A bright pink mare, tries to go beyond her usual feelings.
Friends are there to make memories, to love, to respect. Pinkie Pie knows this better then any pony, and she's been trying for so long, to go beyond that. Through trials and misfortune, she'll keep going as long as her big heart keeps beating; because for her, some things are more important, then any friend could ever be.
A pink mare with an apron, works her tail off in a bakery. Sweet treats with frosting sit nicely on the shelves behind the counter. Ponies of all kinds stand, waiting for any service to be brought to them; not a single soul works the counter.
"Hello?! Is anyone back there?! I've been waiting to get my order for about thirty minutes now!" A frustrated stallion yells out.
"Yeah, is anyone here?! Some ponies have places to be you know!" Another pony follows.
Pinkie Pie moves vigorously in the kitchen. "Everything needs to be right!" She thinks. Distracted and not paying attention to the willing customers waiting anxiously for their dessert.
"Oh dear." Mrs. Cake says, as she comes down stairs to see a line of ponies with impatient looks on their faces. "Oh I'm very sorry about this Mr. Griff, I didn't know you were waiting here for so long."
"Yeah well better management is in order if you want this place to be shaped up, just look behind me."
Ponies extend far from outside the bakery, a finely sized line shows itself to Mrs. Cake. She holds a hoof to her mouth, nervous that this many folk were waiting for Celestia knows how long. She handles out all the customers orders until only a few remain.
"Here you go sweetie, I'm sorry for the wait."
"Wait? What wait?" The bright pink earth mare asks, exiting the kitchen and entering the room that Mrs. Cake is stationed at. "Oh my Mrs. Cake, you look awful!" She says bluntly.
Mrs. Cake turns to Pinkie with a disappointed look across her face. "A-And upset."
Mrs. Cake turns away and sighs to herself before returning her gaze back to her pink worker. "Pinkie Pie, where on Celestia's green Equestria have you been?!"
"Uh, well I was in the kitchen." Pinkie says, with a bit of timid-ness, but still joyful enough to be that bright bubbly mare she's known for.
"And did you know how many ponies were waiting?"
"Well, not exactly, no. But look, I did something great!" Pinkie Pie smiles while showing a heavily decorated cake to her boss.
"Why in the world were you doing that, dear?" Mrs. Cake questions, confused as to why Pinkie would use so many ingredients, wastefully, on just one cake.
"For the party tonight! Everything needs to be perfect for him!" She inquires excitedly.
"Hmm?" Mrs. Cake looks at Pinkie, a dazed and bewildered look shown. "Pinkie.." She starts. "You throw parties almost every day of the week, what could be so important this time that it'd take you the better half of two hours to get ready?"
"Two hours!? Oh no, I gotta go before I'm late!" Pinkie puts her delicate creation on her back and heads for the door, a frantic expression seen on her face as she tries to hurry up.
"But Pinkie!"
"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Cake, I really am, I'll be sure to come back as soon as I can!" Pinkie finishes. She hurries out the door and doesn't look back.
Mrs. Cake shakes her head as she stands at the counter. "*sigh* Oh that mare."
Pinkie Pie runs past different structures alike, trying to find the one that houses the party guest she so desperately wants to impress. "Ah ha! There it is!" Pinkie runs through the front door, with lights turned off and a couple ponies waiting in hiding, behind some furniture.
"We almost thought you weren't going to show up." Rainbow Dash says through the veil of darkness.
"How'd you know it was me, Dash?"
"C'mon Pinkie, how couldn't I know? Just cause it's pitch black doesn't mean I can't recognize that fluffed up mane from just any pony." She inquires. "Besides, of course I knew it was you; you were the one so adamant on throwing this party in the first place, you had to show up eventually, even if you are a little late."
"Shh! Ya'll Get in position, I hear someone comin'!" Applejack whispers.
Pinkie Pie hides behind a chair placed in the living room. Her heart's racing faster then she can contain and her excitement is through the roof. A tall silhouette emerges from the front door as the wooden frame creeks from being opened.
"Surprise!" The ponies yell out. The living room light is turned on as the tall human is shocked to see all the visitors that have come to see him.
"Pinkie? AJ? Rainbow? What're you guys doing here?"
"What'ya thank sugar cube?" AJ says with a question.
"Your birthday, obviously." Rainbow rolls her eyes.
Anon looks around the room, a small smile forming on his face. He looks over to Pinkie Pie who lights up at his eyes locking with hers.
"Wha- How did you guys know it was my birthday today?"
"I marked it on my calendar silly!" Pinkie confronts him with glee.
"You.... did?"
"I told you I was going to, for now on, and every year after!"
"Gee Anon, you're such a scatter-brain." Rainbow voices with annoyance.
"But Pinkie, I said you didn't need to do that; birthdays aren't something I usually celebrate."
"Nonsense Anon! You're my friend, and friends are always worth celebrating!" Pinkie answers.
"You really think so, huh?" Anon goes on.
"Mmmhmm." Pinkie nods.
"Ugh, enough of the talking already. Pinkie, you got that cake ready? I'm starving."
"Well hold on now Rainbow, Anon just got on over here. Be patient." Applejack replies.
"No, no, it's fine. I'm a bit hungry as it is too, and I'm sure Pinkie's made another great treat straight from Sugarcube itself."
"Absolutely-dootley!" Pinkie Pie raises her voice with enthusiasm. The pink mare trots away from the chair, showing the wonderfully decorated cake to everyone in the room. She sets it on top of Anon's kitchen counter and steps back a little for everybody to get a good look at it.
"Wow Pinkie, ya'll sure did outdone yourselves this time!" Applejack compliments Pinkie on the beautiful design. "I reckon ya could give some pointers when I'm making my apple pie."
"What about you Anon, you like it? Oh tell me you like it, I just have to know!" Pinkie Pie hops up and down with her eyes closed with giddiness as she awaits his response.
Anon looks at the cake, studying it as if he's about to grade her crafty work. Pinkie Pie stares at him with content. "Well honestly Pinkie." He starts. She leans in closer to hear his words. "It's... well..."
"Yes!?" Pinkie can't take the hesitancy.
"It's even better then last year!" Anon tells her with a smile.
"Yay!" Pinkie Pie hops even faster now at his words.
"Whoa, easy there." Anon chuckles as Pinkie grasps his chest with her hooves, pulling him closer to her fruity fur.
"Oh I'm so glad you like it! I really gave it my all and I hope it tastes just as good as it looks!" Her voice says with a muffle, face burrowed in Anon's stomach.
"Alright already, can we eat now? I waited all day for this." Rainbow Dash frustratingly says.
Anon reaches in his cupboard to retrieve a couple plates for his surprise visit guests, each one taking it without a second thought. All except Pinkie who reaches out slowly to grab the dish from his hands.
"I'm going first!" Rainbow Dash announces as she hurries to get a plate full of the tasty sweets.
"No Dash, you can't yet!" Pinkie Pie steps in front of her, stopping Rainbow in her tracks.
"Ugh, what now Pinkie?"
"We need to sing the 'Happy Birthday Song' first, don't you remember!?" Pinkie says with a slight head tilt.
"The what?" Rainbow replies with annoyed, droopy eyes.
"The 'Happy Birthday Song'! It's a human tradition! Right Anon?" Pinkie Pie and the two other ponies direct their gaze at Anon who's just watching them banter back and forth.
"Uh no, that won't be necessary Pinkie, i-it's a little embarrassing, so why don't we-"
"Oh he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow~" She begins, singing as loud as Pinkie usually does. It isn't exactly the correct song, but Anon thinks it's cute regardless that she's trying to be more fitting towards his human-self. "~Which nobody can deny!" She strikes a pose as she finishes her quirky performance, she's breathing a bit heavy and seemed to have worked up quite a sweat.
"Uh, was that the right song, Anon?" Applejack asks as she scratches her mane with a hoof.
"...She's got the spirit at least." He replies.
Rainbow Dash quickly grabs a slice before any other of Pinkie's shenanigans gets in the way. Applejack follows suit, and Anon after her. Pinkie Pie stands watching Anon with every second, seeing how he'll react to the taste of her passionate creation.
"Pinkie, something wrong?" Anon asks. He sees her staring at him with a blank, happy filled smile.
"Nothing Anon, why, should there be?" She questions back, not understanding the weird predicament that he sees her in. Anon shrugs and continues on grabbing a slice for himself. He takes a bite and chews the contents of the food slowly, trying to get the flavor of this delectable. He sees Pinkie looking at him still out of the corner of his eye and looks to her direction.
"Well??" Is the only word Pinkie Pie says as she still eagerly waits for Anon's words to come to fruition.
"Ugh coconut?" Rainbow Dash says as she spits the food out. Applejack tries not to be obvious that she doesn't like Pinkie Pie's food but is seen grimacing with every bite.
"It's really good Pinkie. Coconut's one of my absolute favorites. How'd you come across something like this in Ponyvile?"
Pinkie Pie chuckles as she holds a hoof over her mouth, a cute little snort escapes as she does so. "Anon, I told you, Miss Pinkie Pie has always got her ways!" She says with a carefree demeanor.
"Well I really didn't want you to go out of your way just for me, I could've settled for something that everyone would've liked." Anon replies, looking at Dash's disappointed expression.
"No way Anon! I wanted to make sure everything was super, duper, amazing for your birthday today! It isn't everyday I get to make something with an ingredient I've never used before."
"Well I do appreciate it a lot Pinkie, the cake is incredible."
Pinkie Pie smiles at Anon's words, happy she was able to successfully do a job well done. Time passes by as the four friends talk to each other about life and everything that surrounds it. Everyone has a good time as Pinkie Pie shares jokes with all her friends that laugh at each one.
"Oh man Pinkie, you crack me up!" Rainbow Dash says in-between breaths, she out of everyone, has laughed the most hysterically at her pink friend's jokes. Rainbow and Pinkie really do seem to share a similar sense of humor with each other.
"Ya' always are the best comedian out of all of us." Applejack compliments.
"Oh nonsense girls! I'm sure there's someone even way more funnier then I am." Pinkie Pie retorts.
"Not in a long shot Pinkie." Anon jumps in. "I swear it, I'll never have a friend that'd make me smile as much as you have, and that's saying something."
Pinkie Pie blushes at his words. "You really think so?" Her voice calms down a bit as she turns her light-hearted mood to a slightly more serious one. All three girls look at Anon, putting him on the spot.
"U-Uh, well sure! Ever since I first came to Ponyvile you were the first pony I was introduced to. I felt pretty comfortable with meeting every pony else seeing how accepting you were. I'm really glad you're my friend Pinks." Anon rubs his neck after saying this. He isn't very open about his feelings but is comfortable enough to share them with ponies he know won't judge him.
The three of them stare at him with a stunned face. "O-Or you know, something like that.." He tries to relieve the awkwardness that has now surrounded his mind.
"Well I think that's cute, hun." Applejack breaks the silence. "Pinkie Pie has always been the one to show a side I honestly think we all need to share once in a while."
"Y-Yeah totally, Pinkie Pie is like one of the most awesome-est ponies I know. She'll always turn a bad day into a better one." Rainbow Dash continues.
All three of the friends look to Pinkie Pie who seems to still be in a frozen state, smiling in place with that same dumb, cute smile. "Well that's what friends are for, right?" Pinkie Pie finally comes in the conversation after seeing everyone looking at her.
"Definitely." Anon agrees.
"Well I'm gonna call it a night tonight ya'll. Gotta be up bright and early tomorrow, ya know how it goes." Applejack and Rainbow stand up from where they were sitting, stretching their limbs that have become rigid by being in one place for so long.
"Same here. I *yawn* am getting a bit sleepy." Rainbow says, following along with Applejack.
"Happy Birthday again Anon, and Pinkie, good job on that cake!" The orange mare leaves the house to head on home, Rainbow follows right behind her. The door closes as Anon and Pinkie Pie are left with each other.
"You going home too, Pinkie?" He asks, filling the bleak silence in the air.
"Oh, well, I guess it is pretty late huh?" She giggles, shuffling her hoof on the chair as to prolong this night.
"Yeah you could say that. You got work tomorrow don't you? I wouldn't want for you to be late."
"Don't worry about me, Anon. I'm sure the Cake's will be ok if I'm just a little late." Pinkie says, easing her words and pitch down.
"What? No way Pinkie. I don't want you to be even a second late because of me. Especially for all you've done today, I'm sure you're exhausted."
Pinkie Pie clears her throat and sits straight up in Anon's chair. "Of course silly!" Her voice heightens back up again as she returns to her old carefree self. "I wouldn't want me to be late either!" She chuckles. "Besides, all this moving around today has made this ol' mare especially tired." She jokes.
Anon stands up and Pinkie follows along. He walks towards the door and turns around to see Pinkie Pie hesitating for whatever reason. "Pinkie? You coming?"
"O-Oh, yeah, I'm on my way!"
Anon opens the door for his pink earth mare, and smiles at her. Pinkie Pie's hooves stop right before Anon as she looks at him with a bit of shyness. "Hm?" Anon raises an eyebrow as he sees her stop in front of him.
"Oh, I'm going, it's just..." Pinkie flops her words around as she tries to say what's on her mind. "Well, I was just wondering, because you aren't doing anything... if..." Anon stares at her like a deer in the headlights. "H-Ha! I got you, didn't I!?" Pinkie laughs to herself as she changes face once again. Anon laughs with her as well, though he's doing it more so because of the awkward situation then anything.
"You sure did, Pinkie. Thanks for everything today, I really do appreciate the cake."
"Anytime, Anon!" She trots forward with her usual smile, her head however, looks to the floor, away from Anon. The door closes behind her as Anon sees her trot along. Pinkie Pie stops a little feet away, the dark night covering all the streets and houses as far as she can see. Not a single soul is out this late. She sighs to herself, her expression changing to a more relaxed and melancholy state.
"Why can't you just see, Anon? Why can't you just get the hint..." She looks up to the sky with eyes drooped down, a frown showing on her lips. "The moon sure does look bright out tonight, if only I could spend this moment, with him." She makes her way back slowly to Sugarcube corner, the serine silence of the air ringing in her ears.
"So what was with you yesterday?" Mrs. Cake asks, as Pinkie Pie finishes up cleaning the kitchen table from yesterdays fiasco.
"I told you Mrs. Cake, it was just a party I had planned for a while, nothing serious about it." Pinkie responds with slight deception in her words.
"'Just a party', hmm?"
"W-Well yeah." Pinkie rubs her hooves together, she doesn't make eye contact with Mrs. Cake, as Pinkie Pie suspects that Mrs. Cake isn't believing her story.
"You know, you got home awfully late Pinkie, later then usual." Mrs. Cake interrogates her pink worker, believing that something else was the cause of her long time spent making that cake.
"Well, that was because-"
"And him, you said? There's only one 'him' that I know of." Mrs. Cake is bluffing, and Pinkie Pie knows it, but she can't lie to her boss, it isn't right.
"Ok Mrs. Cake, you got me." Pinkie says in a defeated tone.
"Pinkie, we talked about this-"
"But he isn't a bad pony- er human- whatever he is!" Pinkie Pie tries desperately to get Mrs. Cake to understand.
"I don't care, Pinkamena, I told you to stay away from him. Who knows what could've happened to you?" Mrs. Cake says in a worried voice.
"I've known him for a long time, he isn't bad like every pony makes him out to be! Just give him a chance Mrs. Cake, please?" Though try as she might, her pleas land on deaf ears.
"It's final, Pinkie Pie!" Mrs. Cake slams her hoof down in frustration. They've both been going down this same tug-of-war act for a while now, and Pinkie doesn't want to let him go. Mrs. Cake changes face, seeing Pinkie's ears lowered down and her head almost to the ground. "Oh dear, Pinkie, I didn't mean it, I-" Pinkie Pie runs past her, the bell of the bakery door is echoed through Mrs. Cake's ears.
-------*------- "Applejack! Hey Applejack, you in there?!" Pinkie knocks on the Apple family's door, yelling for her orange friend. Applejack opens the door, rubbing her eyes and moving sluggishly.
"What is it *yawn* Sugarcube."
"Were you... sleeping?" Pinkie tilts her head, curious.
"I was..." Applejack responds with an annoyed voice.
"But, didn't you say you had to be up bright and early?"
"Ya'... I suppose I did." Applejack tries to remember all she said yesterday.
"It's almost noon though." Pinkie says, confused.
"Oh, Big Mac told me not to worry about it today, I came back home last night and crashed; nothing like a little break from your daily chores to really get yur' mind at ease."
Pinkie giggles. "Yeah I guess you're right. Work can get tiring after a while."
"Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be working today? You aren't off until tomorrow I thought."
"Y-Yeah..." Pinkie Pie rubs her neck.
"Come on inside girl." Applejack ushers her friend inside, seeing that Pinkie is in a less then optimal 'Pinkie Pie' mood. The two friends sit down in Applejack's room, discussing whatever trouble has come to Pinkie's mind. "So then." Applejack starts. "What all's this about?"
"You like Anon, right?"
Applejack's taken aback by her friend's blunt question. Pinkie Pie stares at Applejack, really wondering what her friend thinks about this human.
"Well sure I do. He ain't done no harm to anyone and I think he's a great friend."
Pinkie sighs with relief. "I wish every pony could see that." She grunts with a childish pout.
"Is this about yer' boss lady again? Now Pinkie we've talked about this several times before, she ain't gonna see eye to eye with you until you really show her what he's like."
"But I've tried to tell her he's a great... 'human'." She struggles remembering his species. "But she just doesn't want to believe it, even after a year of knowing him, she's still worried that he's going to eat me! Now I've also tried to tell her, 'well no Mrs. Cake, humans don't eat horses' but she's all like-"
"Pinkie." Applejack puts her hoof on her friends mouth, stopping her incoherent rambling before it gets worse. "Why don't you show her that he's great then?" She proposes.
"Show her? Like show and tell? No offense Applejack, but I'm not sure how that's going to help the situation."
"Ugh, not like that Pinkie, I mean have Anon meet her, ya know, get them two well acquainted with each other."
"Oooh, right!... How?" Pinkie questions, looking at her friend as if Applejack has all the knowledge of how to properly handle Pinkie's predicament.
"Well lets see. Yer' boss works in the same establishment you do.."
"Yes?"
"Ya'll live in said establishment..."
"Uh-huh?" Pinkie gets closer to Applejack, waiting for her friend to bestow any fix for Pinkie's problem.
"So, why don't you invite Anon to work around Sugarcube with you? I'm sure with Mrs. Cake bein' formerly introduced, she'll come around."
"That's genius, AJ!" Pinkie shouts. "I'll just get Anon to come work with me for.. a.. day..."
"Is something wrong?" Applejack asks her friend who slowed down her words in a cautious manner.
"N-No, I don't see a problem? Do you see a problem? No problem here!" Pinkie grins, trying her best to exert confidence.
"Alllriiighty then..." Applejack eyes her pink friend with suspicion.
"Well I best be on my way! Thanks again for the help Applejack!" Pinkie says with enthusiasm.
"It's no problem at... all." Just like that, Pinkie Pie runs out of Applejack's house, with a newfound idea that Pinkie is sure has to work.
-------*------- "Inviting Anon, to work with me..." Pinkie Pie runs this thought in her mind while making her way to Anon's home. A strange sensation in her stomach claws at her as she thinks about him. She's invited him to parties, gatherings, meet-ups, all sorts of things. They're best friends, so why should this be any different? "Maybe it's just because I've never had anyone work with me before.... yeah, that's it." She desperately tries to convince herself, but in truth, she's had this same feeling for a while. Every time she sees Anon, her stomach becomes one big knot.
Once again she makes her way to her human friends house, once again her emotions go rampant as she's excited to see him once more. A couple knocks go by with Pinkie's hoof, she waits for this tall creature to greet her once more. She stands frim, a typical Pinkie smile forming on her face.
"Pinkie?" Anon looks down at Pinkie, a curious, yet happy grin showing.
"Hi Anon!" Pinkie Pie excitedly says.
"Is something wrong?" He asks her worryingly.
"You asked that yesterday Anon, why would anything be wrong?"
"Well it's just that, you're supposed to be working today. Why're you off so early?"
"Oh, right." She stops and thinks. "I can't tell him the real reason, can I? No of course not, Pinkie Pie! You don't want him to know there's ponies in Ponyvile that are scared of him! But he already knows that, doesn't he? So what if he does! Do you want to be the bearer of bad news if he doesn't?! No! I'm supposed to get him and Mrs. Cake to like each other, duh!"
"Uhhh... Pinkie?" Anon looks at his pink friend with uncertainty, she's been staring blankly at him for a couple seconds. He waves his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her trance.
"Huh, wha-" She shakes her head, looking around the scenery, seemingly disoriented.
"Uhhh... you were... working today, weren't you?" He asks again.
"Oh yes I am... was! That's why I came down here to your house actually!"
"I... don't follow." Anon admits.
"I mean I came down to your house, for work!" She tries to explain.
"You came to my house, to work?"
"Yes! I mean, sorta." Anon scratches his head at Pinkie's confusing words, trying to make sense of this already bewildering pony. "Just say it Pinkamena! What are you so worried about?" Her mind battles with itself some more.
"Listen, Pinkie, I-"
"If you aren't busy can you come work with me today." She cuts him off. "Blunt and to the point. Score, Ms. Pie!"
"Work with you? At Sugarcube? I don't know Pinkie, it doesn't seem like something-"
"Oh pleeeease Anon!"
"I...." He stares at those big eyes of hers, she quivers her lip and makes the most 'guilt trip' face she could put on. How could he possibly say no to her? "....If it'd make you happy-"
"Yay!" She jumps up and down full of joy. "Oh this is gonna be soooo great! You'll get to be around super-duper delicious candies, frostings, and all sorts of goodies!" She hops away from Anon's house with excitement. "Well what are you waiting for silly! Come on!" Anon follows behind his pink friend, he's never admitted it to her, but seeing her act so happy all the time, really makes whatever day he's having, a bit better.
-------*------- The Cake's door opens as Mrs. Cake hears the chime of the bell. "Another customer!" She hurries out of the kitchen, stopping the orders she had been preparing ever since Pinkie Pie left. "Hello dear, what can I-" She stops her usual dialogue as she sees that fluffed up mane. "Pinkie!" She gasps surprised, but all the same happy to see her again. "When you left I felt so bad, I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean to act out like that earlier."
Pinkie Pie smiles at Mrs. Cake, seemingly not bothered by her frantic frustration from earlier. "Don't worry about it Mrs. Cake! I understand."
"Oh that's great dearie." She replies, relieved.
"So that's why I found a solution to both of our problems!" Pinkie says ecstatically.
"You did?"
"You betcha! Mrs. Cake, I'd like you to introduce my best-est, best friend in all of Equestria!" Anon comes in on que, just as Pinkie Pie discussed with him on the walk over here; he isn't quite sure why he needed to be waltzed in like some piece of royalty, but expects nothing less from his strange friend.
"O-Oh..." Mrs. Cake steps back a bit, seeing the intimidating, tall creature before her.
"He's going to be working with me for the rest of the day! Don't worry though, I'll make sure to show him the ropes!" Pinkie winks playfully at her boss. Mrs. Cake chuckles nervously with an anxious expression, cautious about this daunting figure that's now only feet away.
"Hi... Mrs. Cake was it? My name is Anon, I'm Pinkie Pie's friend and-"
"Y-Yes I know who you are." She answers abruptly.
"Oh, Pinkie's talked about me before? I guess that isn't too surprising." He looks down at his bubbly pony friend, she grins at him childishly, oblivious and care-free at Anon's words.
"This way Anon! All the stuff and stuffy, stuff is in here!" She trots along, tugging Anon's arm as she pushes him into the kitchen. "And don't worry about anything Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie yells out. "I promise he'll be in top position in no time!"
"That's the least that I'm worried about." Mrs. Cake mutters, watching Pinkie Pie and her friend start work on making sweets.
"Hmm, lets see." Pinkie Pie stares at the filled piece of paper hung on the wall, looking at all the orders that have yet to be filled. Anon stands behind her, waiting for any orders to be given. "Raspberry cream pie, marshmallow delight, Pinkie's special... oh wait! That's mine!" She laughs to herself, seemingly forgetting that she had an order just for her. "Ok Anon, lets get to work!" She turns around, looking at Anon with vigor.
"What do you want me to do?" He asks.
"Go grab some gummy-ponies from the pantry, I think besides that, we'll be good as grime!"
Pinkie gets everything ready while Anon goes and searches for the small sugary minis, taking out mixers, knives, spoons, aprons, and all sorts of equipment from the cabinets that surround her. She hums a cheery tune, placing down the tools of her trade on the table with a soft but fast touch.
Pinkie finishes setting everything up, a subtle tap is felt on her back. She turns around to see the bag of gummies held by her assistant. "Oooh, perfect Anon!" She squeals with excitement. Anon peers over his friend to see an assortment of gadgets that Pinkie has set out in the short time he'd been gone.
