Every morning, Pinkie Pie greeted the day with a smile. This day was no different.
Brilliant blue eyes fluttered open, briefly squeezing shut as she yawned, while pink hooves pushed aside her quilt and a pile of super fluffy pillows.
"Morning, Gummy!" Pinkie greeted the alligator stretched out at the foot of her bed. Gummy craned his head at an unnatural angle; Pinkie could see herself reflected in his large purple eyes as she swept him up for a great big gator hug. "Oh Gummy, today is going to be great! Well, every day is great, but today will be double great! First I need to cover the counter for Mrs. Cake since she's feeling under the weather...wait a minute, can you be over the weather?"
She leapt out of bed with a literal spring in her step, bouncing across her bedroom to the open window and sweeping the shutters open to poke her head out.
"Good morning Ponyville!" she cried at the slowly thickening crowd of ponies also beginning their day below. Her outburst received a couple of smiles and waves in return; seeing them further brightened Pinkie Pie's already bright day.
As she cavorted through her bedroom like a hyperactive filly half her age, preparing for the day, Pinkie couldn't help but notice how colorful the world around her was. Despite the essentially colorless world of her origin, Pinkie Pie saw the world not in simple primary colors, but an entire spectrum: pale golden balloons, silver and cerulean confetti, deep lavender alligator eyes, her own carnation-hued mane that poofed out in all directions. Or maybe it was bubblegum. Or tea roses, like the ones Fluttershy grew in her garden. Perhaps it was a color the world didn't have a name for yet, and it was all up to her to come up with one.
Dropping the load of streamers and party supplies she was carrying, Pinkie Pie flopped over on her back, kicked her legs in the air and embraced the element she represented, wrapping her forelegs around her midsection and laughing at how wonderful it felt to be surrounded by vivid colors and wonderful friends.
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"You seem more excited than usual, dear," Mrs. Cake remarked. She sat off to the side of the storefront, firmly installed in a comfortable armchair Pinkie and Mr. Cake had picked up at Quills and Sofas. While she was only a few months into her pregnancy, Mrs. Cake was already beginning to feel the effects of having not one, but two foals developing in her already relatively plump tummy, and occasionally Pinkie Pie covered for her while Mrs. Cake rested and observed. Adhering to the other symptoms of her condition, Mrs. Cake also occasionally proceeded to make a light snack of the freshly baked goods being laid out for sale.
"I am!" Pinkie giggled, as she put the finishing touches on a fresh batch of strawberry banana cupcakes. Her frosting job wasn't as impeccable as her incapacitated employer's, but Pinkie's skills still far outshone those of other ponies. "Taste test!"
She tossed one cupcake into the air and nabbed it as it fell, swallowing the baked good in a single gulp. "Those are delicious!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, licking her lips. She held one out to Mrs. Cake, who held up a hoof in protest. She started to chide Pinkie for once again eating what they needed to be selling, but her growling stomach halted her in her tracks.
"Well...I guess one won't hurt," Cup said sheepishly, accepting the cupcake and inhaling it almost as quickly as Pinkie had inhaled hers. Pinkie only smiled as she reached for another immediately.
"Today my favoritest friend out of all my favorite friends is coming over, and we're going to spend the whole day talking and laughing and eating yummy snacks and it's gonna be so much fun!" Pinkie bounced in place with every word, somehow managing to not send the cupcakes flying in all directions. Noting the accident waiting to happen, Mrs. Cake reached over and gently took the tray from Pinkie, setting it on the countertop out of harm's way.
"That certainly sounds like fun," she said with a knowing smile. Her right hoof drifted close to the baked goods, hesitantly. Pinkie noticed her discomfort, and nodded in affirmation; she grinned as her employer's eyes lit up.
"I'm sorry, Pinkie," Cup sounded embarrassed as she helped herself to the remaining cupcakes. "These two have quite the sweet tooth, it seems."
"Aw, that's okay, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie chirped. "I can always make more."
Mrs. Cake's eyes widened at the implication.
Shortly afterwards the first few customers of the day arrived, and the bakery steadily filled up over the next few hours while Pinkie Pie darted back and forth between the kitchen to retrieve Mr. Cake's handiwork and the counter. Mrs. Cake watched her with admiration, amidst humbly accepting congratulations for her impending arrivals. At times Pinkie was nothing more than a pink blur, and yet she still managed to provide service with her characteristically bright smile. At one point Pinkie found a few minutes to catch her breath, and Mrs. Cake, struggling to rise to her hooves, waved her over.
