Pinkie loved her friends dearly, but even she had to admit that they each had their strengths and weaknesses. Rainbow Dash was fun and funny, but was usually not the pony she went to for serious advice. Fluttershy was gentle and kind, but really struggled dealing with conflict. Being around Applejack always motivated her to do hard work, but she was sometimes too much of a stick in the mud. Rarity, although a gifted artist, was rarely willing to really get her hooves dirty.

Twilight sometimes struggled to loosen up and have fun, but there was nopony better to help her with a dilemma, and Pinkie had one hell of a dilemma right now. Carrot had skipped town and Cup was nowhere to be found. While all alone at that bakery last night, there was nothing to distract her from her fear and confusion. The shadows cast by the various objects in the bakery seemed to dance in the darkness, but she knew that was more her imagination than anything else. When the morning came, she realized that the only thing to do would be to close down the bakery until further notice and race to the library.

She rapped on the door and called out for Twilight until Spike finally answered. He was rubbing his eyes, having apparently just woken up. "Hi, Pinkie…um, are you okay? You look upset."

"I'm not okay, Spikey, and I was hoping I could talk to Twilight. Is she up?"

"Yeah, she always wakes up at sunrise. Hang on, let me go get her."

"No need," Twilight said as she came down the stairs. "I can hear your voice from up here."

"Twilight, something really bad has happened and you're the only pony I could think to talk to."

"Sure thing, Pinkie. What happened?"

"I just found out that Mrs. Cake's babies don't belong to Mr. Cake. Some weird unicorn from Manehattan is the father. Carrot went back to Trottingham with his family and I haven't been able to find Cup anywhere."

Twilight frowned, although even Pinkie could tell that she wasn't really surprised.

"Wait…why isn't your jaw on the floor? Aren't you shocked? Because I was shocked when I found out."

"Pinkie, I owe it to you to tell you," Twilight said. "Mrs. Cake came to me a few months back because she needed some potions to help her better manage her pregnancy. We found out she had a unicorn and a pegasus on the way and I realized that that's just…not likely when the parents are Earth ponies."

"Wow," Pinkie said. "So I guess it's not really surprising then."

"Not to me anyway. Guess Mrs. Cake couldn't keep holding onto that secret."

Pinkie started trotting in place, her head looking all around. "What am I gonna do, Twilight? I don't think I want to live with that weird unicorn."

"Why would you have to…? Oh, right, let me guess. Mrs. Cake's keeping the bakery."

"Yeah, and I love Mrs. Cake to death, don't get me wrong, but I can't live or work at that bakery without Mr. Cake. We have to go to Trottingham and convince him to come back and we have to convince Mrs. Cake to dump that unicorn loser so that the family can get back together."

"Pinkie, stop. That's never going to work. Their marriage appears to be over. Mr. Cake found out yesterday and the first thing he did was leave Ponyville. There's nothing you or I can do to change any of this."

"But it's not right, Twilight, it's not right." Pinkie started crying.

Twilight went to her and gave her a huge hug. "I'm sorry, Pinkie. It isn't right, but we have to accept what's happened so that we can move on."

"No, I won't do it. I came to you for help, Twilight, and you won't even lift a hoof. I thought you were the best pony to ask but I guess I was wrong." Pinkie pulled away and stormed out of the library in a huff.

Her mind was spinning now as she ran all around Ponyville. She knew if she didn't find a way to calm down that she would likely crash and become extremely sad. She was so lost in her own head that she accidentally collided with Rarity.

"Do watch where you're going…oh, hello, Pinkie," Rarity said. "My word, you look distraught. What's wrong?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake are splitting up," Pinkie said. "Turns out Mr. Cake isn't the father of those foals."

"Excuse me?"

"I know, I know, it's crazy but it's true. He took the first train out to Trottingham and Mrs. Cake is nowhere to be found and I'm really confused and scared right now."

"Alright, I understand. I was actually on my way for some tea and scones. Would you care to accompany me?"

"Um…sure, I guess."

"Wonderful."

As Rarity and Pinkie headed for the cafe, Pinkie could feel her stomach rumbling and realized that, in her rush to talk to Twilight, she had forgotten to eat breakfast. "I actually forgot to eat this morning," she said, "so thank you for the offer."

"Of course, darling. It's the least I can do to help."

The two of them arrived and placed the order for tea and scones. They arrived shortly after, with Rarity having ordered Earl Grey and a blueberry scone and Pinkie having ordered ginseng with a chocolate chip scone.

For a while, the two ate in silence. Pinkie was happy that she and Rarity weren't arguing like she and Twilight just had done. She hoped that Rarity would be more receptive to Pinkie's plan to bring the Cakes back together.

