The hill...

It always came back to that lonely hill outside of town. The place Pinkie had hoped to give a happy story to.

It was where Sunny had first stepped into this world, into their lives. It was where he had disappeared when he'd realized there was no place for him among the living...

And it was where Pinkie and her friends had proven him wrong. They had dragged him back, giving him a real chance at life...a chance that should have lasted so much longer...

If anything...this was where Sunny would come back....

Pinkie just hoped she was right.

She didn't know how long she had been waiting out here in the dark. She could barely see anything, there was a thick layer of clouds in the sky, blotting out any light that may have been given by the moon and stars.

But she couldn't leave, no matter what.

She had to be here for Sunny.

Pinkie started to walk, making a quick circle around the hill on the off chance she might see Sunny approaching...no such luck.

"Sunny, you gotta hurry and get back home to Ponyville," she muttered in the dark. "If you get back too late everypony is going to be too tired for your party..." Pinkie pulled herself back to the top of the hill.

Oh why did staying up super late have to be so tiring? It felt like her eyelids were going to snap shut at any moment. She just needed a few more minutes...

Just needed to see him one more time...

So she could yell at him for leaving them all again...

"Pinkie Pie?" a voice, so rough and grumbly it could only be one pony, came from behind her.

"Sunny!" Pinkie tried to stay grumpy at him but the second she turned and saw him standing there, looking so very tired and alone, all such thoughts vanished from her head. "I knew you'd come back! I mean, there was never any chance you would leave us behind forever! I've already got a party planned and everything, we can invite all your friends and any ponies who want to be your friend and any other pony who wants to come!" Pinkie couldn't hold herself back, she jumped forward, wrapping him up in a great hug.

Then something amazing happened, he hugged her back! His strong hooves wrapped around her and he actually lifted her in the air!

He started to twirl her around and a bubbly laugh escaped her throat, soon to be joined by Sunny's own deep laughter.

He was laughing! Oh Celestia, Sunny was actually laughing! Pinkie didn't think she'd ever heard him laugh like this before, a laugh that surrounded her like a soft cushion.

It was just so amazing...

Eventually the hug had to stop, Sunny had to put her back on the ground. But that was okay, there would always be time for hugs and laughter later.

"Come on Sunny, let's go home," she said, waving her forward. Sunny didn't move.

"Of course, but can you do something for me first Pinkie?" Sunny turned his gaze skyward, almost like he could see through the clouds. Pinkie tried to follow his eyes, but could see nothing but black.

"Sure thing, what do you need?" she looked back at him.

"I need you to wake up..."

Her eyes shot open to a dimly lit room. She was lying in a surprisingly soft bed, but it wasn't her bed. No, it smelled way too...not like a cake here.

She sat up and had a quick glance around. The first thing she noticed was the window next to her letting in the light from the morning sun. Turning to her left she was greeted by a curtain hung up on a railing, blocking the rest of the room from her.

Oh...that's right...

She was in the Ponyville Hospital, recovering from Discord's attack.

Funny how memories work right when you wake up.

But they all came flooding back now.

Discord and Sunny had vanished so suddenly, but Pinkie had still reached out for him, expecting him to pop back any second wearing an apologetic smile.

But of course he didn't.

What had happened was that reality had snapped back to normal. The various clouds in the sky had shifted back to their original colors, taking the feeling of dread that had been following them the moment they'd stepped in Canterlot.

Everything finally seemed sane again.

And then there was the throne. The air shimmered around it for an instant and there they were, hanging off of the arms and back like discarded old toys.

"The Elements!" Twilight had cried out.

"He had them with him the whole time," Applejack added, "That whole moon nonsense must have been an illusion."

"Well at least we have them back now," said Fluttershy. "Maybe we should try to find a way to stop them from being taken away from us so easily. What do you think Pinkie Pie?"

"I...I think..." she shuddered, even if Discord's magic had gone, its effects still remained. She could still see those stone Discords dismantling themselves to throw at her. She tried to dodge them, but she just wasn't fast enough.

