The reason we’re having this reunion is so I can say goodbye to all our kinfolk.”

“Goodbye?” She repeated in a whisper.

“Pinkamena, we heard from the doctor that I have only three months to live.”

There was gray. There were rocks.

But there might never be smiles again.

Her sisters took one look at her and swept her towards their mother, the only one among them who knew how to truly express what she felt.

“He told thee, did he not?” She nodded wordlessly and was pulled into a bone crushing hug. If Pinkamena had not been born an Earth pony she would have needed an emergency trip to the hospital.

If Pinkamena Diane Pie had cared to notice, she would have realized that her mane was flat and dull. But Pinkamena Diane Pie did not care to notice.

Cloudy Quarts felt fresh tears soak the fur of her face. Her husband, father of her four wonderful fillies, was dying by inches without a cure. Quarts had demolished mountains, moved boulders, survived avalanches, but she did not know how to stamp out a disease.

Slowly, she released her second youngest filly and looked her over. Pinkamena didn’t have the same solid build that Maud, Limestone, and Quarts had, but her legs were fit and trim, her teeth strong, hooves hard as rocks.

Of her four foals, only one was set to inherit the rock farm to use Earth pony magic to turn rocks into magic gems. It was the only way to get enough gems for everypony’s purposes without digging mines underground in Diamond Dog territory.

Limestone loved the rock farm as much as Igneous did, and Quarts knew the farm would do well under her leadership. Marble seemed content to follow her sister’s lead and had not chosen her own path just yet. Maud was doing well at school and would become a celebrated geologist or some other lauded scholar, Quarts was sure.

And Pinkamena was a party pony who sometimes saved Equestria.

This was the first time she’d seen her second youngest since she was twelve, Pinkamena looked well.

“Welcome home, daughter.” She smiled through the tears.

Her sisters were there, her parents were there, but the old farmhouse was even fuller with the visiting family members. Aunt Cream Filling had remarried, this time to a straw colored stallion named Roam, and had brought her five children, Metal Shine, Sherbet, Daffodil, Berry Pie, and Tonic Mix. There was also her father’s younger brother, Filbrick Stone with his pegasus wife Coral Reef, and their triplet foals, Steady Heart, Racewind, and Ruby Garnet. Multiples ran in the family.

There was also Aunt and Uncle Marble with Ring Soft and Chime, Cousin Breaker, second-cousin Saw Blade, and then there was Flour Touch, Apron Strings, Billy Boy (Pinkie noticed he’d gotten the new surgery) Charmer, Beatrice Audry Gem, Sapphire Gem, Mineral Gem, Rock Roller, Wide Load, Soft Touch, and Forge.

The Pie Family Reunion began bright and early the next morning as the stragglers arrived. Pinkie had added her own touch to the festivities. If this was going to be her dad’s last reunion ever then she was going to make it the best one in history! She’d even arranged games!

There was Gem Rolling to see who could make a gem out of a rock the fastest. Rock Breaking to see who could smash boulders the best. A Rock Candy eating contest had been added too!

She’d made lots of sweets she’d learned from the Cakes for the lunch table, cakes, pies, cupcakes, buns, creams, she’d been up half the night baking everything! And then she’d spent most of the morning putting up the decorations!

So yes, Pinkie was heavily invested in this reunion going off without a hitch. So getting voted as the sister who had to sit next to Aunt Cream Filling, otherwise known as Equestria’s biggest party pooper, put a bit of a cramp in her style.

“What? Why me?” She turned imploring eyes on Maud.

“She requested you.” Which was Maud speak for I’d take your place if I could but please, please, please don’t make me.

“Oh, but she’s so—“ She searched for the right word. “Proper!”

Wait, no. That wasn’t a good word. Rarity was proper too but Rarity never insulted everypony in hearing. Or caused fights. Or bragged about non-existent achievements.

Pinkie did not like Aunt Cream Filling, she didn’t think anypony did.

“Well Pinkamena, you’ve certainly grown.” Cream Filling had a butterscotch colored coat and a white-whipped mane, though strands of gray had begun intruding on it. She stood rigidly straight with her nose lifted just a little higher than everypony else’s and kept it wrinkled, like she smelled a dirty diaper everywhere she went.

“Well yeah, I mean it’s been years since we’ve last seen each other!” She smiled nervously.

“Hmm, yes.” From the way her eyes looked pointedly at her mid-section it didn’t seem as though she’d been talking about Pinkie’s height.

“It was quite a scandal when you ran off like that. Sneaking away in the dead of night.” She hmphed. “My foals would never do anything like that.”

