It was a nice morning in the lazy town of Ponyberg.  The wagon squeaking and bouncing as people looked outside to see the unusual commotion.  Seeing it was the traveling bakers the children asked for some money and ran out to greet their favorite traveling proprietors of confectionary delights.

Stopping at the inn the mares pushing through kids, climbed in the cloth wagon and pulled out a small table.  Smiling warmly she asked them to calm down and line up.  Pinkamena hopped in the wagon and removed two large boxes.  She set them on the table and pulled a string that made the top flip back and the sides of the first box to pop off and fall to the sides.

The kids’ eyes were all wide as they were treated to a sparkling show of candies of all colors, some with objects in the middles, and chocolates decorated with all manners of hearts and shapes.  Pinkamena pulled the string on the other box revealing gummies, cupcakes and cookies.

Hardly able to contain themselves the Mares posted the prices and got ready.  Once the first colt grabbed a cookie there was a storm of clopping hooves and screaming youths grabbing anything they could and throwing money almost blindly, galloping away excitedly munching on their treats that were far better than anything they ever got at home.  

Collecting their money from the area the two started to clean up and Applebloom notices a little foal looking sad that she didn’t have enough money to buy something.  “C’mere,” beckoned Applebloom giving her a piece of candy and saying, “Now, don’t y’all tell anyone, ok?  We can’t be known for giving away free candy!”  

With a huge smile the little foal bolted away to join her friends and talk about the treats.  The adults were starting to come in line now, “Get ready, there Pinkamena, round two!”  Dropping two more boxes onto the ground she smiled crooked at her friend, took a deep breath, collecting herself.  

“Welcome one and all! Thanks for coming to ‘The Traveling Bakers’ latest delivery!  We’ll be here for a couple days so buy what we have and enjoy yourselves!  Just don’t forget to brush!”  Pinkamena beamed with a huge smile and bared sparkling white teeth, impressing all her customers, young and older alike.  

Quickly she started speaking, almost like an auctioneer:

“We have cakes, pies, and tasty treats to tantalize your senses and fluff your tails.  Your manes will shine with enough caramels and our taffy can’t be beat on this or any street!  You’ll die for our cookies that contain no dye and that’s no lie!”  Her voice joyful and almost squeaky; like the old days.  

‘She puts on one heckofa show.  I wonder who we’ll be leaving town with if we have to.’

Applebloom thought.  She scanned the crowd and saw the town sheriff in line and gulped to herself.  She kept smiling even though she was worried.  Even though she had passed hundreds of police and soldiers over the last years it didn’t become easier knowing what would happen.

Finishing up their final rush of the day Pinkamena left Applebloom to clean up.  “I’ll be right back, Bucky.”  Frowning Applebloom wasn’t a fan of her cover name, but she got it after an unfortunate bucking incident after getting drunk while camping after they started traveling.  It was rare for her to drink now especially after bucking a tree and getting a beehive on her back.

‘Pinkie was lucky,’ she thought ‘all the fliers had only her nickname, Pinkie Pie.  She gets called her full name Pinkamena, and no one is the wiser.  I’ve got two names to remember.’

Packing up the boxes and table she loaded them into the wagon and began organizing.  She began taking inventory of supplies and ingredients.  When she had to check the secret ingredient she closed the back cover completely, the temperature climbing quickly under the rising sun beating the cloth.

Opening a hidden trap door under the carpet they hid under the mannequin, she counted how much pony was left.  They salted the meat and would candy it to preserve it.  As she counted she noticed the numbers were lower than they should be.  She knew Pinkamena was eating them with her imaginary friends, but she wished she’d be more moderate in her eating.  

“She ate a foal worth this month already, sheesh.  What a hog!  How’s she still look’n so good eating all this junk food?  I wish I could eat a few pounds of candy jerky a week plus two full meals and a stew a day and not gain any weight.  Fuckin’ Pinkie.”  Her eyes widening her back legs trembled.  She quickly closed the trap door and covered it.  

She ran to a drawer and pulled out a bag and removed a bar of soap.  Much of it was worn away and it had some mares hairs on it, but she could waste any time.  She bit a small corner off and went to the back of the wagon.  Hopping out she was face to face with Pinkamena.  She started chewing and coughed, the distinct smell of their home made soap was evident.

“You said a naughty word? Didn’t you?  Didn’t YOU?” Pinkamena asked through clenched teeth and with a glare, her high pitch voice slightly rough.

Choking on a little soap that she breathed in when Pinkamena growled at her, she replied “No, I thought somethin bad, and bad thoughts are just as bad as sayin’ bad words, right?  Best nip it in the bud before it gets outta hand, sis.”  Spitting the soapy mix on the ground she kicked some dirt over it and looked at Pinkamena briefly as she thrust her chin into the air, she turned and started walking to the entrance; garnering a large respectful smile from the dark pink pony whose eyes brightened a bit in a way that rarely does in the real world anymore.  

Hopping up behind her friend, Pinkamena squeaked gleefully, “We have a room in the back!  It’s a slow time so we can have any room in the place and I asked for the most nicest room they have and we GOT IT! YAY!”  Hopping on the tips of her hooves almost twice her height, her cloak floating down after she landed, covering the lower ends of her exposed dress Applebloom had to grab her friend and pull her back to reality.

“When we’re in the room or the wagon or a mile away from any pony you can bounce like the old days, or you can take that darned under dress off and act like a crazy mare to your hearts content, if’n you don’t wanna get found out then keep grounded, Pegasus pony.”  Applebloom looked at her friend and glanced around at the locals who payed almost no mind to the eccentric out of towners.  

Pinkamena quietly led them to the room.  Using the room key she put around her neck she unlocked the door and they entered.  Applebloom, seeing a real bed screamed suddenly and startled Pinkamena who was accustomed to her sister being serious and thoughtful.

“A REAL BED!  NOT THE COLD GROUND OR A LUMPY WAGON!  C’MON PINKS, jump with me!”

Smiling, Pinkamena jumped on her bed and they began laughing and enjoying themselves like they hadn’t in what felt like months.  Pinkie started singing a song about cupcakes and her coat started to shine a hue lighter and she was excited to be having fun; until she looked at the closed door to their room.  

There was a poster of her old self, curly and bubbly, shiny coat and a huge comical smile.  A photo of her cutie mark was beside the photo.  ‘WANTED’ was in bold letters at the top.  After all the time had passed, they gave up on all the others and focused on the Pie sisters.  Applebloom and Derpy couldn’t be held accountable.

Applebloom stopped jumping on her bed, closed the shades and hopped over to Pinkamenas bed.  She pulled off the brown cloak and looked at her sister in her dress.  She admired the cutie marks that were so carefully sewn together to make it.  The wings of Rainbow Dash were the only wings she had, and her necklace, string made of dried hide strips from stallions holding six half unicorn horns loosely against her chest.

“Let me see that smile, Pinkie, lemme see it…  C’mon sis, I know its in there waitin to come out!”  Coaxed by Applebloom, Pinkamena slowly began reacting, reverting to her old bubbly self.  She was happy to stop being so melancholy and bland, so normal.  Before they knew it they were dancing around the room singing and dancing.  It was so much of a ruckus that the owner had to ask them to quiet down.  

They giggled like they were fillies again and apologized through the closed door to the owner, an older   stallion.  Throwing on her cloak again they left the room, locked it and went out to explore the town.