Chapter 4: Fluttershy’s Serenade
Soon enough everypony save Applejack and Big Macintosh are in front of the closet where Pinkie had locked herself in for several hours now. Twilight could only wonder what Applejack and Big Macintosh are talking with the farm animal union representatives, but she could hear some rather colorful language from both sides downstairs. Right now, Twilight’s attention is focused upon her dear friend.
“Pinkie…..are you okay in there?” Twilight asked the pink pony, whom she can hear sobbing in the closet. whatever it is that made her cry, it must be really bad if it made Pinkie locks herself in the closet of another pony's house
“Go away.” Pinkie’s voice is hoarse from all the crying and it is not lost on her friends.
“Pinkie dear, come on out and we could talk about this…..” Rarity tries to persuade her friend to get out from the closet.
“I say go away.” More sobbing. Rarity looks at everypony, and she could see that everypony are at a lost on how they should approach the manner. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could only watch the commotion from the side, as the former has nothing better else to say, while the latter is thinking about what she wants to say without hurting her friend’s feelings. For Twilight it is more of how she could make sense of it all, while in Rarity’s case it is more of knowing that her friend truly needs her at this moment but is unable to do anything. Everyone else looked at Granny Smith, and the old mare gives a deep sigh.
“Well, it’s alright. Give her some time to herself. Let’s go to my room.” Granny Smith motion to the rest of the ponies to move along. As everyone followed the old mare to her bedroom, another flurry of aggressive negotiations is going on between Applejack and the farm animal union representatives.
“WHAT THE HAY?!?!!? THAT IS JUST TOO MUCH! IMPORTED SPA MUD FOR THE PIGS?!?!?!?!”
"IT IS THAT OR THE SMEAR CAMPAIGN WILL BEGIN!!!"
"WHADDAYA MEAN SMEAR CAMPAIGN? YOU DO NOT EVEN HAVE THE BITS TO EVEN MAKE OUR REPUTATION SUFFER!!!"
"WE MEANT SMEARING THE FARM AND THE APPLE TREES WITH MUD!"
"YOU...DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MAH APPLE BABIES YOU FILTHY PIG!"
"I AM A PIG AND I AM PROUD OF IT! WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING BORN A PIG HUH?!?! " The representative's speech was followed with a snort.
Damn....., Twilight reasoned as the negotiations, or to be exact the shouting contest went on and on. Once they entered the room, Twilight takes the next step in unraveling this messy situation.
“Well Granny Smith, it seems that you know what happened here. Could you tell us about it?” Twilight beckons the old mare to tell her tale.
“Alright, Twilight….but this will not be pretty, y’hear?”
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-Earlier that day-
“Well Pinkie, let’s hear what you have learned from all them old records.” The old mare is happy that her student has been very attentive to the music after that time. She once again showed Pinkie the music sheet and continue to observe how will Pinkie try to interpret this song in her own way.
Pinkie is smiling as she has now finally moved on to the next stage in Granny’s tutorial. She took out her trumpet and tries to play the song. But instead, her tune is entirely off, and sounds more like a bunch of ducks screaming to each other than a jazz-ified version of “Someday My Princess Will Come”. Granny Smith cringed a little at the sound, but at least she got some things right.
“So how did I do?” Pinkie gave the old mare a smile.
“Well…….you could work on some of the phrasing as it sounds like you are just pressing some of yer keys randomly. Some of the tunes did not flow.” Granny Smith tries to give Pinkie some constructive criticism.
“Yeah, I guess you are right. I was just pressing them when I am not sure what I should do….” Pinkie blushed a little.
“And also ah think that you are blowing too hard. Try to ease up on it will you?” Granny Smith added.
“Sure thi…..” Before she could even complete the phrase, her body shudders and then followed by her knees getting all pinchy. That odd….,Pinkie thought. Something unexpected is about to happen and it is going to be scary. Suddenly, she feels her tail twitching.
“Granny watch out!” Pinkie immediately pulls Granny Smith down with her, only seconds before a pile of mud pass over their heads. As they both get up, they could see that all the farm animals are now staring daggers at them.
“Ur……Hi everyone. I am Pinkie Pie.” Still no reaction from the crowd.
“What the hay is that fer?” Granny Smith asked the farm animals. Before long, an entire riot of sounds cracked through the air, each with their own reasons as to why they did what they did.
“It’s the sound of evil! I thought that you told us that will never happen again!” One of the cows shouted out loud.
