The Price of a Dream

by fic Write Off

Pinkie Pie for Mayor!

Pinkie Pie barged into the library and asked, “Twilight, what’s a political party?”

Looking up from her book, Twilight replied, “It's a group of ponies that share the same idea of how everything should be run.”

Pinkie sat down, disappointed. “They shouldn’t call it a party if it’s not a real celebration. If I had a political party, we would actually do party things. We’d have cake and balloons and games and cake.”

“You said cake twice,” said Twilight.

Pinkie laughed. “Well, we’d have lots of it! Anyway, political parties should be fun.”

“The election is coming up for the mayor of Ponyville.” Twilight giggled. “If you want to make a fun political party, you should run for mayor.”

Pinkie gasped. “You’re a genius, Twilight! I love making ponies smile. It’s my greatest dream. Imagine how many ponies I could make smile if I were mayor! Chocolate fountains! Buildings made of cake! Candy cane streetlamps!”

“I was joking,” said Twilight. “You’re not seriously going to run for mayor, are you?”

“Of course I am!” shouted Pinkie, grinning. “There’s so much to do, I don’t even know where to start. See you later!”

Twilight sat stunned, her book forgotten. “In Celestia’s name,” she murmured as Pinkie ran out. “What have I done?”

---

Pinkie Pie began handing out fliers the next day. “Vote Pinkie, Get Free Cupcakes!” she said every time she gave away a flier. “It’s my slogan. Catchy, right? Nothing makes ponies smile like cupcakes. Except for parties, of course, and when I’m mayor I’ll start the best kind—a political party!”

Once the fliers were gone, Pinkie moved on to the second step of her plan.

“Vote for me!” she yelled out of the upstairs window of her house. (The house actually belonged to the Cake family, but Pinkie often forgot little things like that.) “As your mayor, I promise to do my best to make you smile.”

The final step of Pinkie’s plan was to stand on street corners and hand out cupcakes. “Just a taste of what Mayor Pinkie will do for you,” she explained.

Pinkie had been trying for an entire week to become mayor when a visitor appeared on her doorstep. (It was really the Cake family’s doorstep, but Pinkie never remembered such tiny details.) It was Mayor Mare, the mayor of Ponyville, and she wasn’t happy.

“Pinkie Pie,” she said, frowning. “You’ve been making promises you can’t keep.”

“I’ve what?” gasped Pinkie. “Mayor Mare, I always keep my promises. Always! A Pinkie Promise is never broken. I would never lie.”

Mayor Mare stopped frowning, and one corner of her mouth turned upward. “I didn’t say you’ve been lying,” she said. “You’ve just been making promises that are impossible for you to keep.”

“Like what?” demanded Pinkie.

“You promised to rebuild Ponyville with buildings made of cake,” said Mayor Mare. “Where would you get the money for a project like that?”

Pinkie paused to think, and realized she didn’t have an answer.

“When ponies ate up your buildings, how would you afford to keep building new ones?” asked Mayor Mare.

Pinkie said nothing.

“I know you love parties,” continued Mayor Mare, speaking kindly, “but political parties are different. They’re not fun and games. I won’t stop you if you keep trying to become mayor, but I don’t think you’ll be able to keep all your promises.”

“I don’t think so either,” said Pinkie. Her mane, usually so fluffy, drooped. After sniffing once and wiping her eyes, she added, “So much for Mayor Pinkie.”

---

“That’s what happened, Twilight,” said Pinkie later that day, looking around the library with tears in her eyes. “My dream was to make ponies smile, and I ruined it.”

Twilight gave her friend a gentle pat. “You’ve been disappointed, and that’s sometimes the price you pay for dreams. But you don’t have to give up your dream, Pinkie. You can’t make ponies smile as Mayor Pinkie, but can’t you make them smile as plain old Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie thought about it. A smile dawned on her face, and her mane stopped drooping and fluffed up again.

“Do you know what we need, Pinkie?” asked Twilight. “A party, and not a political one.”

Pinkie laughed, her old self again, and said, “I think I can handle that.”