Luna's stars hung high in the sky as the lights of ponyville slowly flickered off one by one. Soon, only a handful of buildings still held movement, the largest of which being Sugarcube Corner. With the Cakes going away with their children on a weekend family trip, Pinkie had thrown a large 'We'll miss you and make sure to come back soon and bring back lots of treats and be safe!' party at the spur of the moment and it was, shortly after midnight, drawing to a close. Pinkie, a pink mare with a large poofy tail and mane similiar in consistency to a cotton candy cloud, was saying goodbye to her last guests and attempting to convince them to stay just a little longer.

"I'm sorry dear, but I really must get home and work on my fall lineup. I've already procrastinated so long as it is. It truly was a delightful soiree though." Rarity, a white coated unicorn with a perfectly curled indigo mane and eyelashes, told the pink pony as she trotted out the door. It truly had been a marvelous party, so marvelous in fact that she had long forgotten her hat on the counter of the small shop.

"I would if I could, Pinkie. But Spike really needs to get into bed." Twilight, a purple-maned unicorn with a dark blue mane holding streaks of red and violet, told the her friend as she stifled a yawn. On her back was a very small dragon with purple scales and green spikes down its back, curled into a ball and snoring loudly. "Are you sure you don't want any help with the cleanup?"

"No no, don't be silly! It'll all be done in a lickety split! Hee hee, have you ever licked a split? Not a ban-" But she trailed off as her friend trotted out before the pink pony could get into one of her rants. Pinkie slowly moved to the doorway and watched the two ponies disappear from sight as she began to feel lonely. Quickly she shook her head as she got to work. "No time for moping Pinkie! You got a shop to clean!" And indeed she did.

She started with the front lobby, gathering all the bowls, cups, and utensils from her party guests. Carefully storing the leftover food in the fridge, she took a glance out the window. A chill went down her side as she slowly moved to look out it. All the other homes were locked up tight for the night, lights out. Everypony was asleep with their loved ones. Except her. The darkness made her feel isolated, as if it was closing her off from the rest of the world. Trapped...

She quickly shook her head as she moved back to the entrance of the shop, using a mop to clean the floor. The store was going to be perfectly clean when the Cakes got home! They would be so happy! Soon the entrance was completely clean, it even sparkled, as she moved to the dishes, singing as she went to work. "Come on everypony smile smile smile... Fill my..." Her voice trailed off. In the sun with an audience of her friends to sing with her, the song was beautiful. But in the large empty shop, with no random music behind, it just drove even deeper how alone she was right now.

A little tiny voice in the back of her head chuckled darkly. "Alone again? Of course you are. Just the pink party pony of ponyville...The only pony so utterly useless she has to throw hundreds of parties to keep anypony around her. " Pinkie dropped a cup with a little shriek. She hadn't heard that voice in her head since her last birthday, when she had thought all her friends hated her.

"I can't hear you. Lah lah lah lah. Giggle at the ghostly, guffaw at the grossly..." As she finished up her impromtu song, the voice seemed to have died down. Soon the only sound was her soapy hoofs washing dishes. Besides! Everypony loved her parties! Her punch was a hit this time! Not like... That one time... She began to scrub a fork so hard it bent. If only she hadn't put lemon in the punch then Rarity would have never spit it out! Stupid stupid! Why lemons? She should have added a touch more strawberry, or maybe some kiwi. But never lemons! She was just thankful her friends were willing to forgive her for it, they even threw her a party the very next day!

"So whiny. You know the only reason they even come to your parties is because you practically beg them with your silly antics. If it wasn't for guilt they'd never come and see you at all." The voice mocked her again.

"That's... That's not true at all. They love my parties! I make them as exciting and fun as I can..." Pinkie argued weakly as her hair deflated slightly.

"Oh please. If it wasn't for your constant parties no pony would even know you except as the loud crazy pony who makes lousy cupcakes. Instead you're just the loud crazy pony who throws horrible parties. Wasting your life away with them, just like your friend said."