She didn't think there was a single part of her that didn't hurt.

Her legs thought that the ground looked like a nice place to lie down, and the rest of her body seemed to agree. She had let her knees buckle, sending her straight to the ground.

"Pinkie!" Rarity had been right next to her, slowing her fall. "Somepony get some help!"

"Right! I'll go grab the Princesses. They should be at the Discord Statue in the gardens, right Twilight?" Rainbow Dash hadn't even waited for an answer, leaping into the air and rushing away as fast as her wings would take her.

"Don't worry dear, everything's going to be okay," Rarity said to her.

Pinkie had hoped that was true. If everything was going to be okay, that meant all of her friends would be safe and happy...

That Sunny would come back...

She had closed her eyes and had next opened them to unicorn doctor hemming and hawing over her while flipping through a medical report.

"Hello?" she'd mumbled, and them immediately gagged. The inside of her mouth tasted like dry cardboard, which even though it may look promising, did not taste anything like chocolate. The doctor had smiled slightly at her antics, something that had brightened her spirits just a little bit.

"Good to see you awake Ms. Pie. You've been through quite the event haven't you?"

"You can say that again," she shifted around in her bed, wincing slightly at the pain. "Don't suppose you've got any good news for me?"

"Good enough I suppose. All your injuries should heal in time, but there are a few tests I still want to run. Until I get the results back my prescription for you is extended bed rest," he'd given her a nod and walked off, probably to check on the other patients.

Extended bed rest...any other time she would have said that was her least favorite form of bed rest. Sleeping was nice and all, nopony could party forever, but staying too long in bed meant a greater chance of missing out on all things fun!

But right now she could easily say she wasn't in the mood for anything fun. She'd decided to try and follow the doctor's prescription to the letter. Maybe that would make things better...

But it seemed that assumption had been wrong, even her dreams were against her.

Unsure of what else to do, Pinkie just sat in her bed staring at the far wall as if it might give her some answers...

The sun slowly traveled through the sky, bringing a little more light to her room. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door, jolting her our of her stupor.

Who was here to see her? Was it the cakes? Did they bring Pound and Pumpkin with them? If they were here she had to put on a smile, had to make it look like everything was okay.

She just needed to think of a happy thought, something cheerful, something bright, something...sunny...

Well darn it.

The door opened slowly and Pinkie made one last attempt to smile. The first thing through her door was the tip of a magnificently curled purple mane.

"Oh, good morning Rarity," she said, hoping her smile was good enough. The glamorous unicorn stepped inside, a jeweled saddlebag thrown over her back.

"It's good to see you awake darling, the doctors told us you needed your bed rest but they decided to let me in after...are you okay Pinkie? You look like you're in pain," Rarity stared at her, a worried expression on her face. Pinkie guessed her smile wasn't exactly working out.

She dropped it.

"Oh, it's nothing. Sorry Rarity," Pinkie paused for a second. "So what brings you here?"

"Well I know you're probably still feeling a bit under the weather so I thought I could bring you some soup. I've found that nice warm soup helps in almost any situation. Plus I know how much you hate to be kept out of the loop so I'm also here to bring you the news from all our friends," she levitated a covered bowl of soup and settled it on the drawer next to Pinkie.

"They're all still okay, right?" Pinkie couldn't help but ask.

"Of course they are dear. Twilight is spending some time with her brother right now, did you know he hadn't even realized Discord had gotten past his shield? He was absolutely ashamed before Celestia was able to calm him down. Speaking of the Princess, she and her sister wanted to come and visit you but they're rather busy at the moment taking care of all the high class ponies who realized they sat through a Discord assault," Rarity started to walk around the room, absentmindedly adjusting everything with her magic to make it appear a little more presentable.

"Twilight told me that she and the Princesses had tried to speak with Discord in the garden but he simply won't respond. Of course, it may be because he simply can't..." she moved the curtain by Pinkies bed, making all of the creases and folds symmetrical.