"Are you sure you don't need to take a break, dear?" She asked; Pinkie shook her head vigorously.
"Don't you worry your little head, Mrs. Cake! I've got everything covered."
"But aren't you getting tired?" Cup gave up and settled back into her chair with a sigh.
"Oh, of course not! I never get tired when I'm helping bring a smile to somepony's face!" True to her word, Pinkie never faltered for the next couple of hours, long after Mrs. Cake retired for a nap (after polishing off a few more pastries). As the lunchtime rush died down, Mr. Cake left the kitchen to relieve her, hanging his baker's cap on a peg on the wall.
"We really appreciate this, Pinkie," Carrot's voice shook with gratitude and exhaustion; between turning out an entire day's worth of baked goods and simultaneously fretting over his wife he looked as if he were ready for a nap himself. "Do you mind picking up a morning shift later this week? Cup's tiring out more easily these days."
"No problem, Mr. C!" Pinkie saluted. She literally danced in place, hugging herself with her forelegs. "Oh, I can't wait to hear the pitter patter of itsy bitsy hooves running around. Have you thought of any names yet?"
"Well..." Mr. Cake scratched his head. "Preferably something that goes well with 'Cake', of course."
"Ooh! Like Strawberry? Oh no, wait. Chocolate Cake? Coconut Cream Cake? Vanilla Bean Cake?" Mr. Cake watched (with a fondness that his wife admitted to aloud more readily, but he felt it all the same) his wayward employee wander off, still rattling off suggestions to herself.
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Pinkie's next task was to prepare for the arrival of Rainbow Dash; she threw herself into the job so energetically that anyone simply watching her would have grown tired. Pinkie couldn't help it. She was so excited that her legs felt like springs, of a springier than usual quality. It was a joy that went beyond her normal demeanor, one that only the possibility of spending time with Rainbow Dash ignited in her.
She paused for a brief moment, standing in the middle of her room and looking up at the colorful balloons and streamers hanging above her head. She wasn't decorating for an actual party, but she treated these get-togethers like a party anyway, one for two. Dash never complained, laying into the snacks Pinkie provided enthusiastically and treating the decorations like they were the norm. Pinkie closed her eyes, standing perfectly still, and listened to her heartbeat. At times like this it deviated from its ordinary rhythm, thrumming in her little pink chest so swiftly that she imagined her heart was dancing.
"Gummy! Gummy!" Pinkie whispered loudly; the alligator in question opened one purple eye lazily in response. "I feel like my heart is dancing."
She decided to take Gummy's blank stare as encouragement.
After close to an hour of preparation, Pinkie Pie stood back and gazed upon her handiwork proudly. Her newly cleaned and decorated room gleamed, two batches of chocolate cupcakes topped with rainbow sprinkles sat waiting to be devoured, and her recently acquired box of prank material sat on a rug, filled to the brim with opportunity.
"All done!" Pinkie chirped, patting herself on the back. "And just in time. Rainbow Dash should be here any minute!" She settled down next to the box, watching the window for signs of her friend's arrival. Using the front door was not Rainbow Dash's style.
True to form, several minutes later Rainbow Dash darted in through the open window, alighting on Pinkie's bedroom floor. "Hey there, Pinkie Pie!"
Pinkie's usual greeting was a full body hug that generally sent both ponies tumbling, and today was no exception. Rainbow Dash visibly braced herself for impact, but that didn't prevent her from being thrown to the floor as Pinkie slammed into her with a squeal of glee.
"Rainbow Dash!" She exclaimed, wrapping her forelegs around her friend's neck and embracing her tightly. Pinkie's heartbeat had once again risen to fever pitch in her little pink chest; the vibrant mane pressed against her face smelled only lightly of perspiration, and the body lying limp beneath hers was ever so warm. Rainbow Dash didn't return the hug, but she allowed Pinkie to slightly restrict her air supply for a good minute before gently pushing Pinkie away, although she was smiling as she did so.
"I take it you're glad to see me," She joked, rising from the bedroom floor and brushing herself off.
"Yes!" Pinkie bounced in a circle around the pegasus, chattering the entire time. "Oh Dashie, today's going to be so much fun! I made cupcakes and punchy punch and I made my room all super sparkly..."