When they were finished and Rarity had paid the bill, Pinkie brought up the question. "Do you think there's any way to get the Cakes back together?"

Rarity offered a smile, though it seemed more polite than eager. "No, darling, I don't think there is."

"What? But that's exactly what Twilight told me earlier. I thought you would at least understand. You've always been the romantic type, right?"

"Darling, there's romance and then there's reality. Mr. Cake was desperate to have foals, and now he's realized they're not his. I can't think of many marriages that can survive that level of deception."

"That's not okay!" Pinkie yelled.

Rarity was a bit taken aback, but held her composure. "I understand your frustration, Pinkie, I really do, but I think it's time to move on. I recognize your living situation is difficult, but if you ever need a bed to sleep on, my door is always open."

"No! I don't want a bed. I want to fix this. The Cakes have to stay together. Fine, I'll just go talk to Rainbow Dash. I'm sure she'll get it."

"Pinkie, wait," Rarity said, but it was too late. Pinkie had already bolted off.

She made it to Dash's house in record time but needed a moment to catch her breath. Once she had calmed down, she screamed Dash's name at the top of her lungs.

"Where's the fire?" Dash asked as she flew out of the house. She looked down and saw Pinkie. "Oh, hi, Pinkie. Uh…you okay?"

"No! Mr. and Mrs. Cake broke up because the foals aren't his and I've already asked Twilight and Rarity to help but nopony will lift a hoof to help me. Can we go to Trottingham and convince Mr. Cake to forgive Mrs. Cake so they can be together again?"

"Hang on, Pinkie. I'm fast, but I'm not that fast. What the hell happened again?"

Pinkie took a deep breath and explained the situation more slowly, how Mrs. Cake had found out her husband was sterile, how she became pregnant with Pokey's foals, and how Mr. Cake had discovered it. "Do you understand why I need your help?" she asked.

"Yeah, you need help alright," Dash said. "Might want to start seeing a therapist."

"Excuse me?" Pinkie asked, in disbelief that Dash could say something that rude.

"Pinkie, no, you're right, that was a bad joke. The writing's on the wall here, though. You honestly think Mr. Cake could forgive something like that, and to what, raise those foals and pretend he's their father? That's not gonna fly, and you know I'm an expert in flying so I can say that."

Pinkie glared at Dash, who smiled nervously.

"Okay, fine, that was bad joke number two. You get my drift, though, right?"

"Yeah, you're drifting all the way to cuckooland. Will nopony help me?" Pinkie was about to take off again, but Dash intercepted her. "Get out of my way!"

"Not a chance, Pinkie. Look, I know sometimes you get these ideas and you can't let go of them, but this is not something you want to get in the middle of. I mean, if you look at it, it's really not any of your business."

"I live at the bakery!" Pinkie shouted. "Remember?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I guess that part does affect you, but trying to put a marriage back together is too big a challenge. You know, normally I'm up for a challenge, but even I think you need to put the brakes on this one."

"Well, maybe I can get Applejack or Fluttershy to help me." Pinkie almost bolted again, but Rainbow again got in her way.

"Applejack's not gonna help you, Pinks. She's going to tell you that you're barking up the wrong apple tree or some weird farm saying like that. And Flutters—don't get me wrong, I love her to death—isn't gonna do jack to get involved in a conflict like that. Pinkie, I know our group doesn't always agree on everything, but three of us are in agreement right now and if I let you go you'll find out that the other two are going to be on our side. What does that tell you?"

Pinkie grimaced. "You say Applejack and Fluttershy won't help? Well, let's go ask them then."

"Fine. You find them, I'll find Twilight and Rarity, and we'll meet back here. Bet I'll get back here first."

Pinkie took off at lightning speed, as did Rainbow Dash, and it wasn't long until all six ponies had returned.

"Alright now," Applejack said, "so let me get this straight. The Cakes are broken up and Pinkie's askin' if we can help put 'em back together, right?"

"Exactly," Pinkie said. "Dashie thinks you and Fluttershy won't be on board."

"Well, I'm not," Applejack said. "It ain't right for us to interfere in something like that when it's really about the two of them…well, three of them if I hear right now."

"What about you, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked, looking almost longingly at her because she was her last hope.

Fluttershy was doing an excellent job of hiding her face behind her long mane. "No, Pinkie, I can't go along with this either."

Pinkie looked at all five of her friends and she slumped to the ground, utterly defeated. "None of my friends want to help. I don't believe this."

Twilight stepped forward. "We want to help, Pinkie, but it's not about the Cakes. It's about you. We want to help you deal with this. They were like family to you. I know, I get it. The family is gone now, Pinkie, but we're not. We're going to do whatever it takes to get you through this so that you land on your hooves and you can move on."