"Pinkie, are we using all of those?"
"Well sure we are! We can't make cakes, muffins, fudge, cupcakes, crepes, macaroons-"
"Pinkie I get it." He cuts her off. "We need all of this though?"
"Yeppie-deppie!" She motions with a carefree attitude. "Is that fine?"
"I just don't know how to use... well any of this."
"Don't you worry Anon! Ms. Pinkie will teach you everything you need to know!" She assures him.
"If you say so."
The two friends get a move on, fulfilling all orders that's needed to be done for the day. Anon watches Pinkie Pie as she explains step by step, on how to work these foreign machines.
"See? Easy-peasie!" She confidently strides her skills. "Now, you try Anon!"
"I mean how hard can using a rolling pen actually be?" He shrugs, thinking in his mind that Pinkie's job of producing sweets is nothing but a walk in the park. "All you got to do is.... uh..." Anon changes face quickly as he somehow turns a ball of dough into chunks of ripped apart waste.
Pinkie giggles cutely at Anon's mess up. "No silly, not like that! From the top!" She picks up the messy parts of dough and exchanges it for a brand new one. She stares at Anon, waiting for him to start his process over again.
"Pinkie, I'm not sure I'm cut out for this sort of thing..." He states with defeat.
"No way Anon! I know you can do this! Here." She gets behind him. "Now, just pick up the pen and I'll help with the rest."
"Pinkie I-"
"You can do it!" She says with encouragement.
He sighs and picks up the pen like before. "What- Pinkie, what are you-"
"Trust me Anon! Your best friend Pinkie knows what she's doing!" She stands closely behind him, so close that he can feel her body's coat. She stands on two hooves to try and match Anon's height, gently grabbing his arm and directing it on where to go; the soft touch of her hoof is a warm sensation that is felt on Anon's body. "Now go down slowly." She commands, her voice lowering in tone as she lives in the moment.
"L-Like this?" Anon asks with uncertainty.
"Mmmhmmm." Pinkie helps Anon roll the dough softly as her heart flutters with intimacy. "There." Anon finishes rolling the dough into a more optimal shape as Pinkie holds on to his limb. She doesn't let go of him however, she just lays her hoof warmly on top of his hand as her soft, delicate breath is felt on Anon's neck.
"P-Pinkie?" He turns around slowly to look at her, her eyes show a soft, relaxed state as she smiles to herself comfortably. She looks up at Anon and notices the awkward predicament that she's found herself in. She blinks a couple times before shyly turning away.
"O-Oh, sorry Anon, I just.... lost my train of thought." She smiles still, but a bit nervously now. "What is with you Pinkamena!" Her brain shouts.
"It's fine.... Hey and look, you actually seemed to help me out." He says to her, seeing the nicely flat out dough laying on the table. He's not quite used to humans getting that close to him, but ponies here seem to work very differently. Anon shrugs off the intimate encounter as just some friendly help, at least, that's what reigns in his mind.
More orders get finished as Anon becomes more experienced with each treat made. Anon and Pinkie talk the rest of the day, Pinkie trying to move away from that embarrassing experience that got her mind too carried away.
"Alright, last one. That seems to do it." Anon says with sureness, setting the cupcakes aside at a job well done.
"It sure does Anon!" Pinkie confirms.
"Phew, I'm pooped." Anon stretches his back, looking around the now squeaky clean kitchen.
"Oh come on, Anon! It wasn't that bad!" Pinkie says playfully.
"Yeah, I guess it could've been worse... having someone you care about does make any day worthwhile." Anon inquires nonchalantly. Pinkie looks at him a bit stunned, though quickly changes her expression, looking softly at Anon.
"Pinkie Pie! Are you done in there?! It's getting pretty late!" A voice echoes through the building.
"Almost Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie's voice returns, being cut off guard from the otherwise serine moment.
Pinkie and Anon make their way out from the kitchen and into the front of the bakery, Mrs. Cake is standing some feet away from the two as she looks upon Pinkie from the bottom of the stairs.
"We got almost every order!" Pinkie tells Mrs. Cake with a cheery disposition. "And thanks to Anon's help, I was able to get a lot done twice as fast!" Mrs. Cake's face quivers as she looks from her pink worker to the still unfamiliar species standing a distance away.
"It was an honor finally meeting you Mrs. Cake, like I said, Pinkie's told me quite a bit about you, so it's great to finally match that name with a face." Anon chuckles awkwardly to himself, feeling that this older mare isn't quite as welcoming as he thought she would be.
"Yes well it wasn't the most expected of events to see one of Pinkie's friends show up today..." She forces a grin, looking visibly nervous. She looks to Pinkie Pie who's smiling, carefree as ever, and then back to Anon. "But it's much appreciated that you've come to help out today." She admits. "It is getting rather late though; Pinkie, finish up whatever you need to finish dear. I'll be heading off to bed for the night so just make sure you turn off all the lights before going to sleep."
"Will do Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie waves a hoof to her boss as her and Anon watch Mrs. Cake head back up the stairs.
"I guess that'll do it for me too Pinkie." Anon says, patting his friend's fluffy mane.
"Oh yeah, you got to go home huh." Pinkie responds with hesitancy.
"You ok?" Anon looks down at his friend with a slight concerned expression.
"O-Oh me? Yeah I'm fine." She tries to shrug off, though to Anon, he can tell there's more to it.
"C'mon Pinkie, what's up?"
Pinkie groans softly, wanting to say whatever is trapping her from saying what's on her mind. "Well I guess since you asked..." Pinkie circles her hooves around, looking at Anon with some insecurity. "I just wanted to know if you maybe, wanted to walk back home together?"
"That's it?" Anon says bluntly.
"W-Well yeah."
Anon eyes Pinkie with suspicion, her expression doesn't seem to be changing however. "All she wanted to ask is if she could walk home with me?" Anon thinks.
"So... is that fine?" Pinkie volumes with a lower tone.
"I don't mind Pinkie."
"You mean it?" She looks up at Anon more confidently.
"Uh, yeah."
"Oh that's great!" She shouts, returning to a more familiar audible level of speech.
"But keep it down." Anon whispers, not wanting to alert the Cake's.
"Oh, right!" She whispers excitedly.
Anon heads for the bakery door, Pinkie hops behind him, following his every step. They begin the walk home with a dark ambient mood filling the night, it doesn't seem to faze Pinkie however, as she still trots with stride.
"So how did you like it?" Pinkie asks.
"Hmm?" Anon questions.
"Ya'know, working at Sugarcube for a day. I told you it was gonna be super-duper fun!" She tells Anon with sincerity.
"It was fine with all things considering, I can tell your boss isn't much of a fan of me I take it."
"Oh no, not at all! She's just really uneasy seeing weird, tall, fleshy creatures that she isn't familiar with."
Anon looks at Pinkie with a bit of a frown. "Oh."
Pinkie takes notice and quickly back peddles on her words. "N-No that's not what I meant!... Or is it?" Pinkie ponders her words. "Darn it Pinkie, did you really have to call him weird?! I didn't mean it like that though! Oh yeah, well good going missy, look, you made him upset! No I didn't, did I?"
"It's fine Pinkie, really." Anon breaks Pinkie out of her thoughts. "Coming to this world, certainly comes with its up's and down's, and I for one have been accustomed to knowing that."
"What do you mean Anon?" Pinkie says slowly, her voice attentive and ready to listen to whatever her friend's going to say.
"Oh, just the different ponies is all, it's nothing too serious." Anon rubs his neck, seemingly wanting to drop the subject.
"Come on Anon, you can tell me." Pinkie assures him with a nurturing voice.
"Are you sure?" He responds with a doubtful demeanor, to Anon, he thinks no one is willing, nor wanting, to hear his bothersome feelings, even if it's a friend he trusts with so much of his being.
They stop moving and look at each other, tree's and woods line up behind Anon. Pinkie looks in Anon's eyes with sureness and puts her hoof softly on his shoulder. "Anon, you can tell me anything." She smiles softly. Anon feels a surge of comfort through his body, Pinkie's always ready to listen to whatever he has to say, as if she's the only one that will.
He takes a deep breath before speaking. "Ok Pinkie, I'll tell you." He gives her a smile back, it fills her with so much joy seeing him look at her with that wonderful face. "The ponies here... they don't like me, now I understand why, it's just that... it can be a little hard to deal with from time to time."
"That's not true Anon! You have me, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twi-"
"I know, I know." He cuts her off again, seeing her going off on another large speech. "I'm grateful for you guys, honestly I am. But, it can be a little cumbersome sometimes seeing ponies go the other direction at the sheer sight of me. I guess it's just to be expected being the only species of my being."
Pinkie frowns, she knows she can't say anything to make him feel better, and it beats her up inside. For all the time she's known him, ponies avoiding him anywhere that they would go, is a fact she never wanted to face. "I'm not always happy either Anon. I try my best, really I do, but I'm a pony too, just like everyone around me."
"Pinkie?" Anon says softly, seeing his friend open up to him unexpectedly.
She smiles at him once again and continues. "Cheering up my friends around me, seeing every pony else having a fun time, just making that one sad mare or stallion, turn that frown upside down... I love to see it. It's a feeling, I wouldn't trade in for a million royal cupcakes." She giggles. "But, through all the good times and bright memories... there's moments that I just think... well... that I'm just not good enough."
"What? Pinkie, that's-" She slowly puts her hoof on his mouth, Anon nods and lets her continue.
"It's not all the time mind you, but, something that many ponies tend to forget about me is that... I have a heart too, and it's just as big and round as everyone else. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I also struggle with my own thoughts, my own doubts, my own.... worth." She looks up the sky, stars, big and small, are illuminating with a bright heavenly light. She giggles again, another snort coming from her snout. "Enough of this 'gloom and doom' talk, come on, we still gotta get you home!"
"Y-Yeah... right." Anon walks with Pinkie in tow. He's never seen that side of her before, the side that is more then just that happy party mare she's always seemed to be. The talk about having feelings just like any pony else, it wasn't something he thought she'd ever care about.
"Here we are!" She states.
"Yep, just as small as I remember it." They both laugh at Anon's, not so funny, 'joke'. "I guess it's time for me to 'hit the hay' as they say. I really appreciated working with you today Pinks- I mean Pinkie." Anon catches himself as his tongue slips.
"You know, I've heard you say that before."
"Sorry Pinkie I-"
"I... like it." She smiles with a delicate expression. Anon looks slightly surprised at his friends response. "'Pinks', I think it suits me." She says cheerfully. "A nickname would be nice for you to though." She looks at him to gauge his reaction. "How about... Nonie... yeah, Nonie is perfect." She says to herself, satisfied at her best friend's new name.
"That's great Pinkie- I mean, Pinks. Nonie is fine by me." He agrees, walking to his door to finally get some much needed sleep.
"Goodnight Pinkie, I'll see you later."
"Goodnight... Nonie." She watches him close his door once again; words that she oh so wants to tell him, feelings she desperately wants to share with him, will have to wait, for another day.
Pinkie Pie lays in her bed, looking up blankly at her pink and vibrant ceiling; she shuffles around in her mind feelings that confuse and overwhelm her soul. Trapped by the constant intrusions that she wish would give her solace, just a bit of relaxation, but to no avail. "Why do I have to feel this way? Why do I have to be this way? No pony has ever given me a chance, so why should I expect he'd be any different?" Like an endless loop, her mind fixates on emotions she feels so deeply about; emotions, he'll never see.
October 31st, Nightmare Night
"Oh where is it, where is it!" Pinkie tears her way through piles of clothes, trying to find her special lingerie that will complete her exotic outfit. "Ah ha! Here it is!" Her mind eases down with relief at the sight of her silly, yet cute costume. The day is slowly creeping down to dusk, Pinkie made sure to finish all her chores around the bakery before settling down to get ready for tonight's event; it's a special day that makes her giddy with excitement just thinking about it.
She hurries to the bathroom to put on the finishing touches. Looking at the mirror that reflects her pink gaze, she applies makeup ever so carefully. She wants this look to really wow all the pony folk, and of course, her best friend. "Honk, honk." She says while staring at herself in the mirror, booping her nose. Another snort filled giggle escapes her joyful body, feeling nothing but hopefulness at her simple, crafty design.
Pinkie heads down stairs, making sure all her final quirks are in order before heading out. "Oh, are you leaving already?" A familiar soft voice echoes its way towards Pinkie's ears.
"Uh-huh! I got everything done Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie asserts assuredly.
"All the peppermints stocked up and filled?"
"Yep!"
"Every last chocolate piece wrapped up, and ready to be used?"
"Yep, yep!"
"Oh I can always count on you can't I dear." Mrs. Cake speaks with care. "Just make sure to be careful, I shouldn't need to tell you how crazy things can get on this day in particular."
"I know Mrs. Cake; and don't worry, you won't see Ms. Pinkie getting in any sorts of trouble!" Pinkie inquires with a playful demeanor.
"I know I won't dear. Have a good time, and be sure not to stay out too late!" Mrs. Cake waves a hoof with a slightly worried smile as she see's her pink worker happily hop out of the bakery.
"Bye Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie waves a hoof right before the door closes. She turns around and looks at the delightful view before her; as usual, foals and fillies of all kinds are taking part in the great celebration of today. It always brings a warm smile to Pinkie's face seeing all the young ponies experience the wonder of this magnificent holiday. Pinkie shakes her head to focus on her train of thought.
"I need to find Anon! He's probably been waiting for me for Celestia knows how long!" Just like that, her four hooves move without a second thought. She's experienced Nightmare Night with her human friend before, but never when it was just the two of them. Her heart feels full as she trots along, thinking about all the exciting festivities she can share with him.
She spots Anon standing by one of many snack booths, eating what seems to be a candy filled apple; though something else catches her eye. "Is that Rose?" Pinkie questions, as she see's Anon talking lively with another mare.
"Oh Pinkie, there you are!" Anon says with anticipation, mouth full of his food bought delight. "I got to say, I love the costume." He compliments, seeing the cheerful looking clown attire that Pinkie dawned on herself.
"Thanks Nonie!" Pinkie smiles.
"Nonie?" Rose says, standing behind Anon, a little view away from Pinkie.
"Oh uh, it's just a nickname she gave me a while back." Anon explains, a hint of embarrassment shown on his face.
"Oh, I see." Rose answers back, understanding the sudden and strange name calling. She steps beside Anon, showing herself fully to the silly pink clown. "Hey Pinkie, it's nice seeing you again." Rose smiles, delighted to see one of her many friends in Ponyvile.
"You too Rose. Sorry I came so late, I had some things to finish up back at the bakery. Me and Noni- Anon, are going house to house getting delicious candy, playing carnival games, and seeing that spooky attraction that opened up a couple days ago. Sorry again for having to wait around and give Anon company while I was getting here, I hope you have a good Nightmare Night tonight!" Pinkie inquires loudly with enthusiasm, just thinking about all the things her and Anon are going to have fun doing tonight, makes her giddy with anticipation.
Anon and Rose look at Pinkie, confusion being static on their faces. "Didn't I tell you Pinkie?" Anon questions.
Pinkie gives a small nervous chuckle, looking just as confused as the two staring at her. "Tell me what?"
Anon and Rose look at each other, before directing their attention back to the bubbly earth mare. "All three of us were hanging out tonight... at least, that's what I thought." Rose says a bit uncertain, as if Pinkie had already known this from the start.
"O-Oh... r-really?" Pinkie responds with a shy, yet still slightly carefree tone. Her ears perk down a bit, though under her delicately poofy mane, it's barely even noticeable.
"Well yeah Pinkie, didn't Mrs. Cake ever give you that note?" Anon replies.
"Note?" Pinkie ushers back, thinking long and hard of any note she could have gotten from her boss.
"Sorry I couldn't tell you in person, I was busy with work last week but I knew somehow I had to tell you. When I went to the bakery, you weren't there, so I asked Mrs. Cake if she could pass along a note.... she did give it to you, didn't she?"
Pinkie stares at Anon, remembering that Mrs. Cake had told her that one of her friends dropped by to give her a message. "I.. guess I must've have overlooked it." She chuckles nervously again.
"If you guys just want to hang out by yourselves I can go with Lily and-"
"N-No!" Anon interrupts his friend's awkward jump-in. It wouldn't be right to just drop plans with his friend all of a sudden. Rose looks at Anon with uncertainty of what she should do. "Pinkie would love for you to come along Rose, she just misunderstood the situation is all; if anything, I think it'd be great for Pinkie to have some company, since it was just going to be me and her this year, I'm sure she'd love to have any more friends she can take. Right Pinkie?"
Anon says with confidence, thinking that Pinkie would want more then just the two of them to hang out surely. "Uhm.." Pinkie shuffles around, hesitancy sprung in her vocal cords. "Why.... not?" She doesn't want to be rude, but she really wanted this night to be just Anon and Pinkie, having another pony in the picture squanders all her plans she had built up to this moment.
Rose chuckles embarrassingly. "Oh geez guys, I'm sorry." She confesses. "I do tend to over read situations sometimes, I have been excited about this night in particular for a while now-"
"You and me both." Pinkie mutters under her breath.
"-And I can't wait to try out some of the new attractions this year!" Rose finishes excitedly.
Anon smiles and laughs at Rose's innocent, child like, sentiment. "That's good to hear Rose. You and Pinkie are bound to have a good time I'm sure."
"'Me and Pinkie?'" Rose questions.
"You are coming in the spooky attractions too, aren't you Nonie?" Pinkie inquires.
"Um, well." Anon rubs his arm, trying to find the words to say that would match Pinkie and Rose's expectations; though as clear as day, his expression is all telling to the two mares. Pinkie and Rose look at Anon with disappointment. "It isn't that I don't want to, it's just that-"
"You don't want to?" Pinkie says, reading Anon like a book.
"..." Anon stays rubbing his arm.
Rose trots up to him, taking his hand away from his arm and placing it on her lifted up hoof, it's warm and soft to the touch. "If you're scared, don't be. I'll be there every step of the way." Rose talks to Anon with a warm tone of voice, she smiles at him as his worried face turns from a bashful form, to an angelic solace.
"Ok Rose, I'll do it."
"I'm so happy to hear that." Rose clambers with a returned solitude.
Pinkie looks awkwardly at the two of them. A weird, almost, envious feeling filling her mind as she see's the both of them appear so close.
"Come on, let's get moving, we have all night but that doesn't mean we should be waiting for ponies to fill up the lines."
Anon and Rose walk together, talking about all sorts of different things that the two share chemistry over. Behind them, Pinkie trudges along, a slight feeling of pain creeps into her body as her self is neglected by the aura of her two friends.
-------*------- "-So then Lily says, 'oranges? I thought you wore a dress with Rose pedals on it for your aunts wedding?'" Rose tells Anon, a long and uneventful story being recollected out of her mouth.
"No way, how could she forget what you were wearing? Didn't she come to?" Anon speaks with attendance, almost at the edge of his seat with how interested he is.
"I know right?! She was right there! Anyway-"
Rose keeps blabbering on with her long tale as Pinkie slowly trots behind them, not being able to get a word out between the two that are seemingly so interested in each others presence. Pinkie looks around her surroundings to take in all the hard work the pony-folk have done. Her mind rehearses the beginning lines of her poem she'd written for Nonie, a poem she was so excited to share with him. "Spooky ghosts who's faces can send even the heartiest of ponies into fright, jack-o-lanterns crafted so marvelously with delight, skeletons, goblins galore! Oh do I know nightmare night can offer so much more!"
"Uh Pinkie? Pinkie?!" Pinkie twitches with the sudden touch of a hoof touching her side, parting focus at the vanilla shaded pony who's trying to garner her attention.
"We're here Pinks!" Anon tells her.
"'Pinks' 'Nonie'... You two sure are close huh?" Rose inquires suggestively, taking note of the cute nicknames the two friends have for each other.
"Well of course we're close we-"
"I-It's not like that!" Pinkie stands vulnerable yet defensive at Rose's accusation.
"Pinkie?" Anon looks to her at a loss.
A teasing giggle is heard from between them as Rose suavely matches her hoof to her mouth. "Oh you guys are too much! I was only joking! I know Pinkie isn't that type of gal anyways."
"What do you mean Rose?" Anon questions.
She giggles some more. "Not a thing, 'Nonie.'" She gives him a wink as she trots forward with a lighthearted prance. Anon looks at Pinkie and shrugs and then back to Rose as she's almost made her way inside the spooky house.
"Rose wait up!" He begins going after her. "Man she sure is fast isn't she Pinkie?... Pinkie?" He looks to his side, predicting to see his pink bubble right beside him, only to be blindsided by the air of nothingness that night brings. "Pinkie come on, Rose is already two steps ahead of us!"
Pinkie stands amongst the many ponies walking around and in front of her. Her hooves feel like steel and her mind tries to collect itself. "Oh it's no problem at all Anon, I'm not feeling very good on this one, I'll be sure to go to the next though!" She shares her carried over enthusiasm as Anon gives her a thumbs up and a nod before dashing towards his friend, not wanting the crowd to get too messy.
She watches as he runs away, excited and rejoiced to be acting in such fun activities. She watches him go, once again. She stands looking as if to not have a care in the world, looking like... she always does. "Maybe I'm not." Her mind plays around. "Maybe Rose is right; maybe you're not... 'that kind of girl'. No! That isn't true, she was just kidding! But words hurt you, don't they, Pie. No, you're lying, trying to make me feel... bad, or something, I don't know! But I'm right, you know it, I know it; you aren't the mare you think you are, you're comic relief, a quick gag here and there, some pony to be there only when someone else is feeling down. Besides that your purpose is nothing. It hurts doesn't it? Having friends who've never been there for you, never been there to help through tough situations, having friends who will never feel the same about you. What drives you Dianne? What makes you think he will ever-"
"Get out of my head!"
"..."
Echoes of foals and fillies laughing as they play with each other stop, ponies sharing the joy of one another, customers asking for what items they wish the carriers to give them; all cease. She looks around, frightened, confused at the eyes drawn on her. Panic ensues her being as she looks towards the haunted house.
"Oh my gosh that was sooo much fun!" Rose enforces through excited terror. "We have to tell Pinkie!" They look jovial at their friend whilst heading up to meet with her. Pinkie watches with a meek gaze as she makes contact with her two friends. She can't help but notice how happy they seem together. "Oh my gosh, Pinkie, you will not believe what we experienced in there it was soo crazy!"
"We can tell her on the way to the next attraction, come on you guys." Anon smiles as he motions them along. "You ready Pinkie?" She looks up at Anon with a hidden sorrow, trying to hide her expression.
"I uhm, am kind of feeling a little uh, under the weather."
"Oh no Pinkie, what's wrong?" Rose asks, concerned.
"Nothing really, or maybe there is, uhm-"
"Pinkie, you were excited about this day, it seemed to be the only thing you could talk about for weeks. C'mon let's head over to the next frightening set piece, we have a lot more to get to and this was just the tip of it!" Anon pronounces to her, trying so hard for her to stay.
Pinkie looks around at the ponies who're still looking at her; somehow Rose and Anon are oblivious, or at the very least, uninterested at the wandering eyes. "I know, I just have things to do, yeah things to do, exactly! I Uh, I'll talk to you guys later for sure though!" She tries desperately to put on a face, to show she's fine, it's already embarrassing enough having ponies stare at her this way, she doesn't want to act sappy too.
"Are you sure?" Anon asks her once more.
"Absolutely!" Pinkie cheers back. "This pink girl has some important work, so I shouldn't dilly-dally! See ya later!" Without another word she trots off; Rose and Anon stare bewildered at their friend as she becomes enveloped by the night, completely out of sight.
"This is my fault, isn't it?" Rose looks back to Anon, a sideways frown in clear view to him.
"Rose?"
"I should've let you two have time to yourselves, not butting in and such. Oh how naive could I be?" She scrunches her eyes out of frustration and puts a hoof to her forehead.
"You didn't do anything wrong Rose, Pinkie Pie is just tired is all." Anon tries to reassure her.
"No, that wasn't tiredness Anon." Rose says. "Tell me, did she ask for more ponies to come? I know you told me she would love it, but did she actually ask for more company?" She implores with one eyebrow raised, interrogating this tall human before her.
"Yeah, she did."
"She did?!" Rose sounds off, surprised.
"I mean she didn't ask me directly.." He trails off.
"Anon, what are you saying?" She goes back to detective mode.
"Well she told me last week that 'the girls weren't coming', or in layman's terms, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow-"
"What was her reason?" Rose asks, exaggerated.
"I don't know really."
"You mean you didn't bother to ask her!?"
"No, what I mean is, wait.... no, I didn't bother to ask her." Anon says in a way that makes him feel guilty, but why should he be? He didn't do anything wrong, so why be put on blast for something so minor such as this?
"Did she seem even a little bothered by this?" Rose continues questioning him for another five minutes, both of them are sat on the curb as she does so.