"I was surprised when Celestia suggested the Ponyville Hospital, but I suppose the doctors in Canterlot are more suited for magical problems rather than physical. Also, it seems that most of the ponies here didn't even know Discord was back. A few noticed the cotton candy clouds, but it was all over before they really had a chance to panic. I believe Fluttershy's animals simply slept through the entire incident..."

Pinkie just leaned back against her pillows and listened to Rarity talk. She took some comfort in how easygoing her friend was able to sound. She could go from ready to fight a pure force of chaos to making dresses with almost no effort.

All of her friends were truly amazing...

"...and Applejack is back at her farm with the crusaders. I hope they're going to be okay. As far as they know Sunny was lost in the woods...I hope Applejack can think of the right thing to tell them..." Rarity stopped, staring out of the window.

"Do you think he was happy? In the end when he took Discord away?" Pinkie finally said, picturing Sunny's last face.

"I think in a way...he was happy, and sad..." Rarity said slowly, turning to face her. "I don't think he wanted to be taken away from us, but by taking Discord away, he saved us. He sacrificed himself, knowing that we would all be safe because of it." Pinkie nodded at Rarity. It made sense, but it still didn't make her feel better.

"Did you know that when me and Twilight went looking for him in that weird place Discord made, I got lost? That place trapped me and I couldn't escape no matter how hard I tried. In the end Sunny actually saved me! Isn't that silly? We were supposed to save him, not the other way around..." her head dropped down.

"Well you saved him before, maybe he was just returning the favor. We all need help sometimes," Rarity smiled at her and Pinkie tried to mirror it.

"Thanks Rarity, for everything," Pinkie smiled, a real smile, thought not a big one.

"Oh there's no need for that, you're my friend. Just give me a call in case you ever need anything. Right now I think I'll head over to Applejack's. She'll probably need all the help she can in dealing with Sweetie Belle. I'll be back later Pinkie Pie," Rarity gave her a quick pat on the shoulder before heading for the door.

"Okie dokie loki! Tell everypony I say hi!" she waved as Rarity stepped outside, leaving her alone in the room.

Happy and sad at the same time...maybe that was something she should try for.

With Rarity gone Pinkie realized just how hungry she was. She tried a bit of the soup, sighing in content at its amazing flavor. Just a few bites and she felt absolutely content.

She leaned back against her pillow, closing her eyes. It was things like this. Soup brought to her by a friend, a friend that belonged to a group of the greatest ponies she'd ever known.

That could make her happy.

She set the bowl back down, feeling quite a bit better, when someone new knocked at the door. Maybe it was the doctor! Maybe he was here to say everything was great and she could go home!

The door swung open.

Or maybe it was Trixie...

"Trixie! When did you get out of the Canterlot infirmary?" Pinkie was tempted to jump out of bed and give her a hug, but she knew she had to follow the doctor's orders. She settled for a happy enthusiastic wave.

"About the same time you got yourself checked into one," the magician wore a small grin. "Trixie was worried the ponies in this town would not be happy upon seeing her again. But surprisingly, an attack from Discord followed by a changeling invasion followed by Discord again will drive out the memory of a Ursa Minor."

"Ooh yeah, that's a good point," Pinkie agreed. "So what brought you here? Oh! Do you want some cupcakes? I bet I could make you some as soon as I'm out of here."

"No, nothing like that," Trixie sighed a bit. "Trixie...I came here to apologize. I already spoke a little to your friends but you...I think you deserve this more than anyone." Pinkie immediately knew what she was talking about.

"You're mean Sunny aren't you? How you took him while he was going through the Everfee Forest," Pinkie said.

"Yes...if I hadn't done that, if I had just been a little bit slower, if I had been able to do something none of this would have happened..." Trixie looked down. Pinkie decided to risk angering her doctor and pulled herself out of bed. She walked over and lifted up Trixie's head with one of her hooves.

"Hey, don't say that. You don't need to apologize, I'm not mad at you," she said to the unicorn.

"Really? But he was your friend. If I had just been a little stronger this-" Pinkie held up a hoof, stopping her.

