October 12
Ponyville

A small crowd had gathered in the Ponyville town square late the next morning. No events had been formally announced, and there was certainly nothing about the town hall or its surroundings that suggested a special occasion. No streamers or ribbons hung from the lamps or the frames of houses. The only sound, apart from the impatient snorts of the assembled ponies, was the scraping chorus of shovels. All along the town's main streets were business owners and residents with snow shovels clamped in their teeth, tossing the heavy powder into more manageable piles and growling their frustration. Everypony dressed in their thickest winter clothing. It was mid-morning and although many of the shops were open, most ponies stayed indoors to wait out the weather.

During the night, over seven inches of snow had fallen; it was enough to cripple wagon traffic through town, and its mysterious appearance was the topic of much debate among the residents of Ponyville as they ventured out on a bone-chilling Friday morning to do their daily business. It boggled the minds of many because no two ponies could remember there being any storm clouds about. The snow was simply there as if an evil spell had deposited it. The residents resolutely shoveled it into the street where it would eventually be cleared by the town's laborers and loaded into stallion-drawn carts.

Two such ponies walked by the clock tower while talking about this very subject.

"And it was so cold last night, the bird feeders cracked and broke!" Bon Bon and her companion, Lyra Heartstrings, stepped around the mounds of freshly shoveled snow in the street. Bon Bon carried a loaf of bread in her basket. "If we weren't low on food, I'd sit inside all day by the fire."

"Me too… do you remember a winter ever being this cold?" Lyra asked.

"Not since I was six," said Bon Bon, "but that was only because something happened with Winter Wrap Up that year and winter lasted several weeks longer than it should have. Something about the Pegasi mixing up the clouds."

"I miss my bed," the excitable aquamarine mare replied. She did a silly sort of dance to keep warm, even though she wore two coats, leggings and a knitted wool cap over her wild bluish-green mane. A hole was cut in it so that her horn could be fitted through the hat and still be functional. "What else's on your list? I'm freezing."

"I just need… apples and oats. And clover if the grocer has any. Maybe we could stop at Sugarcube Corner afterward."

Lyra giggled. She knew her roommate's love of sweets- after all, her cutie mark was three drops of candy. Bon Bon loved to make all sorts of confections and sell them from her and Lyra's upstairs flat on the west side of town. Their apartment always smelled of comforting lemon and caramel. And on a day like today, Sugarcube Corner would be heaven. They both lived for candy and sweet treats of all kinds, and could pig out on Pinkie Pie's delicious cakes and keep their hooves cozy for a while by the fire- at least until they had to return home.

"I wonder what's going on over there?" said Bon Bon, pointing at the town hall where about thirty ponies, a mix of mares and stallions, loitered.

The duo did not have to wonder about it very long. The town hall's doors opened and from within walked Mayor Mare, flanked by two of her bookish assistants. These ponies set up a podium at the edge of the stage and Ponyville's mayor stood behind it looking, in Bon Bon's eyes, quite tired and flustered and not her usual energetic self. "Not sure," Lyra said. "Come on, let's find out!"

Mayor Mare began her speech just as they reached the town square. "Good morning," said the stout gray-maned pony. "I'd like to thank everypony for coming. I am aware this is on very short notice, so let me get down to business." She held a stack of notecards in front of her; with a practiced hoof she straightened them and pushed one to the bottom of the pile.

"Now… the first order of business, this weather. I have assurance from the weather department that our recent cold snap is nothing to be afraid of. However, I would like to warn everypony to stay indoors whenever possible and while outside, to dress warmly and stay in groups. Parents, keep your young ones safe. Two fillies were nearly lost in the storm two days ago. If we use our heads, this winter will be no problem to us. Are we going to be foalish and freeze to death, or will we all be there to wrap up winter in just a few short months?"

There were a few halfhearted "neighs" from the crowd. The Mayor, who loved to make speeches and excite her town into appropriate action, was unfazed by the lukewarm response. "No! Ponyville has survived winters like this before, and this is no different! Which brings me to my next point…"

With one hoof, she pushed back the wavy gray mane that showed no traces of the original light fuchsia of her younger years. "The Nightmare Night celebration is in two weeks and, in the event of bad weather, will be held here inside Town Hall. We are currently looking for volunteers to help with preparing food and attractions. If anypony is interested, they may apply in my office."