"No, she didn't. Rose, what's this all about?" He questions back.
"It's obvious." She rolls her eyes. "She wanted to spend time with you." Anon blinks a couple times. "You know, alone?"
"You mean...?"
"Yeah, I mean."
"No, not Pinkie! She's the type of pony who wants to spend the world with everyone, there's no way she'd just want to spend this day, of all days, together just me and her. Rose, you can't possibly think-"
"You guys even have nicknames for each other." Rose states, as if more proof she just wanted it to be the two of them. She exhales a soft sigh before standing back up. "I don't know what I think Anon, but I have known Pinkie longer then you have, and if there's one thing Pinkie will not do, it's run away from an exciting event. Maybe I'm over thinking it, maybe I'm not, but she cares about you, that's for sure."
Rose offers a hoof to help Anon stand back on his two legs, the two of them decide it's best they call it for this short night as they both seem to not be in the mood to do anything else. Anon waves a friendly goodbye as him and Rose exchange smiles before going there separate ways.
"She wanted to spend to with you.... alone. Maybe I'm over thinking it, but she cares about you, that's for sure." Her words sink into his mind as he starts to think a different way about Pinkie, thinking of a side, unlike one he's become accustomed too. He knows she cares about him, and he does to.
"She couldn't think that way about me, could she?"
"You're home rather early dearie, things went good I suppose?" Mrs. Cake presents a welcoming smile towards the clown costumed Pinkie.
"Of course Mrs. Cake, everything was great!" Pinkie smiles back with exchanged enthusiasm. She wants nothing but to go upstairs and lie down.
"That's great to hear sweetie." Mrs. Cake reinforces.
Pinkie Pie hurries upstairs before anymore words are brought on by her caring boss, she doesn't want to blow Mrs. Cake off, far from it, she just needs some time alone; some Pinkie time. Pinkie closes the door to the bathroom, a sigh of exhaustion leaves her parched lungs. A reflection stands between herself and the mirror as she sees that face every mare and stallion has seen before, one of happiness and joy, hidden by the makeup she oh so tried to impress him with.
Part of her pink face shows as the white clown paint has found its way rubbing off the sides of her cheeks and forehead. "I hope nobody saw me like this." She pouts as her once exciting costume looks a mess from wrinkles in the fabric, to the white makeup that has run down onto her cloth.
The faucet turns on as water splashes it's contents on the sides of the sink. Pinkie cups the clear liquid and douses her face to remove the rest of the makeup that is stationed on it. She looks back up, clearing her eyes with her hooves to get a better look at herself. Her mane is frizzled and partly down, her face is clear, apart from tiny specks of makeup that have not been touched by the cold water. "I'll worry about that later." She proclaims, she's in no mood to take a shower tonight, even if she's a little sweaty from tonight's short venture.
She turns the water off and grabs a hand towel to wipe off her soaked face. Once again she looks to the mirror, her mane becoming straightened from all the water that had fallen on it. "Pinkamena Dianne Pie, that's who I am, that's who I aim to be." She tells herself as if any soul is listening, but it's good they aren't. She reassures herself of the pony she is, the pony, others see her as.
She's never been one for emotional dramas, that Oscar goes to Rarity, but she finds it hard to keep acting like nothing's wrong all the time; it's not like she can't pretend, she's done it countless of times, for others sake, but the element of laughter, has feelings too.
-------*------- In her room she throws her dirty costume into her bin, she's startled for a quick second as she sees a white piece of paper fall out of the cloth and slowly down onto her floor, she'd forgotten that was in there. "Spooky ghosts who's faces can send even the heartiest of ponies into fright, jack-o-lanterns crafted so marvelously with delight, skeletons, goblins galore. Oh do I know nightmare night can offer so much more." She reads it in a soft tone.
It's the poem she wrote for him.
She places it under her bed. "It was a good attempt, huh Pinkie? Too bad I wasn't able to tell him how I feel." She talks to herself, yet once again, no creature is listening. She shimmies under her soft covers, the warmth gravitating nicely to her coat like the finest linen Equestria can offer.
Pinkie Pie lays in her bed, looking up blankly at her pink and vibrant ceiling; she shuffles around in her mind feelings that confuse and overwhelm her soul. Trapped by the constant intrusions that she wish would give her solace, just a bit of relaxation, but to no avail. "Why do I have to feel this way? Why do I have to be this way? No pony has ever given me a chance, so why should I expect he'd be any different?" Like an endless loop, her mind fixates on emotions she feels so deeply about; emotions, he'll never see.
November 1st "All done Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie shouts from across the room.
"Wonderful dear." Her boss speaks back.
Pinkie begins for the door, humming delightfully as she does so. "I'll be back later Mrs. Cake!"
"Where are you off to this time Pinkie?" Mrs. Cake wonders.
"I'm off to help Applejack with her farm buiss', ya know stuff like that."
Mrs. Cake chuckles. "Still as playful as ever I see." She says back. "Ok dear well be safe, and remember to be back around 6:00, the inspector from Canterlot is coming down to check out the place."
"Will do Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie turns around from her boss, pulling the knob as the bell chimes elegantly with the door peering open to reveal the sunlight beyond.
"Oh Pinkie, one more thing." Pinkie Pie stops in her tracks and quickly looks back at her boss, curious to what she has to say. "Me and Mr. Cake are planning to take the next couple days off; we were actually thinking about visiting Manehatten again, but, oh I don't know Pinkie, it wouldn't be right to leave the shop to you without any help. We wouldn't be gone for only a week but I still-"
"Leave it up to me!" Pinkie grins with her eyes closed, she knows Mr. and Mrs. Cake are tired after working for months without even a little time off, it would be only right to let them have a little fun.
"Are you sure? I'd feel really bad if something happened while I was gone and-"
"No worries at all Mrs. Cake! Besides, how many days have you let me skip out?" Pinkie winks playfully, she's trying her best to have her boss not feel bad.
"If you're ok with it..." Mrs. Cake sounds off unsure.
"It would be my pleasure!" Pinkie reinforces her confidence once more.
"Oh thank you Pinkie. We really appreciate it." Mrs. Cake delicately tones.
Pinkie confidingly nods and once again heads for her orange friends farm.
-------*------- "One, two, aaand, done!" The oven opens with a stroke of carefulness as the orange mare takes precautions taking her newly crafted pie out of its confines. "MmmmMmmm! Just how granny likes it!" She takes a whiff of the aroma coming from her sweet delight and smiles at a job well done. "Now I just gotta finish that cider and I'll be don-"
*Knock* *Knock*
"Now who could that be?" Applejack sets the apple pie down safely before heading towards her door. "This better not be that old stallion again." She huffs to herself as she's reminded of the past couple days prior.
"I swear if this is-" She opens the door swiftly, startling Pinkie as her hoof is about to come down with another pound. "I told you, you ain't getting my services for free!" She raises her voice with a frustrated manor; her eyes are closed as her posture looks tense. Applejack opens her eyes at the sound of silence echoing back towards her. "Oh... uh. Hey Pinkie." She blinks a couple times, a small ounce of embarrassment heating through her body.
"Applejack?" Pinkie looks up at Applejack, her head hunched down a bit from the startling fright.
"Sorry Pinkie I thought you were, uh.... some pony else." She says softly to her poofy maned friend, trying to reconcile the hostility she showed.
"Services?..." Pinkie nudges her head up, a little closer to Applejack's level.
"Come again?" Applejack answers back.
"What services AJ?" Pinkie asks, head tilted to the side.
Applejack looks at Pinkie with confusion, the two crossing the same suspicious glance at each other. Applejack think's for a second, taking account the brief outburst of words she unrightfully shouted at Pinkie. "Oh, it ain't nothin' to worry about." Applejack confesses.
"What is it Applejack?" Pinkie asks her friend, now curious more then ever of what Applejack was talking about. What started out as Pinkie coming to her friend for advice, has somehow landed her in a completely different state of mind.
"It's just an unruly costumer, really, it ain't anythin' to fuss about." Applejack tries to convince her friend, Pinkie tilts her head more with a suspicious frown, something tells Applejack that Pinkie is expecting more to the story then just that.. "J-Just business and such... Pinkie, what'd you come here for?" Applejack exhausts her words, a slight annoyance trickling from her tone.
"Oh!" Pinkie pops back up as if her quest of coming to Applejack's house was course corrected. "Wait... what did I come here for?" Pinkie rubs her chin, thoughts and ideas of all sort spring into her head.
"....I.... really can't tell you Pinkie." Applejack slowly repositions herself, the same curious glare Pinkie had to Applejack, now redirected back. "Why don't ya'll come in, if there's somethin' you gotta tell me or not, it's never bad havin' some company over."
"You don't mind?" Pinkie asks.
"Of course not sugarcube, I'm just letting on the finishing touches to that pie I made, we can go ahead and chat some after that."
"You mean... that pie?" Pinkie looks aside from her orange friend, peering in to the wood encrusted floors that the apple family's house is delicately designed with.
Applejack looks towards Pinkie's direction. "Ah no, Winona!" Applejack shews the dog away, all that remains is an empty pan with apple crumbs laced on the sides.
-------*------- "There we go, all done!" Pinkie says with enthusiasm, holding the newly baked pie in her oven mitted hooves.
"Finally." Applejack lets out with a relived sigh.
"Sorry again for distracting you AJ, who'd have known your dog was so into apples?" Pinkie says with a cheer and a light-hearted sentiment.
"Yeah, I guess I should've figured she'd misbehave behind my back. Oh well, at least we got it all taken care of." Applejack reaches her hooves to retrieve the food Pinkie helped her make, being careful to not get burnt from the hot pie in the process.
"Mmmmm, that does smell delicious AJ!" Pinkie's mouth waters at the thought of eating the sugary dessert.
"Well don't get too excited girl, remember this is made as a celebration for all the hard work we as a family put into making this farm as good as it can be." Applejack tells Pinkie with humble pride, proud of the accomplishments and to be apart of such a hard working family.
"I know, I know, you guys deserve it more then me anyhow." Pinkie inquires with a wholesome point of view, smiling warmly at her friend.
"Awww shucks Pinkie, it ain't like that!" Applejack waves a hoof warmly back at her pink friend. "I'll tell ya what, I'll make another batch some other time, just for me, you, and the girls to enjoy."
"What for?" Pinkie asks softly.
"For bein' great friends of course! Ya'll deserve it too for bein' just who you are."
"And who are we AJ?" Pinkie asks, still curious to her friends words.
"The best friends a girl like me could possibly have, ya'll are family to me too ya know." Applejack smiles at Pinkie, showing gratitude and appreciation for Pinkie's kind, albeit, wacky, self.
"Aw AJ!"
"W-Woah, hey now!" Pinkie lunges towards her orange friend, scooping her up greatly with her two front hooves. After a few seconds Pinkie lets go with the same excited attachment; Applejack chuckles graciously to herself and Pinkie. "Do you remember now what you came here for in the first place?" Applejack says, changing topic.
Pinkie thinks long and hard again. "Nope!" She says, carefree. "Oh wait, actually...." Pinkie looks up to the celling, her eyes fixed on the real world whilst her mind remembers her intentions for coming over.
"Ah, there you are Pinkie!" A voice calls from behind. Applejack is first to look towards the direction of the voice, before Pinkie realizes the call out of her name and does the same.
"Anon?" Applejack's voice reaches back.
"Nonie!?" Pinkie's voice gasps with surprise.
"I finished work early and was trying to find you. Mrs. Cake actually didn't run away this time when I entered your place to ask where you were, I think she's finally coming around." Anon says, pleased with himself.
"Oh, well sorry I wasn't around, I was working with Applejack to bake this super-duper delicious cake!" Pinkie smiles with her eyes closed as she points to the apple pie her and Applejack worked on; she acts like a filly showing off a grand accomplishment.
"It's a pie, Pinkie." Applejack corrects her.
"I thought I smelled something good, it's nice to see you too AJ!" Anon waves a hand happily at the orange earth mare.
"Same to you Anon." Applejack waves back humbly.
"You guys aren't busy, are you? If so I can always come by your place later or tomorrow Pinks." Anon states, not wanting to interfere with his friends at such a short notice.
"Oh uh." Pinkie looks back to Applejack who shakes her head with confirmation. "Not at all Nonie! What did you need me for?" She asks with blatant enthusiasm, her nerves hidden through her positive attitude.
"O-Oh uh right, uhm." Anon gets caught off guard by Pinkie's response and voice sounding so confident, even though he was the one who sought her out to begin with. Pinkie and Applejack look with intrigue at Anon's scattered restlessness. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out for the day, I-I mean I got off work early so I thought 'what the heck?' You know?"
"Huh? O-Oh." Pinkie's mind processes the information for a second, she isn't used to Anon asking her to hang out, especially so out of the blue, and under the weird, unexpected circumstances she's in right now, she's at more of a loss then would be per-usual.
Anon looks anxiously at the two earth mares, he isn't used to asking Pinkie to hang out, as Anon only recalls a couple times he's been forthcoming with these questions, he typically leaves it up to Pinkie just because of how frequent he's used to being asked by her and from all that Rose told him yesterday, he's unsure if this is even the right, or at the very least, not a totally bizarre thing to ask. "Here." Anon reaches in his pocket, showing two tickets approved for a small carnival. "I thought it'd be fun."
"Where is this even at?" Pinkie asks, not recognizing the location marked on bottom left side of the flimsily materialized ticket.
"Just a bit off town, don't worry, it's not that long of a walk."
"How'd you even come about this place Nonie?"
"Happenstance I guess." Anon looks to the side, not wanting to explain any further.
"Hmm." Pinkie eyes Anon up and down suspiciously.
"So?" Anon reaffirms his question, looking to his pink friend with an impatient expression.
The room feels tense as Anon stands there, waiting for any answer from Pinkie, she thinks with a hoof on her chin, Anon and Applejack exchange glances as they both just wait awkwardly. "Pinkie look if you don't want to then-"
"Okay!" Pinkie unknowingly interrupts Anon, smiling and committing her tone with cheer.
"'Okay'?" Anon retorts back, not entirely sure of the response given.
"I mean, yeah, I'll go!" She adds, still smiling with the same comforting appearance.
"Great! Now it should be open until twelve o'clock tonight so if you need to get ready I can wait until your done-"
"Wait, wait, hold on a sec." Pinkie butts in, a slightly confused look on her face.
"What's up?" Anon inquires.
"You only have two tickets?" Pinkie squints as she looks once more to the pieces of paper in Anon's hand.
"Yeah? Is there something wrong Pinkie?"
Pinkie's mind thinks again, though to Anon, it's anyone's guess what's going through her head. "....So, no pony- or anyone else is going?" She comments to him with a mysterious demeanor.
"Oh no, I should've known Rose had no idea what she was talking about; Pinkie doesn't just want it to be the two of us!" Anon's thoughts go wild as he frustratingly thinks about his and Rose's conversation. "Should I lie and just say 'I didn't know'? No, that wouldn't be right..." Anon sighs to himself, preparing hesitantly to respond. "Alright Pinkie, I'll tell you the truth." Her fluffy ears twitch and perk up, awaiting her human friend's chalked up response. "I actually could only get two tickets." Pinkie looks with the same static expression. "Now I know how you feel, and honestly, I feel the same; it sucks it can only be the two of us, so I thought about it and, if you want, you and AJ can go instead." Anon eases up at his explanation, expecting Pinkie to accept his words at face value and generally be more comfortable with the thought of her and Applejack going instead.
Pinkie Pie looks to the side to find Applejack no longer standing with her. Wherever she went off to, she probably did it more so to give Anon and Pinkie some time to talk. She looks back at Anon with a smaller, more, insecure smile; her eyelids looking more relaxed and down. "It would.... suck?" Pinkie's voice softens.
"What was that Pinkie?" Anon gets closer to his friend, her lower pitch making it harder to hear.
"I mean you really think it would suck?... Just me and you?" Pinkie keeps the same tone, a lot less vibrancy coming from her usual jumpy self.
Anon's taken aback by Pinkie Pie's less then enthusiastic response to proposing the tickets go to her and Applejack; alongside her more saddened tone all of a sudden.
"U-Uh I mean...." Anon's throat gets chocked up, losing the words needed to respond to Pinkie.
"It's ok." Pinkie smiles a little brighter once more. "I know I can be a bit over the top sometimes so I understand why if it would be a little embarrassing going with a mare like... me." She looks at Anon up and down, showing only a saddened joy from her bubbly posture.
"Pinkie I-"
"I think I changed my mind anyhow Nonie, there's stuff I gotta do at Sugarcube, or maybe there isn't... I-I don't know, I...." Pinkie's stare from Anon becomes hindered by her last word, she looks down from his gaze, as if she's ashamed about something. "...I'll talk to you later, o-ok?" Pinkie steals one more glance at her human friend, and trots slowly out of the Apple families residence, leaving only the human who thought he was doing everything right, to ponder what all just happened.
Applejack tends to her trees, doing her usual duty of bucking apples and letting them fill up in the many wooden baskets she's brought outside with her. It hasn't been that long ago that she went away whilst Pinkie and Anon were chatting amongst each other. A little ways away, she hears her front door open with a slight creek; Pinkie trots out, her head to the ground firmly, and her running, frantic.
"Pinkie?" Applejack calls out to her, from the distance that her and her friend are at however, her voice might be harder for Pinkie to hear. "Pinkie!" She calls again, louder this time, Pinkie looks up for a brief second, her eyes connecting only briefly with the orange mare, before once again hitting the ground with firmness.
Applejack watches as Pinkie keeps trotting along, not looking anywhere else but the green grass that surrounds the Apple farm. Applejack stops what she's doing, she can't help but think something bad happened while her and Anon were talking; she considers going back inside to confront Anon, but decides against it as her worriedness for her friend overrides her. Through the many trees, Applejack brushes through the leaves in motion to catch up to her speedy friend.
"Now where could she have gotten to?" Applejack mumbles as her head looks side to side, back and forth, trying to spot an inkling of a bright pink coat. For all she knows, she could've left the farm.
"There ya are." Be it through luck or a keen eye, Applejack lays eyes on her bubbly friend, she walks up slowly towards her; Pinkie's slouched down, her body quietly up against the bark of an uninteresting apple tree. Pinkie Pie sighs to herself dramatically as Applejack approaches.
"Alright Pinkie, what's wrong girl?" Applejack lowers her voice, a sense of melancholy hinging out, she can tell something's off with her pony friend.
"Oh nothing." Pinkie echoes back sadly.
"Pinkie." Applejack shakes her head, inching closer, she sits down adjacent from her friend. "I know something's up, it ain't like you to act all moody-like, that much I'm certain about."
Pinkie sits there not saying a word, she looks down to the grass, then up to the sky, to the grass once again; Applejack awaits any response, somehow the most chatty pony in all of Ponyvile, is able to be as silent as Fluttershy. Applejack waits a few more seconds before taking another shot at questioning.
"It's Anon, ain't it?" Pinkie groans slightly as her body weighs down. Applejack isn't a bit surprised with the fact their human friend has something to do with Pinkie's demeanor, but is curious to know what he could've possibly done to her poor friend.
"Alright then, that settles it." Applejack stands up, causing Pinkie's eyes to follow the orange mare's abrupt nature. "I'm gonna give him a scoldin'. I don't know what he did, but I sure as hay ain't gonna let someone treat my friend any way bad."
"No, Applejack, wait!" Pinkie lights up as Applejack makes her way out of the tree's. She turns around to look at Pinkie, Pinkie stands up with the same abruptness Applejack exerted, not wanting Applejack to get confrontational with Anon.
"I'm just gonna go talk to him, I ain't about to pick a fight Pinkie. From what I know of Anon, he's a bit different, but he's not the type to be cruel; I just don't understand what would've got you so down from the short while since we last talked." Applejack explains to Pinkie with assurance, Applejack doesn't want to hurt Anon just as much as she doesn't like seeing Pinkie be hurt, their both her friends after all.
"If... If I tell you, can you not go and talk to Anon?" Pinkie asks reluctantly, she doesn't want to lay unneeded baggage on her friend, frankly, Pinkie never shows any other sign of emotion besides pure excitement to her friends, so she doesn't want Applejack to think of her any different; that goes for every pony.
Applejack takes a deep breath before nodding her head.
"Sure sugarcube, that's fine by me." Applejack and Pinkie sit on the grass once again, Applejack being adjacent just as before. She locks eyes with Pinkie, now waiting for her friend to open up about all that's happened since she tended to her apple trees.
"Remember... a couple weeks ago, when I asked you if you liked Anon?" Pinkie rubs her hooves together, slightly anxious and hesitant to tell Applejack what's on her mind.
Applejack nods.
"Well... u-ummm... I've been trying to get closer... to him, a-and well I'm usually the one who asks him to go places, so when you heard him ask if I wanted to go with him... just the two of us.... I got really happy, s-so-"
"So? Did ya'll make plans to go today?"
"He... He didn't want to." Pinkie's ears lower down, her brow following the same pattern.
"Well why the hay not? He asked you to go in the first place. Pinkie, that doesn't make any sense." Applejack tells her friend, a bit confused and flustered over the whole thing.
"I know it doesn't. I don't understand it either! He just said that it would be better if me and you went and that..."
"'And that' what?"
"And that, it would suck, just being me and... him." Pinkie sounds off softly, she feels so ashamed just thinking that Anon thinks badly about her. Pinkie averts her eyes away from Applejack, staring to the side.
Applejack looks aghast at Pinkie's retelling, she can't believe Anon would say something like that, especially to some pony as caring as Pinkie Pie.
"Pinkie, I don't think he meant it. There's gotta be a reasonable answer to why he'd go on to say that." Applejack tries to reassure her pink friend, though she's having doubts herself if that's how Anon meant it or not.
"When I was coming over to your house today AJ, I was coming over to talk about Anon. So that maybe you could give me advice on how to... uhm..." Pinkie rubs her hooves together again, an anxious tick for sure, but one that helps her with uncomfortable situations. "I mean he's a different species so he probably doesn't even think that way about... b-but even still I'd like to try to...." Pinkie jumbles her words together, unable to get across her feelings accurately. This whole thing probably seems so silly to Applejack, but to Pinkie, it's as serious as she can get.
"So you didn't forget what ya came here for to begin with, you were just tryin' to build up courage to ask me." Applejack forms as a question but already knows by Pinkie Pie's sincerity, that she was just shy to talk about this with her.
Pinkie Pie nods her head slowly.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner AJ, I'm just... I-I don't really know how to explain it."
"You're in love?" Applejack says cautiously.
Pinkie's body twitches with Applejack's 'to the point' question. She looks back to Applejack as quickly as the words leave her mouth, her heart beating fast and her nerves boiling inside her.
"N-No, that's not it! I can't fall in love, I mean I love my friends, b-but I don't- I mean I can't-"
"Why can't you fall in love? It's a normal thing, every pony experiences it at one point or another. I think it's good ya'll are expressin' your feelings; though if I'm gonna be honest Pinkie, and don't take this the wrong way but, well I just never pictured you of all ponies, bein' the romantic type, especially to Anon." Applejack confesses.
Pinkie looks solemn hearing Applejacks words, she thinks about what was said to her yesterday.
"Rose said the same thing too. I guess you're right AJ, I don't think I'm 'mare friend' material, but I can't help but feel this way about him... you know?" Pinkie says in a low pitch tone, inside she's frustrated that she can't communicate to Anon like she would want.
Applejack puts her hoof on her friends shoulder, Pinkie looks vulnerably in Applejacks eyes, feeling a sense of relief to finally tell someone how she feels, but a bit bashful all the same.
"Even if you ain't 'mare friend' material in the typical sense, that doesn't mean you can't love the ponies you wanna love. I know it probably seems doubtful to you right now, but I believe Anon has feelings for you too." Pinkie's eyelids raise at Applejacks passing words, she would like for anything for that to be the case. "But this ain't just a spur of the moment thing is it Pinkie? I mean, me and the girls have suspected for a while that.. well, you had feelings for him but-"
"Y-You did?!" Pinkie's surprised at the possibility that her friends could of known that she felt about Anon in that way.
"Well yeah, It seemed pretty obvious, to me and the girls anyway." Applejack rubs the back of her neck with a hoof at the awkward predicament she finds herself in, she never thought she'd be the one to actually confess to Pinkie what was on all the girls minds.
"What... gave it away?" Pinkie asks hesitantly, the full force of embarrassment and curiosity fills her very being.
"Welp, to tell ya the truth, it's quite a bit." Applejack states as she prepares to tell Pinkie the clear signs of interest her dear friend exhibited towards Anon. "A while ago, and I do mean a while ago, when Anon first moved into town, or should I say, 'appeared' in town, every pony was put off by him, every pony, except you. When we were all off in hidin', tryin' to figure just what to make of this weird, mysterious creature, here you come in the middle of it all to greet him."