An hour ago, Pinkie would have screamed and run off, but with all five of her friends feeling the same way, it was hard not to admit that perhaps she had been the one who was misguided. "This has been really hard on me. They've been so important in my life since I moved to Ponyville. They were almost like parents to me."

"I understand," Rarity said. She stepped up to give Pinkie a hug, and the other four ponies quickly joined in. For a moment, Pinkie stood there, feeling the warmth of the love of her friends. She started to weep, but she smiled all the same as the hug ended."

"Pinkie," Twilight said, "I'm sorry we couldn't help you with the Cakes or Sugarcube Corner, but let me at least offer you a place to live for the time being. You're welcome to take my bed at the library."

"Really?" Pinkie asked.

"Of course. You shouldn't have to live and work at the bakery if you're uncomfortable."

"Thanks, Twilight," Pinkie said, offering a smile that might not have been much, but it was her first smile in at least a day.

"Hang on, speaking of the bakery," Dash said, "what's gonna happen to it? I thought you opened on Mondays."

"I have no idea," Pinkie said. "I didn't see Mrs…well, Cup or Pokey at all. Do you think they left Ponyville?"

"They might've," Applejack said. "Small village like this, probably didn't wanna hear rumors or get dirty looks."

"I'd be giving that unicorn way more than a dirty look," Dash said.

"I wish I could run the bakery myself," Pinkie said, "but even with three of us it gets crazy at times. Still, I'd hate to see the place close down."

"I actually disagree," Twilight said. "It'll be easier to move on if Cup decides not to reopen Sugarcube Corner."

"But I don't want to move on," Pinkie said. "That bakery turned my life around. How would you feel, Applejack, if Sweet Apple Acres had to close down. What if it was your boutique, Rarity, or Twilight's library? That's how important that bakery is to me, and I can't let it close down." Pinkie lowered her head, deflated.

Twilight stood firm. "Then we'll do it ourselves. We're going to reopen that bakery and help you for as long as it takes until you can hire staff full time."

"You'd do that?" Pinkie asked.

"Of course. What are friends for?"

"Yes! Thank you, Twilight, thank you thank you!" Pinkie gave Twilight a hug that could crush bone.

"I think it's a marvelous idea," Rarity said, "but there's one problem getting in the way. We have to buy out Cup. I also imagine Carrot will need to sign off on the deal as well."

"Getting Carrot's support will be easier," Twilight said, "but we still don't know where Cup is."

"Then we need to split up and find them. I've got the speed and Twilight's got her teleporting magic. She and I can start looking for Cup, the two-timer."

"Pinkie," Rarity said, "I think you and I can head to Trottingham and talk to Carrot."

"And what the hay are Fluttershy and I gonna do?" Applejack asked.

"Be on the lookout in case anypony decides to come back to Ponyville."

"Alright then," Applejack said, looking irked. "You okay with that, Shy?"

"Yes, that's fine," Fluttershy said.

"Then the search is on," Dash said. "Twilight, where should we start?"

"Cup is from Canterlot, which is far closer than Manehattan. We should start there."

"Awesome. Last one there's a rotten egg?"

"But Dash—" Twilight said, but Dash had already taken off. Twilight rolled her eyes and teleported away.

"Come, Pinkie," Rarity said. "We'll head over to the train station."

"See y'all later," Applejack said as she and Fluttershy waved goodbye to Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

When Dash arrived at the city gates leading into Canterlot, she was shocked to see Twilight waiting for her. "How did you—oh, right, you teleported here."

"That's why I was confused when you wanted to race me." Twilight said. "Let's head into the city and see if we can find any trace of Cup or Pokey."

"Bet I find them before you do."

"Dash, this isn't a race. We don't have to—" But Dash took off again, entering the city proper and beginning her search. Twilight shook her head in disbelief.

Twilight's first thought was to check in on Cup's parents, who she knew still lived here. She approached a few ponies to see if any of them knew where the Tarts resided. It took a few tries, but one kind pegasus agreed to take her over there. They got there in a few minutes, and Twilight thanked him.

The Tarts' home was a mansion decorated with stone pillars on the outside and a double door entrance made of oak. Twilight had known the Tarts came from money, as was often the case of those from Canterlot, but even this was something beyond her expectation. She rang the doorbell and waited. A lanky, gray Earth pony, likely a butler by the looks of it, answered the door.

"Good morning, sir," Twilight said, "but I was hoping to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Tart."

"And what is your business with them?"

"Uh…it's about their daughter, Cup."

"Their daughter is not here, so I see no reason for you to remain. Farewell."

"Wait!" Twilight caught the door before the butler could close it. "I hate to be a bother, but I need to talk to her about her bakery, the one she opened in Ponyville a few years ago."

