Reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed, Vanilla Chai lay with her eyes closed, listening to the rhythmic whuh-whump as her excitable sibling bounced around the house, no doubt getting the morning meal underway. Though a good deal more stoic by nature, she couldn’t deny that she rather enjoyed Minty’s manic ways, even if they did become somewhat difficult to keep up with at times. Encouraged from her bed by the sound of humming and the smell of a warm meal, she sat up, blinked away the bleary, and slid off of the bed. Her milky mocha mane had grown to a decent length and complimented her pale cream coat to a tea, which was fortunate because she happened to have no small fondness for a good brew, as evidenced by the steaming cup of tea adorning her flank. Spending a few minutes with a brush, she set her tail straight and wandered down the hall towards the kitchen, where she found the sweet scent of french toast wafting in the air and a steaming mug of her morning favorite waiting at her spot at the table.

“Breakfast and tea at sunrise?” she mused in a murmur, gratefully taking a sip of her tea. “Any particular occasion, Minty?”

“Not reeeally,” came the carefree reply, his tail swishing to and fro as he sifted through the cupboards. They were packed pretty tightly with his sister’s experimental brews and chock full of ingredients, so finding anything not related to tea could sometimes be problematic. “I just happened to wake up on the right side of the floor this morning! Something is telling me it’s gonna be an awesome day, and I can hardly wait to figure it out.”

“Minty sense?”

“Yooou betcha!”

“I thought so,” Chai said thoughtfully, mulling over the information. Though being a barista opened the doors for learning plenty from customer gossip, she had yet to hear of anypony being able to predict and prevent moments of severe sadness by virtue of their cutie mark. There was nothing that Minty enjoyed more than making others merry, and somehow, he always seemed to know where to go and what to do when somebody needed a smile the most. “Is it gonna be a doozie?”

“I dunno, it’s hard to say,” he explained, craning his neck and staring straight at his mark. “It’s still percolating.” Merry didn’t spend too much time pondering what the tingling sensation in his cutie mark could mean. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, and over the years he had come to read his tea leaves pretty accurately. A short while later breakfast began in gusto, temporarily diverting his attention as he sat wolfing down a generous stack of french toast lathered with generous quantities of sweet maple syrup. Chai always found it somewhat amusing how doglike he could be at times, and she found herself shaking her head at the speed with which he demolished his. It was truly beastly.

After they had finished, the two siblings went about their morning routine. Minty cleared the table and started on the dishes while Chai loaded up her cart with all the tea blends and various syrups that she would need for the day’s business. Holding out a hoof to gauge the temperature, she loaded some extra ice into the cooler, guessing that the warmer temperatures in the afternoon would likely lead to her chilled blends being the more favorable choice of the public. Right as she stowed the last jar of herbs, Minty came bounding out as if on cue and snuggled into the harness, and before long they were making their way towards the town’s market area.

Dodge City was, and probably always would be, an old-fashioned town. The dusty path leading down the center was unpaved and well trodden. Rickety wooden buildings were often left unpainted, and those that were deemed fancy enough were adorned in earthen hues of yellow, orange, and brown. Occasional structures of brick and mortar were interspersed throughout, with the bank being the most notable, but despite the appearance all of the town was well maintained, and the folk that trotted up and down the strip were happy to call it their own.

Stopping at their usual spot along the main fairway, Merry cantered to a halt and detached himself from the harness. With a few deft swipes of his hoof, the latches flung open and the cart had transformed itself nicely into a mobile stall, complete with serving counter, an older and sometimes touchy electric stove, and a small awning. While Chai went about getting the water heating, Merry set out all of the syrups, set out the menu and signs, and did some last minute spot cleaning. Together, the pair soon had things up and running smoothly as the ponies formed a line, eager for their morning pick-me-up.

Chai had heard it said somewhere that if somepony does what they love, then they never have to work a day in their life. She knew this to be an erroneous statement, as she was genuinely delighted with being able to brew her beloved teas for a living, and it was quite a bit of effort. Nothing that she sold came in tea bags, and was all blended by hoof from herbs grown in her garden, and that’s to say nothing of the more particular customers who wouldn’t know a decent blend if it strolled over and bit them in rump.

“Good morning! What can I get for you, sir?” Chais asked pleasantly as her previous customer shuffled out of line and towards the serving counter.

