Pinkie's eyes went wide as white light blinded her. The last thing she remembered was Discord, the rainbow of color enveloping him. Now all she could see were white, blurry images.

She blinked a few times and they soon came into focus enough to see they were ponies. Earth ponies in white hospital gowns. One had a brown coat and another was dark gray. They were in a big, white room with padding all across the walls.

She then realized she couldn't move. Something was wrapped around her body, holding her hooves in place. She started to struggle against it, shaking her head. Where was she? She didn't know. It wasn't familiar, it didn't remind her of anything, there weren't even any jokes she could think of.

“Easy Miss Pie, calm down. Please, calm down,” the brown pony said as he reached out and gently patted her mane. “Do you know where you are?”

She slowly shook her head and tried to speak, but something was covering her mouth.

The pony slowly reached out and removed a big red ball gag from her mouth. “Do you know who I am?” He looked worried and ready to cover her mouth in a moment.

“N-no.”

He smiled then. “So you can see me, at least. That's definitely a step in the right direction. What do you remember?”

The pony gulped. “D-Discord. We were fighting him and then we defeated him with the Elements of Harmony. Did something happen? Did we get hurt? Is Twilight okay?”

The stallion glanced back to the other pony. “Go get her parents. These next few moments are going to be very important.” He then smiled to her as the other pony ran off. “What else do you remember? Any lights?”

She nodded slowly. “W-well, yes. The elements were pretty bright. Where am I?”

He took a slow, deep breath. “This is going to be very, very hard to believe. But Pinkie, I need you to trust me and hear me out. I need you to listen to everything I say and think long and hard about it. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded slowly.

“None of that was real. You're in the St. Clefthoof Mental facility. We've just finished an experimental procedure on you. That was what those lights were.”

Pinkie gasped, then glared. “Discord! He must have done something! Where is he? Let me out! Twilight needs my help, Twilight!” she screamed as she rolled around in her bindings. She looked down and saw she was wearing a straight jacket.

“Miss, please! Calm down, nopony wants to hurt you, just listen to me!” he said quickly, gripping her shoulders.

She barely managed to control her panic as she looked around, but gave a slow nod.

“I need you to think back. What is the farthest thing back you can remember? Think long and hard.”

Pinkie blinked a few times, but slowly she thought back. “Err… climbing the mountain and finding Twilight. We rescued her then.”

The stallion nodded. “Good, good. Anything before that? Anything at all? Can you remember your parents? The ponies you knew? Even what you did the morning before you went there?”

The mare tried to think back, to remember that morning. Even growing up with Rainbow. But she couldn't. She knew it happened, but she couldn't think of any specific memories. Just a blank cloud covering her memories. “N-no.”

He nodded. “Good, good. That's because none of it happened. A few years ago you had a psychotic episode after the loss of your sister. You've been imagining yourself in a fantasy land based on books your mother bought and read to you.”

There was suddenly a knock on the door, before it opened. The gray pony had returned with two light brown ponies, a mare and a stallion. The two took a step forward. “C-can we talk to her? Is… is she okay?” the stallion asked. Her father. Pinkie frowned as that thought popped into her head. That wasn't her father, was it?

“She's responding correctly, but there's no telling if she'll relapse. Talk to her, we'll try to keep her grounded.”

“Oh Pinkamena,” the mare said, her mother. The two then galloped forward and hugged her, tears going down their faces. “W-we were so afraid, i-it had been so l-long. We thought we'd lost you forever! I'm s-so sorry, I never realized how h-hard everything had b-been for you, I'm sorry I was never the mother you deserved. I-I should have noticed sooner. But my baby's back. I can't believe it, after so long, so many prayers.”

Pinkie nodded, confusion etched on her face. Was it possible? Was she truly… lost all this time? It didn't make any sense. They had to be lying, this was all Discord's doing, it had to be.

“Pinkamina? Are you still with us?” the doctor asked.

“Y-yes,” she said softly. “I can't believe that it… what happened? It can't have all been a dream. I knew it… I knew it all. I saw them… my friends. Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, all of them. They were...”

“They were just characters from books,” her mother said with a soft sob. “I-it was my fault. After what happened to your sister I just… I locked myself away. I just gave you books and expected you to… you to deal with your grief that way. I should have done something once you started talking about the elements like you were.”