"I am grumpy that this happened, but you're not to blame. If those ghost ponies hadn't found you they would have grabbed some other poor pony. And then, even after anything, you tried to save Sunny. You gave yourself to give him a chance to escape. Even if I wanted to angry at you I couldn't," a little giggle came from her throat. "After all, who could be mad at The Great and Powerful Trixie?"

Trixie laughed with her. "I cannot argue with that. And it seems Sunny agreed as well...he saved me in the end."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Pinkie asked.

"After you, Twilight, and Sunny left me in that place of chaos I sat in that lonely town for a short while. Then in a second, it all vanished. I was tumbling through a void of of near darkness, in it I could see those lost ponies swirl around that terrible shape of Discord. I could sense something pulling at all of us, something led by an immensely powerful presence. I was dragged along, almost lost, when that presence grabbed me. I felt so calm, like I was being held by my own mother, and I heard one little phrase..."

Trixie closed her eyes, remembering.

"It's time you went home..." her eyes opened back up. "The next think I knew, I was in a bed in Canterlot and very very confused."

"Did you see anything else while you were in that place? Did you...did you see what happened to Sunny?" Pinkie had to say.

"I am afraid not," was all Trixie could say in return.

"Oh, well...do you think there's a chance he could come back?" Pinkie started to climb back into her bed.

"I don't know. I learned long ago that sitting and wishing for things...doesn't help anything. Sometimes...the world does not work out the way we wish it to," Trixie said, looking away slightly.

"Okay," Pinkie said after a quiet moment. "Thanks for coming Trixie, it was nice to see that you're okay."

"You are welcome. I should be staying in Ponyville for a while longer. I think I shall visit you, if my schedule allows it. Get well soon Pinkie," Trixe backed off towards the door.

"I'll try my best!" she waved at the closing door, already thinking on Trixie's words.

If the world always worked out, Princess Celestia would have never had to banish Princess Luna to the moon, Discord wouldn't have escaped, changelings wouldn't have attacked...

But if Nightmare Moon hadn't happened, would she have met Twilight or the others? Battling Discord and the changelings showed her just how powerful her friendship with all of them was, and it made her a hero.

All those things, no matter how bad, had brought her some good.

Maybe the good from this just hadn't happened yet...

Maybe...

At the end of the day the doctor had returned to her room with a heartening smile. She'd apparently passed all the tests and was allowed to go back home, providing she took it easy for a few more days. Pinkie had happily agreed, skipping out of the front doors of the hospital straight back to Sugar Cube Corner.

She was so excited to see the Cakes again, but by the time she arrived they'd all gone to sleep. Resigned, she crawled into her own bed.

And the natural pattern of her life resumed.

Not even an assault from Discord would stop ponies need for sweets and Pinkie found herself trapped under a remarkable deluge of order. Ten cakes for a massive birthday party being thrown next week, and a beautiful five tiered cake for somepony's wedding a month from now. Pinkie was happy with it, she could lose herself in the work, focus hard enough on it so the sad part of her happiness didn't overwhelm her.

Her friends stopped by every now and then, sometimes to help her bake, other times just to talk. She saw quite a bit more of Trixie than she realized. Pinkie found herself wondering if she was lonely and offered her a party, a chance to make new friends.

The magician had declined almost immediately, and that was okay, big parties weren't for everypony. Pinkie gave her a free cupcake anyways.

She'd offered a smaller party, just her and her friends, but Trixie had said no to that too.

"It will just make things harder..." the unicorn had said. Pinkie finally understood what she meant a few days later on the outskirts of Ponyville.

"You're leaving? So soon?" Twilight said, standing before Trixie with all of her friends.

"I am a show-pony, traveling is the only life I know. I kept telling myself I would leave earlier, but you ponies just made it so hard," Trixie shook her head at them. "I don't think I've ever run into a friendlier town."

"Well we aren't planning on changing anytime soon!" Pinkie shouted.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? You could stay at the library and I could teach you some magic," Twilight gasped. "We could even have study parties!" Trixie just laughed.