Pinkie snapped a bowl in half, cringing. "It's not true... My friends don't think I'm wasting my life away... They even threw me a party... You're just a silly voice, you don't know anything." She feebly tried to put the bowl back together.

"Says the pony talking to herself. The only reason they even threw you that party was so they didn't have to deal with your incessant whining. I mean who has a break down because they have to spend one day alone? What kind of pony is so needy they need to have attention every single second or they-"

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Pinkie screamed as her mane fully deflated. "You're just a bad voice in my head who-"

"Pinkie?" A soft voice said from behind the pink mare.

Her head whipped around and she saw who interrupted her personal argument. Rarity. Quickly she stuck a soapy hoof in her mouth and blew, her mane reinflating. "Rarity, when did you get all sneaky-weaky?" She asked as she hopped around. Ugh, the soap tasted terrible, but she tried to ignore it.

"I forgot my hat and I heard you yelling. The door was unlocked and... Pinkie, have you been crying?"

"What? No! I was ummm... I got something in my eye. See?" She quickly rubbed one of them, getting it covered in soap. She then ran to the sink to rinse it out as her eyes watered. "See! I'm not crying at all! Just soap!" She tried to keep the whining out of her voice.

The white unicorn stood there for a long while, watching her friend in silence as the pink mare hopped around, pretending everything was fine. "She's going to leave, you know. Nopony wants a friend who's sad and whiny. She'll tell the others and none of them will want to be around such a crybaby." The voice started up again as she tried to ignore it.

"Pinkie, is something wrong? You're acting strange. Stranger than normal." Rarity said softly as she moved closer, placing a hoof on her friends forehead.

"See? She thinks your weird. Not the good kind either. She's going to tell everypony."

"I'm fine! Really! I was just doing the dishes and got soap in my eyes! Well you said you have some fashion to get to fashioning so you should go now!" She quickly moved behind the unicorn and quickly steered her out the kitchen's door. But before she could get her to the entranceway, Rarity dug both her hooves into the ground.

"Pinkie please. I'm your friend, you can tell me anything. Is something upsetting you? Are you mad at me?"

"What? No! I could never ever be mad at you Rarity! You're the most generous and giving pony I know! For me to be mad at you I'd need to become a real silly goofy angry muffin hating head! With extra muffin hates!" Pinkie said as she hopped around some more.

"She's going to figure it out. She won't want to be your friend any more."

"I see... Well then... Pinkie." Rarity said as she stood up to walk back into the kitchen. "While I'm here, why don't I help you clean the dishes?"

"NO!" Pinkie said firmly. "You said you have things to work on, I can do the dishes, really. I don't want you to have to-"

"And then how about we have a little slumber party, okay?" Rarity interrupted, watching the sugar fueled mare.

"A... Slumber party?"

"Yes. The Cakes are going to be out for a few days anyway, so why don't you come and stay with me until they return? You can even bring Gummy."

"That... That would be awesome!" Pinkie shrieked as she jumped to her hooves, her hair fully inflated again. The voice was ignored as she darted into the kitchen after Rarity. They were going to have the best time! Rarity's was her number one place to sleep at! With a only twenty-seven way tie with all her other favorite place to sleep at! With the two of them working on the dishes they were done in a fraction of the time, leaving Pinkie to prepare for the trip. She packed all the necessities such as invitations, balloons, streamers, tinsel(because you never know when tinsel will save your life), gummy chew toy, Gummy's non gummy chew toy, and a rubber ducky. Soon the jumpy pony was by the door, hopping up and down in excitement as she locked the place up behind them. "This is going to be so so so so much fun!"

"Of course it will dear. Of course it will." Rarity said as she forced a smile. Oh how she was already beginning to regret this... No! Her friend obviously needed her and she would not abandon her. Besides, what's the worst that... Best not to tempt the fates.