“Ma'am, there was no way you could have known,” the doctor said. “The mental damage she was suffering could have been triggered by any number of things. But it's okay now. We'll do everything we can to prevent a relapse.”

“I… I want to see these books,” Pinkie said softly.

“What? NO!” her father said firmly, his hooves tightening around her. “We've already lost you once to them, we won't again!”

“I-I need to see them,” Pinkie said weakly. “I… I need to know if they're real. I need to see… I need to see that they were all fake.”

“I won't let you,” her father snapped.

“Actually, that could be good, given time,” the doctor said. “Starting small, of course. Allowing her to face her fantasies in a controlled environment should help her differentiate between fantasy and reality.” He gave a smile. “Now, I believe you're showing excellent progress, miss Pie. Would you like to go for a walk with your parents?”

The mare slowly nodded. The stallion moved closer and began to unhook the straps on her jacket. He then whispered something in her father's ear. She slowly got to her hooves, wobbling just a little bit before her parents moved to steady her.

“Come on, honey. Let's go for a walk,” her mother said gently, giving the mare a small nuzzle.

She walked with them out into the halls. The building was big, with thick panes of glass. The ground was tile and there were all kinds of electrical devices. A few ponies were playing with toys, including a small white plastic earth pony. There was even a television hanging out of reach from the ceiling in the big lobby. She paused when she realized she knew what it was. They didn't have televisions in the other world, so how did she know about them? Was all this possible?

There were thick, metal doors keeping her locked off from the rest of the world and a few nurses and doctors walking around. There were ponies in the same loose straight jackets as her. She soon realized something disturbing.

“Where are the unicorns and pegasi? Everypony is just… well, earth ponies. Where are the bright colors?” Every single one of them were white, black, brown, gray. The most colorful one she'd seen was a very, very dark red one. There weren't any of the bright, vibrant ones she knew so well.

“Earth ponies?” her father asked in confusion. He then let out a sigh. “Another thing from your… world, I imagine. Unicorns and pegasi don't exist. They're just fairy tales like the tooth fairy and...” He paused. “Was the tooth fairy real in your world?”

“Err, no, I don't think so. Can I see these books now?”

There was another sigh. “Honey, please,” her mother said softly before giving another nuzzle to her daughter. “Just let them go. The stories of the five elements were just a fairytale. I know they're popular, but you need to let those thoughts go.”

“Wait, five elements?”

Her mother nodded. “Yes. Magic, hone--”

“Enough!” her father said angrily. “Are you trying to get her sucked back into that world? We need to cut her off from it.”

Pinkie recoiled back from the two, though they didn't seem to notice.

“What, so you'd rather hide these things from her?” her mother asked angrily. “She needs to know why they're fake so she won't fall back into her dreams. You heard the doctor, she needs to be able to differentiate what's real from what's fake. Hiding it from her is just going to make her fall back in!”

“Immersing her in it is going to drive her back in. It's taken us years to have our daughter back, now you want to lose her again? If you'd never bought her those books in the first place none of this would have happened!” His voice was almost yelling now and one of the orderlies looked up.

“Um, sir, miss, you need to be quiet,” the mare said softly.

“My fault? Maybe if you'd spent a bit more time focusing on her instead of driving yourself into your job all day we wouldn't have lost her too! I was at least trying!”

“I'm sorry I had to work while you--”

“Stop fighting!” Pinkie finally screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. It was bad enough they were fighting, but they were fighting because of her.

The two ponies turned back and then shared a guilty look. They moved over and gave her a nuzzle. “I'm sorry, honey,” her mother said. “We just… it's been very stressful for us. We didn't think… we weren't sure this would work. We'll be better now, we promise. Just please don't leave us again.”

“Please. If you want to know… anything, we'll tell you,” her father said softly. “We'll get you the books but… don't read them without us. Don't… we don't want to lose you again.”

Pinkie nodded. “You won't. I… I'm not going anywhere. Can… can we go outside? I'd like some fresh air.”

“Not yet,” her mother said with a shake of her head. “The doctors want to watch you a while longer, make sure you're okay. That you're safe before they let you out. But there will always be somepony here with you, we promise. I'll be here when your father's at work, everything is going to be okay.”

Pinkie nodded and closed her eyes, nestling into her parents. It wouldn't be so bad, really. These were her parents, this was home. This was where she belonged.