“Hmmm, yes, I’d like a decently large, but not too large, mind you, cup of your finest imported java at two-thirds cafe, light soy milk, one point five ounces of cream, and just a dash of caramel flavoring. Make sure to give it three swirls, no more, and two straws, not one.” Chai blinked. “Do take care with that, miss, I would hate to be disappointed,” he insisted, casually dropping barely enough bits for a medium on the counter with an obnoxious clink.

“...One medium bean juice, Merry,” Chai muttered through gritted teeth, scraping the bits off the counter.

“B-but I said-”

“NEXT!” Muttering fiercely under his breath, the stallion stalked off in a huff while Chai greeted the next customer with a cordial grin. Fortunately for the sake of their continued operations, Minty had learned to keep an ear out when his sister was taking orders. In his mind, the more problematic the customer, the more likely they needed a reason to smile. Besides, they had only started selling coffee due to an increasing demand for what his sister ardently claimed was an affront to all things potable, and he knew that it was a bit of a sore spot for her. Working quickly and efficiently, he got the order off exactly as the stallion had requested it, and Merry even slipped a few pieces of candy on a napkin as he set the drink on the counter.

“There ya go!” he quipped, watching as the stallion snatched it up, still mumbling to himself. “How is it?” He took a sip and paused, peering at the cup with surprise.

“It’s… adequate,” he admitted begrudgingly before walking off, hanging his head a little as he went.

“Have a nice day~!” Minty called after him, returning to his work. The morning rush typically lasted between 8:30 and 10:00 in the morning, though he was thankful that it slowed down a little earlier. His cutie mark had been acting bizarre all morning, and it was slowly starting to build. A sensation akin to the prickle of mint had started to build within, and though he had tried to remain inconspicuous, he realized that he probably wasn’t rubbing his flank as stealthily as he thought.

“Something bothering you?” Chai asked, helping herself to a cup of rosehip with honey.

“My butt is burning,” he explained, straight faced, causing his sister to grin. “It feels really strange.”

“Told you you’re a butt,” she teased, prompting a chuckle from them both. “But seriously, hasn’t your mark tingled before?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s really strong right now,” he countered, shuffling about on his hooves. Stealing a quick glance around and making sure that nobody was watching, he then plopped himself down out of sight, craned his neck around, and began gnawing at his cutie mark. Chai watched with vague amusement as he gave a body wide shudder and pulled away, rising shakily to his hooves.

“Did that help?”

“No, it made it worse,” he pouted, rubbing himself against the rough wood interior of the cart. “I mean, I know something big is gonna happen, but I have no idea what it could be, or even when it’s gonna happen! I reeeally wish it would hurry up.”

“Why don’t you go for a walk?” Chai suggested, adopting a sympathetic tone. “Perhaps you’ll see something that’ll trigger your sense the rest of the way.”

“Are you sure that’d be okay?” he asked, looking hesitant. “I’m preeetty sure if that coffee guy comes back, there won’t be much of a stand left when I come back.”

“Oh, be off with you,” Chai giggled, shaking her head. “I’m perfectly capable of controlling myself around the customers. At the very worst, he’ll just have to deal with a scoop or two of coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup.”

“Bleh. Grossness.” Merry pulled a face at the thought: he didn’t like coffee, either. “Well, as long as you’re sure. I’ll try to be back in time for the afternoon rush, okay?”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.” Removing his apron, Merry let himself out of the cart and set out at a brisk trot. Though it was only mid morning, it was already getting quite warm, but if he was going to figure out what his cutie mark was trying to say before the lunch rush, then the more ground he covered the better. With a burning in his thigh and a spring in his step, the stallion set out on his little quest, hoping to find a little relief.

Marble may have developed a reputation for being the most timid of the Pie sisters, but not even the thought of crowds and strangers could deter her from enjoying the Dodge City market. Well, not enough to keep her at home, anyways. Working on a rock farm was gruelling work, even with the recent return of her older sister Pinkamena, so any day that they were given leave to take a break and head into town was reason for excitement. However, it was difficult to maintain that enthusiasm when the most energetic of them was about as lively, and willing, as a damp rag.

“Pinkie, are you ready to go?” Marble asked after a few tentative knocks on the door. “It’s almost time to go to the market.”

“Yeah, I know…” came the muted reply. Cracking open the door, Marble looked in to find her sister lying facedown on the bed, her muzzle buried into the pillow.

