It was late afternoon. The door to the Sugarcube Corner swung open with a tiny ding-a-ling of the bell. Three ponies stepped inside, one of them completely clueless. Pinkie Pie was waiting by the nearest table with a warm smile.

"Pinkie... what's all this about?" Asked Fluttershy. "And why didn't anypony want me telling Apple Jack?"

Rainbow and Twilight shot each other a nervous look as Pinkie answered:

"I have no clue why, silly!" She giggled loudly. "But it can't be bad, can it?"

"Eey-nope," answered Rainbow Dash in the vain of Big Mac, stretching her right foreleg casually. "Something tells me this is going to make a lot more sense once we get up stairs..."

As Fluttershy raised an eyebrow to Dash, Pinkie answered, bouncing towards the stairs:

"Okie-dokie-lokie! Come on, everypony! Up we all go!"

There was no time to respond. Fluttershy, at the front of the group, had to move with Twilight and Rainbow Dash... who weren't exactly dilly-dallying by the entrance. The yellow Pegasus was gently pushed along.

The three passed Mrs. Cake, who nodded and shouted "I have cookies in the oven for you girls!" as they ascended the stairs.

At the top they found fresh hot chocolate waiting. At the library it would be tea, but this was Pinkie Pie's place and Pinkie Pie was set to do things with her own flair. Pinkie didn't have a clue why they were going to be there, but Twilight had told her they'd be a while, so she had to accommodate her guests. The happy way she welcomed them in perked up even Rainbow Dash's spirits. The welcoming way she acted as a host was reminiscent of Rarity, and just sensing that made each mare smile.

They all sat around the pink mare's bed in bean bag chairs. She sat atop of it, kicking her legs off the edge like a little foal.

Twilight looked to Rainbow to start the conversation... her lips remained sealed, her face contorted into an uncomfortable expression. Normally outgoing, the cyan mare just couldn't speak. Even after a few days and Twilight's reassurance, this was difficult!

"So," Pinkie finally said, breaking the silence. "Why no Apple Jack?"

Twilight smiled:

"We need to keep this a secret from her... at least for now."

"More like forever!" Exclaimed Dash, with a nervous chuckle.

Twilight narrowed her eyes:

"Why don't you tell everypony why then?"

Looking about her friends, Rainbow Dash sighed. They didn't appear to be judging her, yet... though even Twilight snapped at her back at the palace. She cracked her neck, and set down her hot chocolate:

"Girls, in about 3 weeks... I'm not going to have a place to live."

Nearly everypony in the room immediately gasped, following suit with Dash and no longer having any interest in their beverage.

"Why, Rainbow?" Asked Fluttershy.

"I kinda... sold my house to Luna for way over the market value so I could help pay for Apple Jack's farm. Then I kinda gave AJ every Bit I had. I really didn't want her to lose her farm, but I have nothing now and I can barely work to get anything back with my shoulder still cracked."

Setting down her mug, Pinkie got off the bed... approached her good friend with a stern look in her eye. Dash was expecting to be given the third-degree by, of all ponies, Pinkie Pie. She braced herself for it as the pink mare got closer, appearing angrier... instead, she found herself being hugged.

"That's so beautiful, Dashie!" Pinkie exclaimed, sniffling as if on the verges of tears.

Dash hesitantly hugged her back as Fluttershy added:

"That's so noble of you, Rainbow Dash... but why not tell us sooner?"

As the hug finished up and Pinkie pulled back, her eyes wet but not yet crying, Dash sighed...

"Well, you see..."

Dash told them everything she had told Twilight. The how, the why, what she went through, and why she had told no pony. Everypony listened and Pinkie finally started to cry, making Dash feel awful, but she still continued to the end. Though everypony looked sad, at the same time they were smiling. Then, they were interrupted.

"Hello, girls?" Mrs. Cake said quietly, knocking on the door, which slowly swung open. "Cookies are ready!"

