Pretty Little Ponies

by sister_mike

7: Pinkie Pie

7: Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie walked down the main street of Ponyville the next day with her sister Inkie and their mother. She had invited her family over for dinner, but Blinkie had a terrible cold, and Pa Pie was had a business meeting regarding the rock farming trade.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping. There was a sweetness in the air and Pinkie Pie couldn't quite place. It was as though since the town said good-bye to Goldie a weight had been lifted. Like everypony had been holding their breath, waiting to learn what had happened to the pretty pony's mysterious disappearance, and now that they had lay her to rest, everypony could breathe.

A weight had certainly been lifted in Pinkie Pie's chest. While she still felt gloomy—not a feeling she usually or easily felt—over the loss of her friend, she felt relieved at the secrets that had gone down with her. The only secret of hers that the others knew was The Derpy Thing. Nopony else had known about Pinkie's one-time binge, and now, that horrible memory was hers alone to keep and bury.

It was a memory that haunted Pinkie Pie still to this very day. She had never pushed the end of a toothbrush down her throat again, as she didn't want it to become a habit, but she felt like she had lost a sense of security. She had always been so sure about herself, had known who she was. But her mother's words and Goldie's smirk on her face after hearing them always floated in the back of Pinkie's mind. She could never figure out just why it bothered her so much. Was it because she was maybe secretly jealous of the way that Goldie had always gotten attention? That Goldie had once briefly mentioned before that Pinkie couldn't borrow her pink skirt because it wouldn't fit her?

Whatever the subconscious reason was, Pinkie had never been able to enjoy sweets and treats like she had normally. She had almost considered moving out of the Cakes's residence just to be away from the intoxicating and tempting aromas, but Pinkie also loved baking and selling treats, so she had decided to stay. She just always turned down seconds and never had any free samples any more.

As though her mother could read what her mind was circulating around, Ma Pie turned to Pinkie and said, "Pinkamina, you're looking too thin these days. You used to look so much healthier."

Pinkie Pie nearly dropped the groceries she was carrying and stared at her mother. Inkie shot her mother an odd glance, and smiled awkwardly at Pinkie.

"She looks fine mother," Inkie said.

Pinkie sneaked a glance at herself in the nearest shop's window. She didn't look too thin... Did she? It's not like her ribs were showing. They were almost showing, but they weren't. One could feel them no problem, but Pinkie didn't want to look like a skeleton. She had become very careful about what she ate and worked out regularly. But perhaps her legs were a bit more spindly than they used to be, and her cheek bones were a bit more pronounced. Her stomach churned slightly as she stared at herself in the window. She realized that she didn't like what she saw.

Was there such a thing as too thin? Pinkie had never heard of such a thing. But maybe her mother was right. First she was too plump and now she was too thin. This was not helping her self-consciousness.

Ma Pie glanced nervously at her pink daughter and then cleared her throat.

"Oh, Inka, you're right. This bright sunlight is playing tricks on me. Come, Pinkamina, let's go pick up some apples. I want to make a pie for dessert," Ma Pie said.

Pinkie slowly nodded and followed her sister and mother down the road.

---

Pinkie Pie and Inkie stood in the Cakes's kitchen. Inkie was working on a tray of sandwiches and Pinkie was making a big salad. Their mother was freshening up in the bathroom, while her pie baked in the oven. The sweet aroma filled the air and Pinkie Pie sighed audibly. No matter how tasty and delicious the Cakes's sweets were, nothing ever smelled as delicious as her mother's pie.

"Are you alright, Pinkie?" Inkie asked quietly.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm alright," Pinkie said cheerfully. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just wanted to make sure that mother's comments didn't bother you like they did last time," Inkie said. Pinkie stopped chopping carrots and slowly turned to face her younger sister. Inkie nervously rearranged sandwiches on the tray. She kept building and rebuilding the pyramid she had put them in.

"What are you talking about?" Pinkie asked slowly.

Inkie sighed. "Nevermind. It's not something I should bring up now."

"No, tell me," Pinkie said. Inkie sighed again and looked at her sister square in the face.

"It was a while ago... long while, actually, but I remember mother said something to you when you came to visit that time with your friends. I didn't quite catch what she had said, but I remember you barely touched your food that night, and since then... I don't know, it just seems like you've never quite been yourself. Maybe I've imagined it all... But you do look quite a bit thinner than normal," Inkie said quietly.

Pinkie turned and slowly began to chop up carrots again. Inkie had noticed that her mother's words had hurt her that night? Did she know what Pinkie had done because of it? The consequences on her self-esteem that had resulted from it?

"Well... well you did imagine it all," Pinkie said a bit louder than she had meant to. Her voice shook slightly too. "I'm perfectly fine. I don't even remember what mother had said."

Inkie let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's good. It's been bugging me for a while now, but I never wanted to bring it up because your friend went missing and now... Now we know what happened to her..."

A grave silence filled the room.

"Either way, I'm glad it never bothered you. I thought whatever mother had said was ridiculous anyways. I've always been jealous about how great you always look, and wanted to conk her over the head when she said that," Inkie said. The buzzer went off and Inkie took the pie out of the oven. She set it on the windowsill.

Pinkie stared at her sister, a little loss for words. She had needed to hear that. She had actually needed to hear that over a year ago, but now was as good as ever.

"Honest?" Pinkie whispered quietly. Inkie turned, a little startled at Pinkie's soft voice, and smiled at her.

"Honest. Don't let the opinions of others take away the essence of who you are. It's the opinion you have of yourself that matters," Inkie said.

Pinkie jumped over and hugged her sister. Another huge weight lifted from her chest. No more dieting for her. Tomorrow, she was going to have all the free samples she wanted. Pinkie felt so relieved that maybe she would go around and make deliver samples to everypony in town. Everypony deserved to feel as good as she felt right then and there.

"Thank you," Pinkie said.

Ma Pie walked into the kitchen as the two sisters came out of their hug.

"Let me finish up this salad, Pinkamina. It looks great! Inke, you go set the table and bring out the sandwiches. Pinkamina, you get the pie and the drinks. I don't know about you two, but I'm starved!" Ma Pie said.

Pinkie burst out laughing, and Inkie joined her. I've been starved for a long time now! Pinkie thought. She bounced over to the pie and took a long, deep whiff of its scent. It was going to taste so good.

Just as she was about to lift it off the sill, Pinkie Pie stopped. A small, folded piece of paper attached to a toothpick was sticking out of the pie. Puzzled, Pinkie Pie picked up the piece of paper and turned towards her mother and sister. Both of them had left the kitchen and were in the other room.

Shrugging, Pinkie Pie opened the piece of paper and felt her heart stop. The pit of her stomach boiled and she felt like she was going to be sick.

You might want to get a new toothbrush before going crazy on the sweets, Pinkie.
I wonder if Momma's pie tastes just as good coming up as it does going down?

-G

Comments

[sister_mike]

[Cynderfall]

[Serket808]

WHO IS G?!?!