Rainbow Dash looked up at the ceiling, noticing the abundance of streamers and balloons. She raised a cautious eyebrow. "Is all of this just for this afternoon?"
Pinkie stopped bouncing for a brief moment. "Of course! Even if it's a two pony party it's still a party! Although every day is a party when your bestest best friends are with you!" Her tone shifted to a less cheerful one, and she looked away before continuing. She felt a bit guilty for bringing up the glaring alteration in their schedule of spending time with each other, but the feelings refused to remain bottled up any longer. "Especially since you've been so busy lately. Me and Gummy have had to undertake the sweet pranking of Ponyville as a duo, instead of a trio. Or a duo and a half since he can't really do much besides providing moral support."
Rainbow Dash sighed, staring at the floor. "Yeah...sorry about that. I've been working on something."
Pinkie's ears detected the uncertainty in her voice. The manner in which Rainbow Dash said the word 'something' was suspicious, and it smacked of secrets. She took a step closer, grinning knowingly. "What kind of something? Is it another secret something you're gonna call a nothing?"
Rainbow Dash was clearly taken aback, and her mouth hung open for a second or two before she managed to recover. "Um...sorta?" she said with a nervous chuckle. In a obvious attempt to change the subject, she pushed past Pinkie Pie, eying the chocolate cupcakes. "Hey! Cupcakes! I haven't eaten all day, so..."
The moment wasn't lost on Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash was terrible at hiding things, and this was no exception, but in the spirit of indulging in her wonderful day Pinkie decided to let it rest momentarily. There was still plenty of time to figure out what the 'something' bothering Rainbow Dash could be. "Well then eat up, because there's more where that came from!" she giggled. Dash needed no further invitation, proceeding to lay into the treats with an enthusiasm that rivaled Pinkie Pie's.
Time flies when you're having fun, and Pinkie was having a blast. The afternoon marched forward in a blur, as did her time with Rainbow Dash. After finishing off the cupcakes and punch, the pair dug through the box of prank material, discussing various uses for the newer items and potential targets; this gave way to a couple of hours of simply gossiping, with Rainbow Dash sprawled on the rug beside Pinkie's bed and Pinkie perched atop it, gazing down at her with a loving expression that Rainbow Dash likely failed to notice. As the afternoon sun streamed through her open window, bathing the room in its light and warming the two lounging ponies, Pinkie began to feel lightheaded. Not sick lightheaded; she knew what that felt like from the cold she'd slogged through a few months back. This was something different, something lovely. Her forehooves tingled in the most distracting manner. It wasn't her Pinkie Sense, as far as she could tell. She had to catch herself, at one point, as she realized just how close she was to reaching down and running a hoof over Rainbow Dash's mane.
As Pinkie struggled to keep her hooves to herself, Rainbow Dash was venting her concerns involving the upcoming festival later that summer. "So I've got less than two months to come up with some new moves and perfect my routine. They've already seen a rainboom, although another one can't hurt. But this time I need to really wow them." She punctuated the statement by pounding a determined hoof against the floor. "Especially after the worst night ever."
"Or the best night ever," Pinkie piped up. She agreed with the statement for the most part, but it really hadn't ended too badly. "Maybe the best worst night ever?"
Rainbow Dash considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Let's go with that. At least I've been getting plenty of exercise out in the f...the farm."
"The farm?" Pinkie's brow furrowed for a moment; had Rainbow Dash meant to say something else? "Oh, have you been working those calves by kicking trees with Applejack?"
"Y-yeah. Something like that." There it was again, that uncertainty. Not to mention, Dash's behavior was suspicious as well. Every time she caught herself, she unconsciously ran a hoof through her mane, scratching her head nervously. It was a subtle quirk, but noticing things about other ponies was a skill that made Pinkie so good at making others happy.
"Dashie?"
At one point, Rainbow Dash would've flinched at the decidedly uncool nickname; now she merely looked up at Pinkie questioningly. Pinkie Pie took a deep breath, mentally prepping herself for what might be a serious conversation. "Are you okay?"
Rainbow Dash kept her eyes trained on the floor, responding with a quick (and completely insincere), "I'm fine."
"Are you really okay?" Pinkie insisted, pushing herself closer to the edge of her bed so she could get a better look at the pegasus lying below her. "Really really?"