"Really? I thought…well, never mind. Wait here." The butler stepped away, leaving Twilight at the entrance. The floor of the lobby was pure marble, and the walls were of solid mahogany. A few minutes later, the butler returned. "Please follow me to the drawing room."

Twilight followed the butler through the first floor of the mansion. There were portraits hanging in the halls and their hooves echoed as they walked across the marble floor. The drawing room had an ornate bookshelf filled with ancient texts and a fireplace on the other side. As the butler left, Twilight took a seat on a chair that was unbelievably soft and comfortable. She took a moment to experience her surroundings before the butler returned with Mr. and Mrs. Tart.

"Good morning, Twilight," Blueberry said. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"I apologize for the intrusion, but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important."

"We understand," Strawberry said. She and Blueberry sat in a loveseat across from Twilight. "What is the trouble?"

"First of all, you have a lovely home," Twilight said. "I just wanted a chance to say that. I'm here, actually, for business reasons."

"Our daughter's bakery?" Blueberry asked.

"Yes. Did Cup come back here and tell you what happened?"

"We haven't heard from her nor seen her since returning to Canterlot last night."

"Oh." Twilight was surprised. She'd thought that Cup would've at least sent a letter, but it had only been a day, to be fair. "Well…I hate to be the one to break this news, but her marriage with Carrot Cake is over."

"It is?" Strawberry asked. Based on what she'd heard from Cup herself, Twilight had thought her parents would be happy if she left Carrot. The look of concern on both of their faces said otherwise.

"Yes, unfortunately," Twilight said. "I'd tell you why, but it's not my place. The important thing is that the bakery has been abandoned. I thought Cup would want to run it with…well, to keep it going since she plans to raise the foals on her own. Right now, though, the bakery has been abandoned, and I don't know where to find your daughter so we can figure out what to do with it."

"That could be problematic," Blueberry said. "Both our daughter and her…well, ex-husband have 50% ownership. I am surprised neither are interested in still running it."

"That's why we need all parties available to discuss this. My friend Pinkie Pie, who was the Cakes' tenant, is interested in purchasing the bakery to run it herself. We can't transfer ownership without the express consent of the two owners, and we don't know where either of them are."

"I see that's why you've come here," Strawberry said. "If our daughter's not in Ponyville and she hasn't come back here, I don't know where she could be."

Twilight squirmed a bit, but she realized she had to explain about Pokey if she was going to get any further help. "Look, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but I think you need to know. Your daughter cheated on Carrot and we only found out because she's pregnant and he's impotent. It's possible she left Ponyville to go back to Manehattan since that's where this other colt is from. I came here in case she chose to come back to Canterlot instead, but now it seems you know as much about where Cup is as I do."

"My word," Strawberry said. "She's shacked up with some other pony? I would never have expected her to do something like that. We raised her better than that."

"Darling, that's not what's important right now," Blueberry said. "We need to find our daughter and bring her home here. We can help with the new foals."

"That could be problematic," Twilight said. "There's no ambiguity here. These foals belong to that other colt. He has legal rights as a parent."

"I don't care," Strawberry said. "A colt that would sleep around like that? Hardly father material."

"I agree," Twilight said, "but we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves. We need to find Cup first and since you don't know where she is either, I'd like you to accompany me and my friend Rainbow Dash."

"Rainbow Dash?" Blueberry asked. "Isn't she the one who does that Sonic Rainburst thing?"

"Sonic Rainboom," Twilight said, "but I think she'd be flattered that you know her for that move. She's probably flying all around Canterlot right now. I'm going to try to track her down."

They heard a crash outside which made all three of them jump. Twilight ran out to see that Dash had had an unfortunate meeting with a mailbox. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Ugh…I just had a thought that Cup's parents might be able to help so I bolted here and I guess I got distracted or something…oh, but you're here already."

"Hold on," Twilight said. She used her magic to repair the mailbox. Blueberry and Strawberry ran outside.

"Is everything alright out here?" Strawberry asked.

"We're okay," Dash said. "I got a little carried away, I guess."

"Did you learn anything useful about where Cup might have gone?" Twilight asked.

"Not really. Most ponies just gave me a weird look when I asked them about her. Ponies in these parts are so freakin' uptight…no offense to the three of you, of course."

"Of course," Strawberry said with the slightest hint of a smile.

"We need to go to Manehattan," Twilight said. "Cup's parents haven't heard from her or seen her at all, and you probably flew around town at least three times over."

"Five, actually," Dash said with a proud smile on her face.

"Then it's clear she isn't here," Twilight said. "We'll have to take a train. Manehattan is a long haul from here, so let's prepare for the trip and meet at the station as soon as possible."

"Sounds good," Dash said.