"I think not Twilight Sparkle. I will earn my magic through my own travels and studies...thank you though, for the offer," she smiled at Twilight.

"Well I can tell you surely got your mind set on this," Applejack tipped her hat towards Trixie. "But that don't mean we're gonna let you walk outta here with nothing, c'mon Rarity!" the two ponies quickly ran off back towards the town. They returned a few minutes later, carrying two large bags.

"I stitched up a darling little cloak for you and I was planning to give it you as a gift but now it seems I won't get a chance," Rarity tossed her back over Trixie's back. "There should be a few more changes of clothes in there, enough to keep you warm and give your show a little more spark."

"And I've got some apples from back home, don't want to think about you getting hungry out there," a bulging bag joined Rarity's.

"You ponies...just too nice," Trixie said after a few moments of silence, notably turning her face away.

"That's jus' what friends do," Applejack replied.

"Yeah, and you better stay out of trouble this time," Rainbow Dash added.

"Trust me, Trixie shall do her best to avoid any and all Ursa Minors or magical forests," Trixie straightened, rubbing her eyes a bit as she looked back at them. "But Trixie thinks she won't be away for long..."

"You should write to us!" Pinkie suggested. "Then we can hear about all the cool towns outside of Ponyville!" Trixie pondered it for a moment.

"That sounds like a good idea, and," she moved closer to Pinkie. "I will also try to look for any news I can on Sunny...just in case." Pinkie just nodded at her.

"Thanks," she whispered back.

"Now I must be off or I get the feeling you ponies will not let me leave," Trixie started to walk along the road. "And be sure to listen for any new tales of The Great and Powerful Trixie!" With that she started running, making her way away from the town.

Pinkie waved at her, even though she knew Trixie wouldn't be able to tell.

She said a quick goodbye to all her friends and trotted back to Sugar Cube Corner. Stepping inside she found herself struck by a spark on inspiration.

She was going to bake a cake.

She gathered up all the ingredients and place them out on the kitchen counter. She always found it funny the sort of things that went into baking a cake. There was butter, eggs, milk, flour, baking soda, and sugar. The only yummy thing there was sugar, you'd never think such a great thing could be made from mixing all those ingredients together in the right combination.

She went through the motions, throwing everything together in a mixing bowl and churning it up with all of her strength.

Pinkie poured it all into a circular pan, being very careful not to spill anything.

This had to be perfect.

She pushed the pan into the oven, setting the timer and working on some other orders while it baked, mainly decorating.

The sweet shop had an endless rainbow of frosting colors available, letting them decorate almost anything on their cakes.

But she wouldn't need that many.

Finally the oven dinged, letting her know the cake was ready. She put on a pair of oven mitts and carefully pulled the pan out, setting it on the counter next to the frosting.

She started with white, slowly spreading it over the top with a rubber spatula, making sure it was completely smooth.

Next was the black. Pinkie squeezed the tube, slowly making the outline of a pony. She colored him in with some gray frosting, not the most appetizing, but it somehow fit.

As an afterthought, Pinkie added a small black smile to the pony's face.

To finish it all off she wrote two words beneath the picture with thick black frosting.

She paused to look over her creation. It seemed so small, so plain...

She knew he would love it.

It was quickly covered with a plastic lid and transported to the kitchen freezer. It wouldn't last forever, but it would last...well...

It would last long enough.

It had to.

Happy and sad at the same time...

That was something she'd have to get used to.

Far away, the shadows were silent and unmoving...

But not alone.

Author's Notes:

Here it is, the final chapter.

I wanted it to be a happy ending, I really did, but the words just wouldn't fit. I tried to write what did fit, and I got this.

For now, that's all the Sunny I've got in me. It's time to go back to some nice one-shots. Back to basics as it were. I'll probably do a nice little blog post on it.

I think I'm happy with this fic. It went on for much longer than I thought it to, and while I felt several parts were weak, the scenes I wanted to write flowed out perfectly.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the ride.