"And I told you guys he wasn't dangerous, but still there are ponies who just don't want to believe it!" Pinkie states, her excitability and still frustration about some of the ponies in Equestria not wanting to give Anon a chance coming out at Applejack's recollection of how it all began.
"Yeah I know Pinkie, you gotta understand though, he's the only one of his kind, at least here in Equestria. So obviously there's gonna be some ponies who aren't going to be as welcoming as others, hence, the every pony running away and hiding part." Applejack explains to her friend, Pinkie knows all this already but still can't shake the simple fact of ponies, griffons, dragons, and even diamond dogs, being intimidated by this one of a kind entity.
"That bein' said though, you changed a lot of our minds about the stature of his trust ability, heck, if I recall correctly, he was just about as scared and confused as all of us were, if not more." Applejack affirms, she knows now that Anon isn't here to cause anypony harm, she feels bad for the way her and the town reacted to his being, she cares about him now just as much as any other of her friends.
"I really won't go into a lot of what kind of affection you showed towards him, but day in and day out, you made sure to tell us that no matter what, you'd visit him once per day, and what started out as just seein' him for an hour, turned into a couple hours, to a couple more hours on top of that, to where it was at the point that about anything we'd all do together turned into a big conversation about Anon, askin' if he could tag along and such. I'd say it was pretty concrete you felt somethin' for him." Applejack finishes with a complete, albeit a little less detailed memory of just how she saw Pinkie's emotions from the outside looking in.
"Well do you think that Anon... like what you said, feels the same way?" Pinkie asks as her vulnerable disposition makes it easier, though still a bit difficult, to relay any question to her orange friend.
"If I'm bein' honest, which I really do try to be with you..." Applejack pauses, she thinks for a moment while looking away from Pinkie's eyes, after coming together with a response, she looks back; Pinkie nervously, but patiently, waits to hear what Applejack has to say. "...I really don't know."
Pinkie lets out a disappointed sigh, she expected nothing less from Applejack's answer, but still wanted a sign, or something, to at least lean to.
"Oh, Pinkie. I know it ain't what you wanna hear but that doesn't outright prove that he has no sorta feelings for you, I don't have the keenest eye most of the time, and when it comes to emotions and such, I'm not so good at telling just who and who doesn't feel some way about each other. Heck, I only figured how you felt towards Anon because of how open you are." Applejack tells Pinkie, she doesn't want to leave her in the dark about Anon, but Anon isn't the type to flaunt how he feels about any sort of pony.
"I know AJ, it's ok. I can't allow my own selfish feelings to get the better of me, I shouldn't be all mopey-dopey about Nonie not wanting to go to some silly carnival with me. But even still..." She wanders as her words trail off, thinking how great it would've been for Anon, the human that she's asked to go places with her all the time, to finally ask her for a change.
"Thanks for the talk anyways Applejack, I know I'm not the type to express how I'm feeling, especially when it comes to stuff like this, but I felt like this was something I had to tell some pony." Pinkie says sincerely.
"Of course sugarcube, this is something that seems like it's been troubling you for quite sometime now. I think it's only best to let go some of your bottled up emotions." Applejack hugs Pinkie with a genuine comfort, as a way to tell her friend that she cares.
"Pinkie." Anon brushes through the trees, seeing Pinkie Pie and Applejack in the middle of a hug.
Anon smiles at Pinkie after reuniting with her from such a short distance away, he's glad to of found her; though the smile fades away as quickly as it came as an aura of guilt and sorrow fills the tainted air.
Pinkie's eye glances over to Anon, she breaks from the hug as she hears her name being called out. She looks at him shamefully, the weird implication of just telling one of her friends about how she feels towards this human, and her running away out of sadness from being let down from Anon, is left making her feel complicated and stricken with an uneasiness to talk how she'd normally go about chatting away with glee.
The three stand looking at one another. Anon, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack all unsure on what to say.
"Look, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or anything like that Pinks, I just thought... you know..." Anon breaks the silence, voicing to the pink mare how he feels. He isn't sure if this is what she wants to hear, or even if this is the right time to say an apology, as it's only been such a short while since the two were separated.
Pinkie's bright pupils eye themselves closer to the ground, still having Anon's field of view in her sight, but not being able to look him directly in the face.
"Why can't I? I've never had a problem looking into ponies faces before? Why am I so nervous? Isn't it obvious? You're scared Pie. Scared? Scared of... what? Of Anon, duh. What do you think? You can't even muster a single word! How pathetic are you?"
"I think- I think Pinkie needs some time alone, Anon." Applejack speaks for the pink mare, they both look at her, distraught and troubled by her saddening look.
Anon hesitates to go, he had no idea Pinkie would be this upset over his, admittedly, poor choice of words that he brought up during her questioning about the ticket. Turning around slowly, he waits to hear his name being called out by that jovial voice, the voice that's been engrained in his head for as long as he's been in Equestria, the voice that gives him comfort and solace, that everything will be alright.
Not a word even comes close to that however; Anon is left with a guilt ridden persona that affects him deeply. He walks cowardly out from the trees.
Applejack and Pinkie are once more left to their own. Silence is brought back to the fold, eerie in it's nature as Pinkie does nothing to break it.
"Pinkie?" Applejack softly comforts her friend, the pink pony seems to be deep in a frozen state of mind. Applejack doesn't even want to begin to know what thoughts are running in her friends mind.
Pinkie Pie's mellow face turns over to Applejack's direction, although Pinkie isn't aware of just how out of character she's acting, she also doesn't care to ponder how she's being perceived. Her heart feels to heavy to notice the many things happening around her.
"It's gonna be alright girl, I promise." Applejack tries to be confident in her words, she hates seeing Pinkie in this way.
"I couldn't even look at him." Pinkie's voice matches her face exactly, expressing her disappointment in her character, to what Applejack knew up to this point, was only full of joy.
"I don't think this is a good time for me right now AJ. I'm sorry." Pinkie's low pitched voice travels to Applejack's ears. "I'm sorry for being me." Her mind relays to itself.
"Wait! Pinkie Pie!" Applejack calls for her friend. Pinkie trots off, Applejack tries to catch up with her, but in the large field of rich apple tree leaves, she loses her. She's never seen Pinkie Pie act this way before, she suspected her feelings for the way she felt towards Anon to be true, but she had no idea just how much it affected her.
"Here you go ma'am, your triple stacked chocolate cake is all ready!" Pinkie Pie smiles as she hoofs out another customers order, the look on the ponies faces as they see Pinkie's passionate cake design fills her with so much joy; she's not one to typically try and impress- most of the time anyway, but seeing happy mares and stallions pleased with their order, is something that never quite gets old to her.
"Come again!" Pinkie Pie shouts out with excitement.
"Another satisfied customer." She says for what seems like the millionth time today, but regardless, she smiles nonetheless. She enjoys having free time off, being able to hang out with her friends is always a delightful time, but work is where she's passionate, most ponies think this kind of job would get boring after a while, Pinkie however, can't get enough of it.
Heading back into the kitchen, she hums a cheery tune as she wipes the grime and mess that her last order accumulated, before starting a new project all over again.
"Hmmm, now where did I put those almonds..." She looks around, curious as to where she might've misplaced them. Pinkie scours through cabinets and drawers alike, trying to remember where she could've left them from the last time they were used.
"Yo, Pinkie Pie."
"Ow!" Pinkie bangs her head as she looks under one of the opened cabinets, being startled by the unexpected voice coming from behind her.
"Uhhhh, was I... interrupting anything?" Rainbow Dash hovers a few feet in the air, from what Pinkie can tell, she probably flew into Sugarcube in a hurry.
"Dashie?" Pinkie turns around to look at her blue friend, rubbing her now aching head with a hoof.
"The one and only!" Rainbow Dash says proudly.
"What're you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asks curiously, she definitely wasn't expecting visitors on such a random day, especially one where she's working.
"Oh ya know, just comin' by to check up on one of the most coolest mares in Ponyvile." Rainbow Dash sets herself down to let her wings rest, stretching with confidence, as per usual for Rainbow.
"'Check up on me'?" Pinkie Pie questions again, curious. "I appreciate it Dashie, but you didn't need to come all the way here just to say hello. Unless..." Pinkie ponders something in her mind for a brief moment.
"Oooh, did you want to help me with this super-duper-fancy assortment of desserts I'm working on!? I almost got everything I need, just missing a few key ingredients!" Pinkie bounces up at the prospect of a new cooking venture, having Rainbow help around Sugarcube sure would put a load off of her back.
"Uh, no thanks Pinkie, you know I'm not to good with that kind of stuff." Rainbow Dash states awkwardly to her friend.
Pinkie frowns disappointedly. "Well, if that's not it then what did-"
"Applejack... kinda told me." Pinkie Pie stands looking confused, not getting what Rainbow is talking about. "You know... the thing?" Rainbow presses on, trying to get Pinkie to understand.
"'The... Thing'?" Pinkie repeats back, Rainbow looks at Pinkie with a dead stare, hoping to have got through to her without using so many words. "Ooooh, 'the thing'!" Pinkie chuckles to herself as if she feels so silly for not understanding it to begin with. "Oh well, it can't be helped, although I wouldn't ever go through with it! Making a whole river full of vanilla frosting just to dive into it most likely wouldn't work out so well. Can you imagine what the sea animals would think? Think about the sea animals, Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie rants off on a completely unrelated topic, throwing Rainbow Dash into a loop.
"Wha- no- I- Pinkie, what're you even talking about?!"
"Hm?" Pinkie directs her attention back to her friend; getting carried away explaining her idea of swimming in a pool of frosting, has her playing charades like a little filly.
"That wasn't what I was talking about." Rainbow tells her friend, weirded out by Pinkie's whole plan.
"Oh, it wasn't? Oh wait, duh!" Pinkie bops herself in the head. "It was the other, other, 'the thing', right?" Pinkie says carefree.
"Come again?" Rainbow replies with annoyance.
"It's alrighty Dashie, I thought about it and... well, your bathtub probably wouldn't be a suitable place to dive into frosting either so-"
"Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash stops Pinkie's ramblings, annoyed with her friends misdirection of why she came here in the first place.
"It doesn't have anything to do with, ugh, 'diving into frosting'." Rainbow explains.
"It doesn't?" Pinkie ponders. "Oooh, you were talking about the other-"
"No Pinkie, I wasn't." Rainbow stops her friend again, already gathering a misconstrued idea of what Pinkie was going to say.
"Well if it isn't about the other thing, or the other, other thing, or, the other, other, other thing..."
"Anon, Pinkie. Applejack told me about Anon." Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes.
Pinkie stops her thinking, her mind connecting the dots of what this is really all about.
"Oh... that thing..." Pinkie sighs as she was hoping it was a day every pony could forget about.
Rainbow Dash takes note of Pinkie's changing demeanor. "Well look, I know it really isn't our place and all, but AJ's worried about you Pinkie, and I am too... sort of, kind of... uh." Rainbow bashfully shuffles her hoof around, she's not used to saying emotional, 'wishy washy' things.
"Anyways, besides the point, I don't how long you've been feeling this wait about 'him', but I'm here to tell ya, your best friend Rainbow Dash is here to listen to anything you have to say! So lay it on me sister!" Rainbow says eagerly, she has no idea what advice she could possibly give Pinkie, as she's inexperienced when it comes to stallions, or humans for that matter.
Pinkie sighs again, looking down to the ground, dramatically.
"Uhhh... lay it on me... sister?" Rainbow says again, once more taking note of Pinkie's demeanor.
"Hello?! Hello?!? Anyone back there?! I had an order for the almond parfait! Hello?!" A voice calls out from behind the Cake's counter.
"Oh uni-dust!" Pinkie says to herself, forgetting that she actually had an order to fill. "One moment, Mr. Crackle!" Pinkie yells back, frantically getting herself together.
"Oops, sorry Pinkie, I guess I got too carried away with trying to see how you were doing, that I forgot you actually had work today." Rainbow regrettably admits. "Tell you what, I'll help you with this order and we can talk about your feelings later, ok?"
Pinkie Pie looks back at Rainbow. "Ok Dashie, I think that'll be fine."
-------*------- "Is that it?" Rainbow Dash looks at Pinkie, exhausted by the amount of running back and fourth the two of them had to do, of course to the surprise of no one, of course not even Rainbow Dash, Pinkie looks to have barely even broken a sweat; kind of makes Rainbow think just how full of energy her friend actually is.
"Everything's all done Dashie! Thanks for the help!" Pinkie Pie excitedly picks up the delicious looking parfait, heading out from the kitchen, where her customer eagerly stands.
"Sorry for the wait Mr. Crackle, I was looking all over for the almonds and had a really hard time trying to pin-point just where they were, believe it or not, I forgot I had stowed them in the refrigerator this whole time! Don't ask me why though, I really have no idea." Pinkie explains, though she's sure her customer has no care for where any of the ingredients were, she thought to explain anyways.
Mr. Crackle leaves after the two exchange some parting words, Pinkie wipes her forehead in relief, being glad to not have any pony waiting on their late orders.
"I hope he enjoyed that more then I did making it." Rainbow says to Pinkie, coming from the kitchen to chat with her friend.
"Oh Dash, I'm sure you had fun! Even if you do look a bit tired." Pinkie admits.
"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow Dash shakes her head. "Apart from that, when's your next radically impatient customer coming?"
"Oh, well, I have to check..." Pinkie runs back into the kitchen, crossing out Mr. Crackle's name on a pinned piece of paper. "Seems like there's only one more order for today, but no need to rush for this one, I finished hers early."
"Great!" Rainbow exclaims. "So then, ready to talk about your human?" Rainbow smiles at Pinkie, hoping to finally talk about the problem that's been troubling her pink friend.
"Uh, not really, no." Pinkie Pie cautiously responds, taking note of Rainbow Dash's invigorated excitement she has towards this subject.
"Awesome! So tell me when- wait what?!" Rainbow's taken aback by Pinkie Pie's words, not expecting her answer to be the opposite of what she had anticipated. "Pinkie." Rainbow groans, her mood being brought down once again. She takes a look down at the floor, shaking her head slowly in preparation to the words she's going to say.
"What's so secretive about this guy anyway? Didn't you go on a whole spiel about the troubles you were having to Applejack?" She questions, a bit confused as to why she was apparently so open about her feelings towards Anon just a couple days ago, but is locked shut with her emotions today.
"I mean, I did." Pinkie Pie says admittedly, she has no reason to lie, nor does she want to.
"Then c'mon, what's so bad that you can't open up a little to me?" Rainbow inquires with encouragement.
"It's just... I don't know-" Pinkie fiddles with her hooves, looking visibly uncomfortable about the whole thing. Rainbow gives a look of concern and confusion; for as long as she's known this pink mare, not once has she felt so closed off about discussing anything.
Pinkie notices her friends anxious face, and then herself finally noticing she isn't acting like her usual 'Pinkie' self. "I'm fine Dashie, really, I mean it!" Pinkie smiles brightly to her friend, trying to go back to full on 'party mare' once again.
"Pinkie Pie." Rainbow groans again, though a bit less harshly this time. "Alright." Rainbow says, defeated. Pinkie's head perks up at her friends announcing words. "If you're really fine, I guess you won't have any problem with me talking to Anon about this."
"Wha- no- that's not-"
"Or of course, if something was wrong, which in your case, there's nothing wrong, then you may feel the need to call me out on wanting to talk to Anon." Rainbow bluffs. "Well I guess I'll be leaving-"
"Rainbow, wait!" Pinkie lunges towards Rainbow Dash, grabbing her back hooves with her front.
"Hm? What is it Pinkie?"
"I uh- I um-"
"It's a little out of the ordinary I must admit, for some pony who's fine to be acting in such a strange way."
"Ok, ok! I'm not fine!" Pinkie blurts out in a blind panic.
"Heh, touchdown for Rainbow Dash." Rainbow thinks. Finally, she'll actually get something out of this mare.
"The truth is- oh I'll just say it! I like Anon!" She shouts, her eyes closed with embarrassment. Rainbow stands firm, flank still towards Pinkie. "A-A lot..." Pinkie settles down, her words leaving her mouth calmly.
"Well." Rainbow speaks up. "That settles it." Rainbow turns around, grinning delightfully. Pinkie Pie's head looks up towards her blue friend. "We need to get you two together!" Rainbow says ecstatic.
"W-What?! Where did that come from!?" Pinkie asks bashfully.
"Well I'm almost ninety-five percent sure you guys are compatible, so it should be fine-"
"We can't!" Pinkie shouts. "I mean, there's no way to know if he likes me for sure, and even if he did..." She stops, just short of damning herself into another touchy situation.
"Why not? If you like the guy then all you need to do is tell him how you feel and-"
"No, Dashie!" Pinkie interrupts again. "I don't want to!"
"But why Pinkie? I don't understand." Rainbow notions frustratingly.
"Because... Because...." She fidgets nervously with her mane, brushing the ends of her strands in an almost one-to-one, repeated fashion. "Ugh! Why couldn't I just kept my mouth shut? All of this, because of me! If I would've just acted natural, maybe you guys still would've been suspicious, but I wouldn't have to face... all of this!" Pinkie monologues, her actions seemingly catching up to her so suddenly.
"I don't want this Dashie! I thought that maybe after a couple days AJ could've just forgot about it all but- aagh! It's all so super-frustrating!" Pinkie puts her hooves on her temples, taking in the heat of her frustration.
"Alright, alright, fine." Rainbow says. Pinkie still rubs her head, not being swayed by Rainbow's likely deception. "I mean it this time Pinkie." Still, no budge. "If you really don't want to talk about this, then we won't." Rainbow looks at her friend, who's seemingly mesmerized by her own thoughts.
"Pinkie?" Rainbow walks up to her friend, if a storm cloud was visible, it'd be right on top of Pinkie's head.
"What Dashie." Pinkie grumbles, though not in a very intimidating way.
"What're you doing?" Rainbow asks, displeased.
"Sulking." Pinkie pouts, a child-like aura emitting from her voice.
"Why?"
"I'm angry." Pinkie responds, still seeming so comedic in her tone.
Rainbow sighs. "We can drop this, ok? No talking about what you and AJ discussed, no talking about the weird creature on two legs; we don't have to talk about this." Rainbow Dash says, sounding more like a defeated parent then anything. Pinkie sits there for a moment, her hooves crossed with a cute, grumpy face plastered on.
"Oh, right." Rainbow talks to herself aloud, forgetting to add something in her speech. "No, I won't talk to Anon about this... any of this. Ok?"
"You... promise?" Pinkie eases up a little.
"Yeah Pinkie, I promise."
"You... Pinkie Pie swear?"
"Oh brother." Rainbow sighs, eyes rolling back, before responding. "Yeah Pinkie." Pinkie sits there in silence, awaiting more from the blue pegasus mare. "Ugh, ok, fine! I... I Pinkie Pie swear." Rainbow finishes, begrudgingly.
"Okie-dokie!" Pinkie Pie springs up, mood changing instantaneously.
"What a whip-lash." Rainbow mutters.
Though to Rainbow Dash everything seems to be back to normal, to Pinkie, it's anything but. She feels embarrassed for acting the way she did with Applejack, double-so with Anon, and now, when she thought everything was going back to the way it always was, she's once again reminded of her own, confusing, feelings.
"You're nothing Dianne, you'll never be something." Why is her mind so cold? So hurtful? She's her own worst critic, but even still, she feels the world, her personality, is all about giving ponies and creatures everywhere a smile to brighten up a sour day; and yet, it's unbefitting that she's the one who's never had a pony give her the same in return.
-------*------- Sitting alone on a chair in the kitchen, Anon patiently waits for his tea to finish brewing. It's been a couple days since the out of character fiasco with Pinkie; still not understanding just where it all went wrong, perhaps because of his own naivety to assess the situation, he inadvertently hurt the pony he cares about the most. No pony, heck, no person has ever treated him with such dignity as this bubbly pink mare.
"Am I just so aloof that I pull even the nicest of people away?" Is just one of the many things he's left to wonder. "Maybe I should check on her, see if she's okay. Then again, maybe she needs the time away, still, I can't help but be worried." Anon hasn't heard a peep from the fluffed up earth mare, he's been doing his daily activities like normal, but can't shake the thought of her from his brain.
*knock, knock, knock, knock*
"A visitor?"
*knock, knock*
"C-Coming!" Surprised at the sudden company, Anon makes his way to see just whoever could be banging so hard.
"Rainbow Da-"
"Yeah, yeah, it's me. Look, do you have a minute?" Rainbow Dash looks impatient, wearing a slightly concerned look.
"Uh-"
"It's kind of a big deal Anon." She states.
"Sure I guess-" Rainbow speeds in, wasting no time to hear Anon's finishing approval.
"I need to know why Pinkie is so upset." She states once again, hovering above the air, she crosses her hooves confrontationally.
"Why? Did something happen? She's ok, isn't she?" Anon's panic kicks in, unaware of just what situation she's gotten herself in this time.
"Don't play dumb." She scolds. "The whole debacle that you started at AJ's. She told me to check on her, saying that you caused something back at her farm." She squints her eyelids tight, her pupils piercing right through Anon's. "Out with it."
"Rainbow, I don't know, really. I came looking for Pinkie, found out she was at the Apple Farm, asked if she wanted to go to some... carnival or whatever it was, and then-"
"She broke down?" Rainbow cuts him off, believing there's more then he's letting on.
"I know it doesn't make sense but-"
"But that doesn't cause some pony to get all depressed, I went to her house- uh work, and she wasn't acting like herself at all." Rainbow says.
"You, went to Sugarcube? How's she doing?"
"Don't change the subject Anon."
"Rainbow, look, I'm just as upset over this whole thing as you are. I don't know what I did to make her sad, I just offered to take her to the carnival." Anon tries to get through, being as honest and forthcoming as he possibly can.
"Well? What did she say?" Rainbow questions.
"Uh, let's see..." Anon thinks back, recalling the conversation the two had. "Oh, she questioned me, about the tickets. Asking if there were only two tickets, she seemed like she didn't want to go with me so I just offered for her and AJ to go, and then... I, uh... well I told her..." Anon rubs the back of his head, a little ashamed in hindsight thinking of the words he chose.
"Yeah?!" Rainbow notions, impatiently.
Anon sighs. "I told her that I know it would suck... just being you know- me and.... her."
Rainbow's hooves fall slowly on the ground, her wings retracting back towards her body. She looks at Anon, seeming to get the whole picture. "So she's this upset because you told her going to the carnival with her would suck?" Rainbow's words are still stern, though surprisingly to Anon, she doesn't seem as angry as he thought she would've been, having more a face of confusion and disappointment.
"I- I guess so."
Rainbow looks to the side, her profile just slightly in view to Anon. "You know." She starts. "You-" She takes a deep breath, her gaze falling back to Anon. "You really hurt her."
"I know I did." Anon admits.
"Then why would you say something like that? She's our friend, moreover, your friend. She cares deeply about you Anon." Rainbow forms her words, emotion and confusion ringing loud and clear.
Anon averts his eyes from Rainbow's, following towards the ground, the two of them exchange no other words, filling in the atmosphere of the pink pony, who they care about a lot.
"It's weird." Rainbow speaks up. "There's times she gets hurt, and I mean really hurt, it's maybe only happened a few times since I've known her, but it's times me and the girls can never forget. She'll act sad, depressed, only to rise up the next day with the brightest smile you'll ever see. But.. maybe it's her eyes, maybe I'm just overthinking it- but I swear, I swear I can still see it written all over her face, like her wounds have never, I don't know, healed I guess. She acts so sweet and fun to every pony she can befriend, but surely she can't always be like that, right?" Rainbow goes off, Anon taking in all of it.
"I'm sure she has feelings, Dash. It's only human." Rainbow raises an eyebrow. "Err- uh- you know what I mean." Anon continues. "The point is, maybe she just bottles everything; maybe, she's never been given the chance to open up."
"Maybe." Rainbow voices, ongoing Anon's point. "She feels like... she can't." She finishes. "It is very strange though."
"What is?" Anon inquires, curious.
"Ponies, creatures, whatever the case may be, have always said the nastiest things to her. 'You're a freak, a weirdo, etc.' And they don't ever seem to bother her."
"Really?"
"-Unless the same thing is said by someone she cares about a lot. I know I've said something I regret, and boy did it hurt her." Rainbow admits. "But this, this is different." Rainbow locks eyes with Anon. "It could've been a slip of the tongue, a bad judgement, I don't really know. But, she was hurt by it. Worse then I've ever seen. You mean more to her, then I think you even know, Anon."
"-Maybe I'm over thinking it, but she cares about you, that's for sure." Rose's words spark up once more, traveling through Anon's psyche.
"I have to make this right. I wasn't thinking clearly, I understand that. I was... nervous, for the first time in a long time, I was nervous, to be around her."
"You like her, don't you?" Rainbow asks, sincere as she can possibly be.
Anon steps outside his house, looking worryingly around at the beautiful scenery, taking note of just how sweaty his palms are.
