Applejack saw Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Rarity standing near the train. It would be leaving soon. She cantered quickly over to them. “Hiya, girls!” she said cheerfully.

“Hi, Applejack!” they all said, equally cheerful. It was like the dark cloud that had been hanging over them vanished. Each was happy and relaxed and content.

“So did y’all have fun in the big city?” she asked. All of them nodded and said they did. “Even you, Rainbow Dash? Did you meet a nice strapping stallion?”

“Oh, he was strapping alright,” she laughed. The others laughed too. “He was positively packing.” She would never tell any more than that.

“What was his name?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s a secret. So what about you?”

“Oh, well,” Applejack said. “I met a nice upper-class fella. You know, real upper crust? Came from good stock though. Boy, I’ll tell you that. What about you, Twi? Who’d you meet?”

“His name is Dusk,” she blushed.

“Oooo,” all the mares said, then giggled as if they were schoolchildren.

“And he’s a unicorn.”

“Ooo.”

“And he likes books.”

“Ooo.”

“And he’s really, REALLY handsome.”

“Ooo!” they giggled one more time.

“How about you, Rarity? Surely you wouldn’t have a problem finding a man.”

“Well, I can’t say they were exactly the upper crust of Manehattan society,” Rarity said non-chalantly.

“Wait... they?”

“But they were all perfect gentlecolts.”

“Haha,” Rainbow Dash said. “Rarity, you’re such a slut.”

“Wait,” Twilight stammered, “are you saying....”

“All aboard!” the conductor hollered. The last passengers boarded the train.

“Wait,” said Applejack. “Where’s Pinkie? Where’s Fluttershy?”

“We haven’t seen either of them,” Twilight explained. “We think Pinkie might have gone home yesterday after we got here.”

“That’s right,” Rarity explained. “I never saw her leave the station. And you know how she was behaving.”

“Ah guess,” said Applejack. “I’ll be glad if I don’t have to put up with her fussin’ on the way back too. But what about Fluttershy? I’m pretty sure I saw her leaving.”

“That’s right, I saw her too,” Rarity said.

“Oh my gosh,” Rainbow Dash said. “She’s gonna miss the train!” The four ponies had no choice but to board, talking about Fluttershy as they did so.

“What if she didn’t ask for a wake-up call?” Twilight asked. “You know how she doesn’t like to bother service workers.”

“Oh Celestia,” said Rarity. “What if she didn’t even make it to the hotel? Oh, she could be anywhere! We never should have left her alone in this city. Anything could have happened. We’re terrible friends for only thinking of ourselves.”

Applejack opened the window for fresh air. “Wait! Wait!” she heard someone softly yelling over the crowd.

“Oh wait, here she comes, girls!” AJ said excitedly. “She just made it. And she brought her new boyfriend too! He’s a... he’s a... what the hay?”

Fluttershy bounded up the steps just as the train started to move forward. She flung herself into the car, pushed past her friends, ignoring them, and stuck her head out the window.

“I love you, Billy!” she yelled.

“I love you too, Beautiful!” the zebra running along the moving train yelled back.

“I’m going to come back someday!”

“I will find a way to Ponyville too!” the train was picking up speed and leaving him behind.

“Goodbye, Billy!”

“Goodbye, Beautiful! I love you!” It was the last thing she heard him say as the train left the station. She sat down in the seat, a broad smile on her face. It took her a while to notice the other ponies staring at her.

“Oh, hi girls,” she said.

“A zebra?” Twilight asked.

“Uh huh.”

“So,” Rainbow Dash said. “Is what they say about it true? About boy zebras?”

Fluttershy blushed and was silent for a moment. “Yes,” she finally said, matter-of-factly. The others laughed. “Hey, where’s Pinkie?” she asked.

“We think she went back to Ponyville early,” Twilight explained.

They didn’t notice when the train passed underneath an overpass, but they all noticed the loud thump on the roof of the train as something fell on top of it. They heard the clopping of hooves moving from the center of the car to the back. There was silence for a moment, then Pinkie Pie came walking through the door.

She looked as disgruntled as she had ever been. She sat down next to Fluttershy and stared ahead.

“Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked. Pinkie didn’t respond.

“Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “What happened to you? We thought you went home!”

“Yeah,” Pinkie grunted. “No.”

“Pinkie, do you mind me asking you something?” Rarity said. “Why are you wearing that outfit?”

Pinkie looked down. She was wearing a prison uniform with broad black and white stripes. She was even still wearing the hat. “Ah hell,” she said. “I forgot to take it off. No wonder everypony kept staring at me after the escape.”

“Escape?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Pinkie sighed heavily, exasperated. “Yeah, Dash. During the prisoner transfer. That’s when they’re least expecting it. Duh.” She started taking her uniform off. The other ponies were shocked. She was still pink, but it wasn’t Pinkie Pie pink. It was flesh pink. Most of her hair had been shaved off. When she lifted off her hat it was simply bare - no mane came tumbling out. Her tail was short and thin and hairless. She stuffed the discarded uniform under the seat, then sat back, staring ahead again. They could see every little fold, mole, and nipple on her naked body.

“Um, Pinkie Pie?” Applejack asked.

“Yes?” Pinkie Pie sighed.

“Who’s Grizelda?”

Pinkie Pie looked down at her flank. There was a new tattoo. A very poorly done, amateur, prison tattoo. Still fresh. It read: “Grizelda’s Bitch.”

“Oh,” said Pinkie Pie. “She’s just a griffon I met last night.” She paused. “I’m her bitch,” she added.

Fluttershy spoke up. “Do you want to talk abo-...”

“No,” said Pinkie Pie.

It was a long train ride home to Ponyville. It was made longer by the other five ponies talking about how much fun they had, and how they couldn’t wait to go back to Manehattan next year. None of them noticed Pinkie’s twitching eyelid.