Lyra stood close to her friend for warmth and began to shiver in a violent, teeth-clattering way, and when she finally spoke, it was over the third subject that the Mayor was addressing. Bon Bon caught the words "missing" and "storm" but Lyra's voice was in her ear, so she consequently missed the rest.

"Bon, I'm coldddddd!" said Lyra petulantly, like a spoiled filly. "Can we finish shopping and go to Pinkie's place to get warm?"

"Okay," said the other mare, rolling her eyes. She adored Lyra and her goofy, impulsive nature. It was why they worked so well as roommates and close friends. Bon Bon balanced out her craziness and in turn, she was there to cheer up the Earth pony on her gloomy days. "Let's go see if Big Macintosh made it in from the ranch."

The marketplace was a short walk from Town Hall. Lyra jumped over heaps of snow and often slipped on them, clutching her friend for support. More than a few playful shoves and snowballs were exchanged on the way. They arrived covered in icy white powder and laughing their heads off.

"I could just eat an apple whole," Lyra exclaimed. "And a lovely alfalfa burger with some tea to warm me up."

Lyra's saddlebags had plenty of room for the week's groceries and she could just see those juicy apples, begging to be eaten. It was a surprise for both of them when they rounded the corner into the marketplace and the familiar wooden farm wagon, pulled into town by Big Mac and loaded with fresh apple products, was nowhere to be seen. In fact, only two stands were open, at an hour when all of the store owners would usually be in business. The courtyard was nearly empty of shoppers.

"But- he's always here on Fridays, and Thursdays too." The unicorn seemed to be at a complete loss as to what to do next. "What are we going to do?"

"It's okay, Lyra. We'll just come back later in the day and see if he's here. We can still pick up some oats and clover. Look, Mr. Harvest is open." With a helping hoof, Bon Bon led her across the marketplace to the produce stand and selected a twenty-pound sack of oats and assorted other foodstuffs.

"No tomatoes today," said the Earth pony. He was sturdily built, with a day's worth of stubble on his jaw, and looked the same as always- stern and sensible, but with friendly twinkling eyes for the customers he knew well. "My supplier's in Dodge Junction an' lately the wagons aren't making the trip. No idea why. Sorry, ladies."

They assured him that tomatoes weren't needed. He did have some very tempting oranges, though, brought in last week from a farm south of Los Pegasus. Lyra handed over thirteen bits for the bill. The only other open stall was the one selling soap and other cleaning products and, not needing anything of the sort, the pair retraced their steps across town, past the library crowned with a stately coat of snow, to the candy store Lyra loved so much. Unlike the apple stand, it was open, but Bon Bon noticed that something was amiss before she even pulled open the door. A hoofwritten sign was affixed to the door frame.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PONY?

Pinkamena Diane Pie

Last seen on October 10th, in Sugarcube Corner

Any information should be brought to Sweet Apple Acres Ranch or to the attention of Mayor Mare, Town Hall #1, Ponyville

It featured a crude sketch of Pinkie Pie, done in black ink, but still recognizably Pinkie. Nopony else had a mane like that. Lyra, caught in the middle of reaching for the door, saw the poster and gasped. She turned to Bon Bon with a horrified expression.

"Where do you think she is?"

Bon Bon put her foreleg around Lyra's trembling shoulders. "I don't know… this is awful, how could Pinkie Pie go missing like that? Maybe her friends are already out there looking for her. Maybe that's what the Mayor was talking about too."

The atmosphere inside Sugarcube Corner was, if anything, worse than the poster suggested. Mrs. Cake stood behind the counter and handed over two cupcakes to a burly stallion who paid and promptly left. Only two other ponies were present. Like Lyra and Bon Bon, they looked as if they were just staying there to keep warm. Could the presence of a single pony make so much of a difference? Without Pinkie Pie's loud and exuberant personality to fill up the building and make it feel like home, the bakery became a shadow of its former self. The quiet atmosphere felt wrong.

