Cranky trudged his way through the market stands, grumbling as he went. Ponyville was way too bright. It looked the inside of a child’s coloring book. And ponies here were always staring at his hair. It was like none of them had ever seen a toupee before. And it was noisy. It seemed like ponies were always finding some excuse to break into song. And don’t forget the fact that it felt like the epicenter of disaster whenever something bad happened. If ponies weren’t singing, they were screaming. How he had been convinced that it’d be a good place to retire was one of the greater mysteries of his life.

Cranky thought about mentioning Fillydelphia to Matilda again. Most ponies had the decency to keep to themselves there. He let out a sigh, knowing it’d be a fruitless effort. Matilda loved it here. She thought the locals were “friendly” and the scenery was “charming”. She didn’t even seem bothered by how much “stubborn as a mule” was thrown around here.

Still, at least his house was on the outskirts of town. Nopony usually went out that far, except maybe that one mailmare. The one Matilda would give a muffin to whenever she had a delivery for them. It was out of the way enough to be private, though, so at least there was that.

Cranky started the climb up the hill to his house.

“Craaaaaaanky!” a voice sang from behind him.

Cranky groaned but did his best to put on a smile. He was soon joined by a bouncing pink ball of energy.

“Hey, kid,” Cranky said.

“Hiya, Cranky!” Pinkie Pie was smiling with all of the enthusiasm in Equestria, just as she had been the first moment they met.

“Whatcha got there, kid?” He tilted his head to the box bouncing on her back.

“Oh, this?” Pinkie giggled. “I was just on my way to make a delivery, when I saw you, and I thought to myself, ‘Pinkie, you should go talk to Cranky. He hardly ever comes outside, so this has got to be a special occasion!’ And then I thought ‘That’s a great idea!’ so, here I am!”

“Well, that’s thoughtful of you, kid,” Cranky said, “but shouldn’t you be making that delivery?”

“Oh, I don’t you worry about that,” Pinkie said with a shake of her head. “I’ll walk you home and then I’ll deliver it right after.”

“I guess it’s my lucky day,” Cranky said with half of a grin. He wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not. Pinkie Pie was usually too excitable for his tastes, but over time, she’d managed to grow on him, especially once she learned to respect his privacy.

Cranky and Pinkie soon found themselves outside of his door.

“Thanks for walking with me, kid,” Cranky said. “You better go make that delivery now.”

“Oh, I don’t have to go anywhere to deliver it,” Pinkie said, giggling like she had a secret. She passed the box over to Cranky. “It’s for you!”

“For… me?”

“I told you I’d deliver it right after.” She gave Cranky a wink. “It’s carrot cake! Matilda told me it’s your favorite.”

“Thanks, kid,” Cranky said, slightly in shock. The two stood there for a moment, just looking at the box.

“Well, I gotta skedoodle,” she said with a smile. “Bye, Cranky!”

“See ya later, Pinkie.”

He watched her bounce down the path back to town until she disappeared from sight before entering his home.



“What do you have there, Doodle?” Matilda asked from the table.

“Pinkie Pie just dropped off a cake,” he answered, setting the box down in front of her.

“Such a sweet girl,” Matilda said with a smile. They opened it together and saw a cake in pristine condition even though Cranky could swear he saw the box rattling on Pinkie’s back. “Happy Gala-versary!” was written across the cake in icing.

“She told me it’s carrot cake,” Cranky continued.

“Just like the one we shared the night we met,” Matilda said, leaning against Cranky.

“It was the most delicious cake I’d ever eaten,” Cranky said, resting his head on hers.

“I still can’t believe you let me walk around all evening with frosting in my mane,” she said, shaking her head.

“You just looked so pretty, I couldn’t bring myself to mention it.”

Together, they enjoyed the best carrot they’d ever eaten. This town definitely had its problems, but Matilda loved it. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, after all.