------

The next month passed mind numbingly slowly. She was allowed to walk the halls of the psych ward during daylight hours, though at night she was locked into her padded room. She'd been shown the outside world through a window and, frankly, it was awful. There weren't any pegasi adjusting the clouds, not that there had been in her dreams either half the time. But it was raining almost constantly and the streets were filled with ponies going to and fro. Aside from her parents, she didn't think she'd seen anypony smile.

Even worse, she'd caught a look of herself in the mirror. She was… gray. With a flat, dark gray mane. She looked almost exactly like Maud, her sister. And it really was her sister, she'd found out. She'd asked her doctor about her, but there had just been silence. Pinkie wasn't stupid, she knew what that meant. Her sister was gone.

Her parents had eventually brought the books with them and the three had even sat down to read. It was all making sense, soon enough. All her premonitions, the script, everything she had known before it was going to happen. There had never been an element of laughter. She was just pushing herself into the story. Worst of all, she wasn't needed. Things were actually going better without her. They had an alicorn, two pegasi, a unicorn and an earth pony who could bend. She was just a normal earth pony.

How had she never noticed before? She wasn't anything special. All of them could do so many magic things, yet somehow she'd made herself believe she was important. That she belonged with the group. That she was one of their elements. Laughter didn't matter. Five benders and then one 'extra' pony that served no real purpose. Now that she was out, she could see it. She could understand. It had all been a wonderful dream to escape reality. But she had a feeling there was something worse, something she needed to know. In the third week, laying on her therapy bed, she finally had to ask.

“What drove me here?” she asked softly.

Her therapist glanced up. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“To this… to living in a different world? What was so horrible that I couldn't stand being in the real world anymore?”

The mare sighed. “Well, there are a number of causes. Chemical imbalances are one part, mental stress, fatigue, it wasn't just one--”

“My sister. What happened to her? What… drove me to this point? What was it that made me… fall apart?”

The mare sighed before slowly closing her binder. “You have advanced remarkably well, but this can be quite difficult. It may be best for you not to--”

“Please. I have to know.”

The mare finally gave in. “Well, in my professional opinion, you blamed yourself.” The psychiatrist slowly lowered her notepad. “It was not, however, your fault. It was an accident, there was no way you could have known.”

Pinkie gulped and reached out to pull the chair's pillow to her chest. “What… what happened? What… did she go through?”

“It was an accident. You and your sister were ice skating together and she fell through. By the time your parents were able to get her out, it was too late. She managed to survive for a little while, but in the cold there was no way for the doctors to get there in time to help her. She… passed on.”

Pinkie whimpered and rolled so her back was to her. “It's… it's not my fault. W-why did I… blame myself?”

“Because your parents had apparently said not to go out at the time.” She took another deep sigh. “You must face this, Pinkie. You were still young. You didn't realize the ice wasn't thick enough. What happened was not your fault. You need to understand that if you are ever going to be able to move on with your life. You're destroying yourself with your guilt. You need to let it go.”

She let out another soft whimper. “H-how? I… I let her die then. If I--”

“If you had gone in after her, you would have died as well. There was nothing you could do. It was a mistake, nothing more. A horrible, dreadful mistake. But you have suffered for long enough with it. Escaping into your little fantasy world isn't going to work anymore. Your family wants their daughter back, their only daughter. Do you understand?”

Pinkie gave a small, slow nod. “Y-yes. I… I do. I never… I never wanted her to...”

“Nopony thinks you do. Now, how about you tell me a bit more about this world of yours? I hear you've been reading the books with your parents, correct? Have you had any more relapses?”

She shook her head. “No. I… I think I understand now. Why I was able to know how things were going to happen before they did. I was… I was just remembering the book. But… but I couldn't, after the… after Cloudsdale.”

The therapist chuckled. “Oh yes, that was the city made of clouds, correct? Such a silly concept, but whimsical none the less. We have been trying to get you out for quite a while, but you have been fighting us. When you could no longer see ahead, as you put it, that likely means some of the medications you were on were finally having an effect.” She frowned. “Or you were falling deeper into your dreams and you could no longer separate the two.”

Pinkie nodded. It all made sense, the more she thought about it. Everything about the audience and books and stuff. She couldn't see or feel any of it now. She had no idea what was going to happen. She'd even tried grabbing something in a wacky way that would have worked in the other world, but it didn't. Here she was normal. Everything was just so normal.

She poked her hooves together. “I… I think I'm better now. I think… I know now. I can't believe I ever thought all that made sense.”

