The drive wasn't long, but the man that escorted them from the building was there with them. "I trust you were treated well?"

I tilted my head at him. "Oh sure. She's a nice mare, but so serious! It's not even surprising she'd get her cutie mark in it."

He seemed surprised at something. "I see. And do you take your job seriously?"

"Of course." I sat down on my haunches since this guy didn't seem to care as much how I stood while talking to him. "I love making ponies smile, and spreading good cheer. I like making friends, which leads into the first part. How about you?"

He chuckled softly. "Very interesting." He didn't answer my question, instead looking to Aiko. "And you, young lady?"

She smiled a little. "I didn't think anyone here would call me that..."

"And yet that is the case, is it not? Your friend speaks with the optimism of a child, but I would wager you're the younger of the two."

"Yes, sir, I think so, sir." She glanced at me. "How old are you Pinkie?"

I rolled my hooves around. "Well, your year might not be my year, being all different worlds and everything."

"Different worlds?" He frowned lightly. "I have a feeling this didn't come up during your interview."

~Pinkie, you keep telling them things.~

~We won't make friends without telling them some things. Besides, where I'm from isn't a secret.~

"Anyway, I'm a baker." I reached out a hoof. "I'd make you a pie, but humans who eat my cakes or other sweet things end up becoming ponies, so that's out, unless you want to be a pony?"

He actually looked interested. "Oh, I would, but I have a family affair to attend to, perhaps another day." He turned to one of the other soldiers riding with us. "See they're treated well. They're guests, not prisoners."

"Yes, sir."

He looked back at me. "We'll be in touch." The van stopped, and he was the first off, hopping to the ground and marching away.

The soldier closest to us made a gesture to rise. "Come on, this way." He wasn't aiming his gun at us or barking like he was before. Things were looking up!

~Do you really think so?~

I glanced at Aiko, ~Sure. They're being nicer now. I think they want to get to know us. And did you hear that guy? I think he wants to be a pony. Go figure huh?~

~I don't think he meant that.~

~Why'd he say that?~

~It's Chinese.~

~But...~

Aiko brushed past me, winking at me before following the guard out of the van. I hurried to catch up with her and we went trotting to a new building. This one had three stories, and looked more... modern? It was fancier for sure. The hallways were clean and polished, great for skating, though I resisted for the moment.

We were led into an elevator. "You'll be staying with the other horses. Don't cause a commotion." He raised a brow. "In case it needs to be stated, you are being watched at all times."

I waved a hoof excitedly. "Is there a kitchen?"

"I'm not sure."

How could he not be sure? Oh well. I'd find out on my own.

The elevator came to a stop and he gestured out. "This is your stop."

"Not coming with us?" I stepped off with a pronk, landing facing him.

"Let me think about it." The door closed before he could finish thinking about it, leaving me with Aiko.

Aiko shook her head. "I never believed my friends when they were making fun of how Chinese people said no, but they're not wrong. We do the same thing, really." She focused on me. "It must seem strange to you."

I didn't get it, and Aiko knew that, so she just smiled at me. "Don't worry, neither of them were mad at you. It was just the way our cultures work. Both meant 'no.'"

"Oh! Why didn't they say so?"

"They did." She turned from the elevator and began exploring down the hallway. "In their own way. It makes enough sense to Japanese or Chinese speakers."

As we approached the first intersection, we spotted a stallion with bright blue fur glaring at us sullenly from the left. "Great, more crowding."

Aiko tipped her head at him. "Sorry. We'll try not to take up too much space. Where should we go?"

"Where you came from would be nice." He pushed off the wall he was leaning on and snorted at us. "Bad enough we're horses. We don't have to be stalled like them."

I tipped a hat I didn't have. "Hey there! My name's Pinkie. What's yours?" He looked at me kinda sour, so I just kept going. "I wanna make everyone a welcome treat. Which way's the kitchen?"

He stood up a little. "You want to take kitchen duty? Fine." He turned away from us and began trotting down the hallway. Following after him, I could see other ponies of different colors peeking out at us from in their rooms. Nopony was rushing to say hi to us.

We entered a dark room and he flicked a hoof against the wall, hitting a switch to reveal a sparsely used kitchen. "Here. Good luck with your stupid horse hooves."

I tilted my head at the earth pony. "What? Nobody here knows how to work it?"