“But then, you seem to have done well for yourself.” Aunt Cream Filling changed her tone. “The Element of Laughter, I believe? Close personal friend of Equestria’s new Princess, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh yeah!” Pinkie cheered, glad for the topic change. “She’s great! She’s got this amazing library and she’s super smart!”

“Have you considered how your relationship with the Princess Twilight is affecting the family business?” She questioned, giving a discreet nod to one of her daughters.

“Oh yes, when ponies hear the name Pie they automatically think about Pinkie Pie!” Sherbet came up to say. “Business at the bakery has been doing extremely well since we put a picture of you in the front window.”

“Even our gems have been selling better.” Metal Shine added, his baritone voice surprising her for a second. “Ponies seem to think that the family of a mare powerful enough to be chosen as an Element of Harmony must provide exceptionally pure gems.”

“Huh, I think Applejack mentioned something like that happening at Sweet Apple Acres too!” She beamed. “I’m glad I was able to help!”

“Yes, you just,” Aunt Cream Filling seemed to gulp down something hard to swallow. “Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing. For the sake of the family.”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” She Pinkie Promised.

“…I believe we’re finished here.” Aunt Cream Filling turned away.

“You handled that well.” Marble sighed in relief. “Honestly, they’re sooo…difficult to get along with.”

“I know the feeling, but her heart’s in the right place!” Pinkie grinned. “Besides, I really am happy to know everypony’s doing well.”

“Oh, Pinkie, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” She started. “Well, me and Limestone.”

“Where is she anyway?” They both looked up and down for their third triplet and found her refereeing the rock breaking contest.

“These games were a great idea, Pinkie.” Limestone had to shout a little to be heard over the sounds of crumbling gravel. “The foals are having a lot of fun, even some older family members have joined in. They just better not think about leaving this for me to clean up!”

“A job well done is its own reward.” Pinkie nodded in satisfaction. The farm had come a long way from being the dreary place of her foalhood. “You and Marble wanted to talk to me about something?”

“Yes,” They moved away from the other party goers.

“Alright, here’s the story.” Limestone grumbled, still the same old grumpy pants. “Father’s been spouting some load that Marble and I need to leave home and ‘discover’ ourselves or something. Says we should get a chance to see the rest of Equestria before we’re tied to one place.”

“I don’t like that idea.” Her sister snorted. “But it is what father wishes, so I will abide by his request for a few weeks. But no more than that!”

“So you guys want to come to Ponyville with me?” Pinkie lit up in glee, reading between the lines. “This’ll be great! You can meet all my friends and we’ll see each other every day!”

“There’s….more.” Marble drooped. Pinkie frowned, looking between her sisters.

“After father’s diagnosis, we all had ourselves tested to make sure we did not inherit it through his blood.” She stumbled over her words. “Limestone and I are infected, we believe you might be as well.”

“Wh-What? Infected?” She repeated.

“When caught early, it can be treated.” Marble quickly reassured her, so much like Fluttershy. “Neither of us have developed symptoms yet, so we know it is not yet active. If we keep an eye on ourselves and have regular check-ups we should catch it in the early stages if it ever activates.”

“Maud did not inherit it, good for her.” Limestone sighed. “But you’d better get tested as soon as possible!”

“Right.” She nodded glumly. “What is it exactly?”

“Shrinking Magic Syndrome.” Marble informed her. “When it activates it makes the magic inside you start weakening, lesser and lesser the longer it goes on until your body eventually cannot produce enough magic to keep you alive.”

“As your magic gets weaker, so does your immune system.” Limestone continued. “Father has had that dang cough for six moons now.”

“It can lie dormant in a pony’s body their whole life, but the doctors are not sure what causes it to activate.” Marble picked up where she’d left off. “It could happen at any moment for no reason at all.”

“Scary.” She shivered.

“Yes.” Her sisters agreed.

“There is….yet more.” Marble started hesitantly.

“Ugh, more? How much bad news can one mare take?” Pinkie grumbled.

“Marble and I have chosen never to bare foals, so this disease never continues. Maud will just have to bear foals for the farm, or you if you don’t have it too.” Limestone said bluntly.

Pinkie imagined a little pink furred foal, but rather than bouncing beside a colorful hearthwarming present the foal lied on a hospital bed, dying for the blood in her veins.

“Oh.” Pinkamena shook.

Her father had only three months to live, and Pinkie might never have a foal.

Comments

[Melancholy]

Well, you sure know how to pluck those heart strings.

[StarzGecko]

Hopefully Pinkie doesn’t