“It was a dream, Pinkamina. The strangest things make sense when our mind isn't able to grasp it. You are doing far better than we'd ever hoped, however we cannot send you home without a few restrictions. Your parents have agreed to monitor and make sure you take your medication each day. There will be a case worker coming by each week to check up on you. Our sessions will continue as well, once a week. Do you have any objections with any of these?”

Pinkie shook her head and smiled. “No. I… I think it's all fine. I think I'm ready to move on with my life.”

The mare nodded and looked down. “We're all hoping you are. I do have some other good news. In a few months, if you're deemed fit of mind, you'll be going back to school with ponies your own age.”

Pinkie sat up a bit and gave a shriek. “Wait, really? Ohhhh! That would be amazing! I could make friends!” She poked her hooves together excitedly, before giving an apologetic smile. “S-sorry, was that too much? I ummm, I just--”

“No, no. Being excited is quite alright. I expected you would be.” He closed the binder. “You're home, Pinkamina. I believe you will stay that way. New friends is exactly what you need.” He motioned to the door. “I'll file my report with your monitor, but I believe you should be returning to the outside world very soon. You're free to go.”

Pinkie nodded before getting to her hooves and trotting to the door. Back out into the world, the real world. She could hardly wait. Sure, she might not have the same type of adventures, but who cared so long as she had friends and family? She was home. There was nothing left to stop her from being the type of pony she was born to be.

Besides, just because there wasn't any magic in this world didn't mean she couldn't still have parties. She was Pinkie Pie after all.

------

Pinkie tried to suppress her giggles and excitement as her parents signed the paperwork and gathered her things. She was going home. Home! She didn't have to be locked away anymore, she wasn't a threat to herself. She waved good bye to the nurses, aids and other patients as she finally made it past the big locked door. A few more doors later and they were outside. The streets were wet from an earlier sprinkle and a bit of mist hung in the air, but most of the clouds had cleared to let the sun shine its rays down on the world.

She closed her eyes and let the heat wash over her. She was free. Her mind was set straight, her family was whole again. Mostly whole. She frowned at the vehicle waiting for them. A car, she knew what it was. She couldn't remember how she knew, though. It wasn't right. She was ushered inside and she buckled up, just as she knew she had to but didn't know how she knew. “This is… our car, right?”

“Of course. Had this old girl since you were a foal,” her father said proudly before patting the steering wheel. “Not the fanciest vehicle, but dependable.” He gulped and gave her a nervous look. “Do… do you remember it?”

She gulped and nodded. “Y-yes.” No she didn't, but she couldn't bear to keep disappointing him.

“Wonderful!” He reached over to give her an awkward hug. “The doctor said you'd start remembering things soon! What else do you remember? Do you remember--”

“Stop it,” her mother hissed. “Don't push her, do you want her to relapse?”

He turned and glared. “What? I'm just excited that she remembers something. Can't I--”

“Don't push her,” she snapped again. “She'll remember things when she remembers them. We have to let her do it smoothly or she might have another episode.”

The two then glanced back at her for a moment, before leaning close to each other and whispering in hushed tones. She couldn't make out any of the words, but it was pretty obvious what they were going on about. “Mom, dad, please don't fight. It's fine, really. I'm getting better. Please… stop fighting.”

They shared another look before her mother gave a nervous smile. “We aren't fighting, honey. We're just… talking. Discussing. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“I can see you, I know you're fighting. Just… please,” she pleaded. She didn't even really remember the car, she just hadn't wanted him to be disappointed. Now they were fighting, again, because of her. Why did they have to keep fighting over her? She didn't want them to. She just wanted everypony to be happy.

The two gave her more soft, gentle smiles before her father spoke up. “Sorry, honey. We'll stop. We only do it because we care.” The car started up and took off, slowly driving down the street. She glanced out the window as they went, looking out over all the other ponies. So many of them, nice, normal, good ponies. Not a red or blue coat in sight. Well, that wasn't quite true.

She did see one pony with hot pink edges on the tips of her mane, but judging by all the piercings and tattoos, the mare had likely done it to herself. Had that been another problem with her mind? Losing somepony had been so dark that she struggled to make everything so bright and colorful? She shook her head and peered out the window intensely, focusing on the new world. This was real, this was important. That… place didn't matter. It was best she didn't think about it. There were so many ponies out and about, running, walking, chatting. They even passed a toy shop with a big white toy pony on display. But it soon began to trickle off as they left the city center and were brought out near the edges of the city. There were still ponies about, but far less as they entered the smaller, rural areas.

