Secret of the Pies

by Player 4

Chapter 11

Author's Note:

Special thanks to Captain_Cosmos for help on this chapter.

THE ULTIMATE MYSTERY... SOLVED!

DISCORD'S SPECIES IS BEHIND PINKIE PIE'S RANDOMNESS

DISCORD ISN'T THE ONLY ONE... AND OTHERS LIKE HIM ARE WHY "PINKIE SENSE" EXISTS!

The next day, these are the three newspaper headlines getting pumped out all over Equestria; newspaper companies scrambling to print and press, to delivery ponies using powerful motor scooters to get to houses.

The idle Sugarcube Corner customer who caught wind of Pinkie's story-telling intended for the Mane Six couldn't keep herself contained. She had the burning desire to understand Pinkie's antics, as did nearly everypony, and she just had to shout the news out into the world. As expected, it spread like wildfire.

Soon enough, the town of Ponyville became a block party of ponies holding their newspapers so close to their eyes that the background is completely covered, all while exclaiming "Oh my goodness! Now we know!" among other phrases, and Pinkie and Maud future-feeling the inevitable swarm of reporters and onlookers.

Not that Pinkie was bothered by that; in fact, she held exciting anticipation for that experience. Maud, though, Pinkie thought to ask if she'd be okay with it.

"Hi Maud.", Pinkie says as she walks up the familiar stairs to her home bedroom, where Maud was staying for the time being. Still to come in this saga was Pinkie's friends meeting their original parents, so it wasn't time for Maud to return to Rockville yet.

"Hey. What's up, Pinkie?", Maud asks, setting down her rocks.

Pinkie sighs. "Let me just tell you something here. We're going to get news reporters all over us. The mystery of me and my Pinkie sense and stuff has long been a subject of public speculation; this news is already sending a shockwave all over town, if you just look out the window."

"I already looked.", Maud says. "And you are definitely right." She pulls open the window's left curtain to the side, revealing a visible gathering of newspaper readers, including a few who are looking up at the second-floor window.

"I know what you're going to ask next.", Maud continues. "The answer is; I'm okay with being out there as long as I don't have to talk much. You lead the way."

"Oh! Okay!", Pinkie says, starting to hop up and down. "Anything for you!"

Maud closes her eyes in a sweet smile.

Pinkie walks back downstairs for her planned first talk with the Cakes since returning from her trip; it was going to be a work-related chat about how things went at the bakery while Pinkie was gone.

...only for Mrs. Cake to be waiting at the bottom of the staircase for a different announcement.

"Pinkie dear, I think the reporters are outside the front door waiting for you."

"Oh, they are? Sweet!", Pinkie exclaims. "I'll just go get Maud and we're out there!"

Mrs. Cake was pleasantly surprised at Pinkie's enthusiasm for talking to the news. She knows from experience that most ponies wouldn't be much enthused, including herself. Sugarcube Corner has been on the air a couple times, and during every interview, Mrs. Cake was always thinking "Okay then, when can I be done..."

Pinkie announces to Maud that the time has come, and they head downstairs, out the door for their big moment. Well, yet another of their big moments.

...

"So, two Ms. Pies, what would you like to say first?"

Pinkie hadn't bothered to script herself for this interview, and here she stood with side-eyes, trying to think of something quick, right in front of the news staff and their notebooks.

"I guess I'll say that I'm happy for everypony in town that they finally know the answer to me.", she comes up with.

"I would say the same.", Maud says. "I can feel content knowing that ponies will understand her now."

"Oh, yeah!", Pinkie exclaims. "Now I'll probably get weird stares less! Although, the weird stares are kind of fun..."

A sea of giggling can be heard across the area. No doubt that Pinkie's personality is still there.

The news interview continued, going incredibly smooth, and at the end, Pinkie considers it a success. She loved answering questions about her situation.

---

Alright, so, now the reason for Pinkie's randomness is out in the world. The long-standing purgatory of no-knows has been dissolved. Ponies will understand her now.

But the saga is far from over.

While alone in her bedroom, during the evening, Pinkie remembers that yesterday morning, her mother, Fire, told Pinkie that she was ready, and eager, to meet the rest of the Mane Six.

Yet, when she arrived at the Mane Six, Pinkie got spider-webbed into telling them the story, then of course, by virtue of that customer coming in at the absolute perfect time, the news blowout happened.

As she counts the hours and days since hopping off Fire's back for that Ponyville landing, a wave of "oh no" splashes on Pinkie in a blip. In her view, a sudden darkening of the room would display the scene perfectly.

I... went into a hangout with the girls... and just left my parents behind...

I've continued to leave them behind during this day too, after they wanted to meet my friends...

Where are my parents now? Did they go back home? Did they go back home disappointed after the girls and I walked right into a building without them?

And what do I do to reach out to them? Do I have to go all the way back through the temple of portals? That super-duper long journey?

Pinkie laid stomach-down on her bed and buried her head into the blankets in sadness, frustration, and anxiety. A triple-sized rip current.

...

Maud, after having returned to Sugarcube Corner from eating dinner out at a restaurant (trying that for the first time), walks into the bedroom expecting a celebratory greeting from her sister, only to have presented that same sister face-planted into her pillow.

"Pinkie? Something wrong?", she asked.

Pinkie sighed. "Yes, there is something wrong.", she says, trying to hold her head up. "I've been forgetting about our mother! I went into that hangout with the girls without telling her. I never invited her to see the news blowout of today. She wants to meet my friends; it's been a whole day and we haven't done it yet!"

"Like, just... how could I keep forgetting?", Pinkie verbally beats herself as crying noises start to become heard.

Maud gets alarmed at this result of Pinkie throwing punches at herself. "Whoa there, it's okay, Pinkie.", she says. "Sometimes we forget things. Our minds are not always reliable."

"Plus, you had schedule overload.", she says as she lays beside Pinkie. "New things kept coming at you, before you had time to think. Your friends suggested the hangout, and the pony who spread the news just happened to show up at the right time."

"When something shiny and new pops up right in front of us, it can easily possess our minds and cause us to leave behind the old things. As a rock collector, I would know."

Pinkie sniffles as she begins to feel her chords striking.

Okay, I think I see what she means. Yeah. But... there's something else.

It comes to Pinkie's attention that Maud was speaking a lot more... informally there. Her word choices weren't as polished, and she spoke a faster pace and higher tone.

She's definitely changing, in some way. More evidence keeps popping up.

But back on track for now. "Okay, Maud.", Pinkie sniffles. "I won't beat myself up. But let's make plans to bring our parents here for a meetup with the girls, yeah?"

"That sounds wonderful, Pinkie.", Maud responds.

"As for how we get back to them, well, we don't need to. Draconequi have senses that tell them when somepony needs them for something."

Wait, what? The problem plaguing Pinkie earlier is already solved?

"Wow! How do you know about all this, Maud?", Pinkie says happily.

Maud giggles and shrugs. "I guess I'm just the know-it-all."

"Aww. You're so silly.", Pinkie says, hugging her sister. And then having another 'Whoa, hello there' moment.

I just said to her 'You're so silly.' Something that she absolutely was not before.

I have got to ask her about this at some point.

...

She's right here... maybe now?

Pinkie looks into the eyes of Maud, whom she still had in her grasp, and whose eyes... are closed. She's also breathing dreamily. Huh, looks like she's fallen asleep.

Pinkie lightly giggles and tightens the hug for night position.

I can do it after the introduction meetup tomorrow!