"Hello, dears," said Mrs. Cake brightly, but the tremor in her voice showed her artificial cheeriness for what it was. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "What can I do for you?"

Lyra forgot all about the cupcakes when she reached the counter. To Bon Bon, anything that made her friend forget about food was cause for serious alarm. She, too, was concerned about the news of Pinkie missing. In Ponyville, where every resident knew each other and looked out for every colt and filly, such news was quite a shock. "Do you know what happened to Pinkie Pie?" Lyra asked, tremulously. "We saw the poster outside."

"I'm sorry, I don't know." The proprietor stifled a sob. "She was here, two days ago, and then the next morning she- wasn't. The shop was exactly how we left it. No note, no warning."

A rack of freshly baked Chocolate Raspberry Explosions was set on the countertop. Despite herself, Lyra reached for them, and regardless of whether the morning's customers knew about the disappearance of the cupcakes' creator, the baked treats themselves were in high demand. Over half of the tray was empty.

"We'll let some friends know and keep an eye out for her," said Bon Bon gently. She waved away the cupcake Lyra offered; somehow, she had lost her appetite. What she wanted was a blanket and a cup of tea and a friend to cuddle. Two of these wishes would only be granted back at their apartment. They found a table near the hearth, where a fire crackled rhythmically, and Mrs. Cake brought mugs of mint tea with sugar and milk.

"Did you hear anything at work yesterday about Pinkie Pie?" the tan mare wondered. The tea was already working wonders.

"I only worked half a day," said Lyra. She bit into the deceptively smooth frosting. Lyra was a musician for hire- she played her lyre and sang for parties and special occasions, sometimes as far away as Vanhoover- but to help pay bills, she was a part-time worker at the Ponyville train station. Lifting packages was easy; she had her unicorn magic, and the bustling atmosphere put her at the center of regional news and gossip. She loved interacting with the travelers moving in and out of Ponyville. "Most of the trains were after my shift. I work tomorrow though."

"Just wondering. It doesn't seem real that she's missing." Bon Bon looked around at the comforting décor of Sugarcube Corner. For years they had visited the little shop, sometimes many times per week, and it was like losing a part of her heart to walk inside and not see the bubblegum-colored Earth pony behind the counter. She was pulled from this tragic line of thought by Lyra. Lyra's cupcake, to be exact.

True to its name, the confection foamed and splattered chocolate frosting across Lyra's muzzle and chin. Some of it sank to the table with a wet plop. "Want a bite?" said the unicorn thickly. She wore a beard and moustache of sugar. "It's only a cupcake. It won't hurt you."

It was hard for Bon Bon to stay depressed when she was looking at her friend, eyes crossed and tongue stuck out, and covered in chocolate. There was something about the hilarity of a cupcake that assaulted its purchaser with icing that made it seem like Pinkie was still hanging around the shop, spreading her infectious happiness wherever she went. Through a simple baked treat, Pinkie Pie had made Lyra happy, and Lyra's delight infected Bon Bon like a virus. It would be an insult to the skilled creator of this cupcake not to laugh. And laugh she did. "Looks delicious..."

"Then come on over here and lick it off." Lyra winked.

"Hmm, you know what happens when you tempt me like that…" The Earth pony left the thought unsaid and sipped at her tea, watching Lyra scarf down the rest of the pastry and get the sticky chocolate all over her chest. A knowing glance passed between them. For a fleeting moment, there was a hungry look in the unicorn's golden eyes. Her messy mane, with its dashing white streak, fell across her forehead. Bon Bon reached out to wipe a fleck of frosting from her roommate's cheek and- very slowly, as if waiting for a reaction from Lyra- ate it.

Then they laughed together, and it was forgotten.

We're much better when we're just best friends, thought Bon Bon. No matter what happened that night a year ago…

They raised their mugs and enjoyed a quiet moment with each other, as they had done so many times before, and cerulean eyes stared into amber ones.

---

Been super busy lately and finished this cute little breather chapter before the story moves into its final stages. Thanks to everypony reading, reviewing, or just glancing at this story for a few seconds. It means a lot.