“Yeah you have violated the trust!” The pig snorted as he spoke.
“How dare you insult my mother with that sound!” One of the ducks shouted.
“My children were sleeping until you woke them up!” One of the sheep said.
Before long, Granny Smith and Pinkie were trying to calm down the crowd of farm animals, but then every farm animal hurled many insults at Pinkie. With each insult, Pinkie’s eyes teared up a little. However, one of the farm animals took it too far.
“Seriously, you do not have any talent in this nor do you sound good at all! I rather give my children away than to listen to your blasted sound! Leave the farm and never play that thing again! My fart sounds better than that sound from your darn trumpet! Actually Applebloom sounds mighty better than you! You seriously just like to annoy everyone don’t you, you failure in life!?!” A black sheep finally shouted.
Pinkie bit her lips, and looked around the sea of farm animals utterly overwhelmed. Her watery eyes are now at the brink of holding back the tears, and her lips trembled. And then it happens. She bawled really hard, and a fountain of tears ran from her eyes, screaming out her sadness. Damn……………I have not seen her cry that hard since that time where she cracked under pressure from foalsitting the Cake’s children.
“WHY AUTHOR, WHY DID YOU MAKE ALL THESE ANIMALS SO MEAN TO MEEEEEE?!!?!?!?!YOU BIG MEANIE WHO’S WEARING BOXERS IN HIS ROOM TYPING OUT THESE MEAN THINGS TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!NOW I AM GOING TO LOCK MYSELF IN THE CLOSET AS THE PLOT DICTATES!!!!!!!” Everyone, including Granny Smith was caught by surprised from both the outburst of sadness and also her very odd choice of words. Hey, even I was caught by surprise from her choice of words my dear readers, and yes I am slightly hurt by her comments about me and my boxers. They are comfy alright? And they make me write better.
She then ran into the house crying. Everyone looked at each other, before one of the farm animals, a white sheep in a sharp-looking suit and glasses decides to take a step forward and talk to Granny Smith.
“Anyway…….as agreed upon the union will organize a strike if there is a breach of conduct by our employer, in this case the Apple family, and we will not stop with our pickets until our demands are met or a credible compromise between the farm animals. If you seek to meet with the union representatives, you may find us behind barn and we could make the possible arrangements for negotiations. Have a good day, Mrs. Smith.”
As the sheep walks away, Granny Smith's anger at the bloodsucking sheep is surging within her.
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“WHAT! I WILL DESTROY THEM!” Rarity roared after hearing the story. Such inponity can never be forgiven in Rarity’s eyes.
“I am going to give these farm animals a piece of my mind!” Rainbow Dash was about to fly down to where the negotiations are taking place, but Twilight pulls her tail before she even gets the chance.
“No, it will not help right now. The most important thing now is to calm Pinkie down and be there for her.” Twilight could only see that Granny took it upon herself for this unfortunate incident, but no one could have foreseen this. But then what could they do to calm her down?
It was then that Fluttershy walks out of the room.
“Fluttershy, where are you going?” Twilight asked, but there is no reply. Everypony looked at each other and they all walked out of the room wondering what is on the yellow pegasus’ mind. It is rare to see Fluttershy taking the first step for any action. They then saw the yellow Pegasus sitting in front of the closet.
“Hey Pinkie.” The only reply Fluttershy gets are a few more sobs. Fluttershy’s friendship with Pinkie is perhaps one of the longest that she ever had, second only to those that she shared with Rainbow Dash.
“I know that you feel sad for all the mean things that those animals have said to you. But you can’t take their words to heart you know…..” Fluttershy’s warm and caring voice caresses Pinkie’s ears, like that of a mare calming her frightened foal.
“But….they’re really mean. The author is the bigger meanie for planning this, but I do not know why.” Fluttershy choose to not bother with the second part, as she knows Pinkie's tendencies to talk to what Pinkie calls 'the audience', despite the absence of such an audience. Of course, Fluttershy does not have Pinkie's fourth wall-breaking powers but we will leave it at that.
“It’s okay Pinkie, it’s okay. We are all here for you.” Fluttershy is treading a fine line here, as she knows that not every pony is here with them, as Applejack is downstairs negotiating with the farm animals. At least the negotiations are now really quiet, which help Fluttershy in convincing her friend that they are all there for her.
“What do you do when you are sad Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked. Fortunately it is an answer that Fluttershy could answer.