Her parents soon pulled up to a long line of houses, all small and identical, double floored. They drove into the driveway. “This is where we live?”

“Yes,” her father said quickly. “Do you reme--” He trailed off after a glare from his wife. “I mean, yes. We've lived here the last few years.”

“I saw the park a few blocks away. Can I go there?”

Her parents shared a concerned look. After a few moments her mother cleared her throat. “Not right now, but I'll try to take you up there later... sometime. Okay honey?”

“Thank you,” she said softly before opening the door and stepping out. Before she closed the door she heard her father speak.

“Why did you tell her--” She closed the door before she could hear the rest. However, she could see the two talking in the car and within a few moments their voices were raised and angry. She watched, trying to keep tears from forming in her eyes. Why was it that they only ever seemed to fight around her? She'd only wanted to go to the park, though they were arguing about it? She didn't want to go that bad. She wanted to bring ponies joy and happiness, but all she seemed to do was make them mad.

After a few moments the door opened and they walked out. Fake smiles were planted on their faces as they started walking towards the house. “So, I'm going to start dinner, okay honey?” her mother said. “How does corn casserole sound? It was always your favorite. I've got the sweet white corn you like.”

Pinkie nodded. “That sounds great, mom,” she mumbled softly. “I ummm… I think that'll be delicious.” She walked between her parents and gave them each a little nuzzle. “Are you two… mad at me?”

“No! Of course not, why would you think that?” her father asked quickly.

“You two just keep… fighting. I… I don't want to be the cause of it. I-I'll try better and--”

“You're not the cause,” her mother said quickly. “Your father and I are just having a few words. We're not mad at each other, though. It's just talking, that's all. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“You sound pretty mad,” Pinkie mumbled softly.

“We get mad sometimes and we fight, darling. But that doesn't mean we don't love each other,” her mother said with a smile. “It's just that… sometimes we don't agree. But a minor disagreement is nothing to worry about. We swear.”

Pinkie nodded before giving her parents another smile. “O-okay. Thanks. So, where's my room?”

“I'll take you,” her father said before opening the door. He walked upstairs, motioning her to follow. There were four rooms at the top. “This is your your mother's and I's room, this is the bathroom, this is your room.”

“What's the last one?” she asked softly, staring at the door at the end of the hall.

“That was your sisters,” the stallion said with a haunted look in his eyes. He shook his head. “We... don't go there very often.”

Pinkie nodded and then trotted to her room. She pushed the door open and cringed. Everything was... neat. Too neat. She had some shelves with random little toys, a book case with a long line of books, her bed, a closet, everything was perfectly put away and neat. Most things were dusty as well, though judging by the few piles in the corners, it had recently been dusted quickly. “The... new medicine they have me on, did they expect it to work?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, of course,” her father said quickly with a nervous smile.

“I see, okay,” the mare said before gently trotting forward and sitting on the bed. “I think I'll need to wash all this.” She could feel the dust getting into her mane and coat. She didn't like it at all. “Is that okay?”

“What? No, don't worry about it, I--”

“I'd like to do it,” she said quickly.

He let out another soft sigh. “Well, if you want, then very well. The washer and dryer are downstairs.”

She nodded as the images of them popped into her mind. She knew what a washer and dryer were. Of course she did, this was the real world. This was where she belonged. All those things she knew before were just fake. Imaginary. “Can I have a bit of time alone?”

“Of course, honey,” he said softly before gently closing the door. She didn't hear him walk off, though.

She sighed and got to her hooves, gently walking around the room. Everything in it was familiar. She didn't want it to be, but it was. She recognized some of her toys. Some of the ponies she'd met in the other world had looked just like them, though she didn't recognize the pure white earth pony. She even had a stuffed dragon in the closet that looked just like Spike and a poster of a band, their image a giant dragon just like the Great dragon. Everything made so much sense.

Then on one of the shelves she found Twilight and her friends. Little tiny plastic versions. Her breath caught in her throat. How could she believe all those things, believe she was so important? Was this world really so horrible that she'd rather be in one filled with war and fighting? She trotted to the book case. They were filled with little coloring books and she even had a small box of crayons besides them. She smiled and pulled them out.