"You can do this, you can do this." He says to himself, lightly hopping in place to where out the copious amount of adrenaline he's gained over the past twenty-four hours. Stepping forth on the sidewalk, the autumn wind trickles on his skin, edging into his pores; he feels the timid sun hidden by clouds, as he makes his way to his ultimate destination.
The talk Anon and Rainbow Dash had was a bit of a convoluted one, and for her, an undertaking to say the least. Trying to come up with all the reasons why "you need to get the girl." Anon, however, was very cowardice about the whole thing; after Anon confessed his feelings for his beloved friend, Rainbow thought that to be the perfect opportunity to strike.
Though, having little to no romantic experience herself, or even a clue of how to approach relationships, she had to improvise. They spent the whole rest of the day, preparing for the "date" that Anon fought to even have happen:
"Rainbow, there's no way I can just tell her how I feel!" He said to her, nerves running hot in his blood. "I can just apologize, that's what I said I was doing in the first place, there's no need for this, really!"
"Well, I could just tell her myself." She teasingly affirms.
"Wha- What?! No, I mean, you wouldn't!"
"Relax, Anon, I was joking. Really though, don't you think it'd be great to finally tell her how you feel?"
"I just learned about how I feel a couple days ago!" Anon tells her, vouching it as preposterous as if his feelings for Pinkie were rooted all the way back when they met each other.
"Yeah right!" Rainbow laughs. "You guys are pretty much inseparable. I don't know if you've noticed-" Rainbow says with sarcasm. "But ever since you- uh- 'appeared' in Ponyvile, Pinkie's been practically stuck to you like glue."
"Yeah but that's just because I'm the newest one here-"
"A whole year?" She rolls her eyes, reminding of him of just how long he's been here. "You really think, there hasn't been a single soul that's come here for one whole entire year?"
"I mean, Ponyvile isn't the most popular of places, right?"
"Oh yeah, it's only, I don't know, the melting pot of Equestria?" She inquires, annoyed, but still imbrued with confidence. "Face it Anon, you have feelings for her."
"Then what about her?" He asks, wanting to see just how much Rainbow does know about her friend.
"Oh, uh." Rainbow looks around, clearing her throat, and tapping her hooves on the floor, she tries to dodge the question.
"Does she... feel, the same way?"
"Well, honestly..." Rainbow hesitates. "I, I don't know." She lies, she wants Anon to know the truth, but doesn't want to feel like she's betraying her friend; though, her going to Anon's house after telling Pinkie she wouldn't, already qualifies for breaking one of those boundaries.
"Oh, is that so." Anon anxiously says back, feeling like a fool for even asking.
"But!" Rainbow starts. "You'll never know if you don't try, right? I mean how hard can it be? It's Pinkie Pie we're talking about." She tries to make the situation less serious, defusing the fact that this isn't a harsh, cold, girl, but that it's their dear friend, who wouldn't dare to hurt anyone, regardless if she rejected them or not.
"Yeah, but-"
"No more excuses, Anon." Rainbow cheerfully, yet sternly, states. "Now come on." She reaches out a hoof, edging Anon to follow her. "Lets get you prepared."
-------*------- Walking along the sidewalk, wind blowing a slight breeze, ponies chatting to one another as they walk by, Anon finally lands at Pinkie's workplace, second only to be her stationed living quarters. Sugarcube lights up vividly in sight of Anon's vision, targeting the special building, that Anon is always so excited to visit. Though oddly enough to him, Mrs. and Mr. Cake are never seen, apart from the one and only time he actually got to meet them, they've always 'been out' as Pinkie put it.
Anon knocks on the door, realizing the futility and silliness of his action, quickly reminding himself that although Pinkie lives here, it's still an operable business; alas, he waits, heart pounding as if it'll fly out of his chest at any moment. Seconds tick by, to Anon it feels like an eternity as stress, and anxiety swell up.
"This is so stupid!" His mind tells him. "She's probably still upset, I can't just barge in on her like this! No, Rainbow wasn't right and neither was Rose, this is all so ridiculous!" He turns around, hitting his forehead with a curled up fist, walking away from the one place he was never afraid to enter. Until.
"Nonie?" A voice calmly greets.
"Oh, uhm, Pinkie... w-what's up?" Anon's words come out in an awkward inflection.
"Did you.. knock on the door?" Pinkie asks quizzically, her head cutely drifting to the side.
"Yeah..."
"You know you can walk in, I mean, we aren't closed today. Unless- oh my Celestia! Did I forget to flip our sign to open!?" She freaks out, looking back at the door's frame, to see if it resides unchanged.
"No, no; that's not it." Anon sighs, Pinkie looks back over to him, her big eyes melting his train of thought.
"Get it together Anon!"
"Nonie?" Pinkie says, looking mildly confused at Anon's lack of a follow up.
"U-Uh, can I, come in?" He smiles softly.
"Of course!" She exclaims, returning a comforting smile right back.
"Gah! Why am I so nervous? She's the nicest pony I know, I don't have to be so weird around her! She's sweet, kind, very beautiful, caring, considerate-"
"Uhh." Pinkie eyes Anon, standing right inside Sugarcube, she waits for the blank faced human to follow in.
"Playful, awesome, cool, caring, considerate-" Pinkie nudges Anon, her hoof softly connecting with his arm, he jumps a bit at the sudden touch.
"Woah, Nonie, you ok?" She worryingly asks.
Anon looks down to his pink friend, seeing her concerned face, he attempts to play cool.
"Yeah I'm fine, just uh, just thought of something is all."
"Oh, do you have stuff to do? I don't want to keep you if-"
"No, no, nothing!" Anon flails his hands around. "I mean, I don't have anything to do, specifically, that is." He explains.
"Oh ok, are you coming in then?" Pinkie asks.
Anon looks around, noticing he hasn't moved an inch. "Y-Yeah, totally!" They both make their way inside, the door closing with a soft thud as Pinkie follows behind.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cake aren't here I take it?" Anon's eyes shift around, the silence of Sugarcube would almost be deafening if Pinkie wasn't the one to reside here.
"Didn't I tell you?" Pinkie questions curiously, genuinely thinking if she ever told Anon about where they were.
"I don't think so, unless I just completely forgot." Anon says.
"Weelll~" Pinkie's voice pitches in a carefree tone. "It's allll mine!" She closes one eye, sticking her tongue out playfully as she vaguely tells Anon.
"What? Did they retire?"
Pinkie laughs at Anon's silly accusation, enjoying his weird observation. "No, silly! They didn't retire!" She waves a hoof, smiling brightly. "They just took a little time off, that's all! They should be back soon though, Mrs. Cake did only say a couple days, then again, they could take a week or two off; oh! That reminds me, this one time-"
"I think I get the picture Pinks." Anon inquires, rubbing his neck. Pinkie Pie's heart jumps, hearing him calling her that name again, makes her feel giddy. "Besides that-" Anon puts emphasis on his beginning words, really wanting Pinkie to hear what he has to say. "How are you, you know, feeling?" He hesitates, still unsure how to approach this, or even if it's the right time.
"Huh? Feeling?" Pinkie scratches her head, missing the context for what Anon is implying. "I'm fine I think." She looks down at her hooves, then to her flank, her stomach; making sure everything is in tact.
"No, I mean, with the whole thing at Applejack's farm and-"
"Ooooh!" Pinkie raises her voice, oddly excitedly at the rather bleak topic. "Yeah, of course I'm fine, Nonie! Just a lack of sleep, but I'm alll better!"
"Really?" Anon's suspicious, disconnected by the conflicting view about what Rainbow has told him, and the bright pink pony standing before him.
"Really, really!" She playfully responds back. "Why? No pony has told you any differently- have they?" Pinkie voices, her 'happy tone' sounding strange by the mistrust that somepony could have said differently.
"Well, uh-"
"Oh yeah, Anon, one more thing; don't tell Pinkie I came here, truth be told, I wasn't even supposed to talk to you about this. So, just keep this convo to yourself, ok?" Rainbow's parting words spring up, he never got to ask why their conversation had to be so confidential to begin with, but he isn't sure if lying is the best course of action.
"Not at all!" Anon tells her, knowing full well that it's just another lie to add to the pile. "I was just- uh- you know- just-"
Pinkie unexpectedly puts her hoof on his shoulder, looking up at him again with concern. "I know you said you were fine Anon but, you've really been acting strange around me lately." Pinkie admits. "Nothing has happened to you, has it?" Her eyes curse his soul, as if Medusa herself was turning him into stone, he can't do anything else but stare deeply in her cute eyes.
"And that face, I've never seen you make that sort of face before, well, not until a few days ago; what's wrong?" Pinkie desperately tries to seek answers from her tall friend, all the while Anon tenses more and more at every word she says.
"H-How bout some tea?" He breaks away, walking toward the kitchen, he awkwardly attempts to dodge Pinkie's questions.
Pinkie looks forward, baffled by Anon's demeanor. "I know something's up, I just gotta get him to tell me what."
-------*------- Anon sets a cup of tea down on one of the Cake's tables, Pinkie watches him as she sits and waits for him to do the same. "Thank you again, Nonie, but I said you didn't have to worry about it, I could've made it." Pinkie says.
"Y-Yeah, I know. I just thought it'd be nice, if I was the one doing stuff for a change."
"Hmm." Pinkie studies Anon's face. "That expression again." She says. "I can't put my hoof on it."
"I'm not making a weird face, Pinkie, you're just overthinking... whatever it is." Anon spouts, not making eye contact as he says so.
"You're not even looking at me though." Pinkie frowns. "Is it me? Did I do something?" Anon pulls out a chair, taking a seat across from Pinkie Pie.
"No Pinkie, of course you didn't do anything." Anon stirs his tea, making it very obvious to Pinkie that he doesn't want to or can't look at her. Pinkie reaches out her hoof, setting it on Anon's stirring hand, stopping it in place. "Keep it together."
"Nonie." Pinkie inches her face closer towards Anon's side of the table, trying to get him to look up. "Look at me." She softly, and tenderly commands. "...Nonie?"
A thought strikes into Pinkie's mind, and in an instant she realizes; Anon's acting how she did outside Applejack's farm, as if it's mirrored right back at her. "I couldn't even look at him." She remembers, her deep hurt feelings coming back up as she's reminded just how out-of-character she acted; well, out-of-character to those who know her that is.
"But why is he not looking at me? Did I... Did I hurt him? No, Celestia, no, I couldn't of done that! Did he think I was repulsed, to even look his way? No Anon, please don't think that. Then why don't you tell him, Dianne?" Her mind battles with itself, rational and irrational thoughts coming and going. "Go ahead, tell him how you feel, ruin your precious little friendship, that is, if you even believe he considers you a friend. He- he does! He likes me, all my friends like me, I'm a good mare, I'm- You're fake. You've never shown anypony who you really are. Just a sad, lonely mare, who hides her pain with a party balloon."
"Pinkie?" Anon looks up, hearing the sniffling pink mare. "Oh my God, Pinkie." He focuses on her, tears rolling down her vibrant cheeks, she just stares right through him.
"H-Huh?" She comes to, putting her hoof up to her face to understand just what soft trickle she feels running down her sides. "What's... this?" She looks at her hoof, water flowing down from her field of view. "I'm... crying?"
"PInkie." Anon stands up, making his way round to his friend's aid. He wraps himself around her, caressing her gently in his arms. Dazed, Pinkie almost seems in a comatose state, the real world snapped right back into her being.
"Nonie? What's going on?" More tears fall down, soaking into Anon's arms.
"I- I don't know Pinkie." They conversate to one another, Pinkie blankly raises her hooves and wraps them around Anon. "I've never seen you-... Pinkie..." Anon firms his grip, closing his eyes, he embraces her sweet, warm fur and her curly, soft hair, connecting gracefully with his body.
"Nonie.." She slowly pulls away, wanting to make contact with those wonderous eyes once again. "Please... look at me." Softly her breath reaches his ear, the warmness captivating his senses. He obliges, moving away, though with a bit of stiffness, it's not that he doesn't want to look at her; it's more-so he isn't sure if he can take it. As if the butterflies in his stomach will tear him apart from Pinkie's capricious, and wildly beautiful personality. But still, he listens.
They stare at each other, both blank faced, but unable to look away. The sun reaches through the window, the orange color, dousing Sugarcube with it's light; Pinkie's face shines brightly through it, though no smile to come with it, just a face of a somber nature, that Anon wants to vastly explore.
"The girls have never seen me cry before." She admits, no childish, bouncy flare coming through her words, no excited, carefree attitude that Anon's always known her for; just a mystique, more mature voice, sounding out. "No one, has ever seen me cry before." She emphasizes her words deeply, as if she made a mistake. "I'm sorry, Nonie."
"No, Pinkie." Anon shakes his head, baffled that Pinkie would even begin to apologize, for anything. "You have no reason to say that." He smiles, rubbing his hand on her pink cheek, he moves away her tear stricken face, drying it delicately. Pinkie looks... confused? Nervous? Scared? Anon isn't sure, but he certainly doesn't want her to remain that way.
"There is something wrong, Pinkie." Anon confesses, Pinkie's surprised to hear him say this so out of the blue. "But believe me, you've done nothing wrong." He assures her.
"Then... what is it, Nonie?" Pinkie's voice comes across vulnerable, upset, cautious; the juxtaposition of just how Anon and Pinkie switched their confidence towards each other like that, is noticeable to the both of them. But Anon is still unbelievably nervous, probably more-so then he was before Pinkie started to cry; his compassion and worriedness for her however, override any fear or anxiety that would usually control over him.
"I've been worried about you Pinks. These past couple of days, truth be told, have been some of the strangest I've ever had in Ponyvile. I-I haven't known how to act, how to process, how to... feel, about, well, anything." He admits, a hard confession for sure, but one he believes she needs to hear.
"Was it... because of me?" Pinkie nervously asks.
"No, Pinkie, it was me."
Pinkie looks bewildered, not quite understanding.
"I'm the one who should be saying sorry, for not understanding your feelings, for not just taking a moment, to think before I spoke. Pinkie." Anon picks up her hoof, holding it tightly in his hand. Pinkie sniffles softly, taking little breaths in between. "That talk we had, when you were walking with me, back to my house." Anon turns his head, looking at the beautiful setting sun. "-It's stuck with me. I think about what I said, what you said. Throughout this whole time I've known you, you've hardly ever talked about yourself. You remember what you told me... don't you?" Anon asks, wanting to see if Pinkie knows where he's going with this whole spiel.
"I... I think so." Pinkie replies, unsure.
"You told me-" Anon looks back to his beautiful pink friend; confidently staring at her eyes, and her cute little snout that inhibits her roundly shaped face. "You told me, that you struggle, just like anypony else, you struggle; the things you said, the emotion you exhibited towards me that day, was none other that I've ever seen from you."
Pinkie Pie stares still, waiting for the conclusion that her dear friend is getting to.
"I've never told you this Pinkie, but-" Anon tenderly squeezes her hoof, the intimate feeling filling both of their bodies with warmth. "You mean, so, so much to me." He smiles. "I want to know who you really are Pinks. I want to know, everything about you."
"But Nonie." She pauses for a moment, slowly shaking her head, she smiles anxiously. "You do know about me- I'm just a happy pony, that's all there is; I... I'm not meant to be anything else." Pinkie says as if that's all her personality leads to, that she is only alive to make others happy, never thinking about herself, only the bright smile and joy she brings to so many others.
"You are so much more, to me, to others; I want you to show me that side, the side you refuse to show the world. I want to know about Pinkie Pie, the true, Pinkie Pie. I want to be there with you, through anything." Pinkie stays silent, she's never had anyone care about how she felt, how she was doing; was she just so good at hiding the fact that anything was wrong? Did no one ever notice, or begin to think, what 'Pinkie Pie' was feeling? She's confused, stumped, as she looks at her beloved human, mouth slightly agape, she waits for him to say more.
"Pinkie, I-" He hesitates, the words stuck to his mouth like cement. This is it, the moment he can finally tell his pink pony, just how he feels, he opens his mouth, heart beating like a racehorse. Pinkie stares at him with awe. "I.... care about you... a lot."
Anon chuckles softly to himself, smiling greatly at the pink, furred mare; again they embrace, hugging each other tenderly, affection and warmth prevalent, as they feel each others heartbeats, each others kindness, each others... love. The sun vanishes away more and more, the sky overshadowing the serine glow of the ball of light. Even if they don't know how the other one feels about them, they cherish this one, intimate moment, like it's their last.
"Hey, Pinkie Pie? You in here?" Anon steps in Sugarcube, holding the strap of his backpack that's firmly wrapped around his back with one hand; Pinkie is nowhere to be seen. "Huh, not in the kitchen either, where did she get to?" He looks around, finally deciding to go upstairs, Anon heads towards Pinkie's room. He knocks, calling out her name, he waits for a response. Contemplating for a moment, he decides to see if the pink mare is fast asleep.
Opening the door, an endearing scent surrounds her room. Bubblegum, vanilla, cotton candy, a dash of perfume; it's hard to make out the exact fragrance that encompasses the inside of her cozy little living quarters, but it's welcoming to say the least.
"Well look at that." A small picture frame sits on Pinkie's dresser. Taking a closer look, Anon recognizes when and where the picture was taken, his memories flooding back a year prior; when Pinkie threw Anon a late surprise party. "She practically forced this party, didn't she?" Anon smiles, being reminded of how distraught Pinkie was when she found out his birthday was a couple days before, and the bright look on her face when everything she managed to set up for him, was rewarded with a simple, albeit, embarrassed grin, that lasted as long as the pink pony was there to see it.
Although it was a rough transition going from a home world where humans just like him, populated every semblance of his day to day life; to being in such a daunting, though, vibrant and colorful world such as this, Pinkie always made sure since Anon arrived, that he was welcomed fully, even if just by her. It's something he's never been able to shake off. Of course he felt weird talking to a pink horse with a passionate personality and a very forward way to show how she cared, but eventually, he settled in, and now, he wouldn't trade Pinkie Pie, or this whole world for anything else.
"Wait, what's this?" Under the picture frame, a folded piece of paper sits aptly behind, looking as though it had been forgotten for quite some time. "A poem?" Anon reads it, confused on where it came from, if Pinkie wrote it, or if somepony else gave it to her.
"Hiii!~" Anon jumps; a sweetly, cheery, high pitched voice echoes behind.
"Oh, there you are!" Anon faces Pinkie, quickly stuffing the poem in his pocket before she notices that he's been snooping around her room.
"Sorry I'm late, food ingredients were running low so I made a quick trip out to the market." She explains, bags strapped to her sides.
"No, I think I'm a bit early actually. Just wanted to stop by and see what you were up to."
"Really?" Pinkie looks to her alarm clock, checking exactly what time it is. "Oh, it really is early." She cheerily confirms.
"Do you need help with putting everything away?" Anon asks. Pinkie looks down on each side of her, studying the items she bought.
"Hm, it would be nice." She puts a hoof to her chin. "But I don't want to trouble you Nonie." She admits.
"Oh come on Pinks, it's no trouble, since when do I get to help you with anything?"
"Well when you put it like that..."
"And it would be faster if the both of us worked together, right?" Anon tries to persuade the pink mare.
"Hmm, ok!" Pinkie agrees, smiling ear to ear with her eyes closed. She begins to walk away, heading out from her room to the kitchen. "Wait...." Pinkie stops, finally realizing something. "Nonie?"
"Yeah?" Anon follows behind, noticing her curious demeanor.
"Is that the first time?"
"'First time'?" Anon repeats.
"You've never been in my room before, have you?" Pinkie questions, trying to think back on a time where Anon has ever seen her room before.
"Huh, I guess not." Anon inquires nonchalantly. "I liked the picture you took of us." He adds.
"Absolutely! That dress you wore was amazing, and that party- man Pinks, it was some of the most fun I think I've ever had!" Anon says excitedly, just recounting it all brings a smile to his face.
"Oh please, it wasn't that good! I couldn't even get enough ponies to show up, and I ruined the cake, and-"
"Are you kidding?" Anon interrupts, baffled. "I mean sure barely anyone showed up, but I'll be damned if I didn't have a blast. Pinkie, you're what made that party, it was the first time I was able to talk to somebody here without feeling nervous; heck, if it wasn't for you, I might've still been a hermit locked inside my house." Anon subtly jokes, being genuine to his bright friend.
"You, really mean it?" Pinkie asks, unsure.
"A hundred-percent! Pinkie, do you remember how scared I was to even move when I first came here?"
"Well, I mean, I guess so." Pinkie slowly voices. "But~ the ponies around here were also pretty intimidated, with you being such a tall.. uh, 'hoo-man?'" Pinkie tries to pronounce Anon's species, becoming cross-eyed by her cutely frustrated attempt to correctly say it.
"Well yeah I suppose everypony was, but you weren't." He tells her a-matter-of-factly. Pinkie looks up at Anon quizzically. "I do mean it when I say you made that party." Anon smiles at her, winking playfully. Pinkie's bewildered face returns a smile as well, his compliment filling her with a rush of happiness that he only seems to give.
"You ready to put those ingredients away?" Anon looks at Pinkie's saddle bag, eying the strawberry jam that's tucked neatly inside.
"Abso~lutely!" Pinkie grins, walking toe-to-toe with her one, and only, human.
-------*------- "I had no idea you ever liked that dress." Pinkie brings up. The two walk along the sidewalk, talking to each other as they do so.
"Ah well, you did look adorable in it." Anon preaches mindlessly, slightly cringing at the embarrassing confession. He stays calm regardless, smiling all the while.
"Well, you know, uh- you just looked, I don't know, pretty cute?" He smiles, though a bit more weakly; his brain continuing to say awkward things. "Will you shut up!" His mind tells him.
"Hmm." Pinkie mutters, studying Anon's words carefully. "I never knew you were into that kind of stuff Nonie." Pinkie voices, sounding absentminded as she interrogates Anon.
"W-What stuff?" Anon forces out, trying desperately to play cool.
"Huh." She thinks. "Maybe, but I don't wear clo- clothe- cloeaths-" She frowns, failing to pronounce the word. "But even still, you really like that?" She emphasizes.
"Ugh, Pinkie." Anon nervously spouts. "You don't have to make it weird, I just thought it looked good on you... that's all." Anon states.
Pinkie giggles, "I know Nonie, I'm just kidding!" Pinkie edges closer to his side, smushing her face up to his shirt; Anon tenses up at the sudden intimate contact. "I think your cloth-wear is pretty cute too." She smiles. "-Or wait, is it 'handsome' towards stallions? Cute, handsome, cute, handsome-" Anon sighs, shaking his head; Pinkie once again back to her old, silly ways.
-------*------- "You know, I'm curious as to why you never asked where we were headed." Anon casually says to Pinkie, the both of them a little ways out of Ponyvile now.
"Well~" Pinkie starts, gleefully. "I do like surprises, you should know this, Nonie!"
Anon smirks at Pinkie's innocent comment. "I guess I should know better, it is you I'm talking about, isn't it?"
"-That being said~" Pinkie continues. "I have been wanting to ask just a teeny bit where we're going." Pinkie looks back, noticing how far they've traveled. "It isn't out of the ordinary to take such super-crazy walks like this, I mean, my hooves can definitely take it; it's just pretty far out." She inquires.
"Well, if the backpack is any indication-"
"It's not really." Pinkie retorts effortlessly.
Anon's face is that of confusion. "Maybe she doesn't even know what a 'backpack' is?"
"Surely you must have some idea?" Pinkie looks at Anon, then to the backpack on his back, then to Anon again. She doesn't say anything, but Anon gets the idea that the look on Pinkie's face, is a sign that she really has no clue.
"Nevertheless, we're almost there, I promise, it'll be worth it."
They both walk out of sight from Ponyvile, at a glance it would seem like they're just two hikers, adventuring and exploring; going from tree's, up hills, to finally, a patch of flat grass. The peaceful calming of nature fills Anon and Pinkie's lungs, birds chirping, the green grass looking so inviting; it's a perfect way for Anon to show his appreciation for Pinkie, his best friend. Even though it took a bit of courage to take charge, he doesn't want a repeat of what happened at Applejack's farm.
"Heh, hold on... heh- Pinks." Anon puts his hands on his legs, catching his longwinded breath. Pinkie turns around, looking worried at Anon's expense. "-I'm... fine. Just a bit out of breath." He admits, himself not realizing just how taxing this endeavor was going to be. He gives a thumbs up, looking ahead at his friend.
Pinkie's mane flutters in the breeze, her eyes shining greatly with the weather. Anon thinks just how perfect her posture and correlation with the scenery is, like a piece of marvelous artwork she stands gracefully. Anon smiles at Pinkie, it seemingly being out of nowhere for her.
"Nonie?" Pinkie questions, Anon standing still while studying the cute pink pony.