She had a basket in a hoof and a smile on her face, but once she saw the troubled look on everypony's face -- and the tears in Pinkie's eyes -- it soon faded.

"What in the wide, wide world of Equestria is the matter?"

Dash turned to her, her mouth working faster than her intellect. Twilight easily could have explained all this away.

"Oh, Mrs. Cake! I was just explaining that I, uh..."

Mrs. Cake smiled warmly:

"You're moving away, aren't you?"

Dash almost started to cry, but with a sniff held it in.

"Something like that..."

Setting the basket on top of Pinkie's dresser, right next to Gummy (who immediately helped himself to one by swallowing it whole), Mrs. Cake approached the cyan Pegasus.

"Rainbow Dash," she said, soothingly. "I don't mean to pry, but I know you didn't want to have Apple Jack here today. Twilight told me that a few days ago..."

Rainbow shot Twilight a quick glance as Mrs. Cake continued:

"Does this have something to do with all the Bits you gave her? Are you in some kind of trouble? Me and Mr. Cake might be able to help you..."

Again, holding back tears, Rainbow Dash shut her eyes and sighed... opening them again to appear stone-faced:

"I'm fine, Mrs. Cake," she said, cooly but not coldly. "Thanks for your concern."

"You're not fine, Dashie," said Pinkie, before she even realized what she was saying.

Though Rainbow glared at her pink friend, Twilight backed her up:

"She's right... you're not fine."

"No, you're not," said Fluttershy, adding the final nail the cyan Pegasus's confidence coffin.

Though she felt betrayed enough to fly away the at very instance, and looked back at her friends with pure disdain in her eyes, she swallowed it... there had been enough pain over the past few weeks. Again, she shut her eyes and looked at her friends with a stone face, then turned back to Mrs. Cake:

"I don't have to tell you what's going on now, do I?"

"Oh, of course not!" Exclaimed the middle-aged pastry chef with a smile. "Just remember I'm old enough to know how to keep a secret and I'm on your side, should you change your mind."

Dash looked back at her friends. They all nodded, as if motioning her to tell Mrs. Cake was was going on.

"Oh, all right!" Exclaimed the cyan Pegasus, stomping her hoof on the ground. She winced, as that hoof was attached to her broken shoulder, but still looked up at Mrs. Cake. "Don't tell Apple Jack..."

"I'd never!" Exclaimed Mrs. Cake with a smile.

Rainbow Dash told Mrs. Cake everything that was going on. She remained quiet, listening... nodding and smiling in sympathy as Dash described sleepless nights and torments about what was going to happen to her good friends, and how she felt like she couldn't help everypony. For some reason, perhaps because Mrs. Cake was old enough to be her mom, Dash was more able to discuss the more emotional side of all this... showing her friends a more sensitive side. The Pegasus was crying by the end, and Mrs. Cake was still smiling sympathetically. She even gave Rainbow a hug, focusing on the good thing she did for her friend.

"Your friends can shuffle you around for a few weeks until you can rent a place?"

"At this point it's going to be a few months!" Exclaimed Dash. "I'm working not even half the hours, and I'm doing nothing I'm good at anymore. I just tell Pegasai what to do and explain to them why what they're doing doesn't work, but I can't show them for at least a month or my shoulder could break again even worse this time!"

"Oh, dear, that is a problem... Perhaps if you told Apple Jack, she could--"

"No!" Dash exclaimed, now crying. "I don't want Apple Jack knowing I gave up everything for her! Ever!"

"I read that loud and clear, Rainbow," said Mrs. Cake, patting the cyan Pegasus on the back. "Tell you girls what... why don't you meet me down stairs in a couple of minutes. We can go from there..."

"What did you have in mind, Mrs. Ca-" began Twilight, but Mrs. Cake managed to stop her mid-sentence just by looking at her.

"I don't know yet, dear," she said, with a sigh. "Just help yourselves to a couple fresh cookies while I think about everything that's going on."

Twilight smiled, a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, as for once... she didn't have to do the thinking anymore.