She was soon sitting on the ground, drawing and coloring away. The bright colors filled the pages and for a few moments she felt herself coming alive. However, she soon heard a knocking on her door. “Honey? It's time for dinner,” her father said. She wondered if he'd been waiting out there the whole time.

The door opened after a moment and he looked worried. Then he saw her on the ground and relief flooded over his features. “Coloring, honey?”

“Yeah,” she said with a smile. “They didn't let us have crayons back there. We were only allowed safety pens.” She slowly got to her hooves. “I'd better start my laundry before I eat. If I'm going to sleep up here tonight.”

“I'll help,” her father said.

She almost objected, but instead just gave him a small nod. “Thank you.” Together, they picked up the blankets and sheets and walked downstairs, tossing them into the washer. She even managed to start it on her own, as if she'd done it a thousand times. This world had to be real, otherwise how could she know these things? It was the only explanation. And it terrified her. This was the real world, she had been trapped all this time. What if she fell for it again?

She joined them at the dinner table and slowly chewed her food. It was tasty, at least. Though her parents kept watching her expectantly, as if the thought she'd jump on the table at any second. She finally cleared her throat. “So... ummm, how has work been?”

“Fine, fine,” her father said quickly. “How have you been feeling? Safe? Okay? Any... problems?”

“No, I'm fine,” she answered with a shy grin. “Thanks for keeping my room clean. It looks nice.”

“I'm sorry I didn't clean the bed,” her mother said softly. “I should have thought of that.”

“You're home all day, I don't see why you couldn't--” Her father started but stopped after seeing the look on Pinkie's face. “It's fine. We'll just wash everything. After she's been there for a few days, it'll clear itself out. All that room needs is a bit of life in it.” He gave a hearty chuckle. “Is there anything you wanted to do? We could watch a movie after dinner? Go for a walk? Anything you like?”

Pinkie nodded. “Watching a movie would be fine,” she said before poking at her food and taking another bite. There was so much tension between her parents, she could feel it. As if they might jump and snap at each other at a moment's notice. She tried telling herself it was just stress and worry, now that she was back it would calm down. Oh, how she hoped it would calm down. “Being with the family would be wonderful.”

He nodded and silence returned to the kitchen. After a few minutes of awkwardness, he started talking about work. Apparently he worked in a paper factory, maintaining a lot of the machines. It wasn't the most exciting thing, but at least it seemed new. Something she didn't know about. She wondered if he had the job before she snapped, but was too afraid to ask. When the meal was nearly over she looked up and smiled. “Can we throw a party?”

“What?” her mother asked, the mare's eyes going wide. “A party? Whatever for?”

“Well, we're all together again. A great, big party. With candy, cakes, all those big treats. I could help make a bunch of them. I'm really good at making punch,” she said proudly. She was starting to feel pretty good as the idea of a great big party rolled over her. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. No matter how cold, wet and uncolorful the weather was, a party would always brighten everypony's day.

Her mother frowned. “I'll think about it.”

“Pleasssse?” Pinkie asked with a grin. “We can invite the whole neighborhood. I need to get to know everypony anyway, right? So this is the best way to do it. I can meet everypony at once.”

“I think it's a great idea,” her father said with a nod.

“Well, of course you do, you aren't the one who'd have to set it all up,” her mother snapped. “I'd have to get invitations, go shopping, set up all the--”

“I-I can do that!” Pinkie said quickly, sensing a coming fight. “I could send them all out, too. I'd do everything, all I'd need is the rides and... well... some bits. Errr...”

“If it makes her happy, why not?” her father asked.

Her mother sighed for a moment before finally giving a nod. “Fine. But Pinkamina, you'll have to run everything by me. Only the safest things, understand? No scissors or anything like that.”

Pinkie nodded. “Of course! I'll be extra, super duper safe!” She could barely contain her excitement. A party, a real party. She couldn't imagine anything that could make her feel more normal. More like herself. She went through the rest of the meal quickly, her mind focused on the coming excitement. She could already think of a dozen different things she could do. Balloons, cake, streamers, everything. It was going to be an amazing party. They would have to do it inside, of course. The weather was being too lousy to risk a rain storm. But it would still be amazing.

They were soon sitting on the couch and watching a movie, though she had grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil to start writing out all her plans. It was going to be the best 'back from years in intense mental care' party EVER!