With the plan decided on, all four ponies headed off to prepare for the trip. Twilight knew that finding a pony in Manehattan would be a daunting task, but it was also necessary, so she would grit her teeth and do it for Pinkie.

Pinkie and Rarity arrived at Trottingham after just an hour on the train. Pinkie had never been before, and she was surprised to see that it was more developed than Ponyville was. She had always thought it was exactly like Ponyville but the taller buildings indicated that it was a more developed town. "This place is bigger than I thought. How are we gonna find where Carrot's family lives?"

"I imagine we could ask around. This town is larger than Ponyville but I'm sure somepony will remember where the Cakes live."

"Okay!" Pinkie said. She sprinted off to the nearest pony. "Do you know where Chocolate and Vanilla Cake live?"

"Um…no, I don't think so," the pony replied, looking a bit uneasy.

"Okay then," Pinkie said. She rushed to the next closest pony, asked the same question, and got a similar response. This occurred about four or five more times until she finally saw an Earth pony who knew of the Cake family.

"Thanks!" Pinkie said. "Can you escort me and my friend over there? We really need to talk to them."

"Yeah, sure, I can do that. They don't live too far from here."

"Awesome! We super appreciate it, sir."

The pony smiled shyly and escorted Pinkie and Rarity through town and to the Cake residence. "Here you go. You mares have a good day, now."

"Thank you," Pinkie and Rarity both said. The pony walked away and Pinkie bolted towards the door.

"Pinkie!" Rarity called. "Let's just think about our approach for a moment, please. This is a delicate issue and it needs to be handled as such."

"Um…okay," Pinkie said, backing away from the door for the time being.

"If Mr. Cake is inside, he's going to be quite distraught. We don't want to just barge in and start babbling about."

"Is that what you think I'm going to do?" Pinkie asked, glaring at Rarity with a frown.

"Well, Pinkie, you have to understand that—"

"Understand what? Rarity, I know how to slow down. As one of my bestest friends, you should know me better than that."

"I'm sorry, darling. It's just that I saw how you approached those ponies after we arrived here. It was a little…intense."

"Well, yeah, but I don't know those ponies and I'll probably never see them again. Mr. Cake is different. I promise I won't overwhelm him, okay?"

Rarity smiled. "That sounds good." She stepped forward and knocked on the door. Red Velvet answered it.

"Pinkie Pie and Rarity," she said. "Goodness, I wasn't expecting…" She turned and shouted towards the inside. "It's alright! Pinkie Pie's here." She then turned back to Pinkie and Rarity. "You can come in. I have to warn you, though, my brother is quite upset."

"We understand," Rarity said.

Red Velvet led them to the living room. The first thing they noticed is that Carrot was sitting next to a pile of tissues and his eyes were bloodshot and red from crying. Pinkie wanted to give him a hug right then and there, but remembered she needed to show restraint. "Hi, Mr. Cake," she said politely.

"Hi, Pinkie. I'm sorry, I know I look like I've just been to Tartarus and back."

"I understand," Pinkie said. "Rarity and I came here to find you."

"You came all this way to check up on me?" Carrot asked.

"That is one reason," Rarity said, "but we have another problem, too. Still, the most important thing is how you're feeling, so we won't rush into that conversation until you're ready."

"We might as well just talk now," Carrot said. "If you wait for me to start feeling better, you're gonna be waiting for a long time." Everypony in the room chuckled politely.

"It's about Sugarcube Corner," Rarity said. "We need to talk about what to do with the property."

"I thought my wife…no, Cup was going to run it with that unicorn bastard."

"We've not seen Cup or…the other pony since the shower," Rarity said. "We don't think they have any intention of operating that bakery."

"So what was your plan then?" Carrot asked.

"Pinkie is willing to take ownership," Rarity said, "with financial backing and assistance from her friends, of course. We cannot do that, though, without a purchase and contract signing over the property to her."

"And so you need me and Cup to sign off on those things. I get it."

"Well, we've found you without much trouble," Rarity said. "Twilight and Rainbow Dash are trying to find Cup, but I suspect they're going to have a harder time doing so."

"I do, too," Carrot said. "Maybe we can help."

"Are you sure you're up to that?" Red Velvet asked. "You've been sobbing ever since you came home."

"Yes, but that's partly because I had no idea what decision I was going to make next. Now at least I have a purpose, something to do. Let me help you find Cup."

"Alright," Red Velvet said, "but under one condition. You let your family help, too. We have the numbers we need to conduct this search properly."

Carrot sniffled but also smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Then I think our best option is to try Manehattan next," Rarity said. "Twilight and Dash went to Canterlot first and Manehattan is going to take far more than just two ponies to search effectively."