"Alright," she said, looking at her friends. "I think we can accomidate that request..."

Mrs. Cake smiled, turning towards the exit.

"See you girls in a jiff!"

She then left the four ponies alone in the room. They looked at each other, then looked to the basket. By this time, Gummy had swallowed two small cookies and was intent on swallowing another smaller one he'd selected... if they didn't act soon, he might swallow more than his fair share. Sufficing to say, everypony got up and grabbed 3 cookies, still leaving the last one for Gummy so they could all have three. Pinkie petted him and gave it to him with a smile. Even though his face was unreadable to everypony, she knew her little gator would be sad if everypony got three and he only got two.

The ponies went downstairs together. Mrs. Cake and Mr. Cake were standing by their counters, the later looking a bit uptight and the former looking like she was trying to appear relaxed. Twilight knew right away that whatever they were going to be discussing was going to be big.

"Here," said Mr. Cake, setting a few Bits on the top of the counter. "We want you girls to see a movie on us... Pinkie, we both want you to stay here."

"Aww, but I wanna go--" Pinkie began.

"When the movies over," explained Mrs. Cake, talking over the pink mare. "Come back and hopefully we'll have decided what we can do to help you, Rainbow. We really want to do something, especially after all you did for your friend..."

Dash smiled as Twilight collected the few Bits.

"We'll do just that!" Exclaimed the purple mare with a smile. "Thank you so much!"

"Yes, thank you!" Exclaimed Dash.

The ponies turned tail and exited through the front of the shop. Business was slow that day, as it usually was on a Wednesday, giving the Cakes plenty of time to discuss whatever it was they were going to do. Dash, Twilight, and Fluttershy were all blown away by the family's generosity... then again, they took in Pinkie Pie when they found her sleeping outside after hiring her at 17.

The ponies went straight to the theater, plunking down the Bits on the counter. Distracted, they hadn't even checked to see what was playing. Instead, Dash asked the bored-looking attendant what was good for a comedy, since they could all use a good laugh, and he actually has an enthusiastic recommendation which surprised all three of them:

"Alone and Together." He said.

The title rang a bell in Fluttershy's head as a good comedy, but neither of the two other ponies had heard about this film a bit under two hours, so they went inside with tickets held high.

"Okay, then," Twilight said as the theater darkened. "Just try to clear your heads, girls... we've been through a lot."

Much like telling a pony not to think of a pink elephant, the first thing that each of the friends did (even Twilight) was flash through in their minds everything they'd been through, as the credits rolled.

The film began and after just twenty minutes the mares thought they had made a mistake. The premise was clear -- three fillies accidentally left at home by their large family a couple of days before a two-day Hearth's Warming Eve trip to a celebration. Without neighbors, no pony would check and naturally, the little ponies had fun with no adults around. That made everypony in the theater laugh. They jumped on beds, ate junk food; the tomboyish one ran around the house with a rubber sword trying to vanquish imaginary monsters, while the more sophisticated one styled their manes afterwards (much to the tomboyish one's chagrin). The sensitive intellectual was not completely bothered by either, and kept them together when they got too rowdy. Each comforted the other in the place of their parents, and they all reminded the Elements of those they knew... or had known. Even when the power went out in the movie, the little fillies grabbed flash lights and told ghost stories... the steam from their breath adding to the atmosphere of their cheesy tail. For the most part, the girls no longer felt they'd made a mistake.

Had she come, Pinkie definitely would have enjoyed watching the fillies the most. Dash felt sad watching them have fun... especially with what followed.

Snow piled up outside their home and by the time their parents realized they were missing and turned around, their front yard was completely covered in snow "twice the height of a stallion" as the father said. Almost up to the roof, the family worked to dig them out early in the morning as Celestia brought out the sun, which hardened the snow. It was clearly colder than the wastelands surrounding the Crystal Empire, and yet the family still worked hard for its fillies, going so far as to enlist the help of the nearby townsfolk. Everypony helped, and in no time they had the front door open.