“Well Pinkie, whenever I feel sad……I think of my favourite things.” Fluttershy’s answer is somewhat odd to Pinkie, as she tend to think of Fluttershy as a pony that would hide and cry in her cottage.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Pinkie asked the yellow Pegasus. It was then that Pinkie hears a nice little hum, a nice tune that sounded really happy. Then she could hear the gentle voice of her friend singing to her, warming her up inside. It is not often that ponies could listen to Fluttershy's singing, and when she sings it always comes at an important time. Even if the song have no lyrics, it has a very calming effect on Pinkie and it is surprisingly honest in its emotions.
Fluttershy is now singing gently to the mare in the closet, and as the other ponies watched Fluttershy looks at them and points downstairs, signing with her hoofs a lasso and pointing to where they are all while not breaking the song. Twilight realizes what Fluttershy is asking them to do and she walked downstairs to get Applejack.
Oblivious to the situation outside, Pinkie could hear her friend’s voice from inside the closet and listens deeply to the song. Slowly but surely, the warmth and comfort from her friend’s voice lightens up her heart.
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Applejack’s patience has already dried up with these union representatives, and she wished that she had her brother’s patience. If it were not for her brother's calming mannerism and professional ethics in conducting the negotiations, she would have bucked them out of the room so hard that they will find themselves in Applelosa. But the negotiations must be carried out, and her frustrations grow with every moment. But then suddenly Twilight came into the room, and Applejack immediately knew that she have to be someplace else. Her brother give her an approving nod, at the same time the nod also assures Applejack that he could take care of these bloodsuckers for her. Applejack then gets up from her chair and went on ahead to where she is needed most.
As Applejack slowly take her steps up the stairs, she was greeted by the rest of the ponies and Fluttershy’s calm, soothing singing resonates in the air like a fine, gentle mist. Looks like something is about to happen here, Applejack said to herself, and took her place among her friends and her granny.
The other ponies have noticed that Pinkie was no longer sobbing in the closet, and it was then that Fluttershy started to add words to her song.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.
Brown paper packages tied up with strings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cream colored bunnies and crisp apple streudels,
Doorbells and sleigh bells and salads with noodles.
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Mares in white dresses with blue satin sashes,
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes.
Silver white winters that melt into springs,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad.
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel…….so bad.
Fluttershy ends her song, and the silence after that is almost serene. Everypony could feel that Fluttershy's song has delivered the message that whenever something bad happens to somepony, they would need to think about the good things and step forward and face those bad things to make things all better. Now all of them are waiting for something to happen, hopefully something good. It is Fluttershy that broke the silence.
“Now Pinkie….will you come out from the closet and let us all be here for you?” Fluttershy hoped that this thing she pulled out from her feathers works. A soft creak of the closet door answered Fluttershy, and the yellow pegasus could now see that Pinkie’s eyes are swollen from all the crying, but now the pink pony is smiling towards her friend. Before she knew it, Pinkie gave Fluttershy a big hug. Before long, one by one, each one of ponies join in the hug and Pinkie feels so much better.
Thank you everypony, Pinkie thought and she smiled at that thought of hers.
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After prolonged negotiations which lasted for a week with Twilight having to intervene to smooth out the intricacies, the farm animals allowed Pinkie Pie to play jazz at the farm, help Applejack and Big Macintosh with the chores around the farm, making apology for Pinkie and also the suspension of several of their own for unwarranted insults. In return the farm animals get R&R once every month, earmuffs for every farm animal and a free coupon for muffins at Sugarcube Corner. With that the farm is once again peaceful, and Granny Smith and Pinkie could now focus on their lessons again.
“Now here Pinkie, try to play it slow. Add in a note at a time that make sense. And always remember keep up with the timing.” The old green pony started to tap her hooves in a consistent beat, and Pinkie wait for the right moment to play the tune.
Okay……play it slow……….add a note at a time that make sense……..keep up with the timing…..and most important of them all, let it flow……, Pinkie then blows and hopes that she did not do anything bad. She went on ahead and tries to not cause the apple trees to riot this time. As she progress through the song, there are parts where she was sloppy but then there are parts where it all falls in place. But she tries her best to make it as natural as possible. After the song is over she looked at Granny Smith, waiting for a reply.
“Well…….still needs a lot of work…….” Pinkie’s hair started to deflate a little before she heard the old mare coughed.
“But……at least it now sounds like jazz, rather than a swearin' of the ducks.” Granny Smith gave her an approving nod. Pinkie jumps up in the air, ecstatic about her success.
"YEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" Pinkie is now high in success.