"Sounds like a plan," Carrot said. "Gee, I don't think I've ever even been to Manehattan. Wish my first visit was under better circumstances."

"Me, too," Red Velvet, "but it'll still be better than sitting around the house waiting for something to happen, right?"

"Yes," Carrot said. "If we hurry we can catch an evening train and start our search first thing in the morning."

"You up for that?" Red Velvet asked.

"Yes. The idea of actually getting up and doing something is making me feel better already. Besides, I've been thinking about a bunch of things I should've said to that unicorn and now I might get the chance to actually use them. Let's get moving."

Pinkie and Rarity smiled. Getting help from the Cake family to search Manehattan would certainly be helpful.

The next morning, the Cake family, Pinkie, and Rarity were all on a train to go to Manehattan. It would not be a nonstop ride, as they would be stopping at Canterlot, Gallopsville, and Fillydelphia before going to Manehattan. Despite that, all were looking forward to the trip, hoping they'd be able to find Cup and Pokey and settle the matter quickly.

As the train departed and reached its full speed, Pinkie and Carrot both looked out the window at the rolling fields and forests as they traveled by them.

"I never expected this to happen," Carrot said. "I was shocked more than anything. Never in a million years did I think she'd have it in her to cheat on me. Makes me wonder if I didn't do enough as a husband."

"Now, hang on," Coffee said. "Why are you blaming yourself here, Carrot? You did nothing wrong."

"Didn't I?" Carrot asked. "I don't think you really understand what I'm talking about, Coffee. Do you remember the time when we were growing up when the Hoofsmiths went through the exact same thing? She cheated on him, and everypony in Trottingham whispered about how he wasn't enough of a stallion to keep his family together."

"That's a load of crap," Chiffon said. "It's actually kind of sexist, if you think about it."

"Really?" Lemon Meringue asked. "You care to elaborate on that?"

"Yeah. That kind of mentality not only puts the onus on the husband for failing to take care of his wife, it also implies that a wife needs her husband to take care of satisfying her. You're unfairly blaming him for failing and you're putting her in a position of depending on a colt instead of treating her like an individual."

"Well, isn't that an engaging take," Red Velvet said. "It's really quite simple, though. A pony willing to cheat on their spouse is always the one to blame. Of course, if both ponies have been caught with their hoof in the cookie jar, that's another story."

Carrot gave Pinkie a look before turning to his family. "It's so weird. I've trained myself to ignore all other mares since marrying Cup, and now I'm suddenly in a position to shop around, I guess. I'd almost forgotten what that was like."

"Yeah, Carrot," Chiffon said, "now you can use this opportunity to find somepony who really cares about you."

"Hmm, that's the thing," Carrot said. "I think what Cup did was more than just about her."

"Um…" Lemon Meringue said, "we've talked about this, Carrot. You can't whitewash what she did to you."

"I'm not trying to. What I'm saying is that she knew we could never have foals, so maybe getting pregnant with somepony else was the only way she could find to give us the family I always wanted."

Everypony else in the compartment groaned.

"That is the stupidest take I've ever heard!" Coffee said.

"Is it? Cup knew I wanted to be a father. There was adoption, of course, or other ways to get pregnant, but none would have given me the same kind of rush as fathering my own foals. By doing what she did, I think she might have been trying to give me what I wanted in the only way she could biologically."

Chiffon hit Carrot on the back of the head.

"What did you do that for?" Carrot asked.

"You're out of your fucking mind, that's why," Chiffon said. "Don't play that game, Carrot. This mare slept with somepony else behind your back instead of dealing with your problem the right way. I know you're still in that process of getting over her, but you need to stop making excuses for her. She cheated on you and lied for months about it, and she's pregnant with another stallion's foals. You have to let her go and move on with your life."

Carrot took a breath. "I know you're right, in my head at least. My heart is telling me otherwise."

"Take it from me," Red Velvet said, "the heart is overrated. It's messy, it's irrational, and it will lead you astray if you let it. Your head is logical, thoughtful, and knows the reality of what you need while your heart wants to follow a flight of fancy. Listen to your head, Carrot. Trust me."

"Alright," Carrot said. "I get it. Thank you."

It wasn't much longer before the train stopped at Canterlot. Pinkie looked outside and saw that Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Cup's parents were boarding the train.

"Oh my gosh no way!" she said, bolting to meet them as they entered.

"Looks like they might be going to Manehattan with us," Rarity said. "Cup's parents wouldn't be accompanying otherwise."

"Great," Carrot said sullenly. "Having the in-laws tag along should be fun."

"Think of it like this," Lemon Meringue said. "They'll be instrumental in finding Cup because they know her better than any of us. That they're boarding this train means they're serious about helping. Try not to hold what Cup did against them, at least for now."