“Awww, sis, still?” Marble thought to herself, quietly letting herself inside and stopping by the bedside. “It’s been over a week since you’ve been here, and you’re still all mopey…” Ever since she had first discovered her calling and got her cutie mark, Pinkie had made a reputation for herself as being one of Equestria’s best party ponies, though one would never have been able to tell that, looking at her now. Her mane, once as full of vibrance and character as she had been, lay flat and lifeless, trailing down her back and around her shoulders, with the tail not faring any better. Perhaps the most telling sign of Pinkie’s unfortunate state was the lack of sparkle in her eyes; the luster that had transformed the Pie family so many years ago had seemingly departed, and all that remained were fragments of its former glory.

“I wish we could figure out some way to help,” Marble thought with a quiet sigh. “Or that she’d tell us what was wrong, at least...” That something was wrong, there was no doubt in anypony’s mind, but exactly what that was had yet to be determined. Pinkie, as they had been reminded in recent days, was a pony that could be as stubborn as could be, and despite their insistent support and care, they had yet to glean much information out of her to explain her behavior. All they knew was that she had had some kind of falling out with her friends in Ponyville, and that it had hit her hard. “Sis?” Pinkie pried her snout out of the pillow and fixed Marble in her listless gaze.

“Did you, um, maybe want to come along?”

“Not really,” Pinkie replied in a distant tone. “I’d rather stay here and… trace wood grains. It’s pretty fun…”

“You’re coming, and that’s final.” Both ponies looked over to see Limestone standing in the doorway, her expression one devoid of negotiation. “Pinkie, you’ve been lazing about for days now,” she continued, though in a gentler tone. “Staying cooped up in your room isn’t healthy, and I know for sure it isn’t fun.”

“Hmph. Says you,” Pinkie snapped half-heartedly. “Maybe I like staring at the wall.”

“And maybe you don’t, and you secretly want to get out of the house and actually do something for a change instead of sitting around the house doing nothing,” Limestone countered. Her sister didn’t budge. “C’mon, Pinkie.” Limestone took in a deep breath and let it out slow as Marble reached over and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder; she never was good and hiding her frustration. “...Please?”

“Can I have five more minutes, Blinkie?” Limestone forestalled a shudder as she reached over and placed a comforting hoof on Pinkie’s back.

“Of course, sis, we can wait,” she said gently before turning away. “C’mon, Inkie, let’s give her some time alone.”

“O-okay, sure,” Marble agreed, glancing over her shoulder as they left.

The sound of the door latching shut caused Pinkie to stir, and it was with great reluctance that she sat up, her hooves dangling over the side of the bed. Despite her family’s comfort and support, she still hadn’t seemed to be able to shake the mantle of gloom that had followed her from Ponyville. It had been just over a week since she had fled the town she had come to love and returned to her family’s rock farm. She had imagined that if there was anywhere that she could feel safe, it would be in a place surrounded by ponies that she knew cared for her, but not even their warmth could stave off the growing chill in her heart, nor guard her from the grudges she held.

“Why couldn’t they have just…” she whispered, the thought catching in her throat. Her eyes snapped shut as a fleeting memory passed through her mind, and the bed gave a slight creak as she shuddered, burying the thought as quickly as possible. “No, I can’t keep thinking like that. I don’t need them,” she countered to herself, her gaze darkening, only to soften a few seconds later. “But… but I miss them, even if they…” She buried her face in her hooves, the only real thing that she could say for certain rising unbidden to her lips. “...I’m so confused.”

Glancing at the clock and realizing she had already whittled away three of her five minutes, the mare shook her head and slid off of the bed. Picking up a brush and making a few disinterested passes through her mane and tail, she splashed some water on her face and descended the steps into the main living area where her sisters sat waiting.

“Pinkie, listen,” Limestone started, trotting over. “It’s wrong of me to try and force you into anything. You’re a grown mare, you’re my big sister, and you can make your own decisions without my nagging. But…” she continued, scuffing at the floor, “I would really like it if you came with us to town.”

“Inkie put you up to this, didn’t she?” Pinkie asked, feigning a half hearted grin.

“Yes, yes she did,” Limestone confirmed with a quiet laugh as Marble watched the procession with satisfaction.

“It’s fine, Blinkie, you were right anyways,” Pinkie conceded wearily. “I can’t sit around here forever, even if that’s all I feel like doing…”

“Don’t worry, sis, I’m sure we can find something fun to do in town,” Marble assured her, beaming brightly. “Business has been really good for me and Blinkie lately. We normally sell all our stuff within an hour or two, and then we have the whole rest of the afternoon to have some fun!”