"Phew." Anon stands up fully. "You ready?" Pinkie nods a bit optimistically. Anon reaches out his hand, inching for Pinkie to take it, they follow along the path that Rainbow had mentioned to Anon; the 'perfect place for just the two of them', is how she put it.
"Oh my- wow!" Pinkie lights up, the view of Ponyvile, and likewise, Equestria, is taken in with a breathtaking stare from the both of them. "I...- Anon, this is beautiful! I've never been to this spot before!" The look on Pinkie's face is priceless to Anon, although he doesn't do nearly as much for others as he should, partly because of everyone being intimidated by him, moments like this are bliss to his mind.
Anon puts his hand on Pinkie's soft mane, playfully ruffling it. "I was hoping that you'd like it." Anon states with satisfaction. She takes a moment to stop gazing at the wonderful sight, Anon catching her attention. "That's not all though." Anon takes his backpack off, setting it down on the grass. Going through the bag, he reaches for a striped blanket, placing it thoughtfully on the floor.
"I thought, while we're up here, why not have a little lunch?" He takes out two wrapped sandwiches, handing one to Pinkie.
"Oooh, I do like me some peanut butter!" Pinkie examines the food thoroughly. "Is that bag some sort of magic?" She asks, looking toward the oddly shaped design.
"No, at least I haven't seen any magic come out of it. It's just like the saddlebags you carry around with you, just that, you know, this is for a human and all." Anon explains. "So she doesn't know what a backpack is after all."
Pinkie plonks down on the soft blanket, Anon doing the same; they both admire the view, unwrapping the sticky sandwich.
"You know Nonie, even though this is really-super-cool, why bring me all the way out here?" Pinkie says with a mouthful of peanut butter. Anon looks at her, unsure of what to say. "Not that I'm complaining, I love going out, seeing the sights, enjoying a bit of peace and quiet every now and then. But, it's just not like you- to do this sorts-of stuff I mean." Pinkie feels around the blanket with her hoof, ironing out some of the wrinkles that befall it.
"Ah, I just thought I should, you're always the one to ask me to do things, so... here we are." Anon responds a bit unconvincingly; he turns his head from Pinkie, staring blankly down at the jaw dropping view.
"That can't just be it." Pinkie says with suspicion. "C'mon Nonie, what's gotten into you?" She continues, her sweet voice reaching Anon's ears.
"N-Nah, that's it." Anon rubs his arm, fidgeting around. He looks at Pinkie who looks back with her lip bitten, not convinced. He turns his head again, feeling her gaze still locked on him. "You really gonna stare me down like that?" She nods slowly, even though Pinkie has a hard time being taken seriously, her cute intimidation tactics always seem to work wonders on Anon.
"Not this time." He mutters. Anon lays on his back, his stomach facing towards the sky with his arms locked behind his head, acting as a pillow.
Pinkie grumbles childishly, Anon tries to ignore it. Seeing that she has no effect, she moves closer- maybe a bit too close, as her conspicuous face hones down on Anon's. "Pinkie, I just wanted to take you out. Isn't that enough?" She grumbles quizzically. "Ya know, you aren't very scary doing that." Pinkie pouts at Anon's words.
"What?" Pinkie says curiously. Anon can't help but smile when she does stuff like this, her cute, alluring aura seeping into him.
"I love you Pinks." He blurts out, changing face quickly as he notices what he's just said. Pinkie makes a quick and cute surprised noise, her expression changing drastically. "No! That's not-" Anon sits up shaking his head. "I meant, y-your great to be around- I just, love you- but like in a cool, endearing way... yeah, that- that's right!" Anon clears his throat, he looks over to Pinkie who seems to be in a state of shock, blinking rapidly at Anon with no words to say. "I really blew it this time..."
"Ok, ok. I'll tell you why I took you out here." Anon doesn't actually want to tell the reasoning, but to him, it's better then this awkward situation he always seems to find himself in; he changes the subject. "Pinks?" He motions to get her attention, she looks like a horse caught in the headlights; he waves his hand in front of her face, she blinks a couple more times before shaking her head.
"Oh." She says, her expression no longer static. "O-Ok." She continues, agreeing for him to go on.
"To be honest, I felt really bad." Anon plainly states, Pinkie being none the wiser of what he means. "I didn't know how to react, how to properly just go along with things, you know?" Anon explains further. He takes a moment for his words to set in, but alas, Pinkie doesn't seem to budge. "Do you know what I'm talking about?" He says, curious. Pinkie shakes her head slowly; she tries to understand, but not quite fully reading what Anon is saying.
"Ok, I'll be less discreet then." He closes his eyes for a moment, knowing full-well that whatever he's about to say, is going to give an iffy result. "But first, I have to know something. That day, when I asked you to go to the carnival, did you really want it to just be the two of us?"
Anon can't read Pinkie's face, her monotone look says a thousand words and yet all of them lead to an unpredictable answer.
"Well... sure." Pinkie rubs her hoof, not sure of what exactly she should say. Anon tilts his head slightly, unsatisfied with her answer. "I mean, of course I would've loved for it to just be the two of us, why wouldn't I?" She further explains.
"But would it have mattered if you and Applejack went instead?" Anon pushes more.
"Anon, I don't understand, what's this about?" She inquires, out of the loop about what Anon is getting at.
"I just- please, I need to know." He reaffirms. Pinkie's puzzled, but plays along.
"I think so." She leaves her response vague, slowly outing her words.
"You 'think so'?" Anon replies back, frustrated. "Pinkie, I need you to be more open with me, tell me what you're feeling, please."
"But I am-"
Anon swiftly grabs her hoof, looking her dead in the eye. "When we talked yesterday, I told you I wanted to know the real you, the Pinkie who isn't afraid to show how she's feeling." Pinkie's eyes droop down, uncomfortable with being open to how she feels. "I know you're a happy mare, I know you're the mare someone can come to when they're feeling down; but I also know there's more to that pink, bright, fluffy maned party girl. Please Pinks, will you show that side to me?" Anon's expression shows determination, he isn't sure how to get Pinkie to open up, but he's damned to try.
"Anon- Nonie-" Pinkie looks down, pondering for a moment, she looks back up, her face retaining a worried look, but her voice offering more as a warning. "I don't want to drag you down with me." She blatantly, and with no reprimand, firmly says to him; a little hiccup of fear coming with.
Anon stays stunned, her utmost confidence with her damning words rendering him almost speechless; she's never said anything that bleak before. Pinkie reads Anon's face like a book, worried that she might've said something she shouldn't of; in an instant she smiles brightly, her persona switching back to more in line with how she usually is.
"The sandwiches were really good though, Nonie, the best I've had all day- well, actually, that's all I've had all day." She giggles.
"Pinkie, what-"
"And the view, it really is something! We should do this more often and-"
"Is it... fake?" Anon interrupts, Pinkie's 'cheering up and changing the subject plan' not quite working this time.
"Is what fake, Nonie?" She says with her same Pinkie-esk, demeanor.
"How long have you been doing this, Pinkie?" His words pierce right through her, just as much as him seeing right through her.
"I... don't... know?" But she does, and Anon finally understands too.
"This is how you hide it, isn't it?"
"Nonie, what're you saying?" She nervously chuckles.
Anon stands up, sighing heavily, he looks away from Pinkie, staring wistfully at nothing but the flat grass beyond.
"I hurt you Pinkie, I know I hurt you." Anon finally speaks the hard truth he was unwilling to ever want to say. "Rose gave me those tickets. When she saw how distraught you were- she told me this would be the best way to make it up to you. I had planned to take you to that carnival but I.. I just- I didn't understand."
"'Understand'?" Pinkie chimes in, her voice softly coming behind him like a whisper, she sounds hurt, her feelings, nay her true self becoming all too real.
"I mean we have nicknames for each other for crying out loud!" Anon frustratingly yells out to himself. "When I told you it would suck being the two of us.... Ugh, why is this so hard to say!" He takes another deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "The truth is, I wanted it to just be the two of us, I wanted to take you out and make you the happiest mare alive. I wanted you to know that I can do things for you too- the things I should've been doing from the start. And at Nightmare Night, I tagged Rose along because I thought you didn't want it to just be me and you, in hindsight I feel like a fool."
"How do you feel about Rose?" Pinkie asks Anon, an out of the blue question that's caught him off guard. "Do you... like her?"
"Pinkie, what does this have to do-"
"If you really want me to be open with you, I want you to do the same." Pinkie commands with a shakiness in her tone, not sounding all too confident.
"I don't have feelings for her."
"Do you.. have feelings for anyone?" Anon can tell Pinkie is mustering all she's got just to force her words. She's scared to ask, but she has to know how he feels.
"I do." Anon plainly states.
"Tell me." Pinkie beckons. "Please, can you tell me?"
"I like-" Anon feels a soft touch grazing his arm, Pinkie's hoof lapses on it.
"I want you to tell me; I want you to look at me." Her voice is that of desperation, fear, anxiety; Anon realizes this is no 'Pinkie Pie' that he's ever known.
"Ok." He begins to turn around, he knows this'll take all that he's got just to tell her face to face, but if it will get her to be open with him- He stares at her, Pinkie looks back, eager as ever to hear Anon's pressing voice.
"The truth is, Pinkie- Pinks, I... like-"
A warm feeling interrupts his speech, his voice turns to mumbles with the surprising grace of Pinkie Pie's face. Anon stares, confused, wide-eyed. Her breath envelopes his senses, her lips pressed up against his, her hooves wrapped around his neck, while her back hoof lifts into the air. Pinkie's eyes stay closed, taking in the heart pumping moment. Is this the right thing to do? She doesn't know, she doesn't care either.
Pinkie snaps away, slowly gauging the situation at hand. The fear and anxiety she had built up, all but fades away with the courage she finally found to kiss her human. Anon's expecting a worried look, a fearful look; but Pinkie just looks at him and smiles.
"Rainbow told me." Pinkie voices softly, sincerely. "She felt so bad that she felt like she betrayed me, going to your house to talk, she told me how you feel." She nuzzles her snout into Anon's shirt, embracing the protection of her wonderful human. "The truth is, Nonie, I really like you too."
Anon admires Pinkie's caring smile, she seems so vulnerable, so content; and Rainbow, she said? Anon had no idea Rainbow would go talk things over with Pinkie, let alone tell Pinkie how he felt. Reality comes back to him, what feels like a couple minutes, clocks into seconds as Anon takes Pinkie's darling face in.
"I... never knew." Anon finally speaks, still a bit dazed from the surprising encounter; he pets her mane delicately, her face burrowed in his chest.
"I've been wanting you to know, for so long, Nonie." Pinkie backs away, interrupting Anon's petting; she looks up at him, puppy dog eyes in full display, it's so hard for Anon to look anywhere else. Her mannerisms look so relieved, like this whole chapter of cat and mouse is at a complete end. "I know it's hard to see me as anything more then a comedic joke, or a girl that isn't very serious about, well, anything." She looks down, clearly troubled about how she always acts, like she wants to be more then that. "But I can try. I can be that girl for you, I- I want to!" Pinkie's fears come back, she doesn't want to lose Anon, and she so badly wants him to know how she feels.
In the absence of them speaking to each other, her mind always makes sure to bring her down, her anxiety, pain, guilt, she doesn't deserve any of it; but she's doomed to face it.
Anon doesn't know what to say, this different version of Pinkie, so foreign to him. "How long has she been like this?" He thinks. "How long... have I not noticed?"
"How long have you felt this way.. about me?" Anon's curious, he wants to know how long she's seen him this way, how much time has passed since he's been here, that he just never recognized the signs.
Pinkie shuffles around nervously, but why? She already made it a point that she does like him, why then is she still afraid? Anon questions in his mind just how much he knows Pinkie, how much he could've helped her when he wasn't there.
"To be honest, Nonie." She hesitates, hooves and body still shuffling, her tail flowing back and forth, the look on her face says it all, she just doesn't know how to be herself around others, perhaps she was never given the chance. "Ever since you first came to Ponyvile, as silly as it sounds. I just felt something I never had felt before. You're the only thing in my life, that has genuinely made me feel... I don't know?... Alive?" She's not quite sure if her choice of words are an accurate description, her own feelings always too confusing to understand.
"But... what about your friends?" Anon pauses. "You care about them, don't you?"
"Of course!" Pinkie retorts, partly offended that Anon would question such a thing. "I love my friends, they're the bestest-best friends a pony like me could ever have!" She sweetly describes. "But with you-" She walks up slowly, her pitter-patter of hooves coming down on the grass. She stops right before Anon, holding out her hoof, she waits for Anon to take it. "With you I feel different- not different in a bad way of course- but- like I feel comfortable being around you; I know it doesn't make any sense, I know I may be coming on to strong but I-" She lifts up another hoof, placing it over the hand Anon has grasped her other with.
"I want to be with you, for as long as this pink pony can take I.... I can show you how I feel Anon, how I really am. I'm just- I'm just-" She can't say it, in her mind she always thought. "If I ever told anypony what I'm actually like, what I'm actually feeling; will they still like me the same?" She doesn't want to place that burden on anyone, especially the one's she cares so deeply about. How would they react knowing she's not just a caricature? Not a one dimensional personality who goes through, what everypony goes through?
"Scared?" Anon finishes. Pinkie is taken aback for a moment, but nods almost robotically, like a door has been opened up right in front of her and the path only leads to misery and sorrow.
"But I don't have to, I don't need to show you who I really am; I know that's what you said but... is that really what you want?" Her words sounding almost like a plea, like Anon could come tumbling down like a stack of dominoes at the faintest sign of Pinkie showing that other side to him.
"It's everything I want, Pinks." It doesn't matter how she really is, he wants her to know that he'll be there for her no matter what; if that means learning a hard truth, or having to sacrifice his emotions for the happiness of his pink mare, so be it.
"Ok, if it's something you really care about..." She trails off, wanting to bring up another topic. "I have to know though, Nonie; why do you care about how I feel? It's not like I'm any mare that's important enough for- well, understanding how I feel." Anon can't believe she would say something like that- and so casually.
"Isn't it obvious?" He wants to tell her; he doesn't understand why she would even have to ask, but she does, and it hurts him to no end.
"Because you're my fri-" Anon stops himself, clearing his throat. He needs to say something more then that, heck at this rate, they're anything but just friends; Anon needs her to know that. "I know what it's like to bottle everything up, believe me." Anon tightens his grip on Pinkie's hoof, getting her attention. "Nobody should have to do that Pinks, especially somepony who cares so much about others. You deserve to be happy just like everyone else." Anon pets Pinkie's head, comforting her.
"You... you really think so?" Pinkie shyly asks, she seems so lost, like this isn't even real. "How could somebody ever care about how I feel?" She'd always thought.
"I know so."
Pinkie hopes Anon understands what he's saying, what he actually wants out of her, she's never had a pony to lean on- let alone another creature. How hard will it be to express everything that's been troubling her? Neither Anon nor Pinkie have the answer to that, but they'll both find out, one hoof print at a time.
-------*------- "How long have we been out here?" Anon asks as the shadows around them begin to breach the tinted color of the sunlight. They both sit side by side, periodically looking over at each other.
"I'm not sure Nonie." Pinkie says casually. "It was quite a long walk here though."
"Are your hooves alright? I mean do you feel good enough to walk on them?" Pinkie inspects her hooves, seeing if there's anything wrong or broken.
"I should be good, it's not like I stepped on a poisonous snake this time or anything." She concludes.
"'This time?' When did you step on a snake?" Anon questions her, curious as to why this is the first time hearing of such a significant situation.
"In my dream... in Cloudsdale- happened about a couple months ago, and I had wings!" Pinkie exclaims excitedly.
"Oh, Pinks." Anon laughs comfortingly. "A snake in Cloudsdale?" He inquires lightheartedly.
"Yeah, it was a scary one too! One of the weirdest I've ever seen!" She explains further, the whole predicament so serious to her.
"Well it was just a dream after all Pinks, your mind can come up with the craziest of things, you know?" Anon assures her, playing along with Pinkie's overzealous moment.
"Yeah, I know Nonie, our brains can be really scary sometimes huh?" Pinkie childishly suggests.
"You said it." Anon pats her back, reveling in Pinkie's silly story. "Come on, we better get you back to your place. We don't want any snakes biting our flanks in the real world, do we?" Anon winks comically; Pinkie gasps at Anon's words.
"Oh my gosh your right!~" She agrees with alertness, thinking that any snakes could actually come out of nowhere. She gets up with the help of Anon, pulling her back up on her four hooves.
-------*------- "Pinkie, did you leave the lights on?" They both arrive at Sugarcube, the walk back being nothing short of uneventful, but the comfort of each other still being enough.
"Oops." Pinkie shutters, knowing that if Mrs. Cake was here, she would've certainly not of been too thrilled.
"In any case, I'm glad we got back in one piece." Anon tells her.
"Really! It's a miracle we were able to see anything, with the spooky darkness creeping up with creepy creatures, I thought a snake would have gotten us for sure!" Pinkie's excitability echoes throughout the otherwise quiet Ponyvile.
Pinkie looks for Anon to say anything back, but he quietly just looks at Sugarcube, no words to be said.
"Anon? What're you looking at?"
"Nothing, just thinking." He states plainly.
"Huh." Pinkie eyes him with admiration, trying to peer inside that head of his.
"You know, Pinkie-" He turns his head, looking right back at that pink fluff ball. "Tomorrow, are you working?"
Pinkie takes a moment to think, trying to see if she actually does have free time. "Nope." She casually voices.
"Oh, really? Great! I mean, that's great- really."
"Something on your mind Nonie?" Pinkie says back.
"Yeah, sort of." He admits. "I'm not really good at this kind of thing but..." Anon hesitates with his speech, trying to find the right way to put it. "Would you want to-"
"Absolutely!" Pinkie shouts; she almost flings herself into space with how high she jumped. Anon looks at her, confused. "I may have said that a bit too prematurely." She chuckles bashfully to herself. "But I'm fine with anything Nonie, wherever you want to go, this party mare is ready to follow! Though now that I think of it, there aren't really too many places to go in Ponyvile if it's not an event. I mean, we can go to Vinyl's place but I don't know if she's throwing a party tomorrow; maybe Twilight's library? I may not read a lot but maybe you could-" Anon bops Pinkie on the head, taking her out of her incessant rambling. Like a remote she responds accordingly, only looking a bit dazed for a second before realizing she's going off on another ramble. "I sure do talk a lot, it is a bit of a bad habit of mind I guess." Her playful demeanor pokes fun at herself, not looking any offended by saying that.
"It's more of a blessing, if you think about it the right way."
"Really? How?" Pinkie curiously demands.
"Well- not everybody can talk that much, and I guess the case with you..." He tries to think of what to say, having a hard time concluding his rebuttal with something solid. Pinkie waits intently for a response, her smile negating any thoughts Anon could have formed. "-You're just a good talker... that's fine, right?"
Pinkie looks mildly disappointed at the conclusion. "I suppose; I was looking for something a bit more concrete though- like something with... piz-a-... pizz-aa... uh..." She struggles with saying the word, getting tongue tied all the while.
"Pizzazz?" Anon suggests.
"Yeah, 'Psh-ash'! That's the one!" Pinkie throws her hoof up with satisfaction.
"She almost got it at least." Anon mutters to himself. "With that aside-" Anon pushes Pinkie's self victory away, preparing to tell her what he'd been trying to say from the beginning. "No Pinkie, it's not really somewhere like we went today."
"Oh?" Pinkie's ears twitch, thinking of what mysterious place Anon could be referring to. "Ooh~ somewhere spooky? All this snake talk has me feeling the same way Nonie! But where in Ponyvile is there something spooky? I know! I heard there's this one super-scary-" Anon bops her on the snout, she scrunches at the sudden surprise, quickly recovering.
"My house, Pinkie. Just my house." Anon gets his words through. Pinkie looks up at him with understanding. "It's not like I don't like your long talks Pinks, but it is really late and to be honest with you, I'm pretty exhausted."
Pinkie waves her hoof, snorting weakly but with the same cute Pinkie flair. "No harm done, Nonie! We really have been talking out here for quite a while!" She confesses.
"So, will I see you tomorrow?" He asks, wanting to finalize the conversation. Pinkie hums sweetly with a nod.
"Alright *yawn* I'll see you then." Anon turns around, waving his goodbyes.
"Wait! Nonie!" Pinkie calls for him, her voice coming through for one last breath.
"Woah, alright, alright, I get it!" Anon laughs giddily, Pinkie closes in tightly for one last hug.
-------*------- Pinkie Pie enters the silent bakery, the only noise being present is of the door coming closed with a jubilant thud. She peers through the blinds, smiling happily whilst seeing her special person walk away into the night. "I hope he gets home alright." She worries. "Maybe I should've asked him if he wanted me to walk him home? No, that's too clingy!... Or is it?" Even though the whole day was practically spent with Anon in her presence, she can't help but still think solely about him. The long walk, the beautiful view- "I wish I could've kissed him for longer." She sighs, a bittersweet smile staying on her face as she watches him vanish out of sight.
Pinkie goes around the bakery, checking to make sure the establishment is in proper order; dishes being thoroughly washed, sugar being put away and cleaned up respectively, Pinkie makes sure no stone is left unturned with the required maintenance her job ensures of her, so that every little thing is where it should be.
"*yawn* Oh!" She covers her mouth. "Looks like Nonie isn't the only one who's tired." She heads upstairs, turning off all the lights she encounters as she does so. Like every night, she heads for the bathroom, making sure to wash up before going to bed.
"A lot of stuff really has happened today, hasn't it?" She recollects the time spent today. It isn't usually the type of day she's used to; drama, serious talks, a gorgeous set piece to spend the day at, and of course, romance. Against all odds she was somehow able to convey utterly how she feels towards Anon, she isn't all too confident in her ability to be 'mare friend material', with her childish and rambunctious personality possibly getting in the way of how one's typically supposed to act-
"But I'm not just like that." She thinks. "If me showing another side to him is what he really wants-" She has doubts, doubts she can make it work, doubts she can keep Anon, doubts about herself. But what of Anon? Surely he doesn't think how Pinkie thinks he thinks? Even still, she's doubtful in her ability to be somepony he can cherish, somepony that's right for him. She's good at throwing parties, good at cheering others up, but to what extent does her 'good-ness' go? It's inexperience for sure, she's learned how to treat others good after all, but for how long can said person actually tolerate her, actually stand her, actually want to be with her? It's something she isn't used to, and she's terrified to find out.
"And if he doesn't like that side of you, then what? Pretend like nothing happened and move along with your life, you always find a way to be good at that, don't you?" It's those thoughts again, despairing, agonizing, grueling thoughts that always keeps her ego in check, out of every single creature Pinkie's ever come across, why is she her own worst enemy?
Staring herself in the mirror, she sees what no pony else can see through, a closed off, sad girl, whose only mission is to make a little foal's or filly's face light up with vigor; a luxury she only dreams she could have experienced.
Anon snores soundly in his bed, dreaming sweet nothings, and cozying up with his warm sheets. Not a sound in the world could wake him up, he had been out all day walking around after all; a thing he isn't very accustomed to. Poor, tired, lazy Anon, if the sunlight blaring in his eyes can't wake him up, then what on Celestia's green Equestria could get him to-
"Anon!" A high pitched screech yells his name right outside his house; Anon is none the wiser to this distraction though, he just lazily sleeps, ignoring any and all commotion.
Pinkie huffs to herself, she's had to of yelled his name for the hundredth time by now. Blowing her hair out of her face, she walks around to see if he has by chance left something around his home unlocked.
"No... nope... nah-uh.... nothing?" Checking all the windows that surround the house, not one of them are willing to budge. She heads back to where this whole mess started; checking under the door mat, not even a spare key is found. "You make this a pretty hard hangout date Nonie." She frustratingly talks to herself, feeling everywhere for something, anything-
"Oh." She turns the handle of the door, finding it to be left unbolted. "Maybe I should've tried this first." She says in hindsight.
"Hello!? Nonie!?" She calls around. "Don't tell me he's still-" Entering his room, Pinkie finds a loud, snoring Anon, dreaming his sweet nothings. A part of her doesn't want to wake him up, she finds him incredibly cute just lying asleep.
"Oh well." She bites the sheet, pulling it off with rigorous force. "Rise and shine sleepy-Nonie!" She teases.
"Huh, not even a budge?" Seeing Anon still deep in his sleep and comfortably so, she makes it a point to accept her quick defeat and not to bother him anymore. She walks up to the bed slowly, a soft grin worn on her face. First her front hooves, then her back; slowly and cautiously she climbs right next to her special human, lifting his arm up with her head, she lays it delicately over her, acting as a wonderful blanket.
"Night, night, Nonie." She closes her eyes, drifting off into the sweet nothings of dreamland with him.
-------*------- The faint blur of sunlight casts over Anon's eyes, he'd like to pay little heed to the annoying. dastardly light; him still feeling worn out from yesterday's hefty endeavor. But, he can't just sleep in all day, after all, Pinkie Pie is right next to him.