Pinkie returned with the new arrivals. "The Tarts are gonna help us find Cup. Now we've got a baker's dozen ponies on the search! Isn't that weird?"

"It is an odd coincidence," Twilight said. "I just hope thirteen is enough. Manehattan is by far the largest city in Equestria. I hate to be cliche about it, but it's like finding a needle in a haystack."

"Yeah," Chocolate said, "if instead of a haystack you had to look through a thousand haystacks. I'm all for the search, but how in the world are we going to pull this off?"

"With my speed, I can search an entire block in about ten seconds," Rainbow Dash said. "Having the fastest flier in Equestria on board is gonna be awesome, if I do say so myself."

"I appreciate your confidence," Rarity said, "because at the moment you can color me skeptical."

"It's a daunting task, for sure," Twilight said, "but I'm up for it."

"Me, too!" said Pinkie. "Plus I get to see Manehattan and that's always fun. Maybe we can make a little vacation out of this whole thing."

"Sounds wonderful," Vanilla said. "It would be nice for something good to come out of all this."

"The important thing is for us to find Cup," Twilight said. "We can certainly have some fun while we're doing it, but don't forget the task at hoof."

"Don't worry," Carrot said. "We won't. I'll make sure of that."

When the ponies arrived at Manehattan, they were suddenly feeling quite less sure than they had on the train. The train station itself seemed to span the entire size of Ponyville. Hundreds of ponies were jostling through foot traffic trying to get to wherever they were going. The group of ponies pushed through the crowd and finally made it outside to the city proper and were immediately overwhelmed by the giant buildings that surrounded them.

"Great!" Rainbow Dash said. "Even if I wanted to sweep the city, it would take me all day and I'd definitely miss Cup in this crowd."

"What are we gonna do?" Pinkie asked, her hair and demeanor both dangerously close to deflating.

"We're going to stay calm," Twilight said, "and we're going to think the problem through and figure this out. We know Cup has no ties to the city, but we know bits and pieces about Pokey. We gather everything we know and we use it to narrow down the search."

"That's the problem," Carrot said. "Nopony in this group knows a damn thing about this stallion. The pony who could best help us out is Cup."

"That's not entirely true," Blueberry said.

Everypony turned to face him and Strawberry. Carrot glared. "You've got something to tell us?"

"I apologize, Carrot, there's no easy way to admit this," Blueberry said, "but we've exhausted all other options."

"I don't understand," Carrot said.

"We know Pokey," Strawberry said. "Well, we at least knew of him. He was a defense attorney working for the largest practice in Manehattan. They represented my cousin in a particularly nasty libel case."

"And why the hell did you decide to sit on this information until now?" Chocolate asked.

"Yeah!" Coffee said.

Soon the entire Cake family was shouting over each other while admonishing the Tarts. It was difficult to hear what they were saying over each other and all the city noise, but suddenly one noise bellowed above all others.

"QUIET!" Pinkie yelled.

Everypony stopped shouting at once and turned to her.

"All this yelling and fighting isn't gonna help us find Cup any faster. We need to come together and work as a team. We'll deal with all this other stuff later. We have to find Cup and Pokey as soon as possible or this whole trip will be a total waste of time. Can we all please Pinkie promise to do that?"

"Of course," Carrot said. "Thank you, Pinkie."

"Okay," Chiffon said, "so we probably need to head out to that law firm, right?"

"It would be a good start," Blueberry said. "Although, since Pokey moved to Ponyville a few months back, that's likely because he stopped working for the firm. Whether he was let go or fired isn't really clear."

"Still," Strawberry said, "that firm is likely going to know where Pokey was living here in Manehattan. He may not have that apartment now, but I would expect that he would want to bring our daughter to a familiar place."

"If we narrow it down to a few blocks," Dash said, "I can definitely scout around there way faster than the whole city."

"Let's get going, then," Twilight said. "The sooner we find Pokey and Cup, the better."

"Let's head to the nearest subway station," Blueberry said. "I remember the nearest stop to that practice."

The gang of ponies headed for the nearest station, the entrance of which was just across the street from the train station. Pinkie was overwhelmed by the routes and the map, but Blueberry and Strawberry knew their way around public transit. After about half an hour and three separate subway rides, they arrived at a part of town that was quite sophisticated. Rarity nearly fainted when she saw all the boutiques lining the streets.

"Oh my," she said, "what exquisite designs…ooh, I never thought to pair rubies with that color fabric…I wish I had a camera on me!"

"Hang on," Pinkie said. In the blink of an eye, she sped off, and a moment later returned with a disposable camera. "Now you can take pictures of whatever designs you want."

"This is wonderful, Pinkie. Thank you."