"Um..." Rainbow Dash was scratching at her mane again. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just worried about the Summer Sun Celebration."
"Are you sure?" Pinkie was leaning so far off the bed now that she knew she was in danger of falling off of it and landing right on top of Rainbow Dash, but she wasn't entirely opposed to that outcome. Dash, however, had reached her limit, and when she looked up at Pinkie her lovely pink eyes were narrowed.
"Pinkie, stop asking me if I'm fine. I said I'm fine and I mean it," She snapped. "Don't worry about it."
Pinkie recoiled, hurt. She scooted further away so Rainbow Dash couldn't see her expression. After a good minute or so she felt a hoof on her shoulder, and glanced up into those same eyes; instead of angry, they merely looked guilty.
"Sorry, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said; she both graciously accepted and returned, in a halting manner, the hug that Pinkie seized her in in response to the apology. "I've been letting all the stress get to me. I didn't mean to yell at you. I know you're just trying to be a good friend."
Pinkie held on tight; her Pinkie Sense was throwing all kinds of signals she didn't even recognize, her heart racing a mile a minute, probably faster than Rainbow Dash when she sent waves of rainbow colored light rippling through the sky. When she finally broke the hug, she could still feel the skin beneath her luminous coat tingling. "It's okay," she heard herself saying, in a whisper. She examined her hooves ruefully. Even she could tell that Rainbow Dash wasn't being completely honest, but for once she felt it would be best not to push the issue any further. Besides, she didn't trust herself to keep talking. Her mouth wanted to say things that she wasn't sure she should say.
The tension broken, the pair fell into a comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts for the moment. Pinkie's mind was fixated on the observation she'd made earlier, and she finally voiced it, in an offhanded, irreverent manner. "Hey Rainbow Dash? Do you ever feel like your heart is dancing? Like there's an entire party going on in your chest?"
"Pinkie, you're being random again."
"No, really!" Pinkie sat up and leapt onto the floor, grabbing one of Dash's hooves and holding it against her chest. "See?"
Rainbow Dash just looked confused. "Um..."
"Normally my heartbeat sounds like 'thump thump, thump thump'," Pinkie tried to explain, "But then sometimes it goes crazy and it's all 'thump thump thump thump thump' like a party that lasts all night. Like one of those parties."
Dash chuckled at that. "You mean a good one?"
Pinkie nodded vigorously, releasing her friend's hoof and flopping over on her back with her own hooves pressed against her chest. "The best kind of party."
"Hm..." Rainbow Dash seemed to be taking the question seriously, staring up at the ceiling while she stroked her chin. "Oh, I've got it! Have I ever told you what it feels like when I do a rainboom?"
Pinkie bolted upright. "I'm all ears!"
"Well...it's like this." Rainbow Dash trotted over to the window, gazing out at the late afternoon sky. "It's hard to explain if you're not a pegasus, but when I'm in the air, with the sun warming my wings and the clouds at my heels, it feels like...like I'm alive. Like I can hear every heartbeat, the wind whistling in my ears..."
Pinkie Pie leaned closer, enthralled. She was not used to Rainbow Dash waxing poetic, as Rarity could. Her wings had flared out of their own accord, waving softly. The sunlight illuminated her form, highlighting the spectrum of colors composing her mane and tail. Of all the words she could think of to describe the image, the most accurate was beautiful. That wasn't all, of course, but in that moment she could think of nothing else.
"And then when I'm launching into a rainboom," Dash continued, completely unaware of the internal battle keeping her friend standing stock still, "It all gets louder and louder, and my heart's beating so fast it's like it's trying to punch a hole in my chest. I can feel the sky closing in around me, the air trying to keep me out, and just as I can't take it anymore..."
Pinkie closed her eyes, envisioning the sight: waves of color rippling across the sky, in the wake of a toned blue body being held aloft with powerful wings. Her little legs trembled, and she quickly sat on haunches, no longer trusting them to keep her standing.
"Rainboom," She whispered, her eyes wide and her own heartbeat out of control once more. Rainbow Dash glanced back at her, her wild mane sweeping to the side and her face alight.
"Yep," Dash said with a wink, and Pinkie melted like a chocolate chip, sighing inwardly. She rolled over on her side, giggling madly.
Of all the forms of happiness she'd encountered in her life, being in love was most certainly one of the best.