"Ah, Pinks..." Anon feels her head, oddly, it seems a lot less poofy then usual. Slowly he opens his eyes, the blurriness of the world fading away as reality comes to. But maybe it seems a bit more... pink?
"Pinkie? W-Wait a minute, Pinkie?!" His adrenaline kicks into full gear, panicking and befuddled as to how she got in his house, and for how long she'd been there. She sleeps soundly on his arm, her eyes fluttering up and down at the sound and movement of Anon.
She lifts her head up, her tired face looking around the room before landing on the ever surprised human.
"Oh *yawn* hey Nonie." She smiles at his looming presence, her eyes full of haze and not entirely fully opened.
"Pinkie. What are you doing in my room?" Anon emphasizes her name, wanting an understanding for the reason to all this.
"Weelll~" She starts, her eyes circling around as she begins her explanation. She tells him that she tried for a little bit at his door, knocking, yelling his name etc. and ultimately found his door to be unlocked-
"I tried waking you up, but you were really sleepy; so, I did the only thing I thought of, waiting for you to wake up!" She says with an optimistic attitude.
"By sleeping in my bed?" Anon tells her as if it that's a pretty weird thing to do, but Pinkie just acknowledges his words, staring at him with the same happy smile. "But Pinkie, it's early in the morning, you could've came late-" She points her hoof at his clock, showing him just how late it actually is. "Oh. I was out cold, huh."
"Yup~!" She nods enthusiastically. Anon gets a better look at her, noticing something off.
"Pinkie, your mane, it's... really straight?" He examines her hair confused at the bewildering sighting.
"I know that." She responds casually.
"How come?" Anon asks.
"Well, that's easy-" She says to him as if he's already under the impression to why she looks so different. "You said you wanted to get the to know 'the real me', right?"
"Uh... I mean yeah I-"
"Here I am!" She winks. "This is the first step anyway, I thought it'd be the most practical though, my mane wasn't always so poofed up after all." Pinkie inquires. "What'da ya think?"
"Honestly, it suits you. You look good- like that." He fumbles his words nervously, Pinkie laughs teasingly, finding it charming how embarrassed he gets with giving her compliments.
"Thank you Nonie! Really, I didn't think you would've liked it truth be told, but my expectations were blindsided wonderfully!"
"Why wouldn't I? It's kind of hard for you not to look so adorable anyways." Anon comfortably states, throwing Pinkie completely off base. She takes the words in gratefully, a blush forming around her cheeks. Anon chuckles, getting back at Pinkie for putting him on the spot. "I do mean it though, you're one of a kind Pinks, that's for sure." He pinches her cheek playfully.
"Hey, Nonie?" Pinkie eyes Anon up and down through the veil of his hand on her face, dubiously thinking of what to say. "You aren't wearing your 'cloth-wear'?" She tilts her head, her mouth to the side. Anon pauses for a brief moment, looking down at his body.
"O-Oh, I uh- don't wear a shirt when I sleep." He confesses in this bizarre situation. "Can you stop doing that?!" Pinkie keeps looking helplessly up and down at his body, fully examining it.
"What? Is there something wrong?" Pinkie asks without a care in the world.
"Y-Yes there's something- I mean no, but yes!" Pinkie doesn't understand, her face making it obvious about that. "P-Pinkie, what are you-"
"It's really soft." She feels his bare chest, no hint taken that this is extremely embarrassing. "Is a 'hugh-mang' supposed to feel like this?" She genuinely wonders.
"U-Uh..." Anon's speech is halted, unsure of what to think of this rapid development, he doesn't stop her from touching him however.
Pinkie puts her face up to his body, rubbing the side of her cheek on his soft skin.
"Ok, this is a little too much." Anon grabs Pinkie, pulling her away from him, Pinkie looks confused.
"Huh? Anon, what did I do?" She wonders.
"Nothing really... I know how you are and all Pinks but maybe it's not the most appropriate time to be all... 'touchy-feely.'"
Pinkie frowns, looking displeased. "But I thought it was fine." She says. "I mean, isn't this what partners do in relationships?" She thinks to herself, all the while curiously wondering if Anon has the answer.
"I guess it is but-"
"We are... you know, stallion and mare-friend... aren't we?" Pinkie shyly asks, rubbing her hoof around anxiously on the floor.
Anon thinks about Pinkie's words; it's only been one day and already she considers him much more then just a friend.
"I just think we're moving a bit too fast, that's all Pinks." He tries to reassure her.
"Really?" Pinkie looks saddened by this.
"Maybe we can just go a little slower, take things one step at a time, you know, like you said?" Pinkie stares at Anon for a couple seconds, nodding her head defeatedly with his sentiment. "Pinks." Anon says her name, feeling bad if he might've upset her. Sighing to no one in particular, he holds out his hands, Pinkie's mood sparks up a little with this notion.
"You're ok with it?" She asks, unsure. Anon nods; Pinkie comes close to him slowly, her face again pressed up to his skin. She revels in the intimacy. "Thank you, Nonie."
-------*------- "No, no, Nonie, not like that!" Pinkie grabs the spoon from Anon, showing him how to properly stir. "More like this, see? It's better if you stir slower rather then faster because then it'll turn out much more delicious!" She happily demonstrates.
"I'm not sure if that makes much sense Pinkie; shouldn't you stir harder so everything mixes better?" Anon rebuts.
"No way!" Pinkie defends her stance, her tone lashing out like Anon said something horrific. "If you do that, the pancakes will taste bitter and all ewwie; we need them to taste great, put all our love into it! Stuff like that." She tells him while stirring the food passionately. Rather Anon can believe what she's saying or not, he can't deny that she takes cooking very seriously, something he finds charming.
Although she said she'd help Anon with cooking tonight, she all but steals the kitchen right in front of him. He doesn't mind though, watching Pinkie work her craft is always a site to behold, almost like she's putting on a cooking show for all the ponies to see; just without cameras, a stage, and all the usual professional talk.
"I wonder." Anon speaks up, catching Pinkie's attention. "Do you wear your hair up so it doesn't get in the food? Like a makeshift hairnet that never comes down?"
"Honestly, I've never thought about it like that." She tells him, her eye looking to the side of her flattened mane.
"Huh, is that so? Is there any specific reason you always have your mane puffed up? This is the first time since I've known you that you've ever had it down, and you told me a little bit ago it was just naturally like that when you were a filly, why the change?" Anon's interest is peaked, if it wasn't for his groggy and tired behavior earlier, with all the quirky stuff Pinkie stuff did to add on to it, certainly he would've asked sooner.
"It isn't anything too exciting, I just think my hair looks more- I'm not sure..."
"Cute?" Anon suggests.
"No, I wouldn't say that; approachable?" She concludes with an open-ended stance, indecisive of which word would fit best.
"'Approachable?' Like, ponies are more likely to come up and talk to you?"
"Yeah I guess... Don't get me wrong, I like my hair both ways, I just think the poofy-ness looks more happy; like a party balloon." Pinkie explains her reasoning like an analogy.
"That is something." Anon finishes, having nothing else to add.
"What do you think, Nonie? Do you think my mane looks more sad like this?" Pinkie spreads the batter out on a pan, making conversation as she does so.
"I mean I'll admit it's a little jarring for sure, but sad? I don't know, you look fine either way, you're still the same Pinkie Pie at the end of the day." Anon confidently assures her.
"I'm glad you think that Nonie." It warms her heart to no end to hear him say things like that.
-------*------- "Weelll?" Pinkie stares as Anon takes his first bite, eagerly awaiting the results of her labor.
"These are amazing Pinks! How do you even get a pancake to taste this good?" Anon takes in the pink mare's cooking, never ceasing to surprise him with how wonderful her food turns out.
"I told you Nonie, love goes a long way, everything needs it after all." Pinkie puts her hoof on the table, propping her head up with it's weight, she looks to Anon's face. "Everything needs it." She mutters to herself, thinking of something upsetting in her mind, she frowns in the silence of her thoughts wrapping her in.
"I guess you were right after all. Heck, I think I should start taking a few pointers from you for now on." Anon attempts to raise her mood, he thinks just how quickly she went from 'happy joyful mare' to melancholy. "You know you don't have to hide anything from me Pinks." Her face lights up, shocked that Anon suspects somethings up. "What's holding you back?" His question acts like a void to her. What is holding her back?
"I don't want to act so sad around you; wouldn't it be better if I was just happy all the time?" Pinkie proposes, she knows full well he wants her to spill her emotions out, she just wishes he wouldn't.
"But that's not you, is it Pinks?" Anon hones in on her. "In any case, I can tell now when you aren't doing alright, I can't just sit there while you hide yourself from the world." He locks his hand on her hoof. "We're partners now, right?" He gives her a warm smile, she returns the same but something doesn't feel right; is he seeing hurt? Pain? She appears to shelter herself so well from others, even from Anon, but that magic seems to only last for so long.
Pinkie moves her hoof away from Anon's hand, she squirms around in the tiny chair, debating to herself how she's going to tell Anon.
"When I was younger... me and my sisters we'd- we would always make things together; to be honest, I was never gifted at cooking. I was just any other mare growing up in Equestria, a normal family, a normal house, and there was me, a small filly without a care in the world." Anon takes note at Pinkie's soft spoken tone, her grin matching the bittersweet-ness of the inflection she's giving off.
"One of my sisters, Limestone, would allllways nag on me when I messed up; 'not like this Pinkie, like this!'" Pinkie displays her sisters voice, her representation sounding more gruff and harsh, her demeanor lights up just by remembering her sisters grouchy attitude. "She would do that with all of us though, she cared, she really did; as grumpy and cranky should be to the three of us, she was always pushing me to do better, to make me strive to do things, she knew I couldn't do on my own. I love her for that." Pinkie's eyes trail off while telling Anon about Limestone, reminiscing quietly about her younger years.
"She was the one who helped me become better at what I do now. Like I said, I really wasn't gifted at anything, so to get a chance to be able to perfect my craft... they're moments I wish I could relive everyday." Pinkie finishes with a touching sentiment. From where Anon is sitting, Pinkie looks like she can see her memories so clear, almost like she's there.
"I never knew you had any siblings, Pinks." Anon chimes in, captivated by a story he'd never expect out of Pinkie, one with passion, woven in nostalgia.
"I don't get to see them often, or at least, as often as I'd like." She confesses. "I do love them though, I'm sure they're doing just fine- without me being there." Pinkie mopes, she wishes she could still be there for them, still talk about things only she and her sisters would understand.
"How do you feel with not being able to see them?" Anon questions with sincerity, he feels for Pinkie, something he'd never thought he would ever be saying; but he's so glad she's opening herself up.
"Honestly Nonie I-" Pinkie looks at the half eaten pancake, her mind again thinking about when her three sisters would always begin silly cooking projects. "In the moment it doesn't even seem like memories. The next day would come and I'd always be there to see the sunrise, I never thought how my life would've turned out, and I didn't care, everyday was a new adventure for me; I wish I carried that same carefree attitude growing up but- somedays, it just gets so hard going through the morning without my sisters around."
Anon relates to Pinkie's story, when he first arrived here, he would tell her about his life growing up. All the things in his childhood, she would just sit down with him and listen; it was a blessing. Never was he able to properly convey his feelings into words so accurately, so comfortably, like he had towards Pinkie.
"I know it isn't easy Pinks, going on everyday, thinking about the loved ones that you wish you could see just one more time." Anon and Pinkie sit adjacent from each other, they're only a few feet away, yet their lives reach further then one another could ever realize.
Pinkie's eyes light up, she looks dutifully at Anon. "I was supposed to be working today actually." She bluntly states, Anon doesn't quite understand the quick change in subject or the reason for her saying this.
"You... were?" He's not sure where she's going with this, but he humors her anyway. "Did you know you were supposed to be working when you told me last night?"
Pinkie nods, a trickle of guilt setting in. "I have to be honest with you, when you asked me out a couple days ago at the bakery, I was so happy- I felt like the most special mare alive. The whole rest of the day I was planning, preparing, on how to spend the whole day with you. 'Where would we go? What would we do?' It ultimately didn't matter, but it was a great feeling."
"But surely I'm not the only one who's asked you to go places; your friends have to, right?"
She nods again. "The difference with them is- they're just that, my friends. It may sound like I'm not appreciative, but I do care about them a lot; but you aren't just my friend, are you?" Pinkie states with an implication that Anon means something more to her. "From the day you first arrived here, to the kiss we shared yesterday-" She blushes, her rosy cheeks wholly taking in the memory. "I really have been trying to tell you how I've felt, Nonie. For a long time, I never thought you saw me like that, I didn't think anypony could."
"But that isn't not true Pinkie." Anon refutes, he doesn't want her to believe she's anything less.
"I want to believe that Anon, I really, really do." She desperately voices back, like maybe saying it aloud will some how convince her she does. Pinkie looks down, ashamedly. "My heart hurt a lot back when you told me those things at AJ's. It hurt me more then, admittedly, it probably should. I know it's selfish for me to say that- I don't deserve any of that attention from you regardless- from anybody, so, I should've just walked it off like nothing. I- I couldn't though. I wasn't strong enough to shake off my feelings." Pinkie blames herself for how she acted, like she was the sole cause for all the negative events that's happened over the course of the past week.
"No, Pinkie. You have every right to be upset. I was scared of how to approach you after what Rose said to me. Really, I thought that you'd never see me that way." Anon chuckles, trying to liven up the mood, he stops short when he sees how devastated Pinkie's reaction to all this is. "But I should've reacted differently, I know that now... Pinks." Anon gets up from his chair, walking around to Pinkie's side, she watches him as he sits down on his knees, a little bit below her level.
Anon moves her long, sweetly fragranced, hair out of the way; his hand brushing the strands of her hair considerately and with a care he wants to solely express to her.
"What's the reason you're doing this Nonie? Did I... did I go to far again?" Instead of smiling she frowns disapprovingly of herself. "I got you to feel sad again, haven't I?" Pinkie's defeatist tone rubs off on Anon. "Nonie, I'm sorry-"
A quick bolt of warmth befalls the pink mare's sides, Anon holds onto her for dear life. "N-Non-"
"I don't know how I can get you to see that you mean so much more- I don't know how I can-" Anon sighs, a tinge of pain creeps up in his body. "I will make it a mission, to prove to you how much I care about you; how much worse this world would be without you here. Pinkie Pie, please let me show you how much your worth."
Pinkie notices Anon's vocals filled with anguish, tears affectionately find their way on Pinkie's fur, Anon's tears. "What does he mean?" She wonders. "Nonie, you don't have to show me anything, I don't deserve it." She wants to tell him, she can never understand why someone would want to go out of their way for her; just a one trick pony, never cracking, never breaking, only happy, party mare.
Pinkie lays her hoof on Anon's head, petting his head as he stays as he his. "I told you I was supposed to be working today, but when you asked me out again... I couldn't resist saying no. Being with you is the happiest I've genuinely ever been in a long time. Me and my sisters would always do things together, and it was so special to me. Now, I can experience that happiness again, everyday, as long as you're by my side, Nonie."
"Welcome back!" Pinkie jumps up excitedly as she sees her boss enter through the doors of Sugarcube.
"Hello, dearie." Mrs. Cake responds appropriately, smiling, she's glad to see Pinkie good and well.
Mrs. and Mr. Cake subtly examine their establishment, making sure nothing got broken from the time they were gone.
"Sooo~" Pinkie begins in a sing-songy voice. Mrs. Cake's head looks towards the jubilant girl, pausing herself from checking out the tidy shop. "How was it? Get any souvenirs? See any performances? Ooooh~ you just have to tell me, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie seems like she can't even contain herself, like a filly opening up a present they really wanted, she hops up and down; excited to ask her boss on all the possible experiences they've accrued in their wake.
"Ok, ok, dear." Mrs. Cake waves her hoof at Pinkie, motioning her to calm down. "We can talk about all the things me and Mr. Cake did later, for now, here's this." Mrs. Cake reaches in her bag, pulling out a gift, unexpectedly to Pinkie Pie.
"What is- *gasp*" Pinkie's at a loss, her mind can't take all the excitement. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh~!" Pinkie's voice almost takes off the roof, Mrs. Cake smiles initially at Pinkie's happiness, only grimacing slightly at the volume in which her vocal range exudes.
"Settle down, dear." Mrs. Cake nervously chuckles. The last thing that's on her mind is for ponies to come rushing through Sugarcube to see if somepony's gotten hurt.
"Sorry Mrs. Cake, this is just- I've always wanted one of these!" Pinkie eyes the luxurious cupcake, taking in it's craft and beauty.
"I know all about it Pinkie." Mrs. Cake replies. "We stopped by a few places and the bakery was just around the corner so-"
"Thank you so much Mrs. Cake." Pinkie hugs her boss approvingly, like a child would to their parent. Mrs. Cake appreciates the gesture, hugging her back gracefully.
-------*------- The Cake's settle back in to their home, relived and proud that Pinkie took such good care of Sugarcube all by herself. The day goes on just like normal; Pinkie and Mrs. Cake bond over the certain foods her and her husband encountered while in Manehattan. Mrs. Cake describes such desserts to Pinkie, making the pink mare only more envious of the trip her boss had.
"That's the last one, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie shows her boss the last order needed to be finished for tonight, edging on for Mrs. Cake to officially tell Pinkie that she's done for today.
"What's the rush, dearie?" Mrs. Cake has been noticing Pinkie's sporadic movement over the last thirty-minutes; Pinkie hurrying herself to clean up the kitchen whilst simultaneously finishing the last few orders for tomorrow.
"Rush? There's no rush!" Pinkie notions, breathing a bit heavy from how worked up she's gotten.
"You off to see your friend again, Pinkie?" Mrs. Cake inquires.
Pinkie jolts, surprised. "How did you know?" She says, almost like she's saddened to have been found out so easily.
"I didn't know actually, I just assumed so; but it turns out I was right to have that suspicion." Mrs. Cake confesses. "But it helps that you were running around a tad faster then you usually do."
"Dang it, Mrs. Cake! You got me again!" Pinkie waves around her words like she's been in a competition with her boss, and she just can't keep losing.
"I know it's none of my business but, who is it?" Mrs. Cake respectfully questions.
"Well..." Pinkie doesn't know if she should say, for fear that her boss would get upset with her.
"As I thought." Mrs. Cake confirms. "It's ok dearie." She tries to consul Pinkie, seeing that she looks unwilling to open up to her boss. "I've thought a lot about your friend and I really did come on him a bit harshly." Pinkie's head lifts up, her features becoming more relaxed. "I mean it, Pinkie; I shouldn't of shunned Anon away just because he's... well for lack of a better word, different?" Pinkie subtly sighs with what her boss describes Anon as; thoughts coming up in her mind about how a lot of ponies don't want anything to do with him just because he's 'different.'
"For now on, I'll respect anypony or creature you befriend. I trust you dear." Mrs. Cake wants to make it clear to Pinkie Pie that she shouldn't have any say on who or who not she should be able to hang around; a total one-eighty to how she acted previously.
"Thank you for accepting him Mrs. Cake." Pinkie finally got through to at least one pony in Equestria. Relived that Mrs. Cake won't judge him just for how he looks.
"You have fun, you hear?" Mrs. Cake pats Pinkie's fluffy head, they both share an understanding with one another; with Pinkie being all the while happy at her boss's newfound acceptance of Pinkie's human.
-------*------- It's late at night, Anon and Pinkie agreed to meet up at his house once again; though Anon was oddly specific about the time she needed to come over, and try as Pinkie might, she elicited no further information about why the time was so strict. Of course, a thousand-and-one possibilities arose in her scattered head, but the mystery has her stumped.
Stopping at the side of Anon's house, Pinkie rearranges her hair, straightening it down once again before Anon sees her. He didn't ask her to do it again, but the way Anon talked about how much he liked her mane down, just tempts her to want to do it again. She wants to impress Anon, even though he's already greatly fine with how she is normally.
Walking up to his door, she takes a deep breath, excited, anxious, and ready to see her beloved human once again. She hears footsteps coming through from the other side, she gears up, smiling from ear to ear.
"Hey, Pink-"
"Nonie!" Pinkie springs up on him, pushing him back with the force of her pounce; she nuzzles him, smiling directly at the sight and sound of Anon.
"It's good to see you too Pinks." Anon can't help but be joyous with Pinkie, he gets happy every time he sees her. Pinkie relaxes a bit, letting Anon have a better foothold on the ground.
"I know it's only been a couple days but I can't help getting excited every time I see you; and now that we're together, I don't have to hide that anymore!" She giggles cutely.
"You're wearing your hair down again?" Anon asks, surprised to see that unusual style again.
"Mmm-hmm; just for you, Nonie!" She says with all her heart, wanting nothing more then to make her human feel special.
"For me? But Pinkie you didn't have to do that just for me." Anon says, baffled, embarrassed, and joyful that she would go out of her way just for him.
"I know, Nonie, I just want to show you how much you mean to me; that's all." She cheerily states.
"Well I do appreciate it." Anon tells her with acceptance. "Come on in, there's something I've been wanting you to see." Anon nudges his pink mare to enter inside; by the sound of his voice, it seems like it's something quite special. But what could it be? Pinkie's been all too thrilled to find out. As more and more ideas scurry there way in to Pinkie's brain, the both of them arrive at the family room where a mare cradling a baby, and her little foal leaning up right next to her reside.
"Nonie who-" Pinkie stops, frozen in place, she instantly recognizes those strained and stressed looking eyes; taken aback, they both look at one another, a deep rooted connection coming from each others mutual glances. Anon may not have the whole story, but Pinkie and the mysterious mare have more then enough pages of memories shared with one another.
"Young love." The mare speaks, her voice sounds a bit raspy, coarse even; but a motherly twang sweetly encapsulates every course of her personality. "I've certainly been there." A smile, not too different from a family member reuniting with a long lost relative, shows in full affect on the blueish, grey mare. "How're you doing, Dianne?" The mare asks with care.
"Marian- it's- it's really you." Pinkie's awestruck, someone she helped so long ago, thought to never be seen again from the pink mare, is sitting down just feet away from her, in good condition no less.
"In the fur." Marian jokes, her dry sense of humor always contrasted greatly with Pinkie's. They both share a hug; a meaningful, long lost hug.
"Auntie Pinkie Pie!" The young foal exclaims, ecstatic to see the party girl.
"Aw Junior!" The hug becomes a group hug, with everybody but Marian's baby consenting to the affair. Anon hangs back, grinning at this touching endeavor, he has no words he needs to say; he just lets the two long lost acquaintances, come together once again.
Pinkie breaks softly from the hug. Both her and Marian teary eyed and even sniffling at this unbelievable encounter.
"How did you find me? I thought you were in Canterlot?" Pinkie's amazement not faltering even still.
"I was." She bluntly states. "Your friend here asked for me to come back to Ponyvile indirectly; a sweet boy this one is." Marian explains.
"Anon, how did you-"
"Took a little bit." Anon sits away from the two, not wanting to butt in too much. "-Asked around from a couple of ponies, finally found someone who told me of a mare who you were very keen on." He tells her. "So, I sent a letter asking her if she'd want to come down here to see you again and, well, here we are." Anon casually tells the story, but to Pinkie it's anything but, she can't believe he'd go out of his way to do this, and what for? Pinkie's not sure. And 'someone who told him of a mare that she'd known personally?' Pinkie wonders who she could've told about Marian; but that's a question for another time.
"That's the gist of it." Marian finishes. "Usually I don't oblige to random letters, but when it was you we were talking about; come on, I couldn't pass that up." She jokes again, Pinkie laughs, but Anon doesn't quite get the punchline; the two seem to share a connection deeper then Anon would have been lead on to believe.
"Aww, and who's that little guy?" Pinkie takes notice of the little baby. "A new addition to the family?"
"Oh, this little destroyer of worlds?" Marian looks down soothingly at the little infant, he makes noises at the attention that's gravitated onto him. "Just had him a couple months ago, sweet as pie, though a little reckless." Pinkie and Marian chuckle yet again, Anon still not in the know of the joke at hand.
"Wait, you had him a couple months ago?" Pinkie questions. "That means...."
"Yep." Marian blissfully pronounces. "Finally met the stallion of my dreams, and I couldn't of been more happy." She states with a sense of fulfilment in her voice.
"That's great, Marian." Pinkie happily applauds the good news, she couldn't be more happy for her.
Pinkie Pie and Marian talk for a good while. Telling each other where they've been, the crazy, bizarre, and great things that have happened in their lives, cracking inside jokes that allude and confuse the silent Anon. They both seem so happy to be able to talk with one another again.
"Where are you going to sleep? You know you always have a place at Sugarcube if need be." Pinkie spreads her hospitality to the older mare, making her well assured that's she always welcomed wherever Pinkie might be.
"Oh thank you sweetie but me and my husband rented a place here in Ponyvile for a couple of days, maybe we can meet up somewhere while I'm here? There's never a dull moment when the both of us are together you know." Marian and Pinkie giggle towards one another.