"Do it quickly," Twilight said. "We need to find this firm quickly."

The Tarts led the rest of the ponies to a giant skyscraper with too many stories to count by sight. They went into the lobby and consulted the sign inside. The law offices of Amicus Brief and Associates took up ten floors between 81 and 90.

"Ten floors in a building this big?" Rainbow Dash asked. "This firm must be enormous!"

"The entrance is on floor 81," Twilight said. "Let's find an elevator."

The gang were able to catch one after a few minutes. They rode up to the 81st floor to find the entrance on the other side of a small hallway.

When they went inside, they stepped onto a pure marble floor. The receptionist's desk was made of pure mahogany, and the lighting in the lobby was warm and dim. Twilight approached the desk of the receptionist, a tan unicorn with a short mane and a pair of spectacles. "Excuse me, ma'am," Twilight said, "but we're looking for an old friend and we know he used to work here. Can you help us find him?"

The receptionist smirked. "Does this friend have a name, honey?"

Twilight seemed irked, but she held her composure. "He goes by the name of Pokey."

"Pokey, huh? Wow, I haven't heard that name in a while."

"But you do know him?" Carrot asked.

"Yeah, he practiced here for a few years, but truth be told, he was just okay and this firm demands near perfection. I thought he moved out to some tiny village in the middle of nowhere…what was it called, Ponytown?"

"Ponyville!" Pinkie said.

"Right, that was the one. I haven't seen him since the move. What makes you think he's back out here in Manehattan?"

"We have our reasons," Red Velvet said.

"Ah, okay. Look, I can confirm he worked here, but giving out his old address is not something I can really do."

"Are you serious?" Carrot asked.

"Sorry, sir, but we take that kind of thing pretty seriously around here. I know there's…" she pointed to each pony as she counted to herself, "wow, thirteen of you here looking for him? Didn't realize he was so popular."

"There's a lot more to this than you realize," Chocolate said.

"I can tell. I recognize you folks have come a long way, so I'd hate to just turn you away." The receptionist thought for a moment. "Look, I might be able to dial the old phone number I have on file, but there's no guarantee I'd reach him. If I did, though, one of you could talk to him and see if he'd be amenable to meeting you."

"That would be great," Twilight said.

"Perfect. Hang on, I need to pull out the old directory. Please make yourselves comfortable and I'll let you know if I can reach him."

The group of ponies took their seats in the chairs in the lobby. Everypony was too tired and anxious to really say much. Fortunately, the receptionist got through fairly quickly.

"Hello, I'm calling to speak to a stallion named Pokey…yes, Pokey, it is Clarice from Amicus Brief's firm." She smiled and beckoned the ponies over. "Yes, I know it's been a while. How've you been…great to hear you're back in town. Hey, Pokey, it's not just me checking in out of the blue. There's a huge group of ponies who came out all this way looking for you…" Her smile faded. "Now, hold on, don't go flying off the handle now. I think these are friends of yours…No?"

It seemed Pokey might hang up right then and there, so Carrot beckoned desperately for the phone. Clarice passed it to him. "Pokey, thank Celestia we reached you. I need to know if my wife is with you…No, this isn't an attempt to win her back, I just need to talk about…now I don't think that was called for…I know she doesn't want to talk, but this is about the bakery…yes, Sugarcube Corner. Can you please just put her on?"

For what seemed like forever, Carrot remained listening.

"Thank you," he finally said. He waited for a moment more. "Hi, Cup. Yeah, it's me…Look, I can't run that bakery by myself and it's pretty obvious you and Pokey have no interest…Pinkie was thinking about it…Yes, I do think she could handle it…No, that wasn't meant to be a joke." Carrot rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, we can meet there. I'm starving anyway…Okay, see you in an hour." Carrot handed the phone back to Clarice, who eyed the group of ponies suspiciously.

"Didn't think you were here for all that," she said. "That's quite the conundrum."

"Thanks for your help," Dash said. The ponies left the firm and called the elevator again.

"What's that restaurant called?" Lemon Meringue asked.

"Buddy's," Carrot said. "It's a diner a few blocks from here, apparently. Thank goodness. That train ride really made me quite peckish."

"Hope they can seat fifteen on short notice," Twilight said.

The group of ponies went back down to the lobby and exited the skyscraper. Blueberry and Strawberry led the way to Buddy's. Despite that it was a diner, it still looked exquisite with the smell of coffee filling the air inside. Pokey and Cup hadn't arrived just yet, so they found a few adjacent booths and ordered some drinks.

Finally, Pokey and Cup walked in and joined them. Carrot and his family glared at both of them, while Blueberry and Strawberry looked disappointed.

"I can't believe you found me out here," Cup said.

"Please sit," Carrot replied. "We need to talk."