I bounced on over to the pantry and had a look inside. There was plenty waiting to be used! "I was gonna make something for a party, but maybe we'll make it a nice happy lunch instead." I tapped my forehooves thoughtfully. "Still sweet, but good for you and everyone can talk." I started grabbing materials and dragging them out of the pantry, getting things in order to get to cooking. Cooking's the best part. No wait! Seeing ponies eating what you made, that's better.

The pony turned to Aiko, shaking his head. "Is she for real?"

Aiko smiled at him. "She is, and she will. Tell everyone else to be ready for her. She does some things especially well, cooking is one of them."

He grunted and frowned at Aiko. "She's a damn horse. How's she gonna cook a thing?"

Aiko waved at me. "Watch and see. She will, I promise. I'm Aiko, by the way. I apologize if she came out a bit strongly."

"Yeah..." He settled on his haunches and watched me working and whistling. "Yeah... I'll tell the others." He stood up and strode through the hallway, speaking to each doorway quietly. Some of them reacted curiously, and Aiko had at least six others seated beside her, watching me cook.

One of them, a dull-pinkish stallion, raised a hoof towards me. "How are you doing that?"

"I want to cook, so I am." I pushed a tray deep into the oven and slapped it closed. "Wanna help?"

"I don't want to burn my mouth."

"That's why you use a glove, silly." She waved a cooking mitt at him. "Come on over." He approached slowly. "Aw, don't be shy. Auntie Pinkie's gonna show you all how a pony cooks!"

Not all of them joined me, but about half did, and I had five helpers following along after me. We began to sing a cooking song, but it wasn't one of mine! Apparently it was a Chinese cooking song, so I just followed after it and showed them how to grab things properly with snout and hooves without burning or cutting anything that isn't supposed to be.

One of them tapped me on the chin, the pink one. A few tears were running down his face. "It's been so long since I could cook. You've given me a gift, one I cannot hope to repay."

I pat him on the shoulder. "Aw, it isn't anything. I like cooking with friends."

"And friends we are." He hugged me a moment before he got back to cooking, and I noticed he was making things I didn't show how to do. He was cooking something he knew how to cook, or so I guessed. He mashed things with a knife and cut them up, holding the knife in his mouth and getting more at ease with it with every slice. He nicked himself once and hissed, but got right back into it. That seemed to be a pattern that went on with two more of them, preparing what I guessed were local dishes, with the other two helping me with more pony dishes.

Aiko came up beside me when I was relaxing. "You did a very good thing. I don't think the ponies here ever really learned how to move past their hooves." She held up her hooves at me. "I thought these were like manacles."

"Like handcuffs!" echoed one of the ponies, a mare that was happily preparing some bread, kneading it on a pan. "I was ready to just live my life being a talking horse."

Eventually, we emerged with trays of food and began setting up a table for everyone in what looked like a big dining room, like a cafeteria. They learned how to balance things on their back, and when something was light enough to hold in their mouth, or even balance on both hooves, and we only had a few tiny spills on the way, but we laughed it off and nobody got angry or too embarrassed about it. It was fun!

The one that hugged me, the pink stallion, gave a sharp whistle. "Come and get it!" The others gave a few claps with their hooves in a clopping that quickly synchronized, summoning the ponies from their rooms to come and enjoy the meal.

One of the smaller ones, a child, burst out of the crowd and rushed the table, eyeing it. "What is it all? Did you make all this? What even is that?" He pointed at one of my dishes. "Dibs on the braised noodles!"

He was gently scooted away by one of the chefs back to the others. I hopped up on the bench and stood up to everyone could see me. "Hello everyone! Today's meal is special, prepared by some ponies you may know." I gestured to my helpers. "I gave a hoof, but it was mostly them. Let's thank them properly, and enjoy the food they've prepared."

Polite clopping went through the crowd accompanying smiling faces. "Let's form a line on the left and go around the table. There's enough for everyone, promise. One serving per person." I started directing the line, and the others were happy to help keep things sane. This was the kind of party that benefitted from a firm hoof. We'd get to the partying part of the party after everyone had a plate and they weren't so hungry.

Author's Notes:

Well, that went well, I think.

1: So, how did you ponies end up here instead of the camps?
2: Oh hello mister boss guy. Oh sure we can talk.
3: Go see the kirin lady? Well alright.
4: I bet we could make this place way more festive looking. Let's turn these frowns upside down!
5: Aiko realizes time is running out in a rather big way.