Going inside, the theater was quiet. This wacky, zanny movie showing what would happen if three fillies were to their own devices for a couple days with enough food to not starve took a very sudden, dark tone. The family found the fillies huddled together in their bed for warmth, every eye closed, not moving... and not appearing to be breathing. Three little fillies, flanks still blank, appearing to have been frozen to death in the night... without the knowledge and judgment an adult pony possessed, that could easily happen to any filly they cared about. There wasn't a dry eye in the theater. The Elements were all crying, believing the fillies dead. The parents on screen naturally cried, too, until an eye fluttered and one filly awoke... then the other two followed. They were very cold, but alive.

The movie ended, leaving the three ponies with mixed feelings as they left the theater. It was funny and a comedy, but it played with their emotions. It was, at least, able to make them laugh and the bad parts were in the past. They had one place to be now, and because they'd all gone together the first time and were hopeful for the best, they all went back together.

The mares went back to the Cakes' Bakery and pushed open the door. By this point it was later in the day and they were ready to close up shop. They saw Pinkie, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake, sitting at a table. Pinkie looked quite excited.

"How was the movie?" Asked Mrs. Cake.

"Fun," replied Twilight.

"A bit up and down," added Fluttershy.

"It was good." Said Dash.

"Good to know!"

The girls sat on the other side of the table, looking at the proprietors of the business and their adopted daughter. Pinkie looked ready to say something, but Mrs. Cake put a hoof on her shoulder.

"We've been thinking about what we can do for you, Dash," said Mrs. Cake calmly. "With your shoulder being as bad as it is now, are you any good with your hooves?"

"Kinda," replied the Pegasus. "I mean, I can do most stuff, I just can't fly around really quickly or buck clouds right now. Doctor Stable says it'll be okay in a month."

"Very well," said Mr. Cake. "Are you able to, say... cook breakfast without a problem? Your injury hasn't slowed you down, has it?"

"I'm quick as ever!" Replied the cyan Pegasus confidently.

"You're okay to lift things, also?" Asked Mrs. Cake. "Say a bag of groceries or trash?"

"As long as I don't use the shoulder, I'm fine." Replied Dash. "It'd have to be a pretty heavy bag to cause a problem, and Doctor Stable says I'd probably drop it before it did anything bad to me."

Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked at each other, smiling, then over at Pinkie. Mrs. Cake spoke:

"I'll tell her your idea, if that's alright with you."

Pinkie nodded rapidly, with a huge smile on her face.

"Rainbow Dash," said Mrs. Cake, slowly. "Pinkie's willing to rent you the spare bedroom above Rarity's shop, right next to hers at no charge until you're able to work."

"We're also willing to give you a little work," added Mr. Cake. "And pay you reasonably for it. We just want Pinkie to have an assistant if we can't always spare ourselves. It would just be a couple hours a week, but if you don't feel you can do it... well, we understand. Can you do that?"

Dash's face lit up:

"Can I?" Dash beamed a smile at her pink friend. "Heck, I'll do it for a few hours a day if that's all you want. You guys are the greatest!"

Pinkie went off like a rocket as Dash got up to give the Cakes a hug. The friends were all quite touched, but when everything settled, Pinkie took Dash gently by the sides of the head and looked her in the eye:

"Oh, Dashie! I'd never let anything happen to you, but Apple Jack is still going to know what you did because there's no reason for you to be on the ground now."

Rainbow Dash froze, then lowered her eyes. Pinkie was right.

"Pinkie," said Mr. Cake, cautiously. "Don't you think you're hitting her with a little too much?"

"Better she come out with it now, then wait," replied Mrs. Cake. "Dash... Pinkie had an idea. A condition you don't have to do, but it would take the focus off you being on the ground, and Apple Jack probably won't ask any questions if you do it."

Hesistantly, Dash looked back into Pinkie's eyes and asked:

"What's that?"