"Of course!" Pinkie emits with glee.
"It really was good seeing you again though, Dianne." Marian smiles with a genuineness. "If we don't see each other for a while I really want you to know, you really helped me when I needed somepony to; I know I've said this countless times but... thank you so much, Dianne; for everything." Marian closes in for another hug, holding the pink mare tightly out of a respect, and unfulfilled debt that she has towards Pinkie.
"Bye, bye, auntie Pinkie!" The little foal hugs Pinkie's hooves before waving a goodbye and walking into the shadowy night, away with his mother.
"Goodbye, Marian." Pinkie mutters bittersweetly; Anon walks up beside Pinkie, putting his hand comfortingly on her back. They both watch as they leave, no words exchanged from one another until the older mare and her two kids, disappear in the darkness.
"You guys really knew each other, didn't you?" Anon proposes the idea to Pinkie, she looks to the side, turning her head upward to meet Anon's eyes; she looked like she was reminiscing about her memories with Marian, seems like she does that with a lot of the ponies she's helped over the years.
"She's a great pony, I took her in when no one else would." Pinkie leaves her answer vague, open-ended, but Anon wants to know more.
"How about I make us some tea; you can tell me all about it on the couch." Anon smiles at Pinkie before heading in the kitchen, Pinkie follows to accompany him, seeing no other need to stand by the window as there isn't anything but pitch blackness to look out on.
-------*------- "I have to ask though Anon-" Anon and Pinkie get situated with their cups of tea, sitting down on the soft cushion, Anon waits patiently for Pinkie's tale of the older mare. "Why go all this way just to bring her here? I know it wasn't a spur of the moment thing, so, what is it?" Pinkie's intrigued, as much as she loves seeing ponies she's come to familiarize herself with, she can't quite put her hoof on why Anon went to such great lengths.
Anon takes a sip of the steaming tea, burning his tongue, he winces a bit before playing it cool. "I told you didn't I?" He implies; Anon figures she'll ask, but it's a good a start as any to a conversation like this.
"Did you?" Pinkie says, expected as ever from the pink mare; Anon explains.
"I made it a point to show just how much you've changed the ponies you've come across. I know I couldn't get every mare or stallion that you've helped, but it isn't about how many that's the important part; Celestia herself can't even help every creature in Equestria, but it's how you positively affect ponies lives. I wanted you to know just how special that is, Pinks." Anon leads on with a touching realization, it's not that Pinkie didn't know she helped anyone she came upon, but she didn't think it was anything note worthy.
"But, I didn't get Marian on her hooves again, she did." Pinkie defies Anon's explanation, countering it as Pinkie not being much of help.
"That isn't what she told me." Anon states, Pinkie waits for him to go on. "I don't know the whole story." He confesses. "-But I know that what she told me, was something I only expect out of a pony like you." Pinkie thinks back on where and when she first met the distraught mare, a cold, dark alley-
"It was a rainy day." Pinkie says. "She was battered, bruised, and shaking so bad. She held onto her son, like nothing else mattered but the warmth and protection of her own child." Pinkie recalls this event, it's all too vivid in her mind. "It was a chance encounter that I even saw her; the weather was so bad, Mrs. Cake pleaded with me to not go out, for whatever reason, I did. I don't even want to begin to imagine what would've happened to Marian if I wasn't there." Pinkie shakes away those thoughts.
"I'd seen ponies in abusive situations before but..." She hesitates. "This felt so personal to me, like I had a responsibility to help her, like- like my heart needed to mend with hers." Anon takes in Pinkie's story, they both look down, trying to make sense of it all. "She told me, a couple months later, her and her son had ran away from home; she stayed for the longest time with her husband for the sake of her son but one day... one day it just got to be too much." Pinkie's ears deflate down to her sides, she seems deeply troubled by the retelling of her own story.
"Pinkie, I'm... I'm sorry." Anon softly apologizes, he didn't mean for Pinkie to get so saddened by this event. "I was trying to help you see that you're an amazing mare, with a talent, I'm sure others would dream to have; I just may have went a bit to far." He admits.
Pinkie shakes her head slowly, trying not to get Anon to fault himself. "No, Nonie, I think I needed that, truth be told." She says to him; Anon seems surprised by this. "Maybe it isn't appropriate to tell you this now, but, when really is?" Pinkie sits up, looking at Anon thoughtfully.
"When I was a young girl, I grew up on a farm, similar to AJ's just, not as 'appley.' But I didn't have the best childhood, school wasn't really an option because I had to work with my parents and sisters on the farm, so my education is... a little lacking." She rubs her hoof, a little shy to admit this. "I didn't have a chance to meet many ponies, so when I did, I never knew the proper way to react; all I'd known up until then were my mom, dad, and my siblings. I guess I was what you call 'socially awkward' in hoo-man terms." She tells him blatantly.
"I love my family though, I really miss them." She takes a second to think of her sisters faces, the childish chaos that would ensue between the four of them. "One day when I was older, I wanted to do more then just pick rocks for the rest of my life; my sisters may have enjoyed it, and maybe I did for a little bit too but there was just something inside me, something in my heart, begging me to do more."
"That's why you came here?" Anon suggests.
Pinkie shakes her head again. "I told my sisters how I wanted to do more, see things I've only dreamed of seeing, meet ponies I could be friends with and cherish for the rest of my life." Pinkie turns her head to the side, smiling, it's like as if she's looking at her sister right next to her as she's opening up to her human. "It took a bit of convincing for my parents to agree to me moving out; oh, Nonie, it was so scary, but so exciting at the same time!" Pinkie proclaims. "When it came time though, I moved here. Mrs. and Mr. Cake invited me in with open hooves; they were the first ponies I was properly introduced to."
"When did you start knowing you needed to cheer up other ponies? Make them feel better?" Anon's curious attitude rubs off like a wild news reporter, trying to get all the details.
"Oh, well that...." Pinkie pauses, she turns her head back facing Anon. "I've always had that." Pinkie grins softly, relived at herself to know she always had a caring, outgoing view on the world.
"Well, I guess all I have to ask is, why me?" Anon confronts Pinkie with this dilemma; Pinkie looks dazzled, thinking of his question meaningfully. "I mean, you know when I first came here, I, and about everybody else was scared; why weren't you?" It's a question Anon's been wanting the answer to for as long as he's known Pinkie, she was the only pony- the only creature who understood that he wasn't out to hurt anyone.
"I... I don't really know, Nonie." Pinkie herself seems frustrated with her closed answer. "I never thought like everypony else thought, I didn't see you as a bad pony. I just saw how scared you were and... I knew exactly how that felt." Pinkie determines her reasoning, her emotions playing a bigger role in first talking to Anon then rationality.
"When we became closer- ahem- when we became friends-" Pinkie blushes. "You said something I'll never forget, the reason I knew I had to be by your side, for ever and ever."
"What?" Anon quietly speaks, like a whisper, he isn't sure if Pinkie could even hear him.
"'I never have been able to be open to anyone in my life, and then you came along, and put all my worries away.'" Pinkie speaks it word for word, her heart filling with great elation. "You told me everything, Nonie." She tells him, wanting to jog his memory, but of course he can never forget. "You told me about all the bad and good things that your life entailed, and I- it took me this long to finally open up with you; because I thought... I thought nobody could care about a pony like me. I'm so glad I was wrong, Nonie."
Pinkie trembles, her emotions getting the best of her. Anon stands up from where he's sitting, only to come down right beside Pinkie, holding her in his arms as she leans on his side like a warm blanket.
"I love you Pinkie Pie."
Pinkie sniffles, her head peaking up beyond from Anon's caring grace, she smiles at him, tears falling down; for once in a long time, she feels like the happiest mare alive.
Ch. 12 - The Fondest Memories Are The Ones Made With You
"Wow, you really mean it this time, Nonie?" Pinkie's face lightens up, yet again Anon pulls another surprise her way.
"Sure do!" Anon gives Pinkie a cheerful thumbs up. "Got the tickets myself this time too." He shows Pinkie the two tickets for a small fair in town, it's no carnival, but they're sure to have some fun.
"Oooh~ this is gonna be sooo great! We can get cotton candy, ride on super-duper-amazing rides-"
"Pinkie."
"-Eat lots of food, *gasp* the wheel thing that goes round and round! I've always wanted-" Anon puts his hand on Pinkie's head, she snaps out of her excited rambles. "Sorry, Nonie, I'm just so glad to be going with you, oh, it's like a dream come true!" She proclaims.
"We've never been to any place like this before?" Anon questions himself, thinking.
"Nope~!" Pinkie's quick to answer. "That's why this is so great!" She may overstate just how much of a good thing something like this is, but it never fails to lighten Anon's mood up just by a few octaves.
"I can't believe you aren't tired though." Anon yawns. "You had a long day yesterday after all."
"Uh-huh! But~ It isn't like it was that bad." She emphasizes. "You were there, so it was actually the best over shift ever!" She overstates again.
"You've said that before; you say that a lot now that I think of it." Anon tells her.
"Only when your in the day with me, Nonie." Pinkie winks playfully. "Though I suppose now that you mention it, why are we going so early in the day? Wouldn't of it been better to go later so we've had more rest and time to prepare?" Pinkie proposes.
"Well..." Anon thinks of a way out of this. "I mean sure we would have more rest, but what about the lines? The shortage of food? Maybe some rides would have even closed by then."
"Hmmm, fair point Nonie; yeah, your right, early is certainly better then later!" Pinkie agrees. Relief fills Anon as he weasels his way to a somewhat, logical explanation. "So~" Pinkie starts in a jubilant tone. "You ready to go?" That's right, the both of them have just been standing at Anon's door, talking. Pinkie being the hands-on mare that she is, of course pounced on Anon like a tiger with their prey; though Pinkie isn't one for hunting, more-so just loving is by far enough.
"You know, Nonie, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're not wearing your cloth-wear on purpose." Pinkie eyes Anon up and down, her frisky comment makes Anon harshly aware of the situation.
"Ah, your right! Be right back!" He's standing right at his door, wearing nothing but the underwear he comfortably slept in. "Dang it, Pinks, why do you always have to make it weird." He pouts to himself, thinking of the fact that no one else even wears clothes on a normal basis, but he's the one that's strange for it.
-------*------- "It seems like every pony else had the same idea as us, Nonie." The two of them make their way to the lively fair; Pinkie is right, there is a lot of ponies that have gathered here.
"Great." Anon sarcastically mutters under his breath.
"Where do you want to go first?" Pinkie excitedly looks around at all the things she can lay her eyes on. "I really don't know myself, everything just looks so fun! Can we do everything at once? No, I don't think we can; maybe if we had a time machine we could, but I don't think those exist so-"
"How about over there?" Anon points Pinkie towards a clown-pony bizarrely juggling a couple of balls whilst simultaneously riding on a unicycle.
"Oooh, that does look fun! Come on!" Pinkie tugs Anon's hand, they both head over towards the talented clown, experiencing the mystical tricks he has on display. They both applaud his entertaining works, fascinated by the talent the clown exudes.
"Encore, Encore!" Pinkie claps her hooves together, Anon looks over at her, she takes it all in so happily, the genuine smile on her face, the cute little giggles she produces; to Anon, it's already worth it that they came here.
"That was incredible, Nonie! Did you see how he spit out that fire?! It was like a dragon!" She gushes at the awe moment, Pinkie even making some of the movements the clown did.
"You really liked that, huh?" Anon asks.
"Absolutely! And that was just the first thing we've done!" She proclaims, reveling in the prospect that the two of them have a whole day together.
"Didn't you say something about the Ferris wheel? Want to go there next?" Pinkie nods her head eagerly; and so, that's the next stop they venture to. It took a bit of time getting on it, with the lines and whatnot, but to the two of them it was certainly worth it, both having their own reasons.
"Woah." Pinkie's jaw drops at the height they've reached. "Look down there, Nonie, you can practically see all of Ponyvile!" Pinkie waves her hooves in the air, euphorically giddy at this lifetime experience.
"Oh geez." Anon looks down, slightly sickened by just how high up they are. Pinkie takes note of this.
"Aw, Nonie, you don't have to be scared." Pinkie reassures him.
"I'm not scared I just-" He looks down again. "Ok, maybe a little bit."
Anon faces forward, not wanting to see the ground level again; a soft, warm peck is felt quickly on his cheek, he turns his head quizzically to the source of that feeling. Pinkie grins at him intently.
"Don't worry your handsome little head, Nonie." She jokes. "Pink's ain't gonna let anything happen to ya." Even though she teases around a bit, she's serious in her words all the same.
"Thanks Pinkie, I feel a bit-" Anon looks down again.
"You wanna lay on my lap?" Pinkie proposes.
"Huh? Right now?" Anon says bashfully.
Pinkie covers her mouth with a hoof, small giggles escape; she loves seeing Anon act so shy, it's adorable to her. "Yes right now, silly!" She exclaims.
"Yeah but Pinkie I'm not sure if- I mean we're out in public, so-"
"It's ok, Nonie. It's not like anyone's gonna see. We're in the air." She explains. Just hearing her say that they're basically relying so heavily on a machine to bring them down to safety makes him feel queasy. "C'mon, just lay down, like this." Pinkie takes hold of his body, softly directing his head down on her bottom hooves. Anon lays upright, looking at nothing but the clouds in the sky, and Pinkie's serine face.
"Feel better?" She speaks to him with a soft voice. In reality it's a little embarrassing for her too, but any moment to be intimate with her beloved human, is a moment that should not be wasted.
"Yeah, yeah, I do." He tells her, matching her tone.
"Good." Pinkie begins petting Anon's head, somehow, he really likes this weird interaction.
"This feels nice." He admits in a calmly manner; a straight contrast to his feelings just a moment before.
"I honestly thought you'd of been more embarrassed." She inquires.
"I was, truth be told."
"What changed?" She asks him.
"You." Anon rubs his hand on Pinkie's furred cheek, she leans into his palm, wanting more of his touch to be present on her face.
"Oh, Nonie. You really know how to make this girl happy." Pinkie says as a blush forms on her pink face.
Anon and Pinkie spend the rest of the ride in peace, Anon happy he doesn't have to feel his fear of heights and Pinkie, just being glad to have Anon right by her side.
"Mmm, delicious!" Pinkie speaks before throwing another piece of the fluffy candy in her mouth.
"I don't know, it taste really sweet." Anon refutes, grabbing another bite sized portion.
"That's the point though, this stuff's loaded with sugar!" She tells him, grabbing another hoof full of cotton candy. "You don't really eat a lot of sweets, do you, Nonie?" Pinkie asks as she chews on the delectable sugary substance.
"Not really, always thought eating sweet things was a big way to get diabetes." Anon states.
"Die-a-what now?" Pinkie's lost.
"Oh, uh- yeah sorry, it's a human thing- or where I come from anyway." Anon awkwardly explains.
"Oooh, I get it; just another hoo-man word to add to my vocab!" She playfully says.
They both get around to see almost everything. Going on the merry-go-round, trying to win prizes at game booths, the two of them really get there fill.
"What's next?" Anon asks Pinkie.
"Hmm." She ponders his question, Anon and Pinkie were just heading to whatever the next thing they saw was, not really thinking directly of where to go until now. "I think that's all, Nonie." Pinkie states in a fulfilled manner.
Anon looks at his watch, checking the time. "Surely there has to be something else..." He leads on.
"I don't think so, Nonie. We saw the clown, went on rides, played games, ate food." Pinkie shrugs. "I think that's it." Anon looks around, desperately trying to find something else. "You alright, Nonie? You look a little restless."
"Yeah, I'm fine, totally." He tells her unconvincingly.
Pinkie's not buying it. "You keep looking at your watch though."
"Uh, well that's because-"
"Someone wouldn't normally do that unless..." She pauses until coming to a revelation. "No way! Don't tell me!"
"Oh no, she's got me." He thinks.
"There's going to be a live parade right here?!" Pinkie hops with joy. "I love parades, Nonie! With all the ponies, the loud music, the cute floats-" She goes off, rambling about all the things she likes about this one of a kind spectacle.
"You ever seen a parade before?" Anon genuinely asks.
"Nope!" She casually responds back. "But there's a first time for everything! Which is why-"
"Well, Pinkie, I'm sorry to disappoint you, there is no parade; at least none I'm aware of." Anon tells her the unfortunate news, though just as the words are leaving his mouth-
"*gasp* oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Pinkie hops up and down, seeing it happen right before her eyes. Anon looks to where the pink mare is shouting at.
"Oh, alright then." Anon shuts his mouth, just going along with it. He thinks it to be perfect anyways, as it'll buy him more time.
Pinkie could barely contain herself the whole time, pointing out different, unique things to Anon that ultimately, were far more exciting to the pink mare then it was for him; all the while he enjoyed Pinkie's cheerful outlook on the show, she really did seem to enjoy it.
"That was great, Nonie! One of the best I've ever seen!" She tells him.
"I thought you said you've never seen a parade?"
"Well, not in real life, but one time I had this dream-" The pink mare blabbers on about her silly and charming story. Anon and Pinkie walk back home while Pinkie explains her dream in oddly vivid detail. Anon can never get enough of the party mare's stories, as weird or whimsical as they might be. The sun sets down brightly in their eyes, reflecting just how long they've been out today.
"Today was a fun day." Pinkie says to Anon wholeheartedly. Anon agrees, but something comes striking in her mind.
"How long are you going to play this game? It isn't a game." Pinkie's tired of this tug-of-war, she wants these thoughts to begone, but they keep nagging her. "Yeah? What about when he eventually leaves you for some mare better, then what, Dianne?" It hurts her heart so much to think about a reality where that's true, but it can't be, can it?
"Hey, Nonie, can I ask you something?"
"What's up?" He casually voices back.
"I know this is probably gonna sound weird, or maybe a little too much but..." She stops walking, standing firm she waits for Anon's full attention. "Do you, you know, like going out to places with me?" Anon's baffled, he thought she already knew the answer, but he'll tell her anyway.
"A-hundred-percent, Pinks, we're a couple." Anon tells her point blank.
"Forever and ever?" She cutely, yet softly inquires.
"Until Celestia herself stops the world from moving, I'll always be by your side, Pinks." Anon playfully ruffles her hair, thinking that's the end to that. He begins walking, Pinkie doesn't follow.
"...Pinks?" Anon turns around, seeing her stand firm.
"When you invited Rose to Nightmare Night- or when you said that me and Applejack could go to that carnival, instead of me and you... " Pinkie brings up the past events, the events Anon foolishly ruined by his own two hands. "Was it just because you didn't want it to be me and you, or-"
"Pinkie." Anon speaks up, interrupting her insecure question. "I was a fool to do those things, I told you that." He reminds her.
"I know, I know. It's just that I can't shake this feeling-"
Anon walks up to her, pressing his lips up against hers. Pinkie instinctually closes her eyes, the feeling of Anon's lips and scent shutting her down completely. Anon moves his face away slowly, the two of them breathe heavy.
"I love you Pinkie. I'm not going to do anything like that ever again, I want you to be happy, and I intend to do everything I can to make that happen." His speech confidently rolls off his tongue, no hesitation, no pauses. Pinkie knows he means it.
"I want that for you too Nonie. You're very special to me." She proudly tells him. "I love you so much Nonie, and everyday I feel like that only grows more and more. I'd do anything for you, I've never felt this way about anything before, I just never want to lose you." Pinkie loves Anon so much that she's scared of never being able to share a walk with him, talk to him about any problems that may arise, she wants to stay as intimate as she can with her special human, it's the only thing on her mind.
"You'll never lose me, I'll be with you for as long as my heart keeps beating, because for me, you're more important, then any friend could ever be." They share another warm kiss with one another, Anon rubbing her soft mane as he smells her gorgeous fur, it's an intoxication that frankly, the two can never get enough of. To Pinkie her thoughts may bring her down, may hurt her or remind her of bad times, but something will always be for certain, Anon will be there with her through all of it.
-------*------- "This it it." Anon says to himself. Pinkie and him make their way to Sugarcube, she isn't sure why Anon wanted to tag along, but she thinks it has something to do with helping her with an order.
Opening the door, the dark bakery is hard to make out between the two of them; a voice calls out like a whisper from the shadows, Pinkie looks around for a quick second, confused.
"Surprise!" The lights flash on as a collective voice rings out in Pinkie's direction. She quickly blinks with the flash of light, before realizing just what- or whom she's looking at.
"Hey girl, how've you been?"
"L-Lime?!" Pinkie's shocked to see her sister here, but not just one, all three are made out from her vision. "You guys... are..." She's at a loss for words. Anon's hand pets her head softly, she slowly turns to look at him, her mouth agape at this sudden visit.
"You said it's been a while since you've seen your sisters, so I thought they'd come pay you a little visit."
"We've been wanting to see you for a long time too Pinkie." Marble speaks up.
"Anon- Nonie-..." Pinkie looks back to her sisters, then to Anon; she can't wrap her head around this wonderfully shocking encounter. Water escapes her eyes, she can't hold back the utmost joy she feels. First the whole day with the one that she loves to the end of Equestria, and now a reuniting with her siblings, in which she holds so close to her heart.
A connection quickly forms in her mind, the reason why Anon was trying his hardest to stay longer at the fair, the reason he wanted them to go so early; it was for her, all of this, was for her.
"Woah, easy!" Pinkie springs up on Anon emotionally, crying into his shoulder with heartfelt tears.
"Thank y-you s-so m-much, N-Non-" Pinkie's voice cracks as she tenderly whispers in Anon's ear, she nuzzles the side of his head firmly with her snout, preaching all the love she can give to her very special person.
A few moments pass before she gets down from Anon's grasp, she looks towards her sisters, staring at them with a motionless love only the four of them can understand, and makes a beeline for a long overdue hug.
-------*------- October 31st, Nightmare Night "Wow, Pinkie, you look beautiful!" Anon can't hold back his thoughts. Pinkie twirls around, showing off the dress prominently to her special human.
"You really like it?" She asks rhetorically. "I had Rarity patch up a few things with it as it's been a while since I've worn this dress."
"I can't believe I'd ever see you with it on again." His disbelief is immeasurable, but he's glad to be wrong.
"Only for you, Nonie!" She sweetly winks, bowing down like she just finished a wonderful performance.
"For... me?"
"Well of course! You told me how much you liked it when we celebrated the first party me and you had together, I just knew this would be the perfect time to wear it again!" Pinkie has no qualms or regrets with wearing this as a costume to Nightmare Night, she's only happiest when she can share that joy with Anon.
The night passes by as Anon and Pinkie have the time of their lives, getting scared by the various attractions just wouldn't be the same if they weren't experiencing it together.
"It sure has gotten pretty late." Pinkie takes a mental note at all the ponies beginning their leave, they've been here for a while.
"You said it." Anon replies, stretching his back. "You ready to hit the hay?" Pinkie nods with a cute smile, they both begin their adventure to the very special spot that the two of them share so fondly.
"Is that how it goes?" Pinkie quizzically looks at the assembled tent, unsure if they followed the instructions correctly. Anon tugs on the ends, seeing if it's stable.
"Yup." He gives a cheerful thumbs up.
They take a moment to look around at their dark surroundings, Pinkie spotting something that dutifully catches her eye.
"Nonie- Nonie, look!" She tugs on his shirt, grabbing his attention.
"Oh, now that is a sight to behold." They both look down at Ponyvile in awe, street lamps and houses shining light echoes back to them. "Hey, Pinks. You want to lay down here?"
"Hm? Why, Nonie?" She takes her attention off the daunting amount of houses.
"Just to take in this night, that's all." His simple answer is all she needs, Anon lays a blanket down, both of them getting comfortable with the relaxing night. A thought comes to Anon's mind, on all the nights he could have possibly chosen to say this, tonight is perfect.
"Spooky ghosts who's faces can send even the heartiest of ponies into fright-" Pinkie recognizes those words, she looks over at Anon, their stomachs facing towards the starry sky. "Jack-o-lanterns crafted so marvelously with delight, skeletons, goblins galore!"
"Oh do I know Nightmare Night can offer so much more." Anon's face looks over at Pinkie's who's taken over the poem. "Ghosts and demons that go 'boo', creepy things I never even knew, wouldn't be complete-"
"If I didn't spend this time with you." They finish it off together, a sweet duet between them.
"You... saw my poem." Pinkie's humbly surprised.
"I'm sorry you didn't get to rehearse it to me last year." Anon confesses.
Pinkie quietly grins, thankful that Anon was able to see her little composition she had written just for him. "I love you, Nonie."
"I love you too, Pinkie Pie."
They spend the foreseeable time just basking in each others warmth, while looking up at the beautiful stars above. Pinkie can't think of anywhere else she'd want to spend, then in the comfort of the one she loves the most.
"The moon sure does look bright out tonight." She voices sincerely.
"It sure does, Pinks."
"I'm really glad I get to spend this moment, with you, Nonie."