“That sounds amazing,” Pinkie replied. The enthusiasm sounded strained, even to her ears, but she had to at least try for Marble. “Besides, it’ll be good to see Dodge again. I haven’t been back here for years. Has it changed much? They didn’t build any skyscrapers, did they?”

“Of course not, silly,” Marble giggled, leading them out the door and down the path heading towards town. Along the way, Marble and Limestone helped catch Pinkie up on all of the happenings around Dodge, though there wasn’t as much as one would expect after over a decade spent away. Businesses had been steadily cropping up around the town, bolstering the economy and bringing in a fair bit of tourism during varying times of the year. A few new buildings had gone up, a few had closed down, but as they stepped into city limits, Pinkie got to see for herself how little had really changed.

“Wow, you girls were right. It hasn’t hardly changed at all.”

“Is that… good?” Limestone asked, unsure of whether Pinkie meant what she said for better or for worse.

“I… think so?” Pinkie offered, sounding none too sure of herself. “It’s a little hard to tell.”

“That’s okay, sis,” Marble said in an encouraging tone. “If it’s the same, then you’ll enjoy it just as much as when you were little!”

“Do you think so?”

“I know so! C’mon, the market’s down this way!” Together the trio made a beeline towards the center of town. Much like Ponyville, the main strip were lined with stalls of all kinds, with all manner of ponies hawking their wares. There were several larger stores further down the way, but all of the fun was in the heart of the town. It was like a year-round flea market where one never knew what they would find, and Pinkie soon found herself swept away as her sisters led her around, showing her trinkets and outlandish garb. They spent nearly an hour browsing around and Pinkie still felt like she had barely scratched the surface when her sister’s began setting up their stall.

“See? I told you that you’d have fun.” Pinkie paused stuffing her face full of churro just long enough to give Marble a contrite nod before she went back to munching away on her snack. Even that was enough to lift Marble’s spirits, and she went back to setting up her display of rock and plant based dyes, paints, and other assorted colorful rock-based goods. Alongside her, Limestone was setting out her display of “pet rocks,” as she liked to call them: rocks that had been chiseled to look like all manner of critters. “You know, you can help us out if you want.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I’m not all that great with rocks,” Pinkie said, scratching awkwardly at her hoof. “I’m more of a party-type of pony. I’d probably mess everything up.”

“Since when were you such a doubter?” Limestone asked, shaking her head. “Anyways, you don’t have to actually do anything with our rocks; we can take care of selling those. Why don’t you take some of Inkie’s dye and decorate the tent? It could use a little sprucing up.”

“Blinkie, that’s a great idea!” Marble exclaimed, clapping her hooves. “Oh, say you will, sis! Please, please~?”

“B-but I…” It was no use. Pinkie couldn’t find it in herself to tell her little sister no, not when she looked so excited. “Alright, I guess I can take a crack at it.”

“Woohoo!” Whooping as loudly as a quite pony could, Marble reached over and wrapped Pinkie in a big ol’ hug. “Alright, now these one’s over here are for fabrics,” Inkie explained. “You’ll need to thicken them with a little of this if you want to be able to paint. Here, like this…” Pinkie watched with mild fascination as Inkie skillfully blended a few key minerals into a few jars of runny dyes, only to have them thicken within minutes. “There you go! All set,” she said, beaming proudly as she presented Pinkie with the basket of dyes and a brush.

“Gosh, Inkie, that was really something!” Pinkie said, eyeing one of the jars. “Alright, time to-”

“Hey, Pinkie, wait a second.” Inkie and Pinkie both turned towards Blinkie who had just finished setting up. “Mother asked us to run down to the post office to check for mail. We check the box once a week, but we’re gonna be tied up here for a bit. Do you think you could run down there and collect it before you start?”

“Oh, sure, I guess,” Pinkie said with a shrug.

“Do you remember the way?”

“Yeah, I think so,” she said, already trotting towards the back of the tent. “Be back in a flash!” She had barely taken two steps before she realized that finding her way wasn’t going to be the problem, but getting there without getting distracted.

“Ooooh, why do they have to have so much cool stuff?” she whined quietly to herself, forcibly tearing her eyes away from one stall only to have them glue to the next. “Gah! Blinders!” Positioning her hooves on either side of her eyes so she could only see straight ahead, the mare wobbled down the road the bipedal way, garnering no small amounts strange looks. Dropping back to all fours as the post office came into view, the mare grateful readjusted to a canter and strolled inside.