Pinkie's face beamed a huge smile as she replied:

"When you're back in shape I was thinking you could adopt Scootaloo! You'd be on the ground, so she'll be safe, you'd have a job, and you've never even littered, let alone committed a crime! She loves you and you love her. You're perfect for each other!"

Dash felt the blood immediately rush away from her face. She put up both hooves and Pinkie backed off right away. She felt dizzy, swaying... looking at the Cakes and her pink friend. She shook her head in an effort to regain focus.

"I don't know if I'm mother material, Pinkie..." Dash replied, woozily. "That's a great idea, but... Pinkie, I don't know..."

"That's the thing!" Replied Pinkie. "Being in town she'll have me, the Cakes, Twilight, and even Apple Jack and Fluttershy pretty close. The Cakes tell me I'm not quite ready for a filly and as much as I want one I have to agree! Twilight could be called out at any time by the Princess for weeks at a time, Fluttershy's got animals to care for, and Apple Jack can't adopt for a really long time because of what happened! You're her only, stable hope. Please think about it, Dashie?"

Dash sighed, looking away. What started out as one sigh turned into a series... each of the ponies present heard that turn into crying fairly quickly.

"I'm already thinking about it," said Dash through her teeth.

"Well, what's the hesitation?" Asked Mrs. Cake.

"What's your hesitation?" Retorted Dash, beaming a look of hostility in Mrs. Cake's direction.

"A business to run, two foals to raise, and a young mare to mentor," replied Mr. Cake, finally losing his patience. "Plus we're being extremely generous here, not putting any pressure on you, just asking that you contribute what you can. Heck, my wife Cup Cake didn't even ask you to explain yourself until you led her into it."

Dash lowered her head, reminded a few days before of her experience with Luna.

"I'm sorry," she said, weakly.

"You don't have to, dear," said Mrs. Cake tenderly. "I can tell you're having issues thinking about this..."

"It's not that," said Dash, finally. "It's just having a filly around all the time... having to take care of her, make sure she's eating well and wearing her coat properly at winter, going to bed at a reasonable time-"

"Are all things I've seen you do in the times I've seen you with Scootaloo," replied Mr. Cake, cutting her off.

"Yeah, but that's different!"

Mr. Cake smiled at the cyan mare:

"How?"

"She's not around all the time," Dash said, lowering her head once more. "When it gets to be enough, I can just arrainge with somepony else to take her."

"You could still do that, Dash," said Twilight. "Any one of us would be happy to take her off your hooves for a few hours when you need to have a break."

"Yeah, but for a few days?"

Twilight remained silent.

"That's what I thought."

"Well, Rainbow," Mrs. Cake said, clearly thinking about how she was going to put together her next few words. "I can respect your reasoning and there's still plenty of time to find another suitable pony... it was just an idea of Pinkie's. I have to say, though, of all her friends you are the best match other than Twilight..."

Dash looked at Twilight:

"I could be called away back to Canterlot then sent back to Ponyville, sent to Saddle Arabia, or the Crystal Empire for days at a time. It hasn't happened in a while, but its all part of learning about other cultures. The Princess would approve and probably stop sending me places quite as much, but... she would probably also nudge me in the direction of settling down if I had a filly."

"Grrr.... That's a good reason!" Dash hung her head. "Fine... I was thinking about doing it anyway."

"Rainbow... what exactly does that mean?" Asked Twilight.

"It means... I don't know, but I'm closer to making up my mind."

Dash looked up at her friends around her. They all looked back, non-judgmentally... even the Cakes. Every pony present would just have to be happy with her answer for now. They knew it, she was ashamed of it, but... At least Dash had a place to stay. She felt like Pinkie was being more loyal than she was.

Author's Notes:

I don't think of Pinkie Pie as bipolar, she's just dealing in this chapter with the death of her friend and moving on in her life.

A story within a story. I debated not including the story of the film, but decided to anyway. I'm kinda happy I did -- giving it a couple months break and going back, it doesn't seem forced or corny like it did before.