“Hello! Pinkamena here to pick up mail for the Pie family?”

“One moment, please,” the attendant replied, sifting through her lists. “Ah, here you are. Here’s the key. It’s box number nineteen, just down that way.”

“Thanks!” Bouncing over to the box, Pinkie Pie held up the key and paused, the realization that she had bounced setting in. “It feels so strange, doing that now,” she remarked to herself, dropping her eyes to the floor. “And it feels even stranger to feel strange about being excited, or happy, or happicited, or whatever it was that I just was a few seconds ago…” She let her head fall to the box with a resounding clang. “Why are emotions so confusing?”

Catching a glimpse of the incredulous look being directed at her from the mare at the front desk, Pinkie Pie shook it off and stuck the key in the lock. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy within, aside from the regular allotment of purchase orders for the farm and spam. Stowing the contents within a small sack that she had brought along, she locked the box back up and deposited the key at the front desk before trotting towards the door.

“Wait!” Pinkie stopped, casting a confused glance at the stewardess. “Pinkamena Diane Pie, that’s you, correct?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” she confirmed, returning to the desk. “Why do you ask?”

“It appears we have a package addressed directly to you.”

“For me?” “That’s strange. Who could possibly be sending me something? It’s not even my birthday yet…” She watched the mare disappear into the back room. “Are you sure it’s for me?”

“Well, that’s what it says here,” the mare replied, setting the package on the desk and sliding it towards her. “That’s your name, isn’t it?”

“Yup,” Pinkie mumbled, her eyes roaming over the package. Whoever had wrapped it clearly had no sense of artistic integrity. Drab, brown parchment paper had been folded up and around something roughly square shaped and tied with a bow made not of ribbon, but some kind of cord. “Who in Equestria would send me-” “Wait, Rarity?!” Every head turned as Pinkie’s startled exclamation echoed throughout the quiet facility, but she didn’t even notice. Her eyes sat glued to the shipping address.

“I… I can’t believe this. Rarity would never send something looking like this to anypony! And she especially wouldn’t send me a gift after-” Pinkie cringed as another memory flitted to the surface, one still quite fresh. “Especially after I was such a meaniepants… But wait, no, she wouldn’t send me a gift after that!”

“What is this, some kind of joke?” Pinkie prodded, scowling at the hapless mail pony.

“I d-don’t know what you’re…” she began, though Pinkie’s attention seemed to have already shifted away.

“Sending me a joke package?” she muttered, eyeing her gift with disdain. “I’ll bet she wrapped all lame just to make fun of me! What’s the matter, Rarity? You got a problem with rock farms? Huh?! Don’t you lie to me!”

“Miss, I’m af-fraid you’re going to have to l-leave…”

“Oh, really?” Pinkie Pie snapped, her eyes blazing wildly as she snatched the package off the counter. “Well, if that’s how you’re going to be about it, then me and my package can just leave! Hmph!” Balancing the parcel atop her head, Pinkie swept out of the post office and into the streets, where her inner war continued to rage. Back and forth between anger and guilt, frustration and dejection, the mare hadn’t made it very far before she slammed the parcel to the ground in sheer vexation. Her emotions were spiraling wildly out of control and the worst part is that she couldn’t even say why. She wanted to cry, to scream, to run and hide all at the same time.

“And it’s all because of them,” she seethed, her ears peeled back. “It’s all because of me.” Her ears drooped as the scowl was overtaken by sorrow. “Grrrr, I can’t… think like this! I just want it to stop! I just… I just…” It wasn’t until she watched a few tears be devoured by the thirsty dust that she realized she had begun to cry. “...I just want the pain to stop. For… for things to go back to the way they were, but they can’t… they shouldn’t? They won’t...” The thought lingered as her expression began to darken.

“No, they won’t change,” she muttered, glaring down at the parcel. The more she looked at it, the more she couldn’t stand the sight of it. Her heart cried out for her to listen as she snatched up the gift that had been meant for good, but she couldn’t bring herself to pay it any heed. Her day had been going along fine, almost even good, until that package had come along and reminded her of all that she wanted to forget. She took one last look at the name on the label before she wound up and hurled the package with all her might. But the moment that it left her hoof, she knew that she had made a mistake, and she sank down into the dust as it sailed over rooftops and out of sight.