//------------------------------// // Outside Sugarcube Corner // Story: Your Smile // by destinedjagold //------------------------------// “A'right, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled as she and her dearly beloved little sister finished washing the dishes. “Ah think Ah can handle things here,” with a hoof, she pointed at their farmhouse's door, which was now being opened by three familiar figures from outside. “Ah don't want to keep ye from yer friends.” Blinking, Apple Bloom turned towards the door and smiled at her three best friends: Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike. Huh, she always wondered why she was the only one whose name didn't start with an 'S'. Oh well. “Thanks sis,” she hugged her sister before she ran towards her friends, and started whispering about their most awesome adventure of discovering their cutie marks ever. Applejack rolled her eyes and chuckled lightly before walking towards the corner to grab the broom. “Now, now, Applejack,” Granny Smith, who just came down from the stairs, called, “shouldn't you be headin' towards town to meet up with yer friends?” Applejack was about to complain but Granny Smith held a hoof to stop the very first word to come out from her granddaughter's honest mouth. “It's a'right, Applejack. Ah still have the gears to grind fer this old barn o'ours to sparkle bran' as new.” She laughed. “Now, go on. Shoo~!” “You really didn't have to walk all the way here just to get me, Rarity,” Fluttershy said shyly, hiding underneath her long pink mane. “Oh, nonsense Fluttershy,” Rarity threw a hoof in the air with a smile on her face to dismiss her dear friend's concern. “It's no trouble at all. Believe me.” She then looked at herself with disdain. “You could say that I could use the exercise...” Hearing that made the pegasus curious. She removed her face from her mane to look at her friend fully. “Oh? Why is that?” Fluttershy closed her cottage's door behind her and the two ponies began walking towards town. Fluttershy noticed that Rarity shivered with a look of disdain. “Ugh, I was still finishing up an order for Sapphire Shore's concert in Las Pegasus, you see, and I was really almost done with it when Sweetie Belle asked me earlier if I could walk her to Sweet Apple Acres. I did tell her that I was almost done, but she was rather impatient and...” Rarity trailed off, stopped dead on her tracks, looked at every possible direction, spotting if there are any other ears in the vicinity, called Fluttershy to come closer with a hoof, and whispered to her friend's curious ears, “...Sweetie Belle called me fat...” Rarity gasped at the last word, quickly looking around. If it were Rainbow Dash, she would have already rolled her eyes, but Fluttershy, being a gentle and kind-hearted pony, gasped. “Oh dear... You know that isn't true, right Rarity?” She shook her head and flashed her unicorn friend a supportive smile. “You're not fa—” “Sshhhhh!” Rarity cut her off, “someone might hear you!” she said, still looking around in panic, making her pegasus friend to actually roll her eyes with an amused smile. “Pinkie Pie is writing a journal. Or was it a diary?” Rainbow shrugged. “Meh, whatever. She's at Sugarcube Corner.” Rainbow Dash's arrival was, as usual, through the open window on the second floor of the library tree. Twilight should have been annoyed by her sudden appearance, but she got used to it anyway. Twilight smiled and nodded her thanks. “Thanks Rainbow.” She turned back to her table, where a stack of books she's going to read later were perfectly arranged. “I could use a break from all the reading.” Though she really wanted to stay some more to arrange the books. Today is suppose to be the day where she's going to rearrange the books into another set of order. It was even written in her schedule! But, friends do come first. “Heh,” Rainbow smirked, “ya think? Now come on!” Today, like every other week that has passed, Twilight and friends would go to Sugarcube Corner for a friendly little tea party and to keep their beloved Pinkie Pie company. The pink party pony was sitting on one of the stools around a round table outside of Sugarcube Corner, and she waved a hoof at Carrot Top who just exited the bakery. After an exchange of waving hooves, Pinkie Pie went back to her opened notebook on the table. She wanted to start writing already but, she did made a Pinkie Promise last week. Oh, she could wait. Any minute now and all of her friends wou— “Heya Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash greeted the pink mare as she quickly took a seat beside her. She then noticed the book, and quickly leaned forward to catch a glimpse of what was written. Her ears drooped. “Still blank, huh?” Pinkie Pie chuckled. “Silly Dashie. You know I don't break my own Pinkie Promise.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “Heh, good point.” She then looked at the town's earthy road. “Where are they, anyway?” Rainbow asked impatiently. “Oh,” said Mrs. Cake who just came out from the bakery to check up on Pinkie. “Hello Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow smiled back. “Hi Mrs. Cake. We'll have our usual, as usual.” Rainbow snorted and chuckled. Mrs. Cake smiled and nodded before heading back inside. “Sheesh, Rainbow,” Twilight said as she took a seat beside Pinkie Pie, “would it hurt you to slow down a bit?” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Look on the bright side...” “Howdy everypony!” Applejack greeted her friends as she took a seat beside Rainbow Dash. “You aren't the last pony to get here today.” Rainbow continued. “Is that a good thing though?” Applejack's smile was gone and replaced with confusion as she stared at her athletic pegasus friend. Rainbow turned to her with a frown. “I was talking to Twilight.” “Don't worry, Applejack,” Twilight spoke with a smile, catching both her friends' attention. “It wasn't anything important anyway.” Rainbow smirked. “It is to you. At least you won't be bugging us if you ever missed anything. Hahah!” Rainbow laughed a bit, contrasting Twilight's annoyed frown, though she immediately flashed a smile at her two other friends who just arrived. “Hey Rarity, and hey Fluttershy!” Twilight greeted the two newcomers. “Good morning Twilight,” Fluttershy greeted her back as she took a seat beside her. Rarity then sat in between Fluttershy and Applejack. “Hello Twilight, I'd say, it's nice to see that you're actually getting back into your punctual self,” Twilight frowned, “not that you're late in anything important from our previous tea parties, that is.” Twilight's frown went further down as Rainbow and Applejack snickered. Rarity, not noticing her unicorn friend's expression, turned to Pinkie Pie. “Hello Pinkie Pie. So how are you today?” Their other friends turned to her, and Pinkie Pie flashed them all her signature bubbly smile. “I'm great, thanks for asking, but...” she frowned as she looked at her large tummy. “I sure miss being able to run and hop around though.” “Aw, don't feel sad, Pinkie,” Applejack spoke, “it's been what...uh...” “Ten months.” Applejack nodded with a smile. “Right. Ten months. Thanks Fluttershy. Anyway, you've come this far, so how hard could another month of waiting be?” “Yeah!” Rainbow chimed in with a few flaps of her wings. “I mean, it's boring not to be able to move and not being able to walk straight or go arou—” “Not helping, Rainbow Dash...” Rarity interrupted. “Er... Yeah...” Rainbow scratched her head. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she resigned her head on the table. “Yeah, I got nothing...” Pinkie Pie chuckled. “It's all right, Dashie. I know you're just trying to cheer me up.” “Which she did miserably...” Applejack whispered to Fluttershy and Rarity before snickering, earning herself an angry stare from the cyan pegasus. “Order up!” Mr. Cake called as he came out from the bakery, expertly balancing a tray of baked cookies and crackers on his back. He walked towards the table of the six chattering ponies. “Thanks Mr. Cake.” Twilight said as she used her magic to levitate the tray and placed it on the center of their table. “Now, the tea will be ready in a few minutes.” Mr. Cake turned his head back at the bakery. “Pumpkin just needed to check on the twins and all.” “Oh, it's no problem at all!” Rarity said with a smile. Mr. Cake nodded his thanks before walking back inside. “Okay!” Rainbow Dash suddenly sprang back to life and quickly fixing her gaze at Pinkie Pie. “Story, now!” “Normally, I'd disagree with Rainbow's forwardness, but forgive us dear, for we have been dying to hear that story.” Rarity smiled. Fluttershy nodded her agreement. “If it's not too much trouble, that is...” “Heh, I've been wanting to hear it for quite some time now, to be honest.” Applejack said with a smile. Twilight nodded and smiled. “I could say that we're all eager to hear the story, Pinkie. And who knows? Maybe it'd be a perfect letter for the princess!” Pinkie Pie stared at her five friends' smiling faces, and she is more than willing to share it. Not because she made a promise, but because she know that she has been selfish enough to keep it for herself for too long. Pinkie nodded. “You want to hear a story?” Pinkie asked excitingly, earning eager nods from her friends. “Are you sure you want to hear it!?” Eager nods, plenty this time. “Nah, maybe next week.” Her friends' features dropped and they all groaned in unison. Pinkie Pie chuckled. “Kidding! Just kidding!” She then picked up her quill with her hoof and stared at her notebook with a warm smile. “Okay ponies, ready your ears and brains.” She looked up at her friends. “Well, you do need it so you can imagine the scenes of the story and the colors of the ground, and flowers, and the sky, and the clou—” “Pinkie...” Rainbow frowned. Pinkie Pie smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I'll start...now.” She then started writing on her notebook as she spoke. “It was a beautiful day in Pony—oof!” She turned her attention on her tummy with a glare. “Hey, mommy's trying to write here!” Pinkie whined playfully as she rubbed her tummy with a hoof. She then returned her attention back to her five friends. “Sorry. Junior gave me a sudden kick. Now where was I...” She stared at her notebook in thought. “Oh, right. Anyway, it was a beautiful day in Ponyville, just like this one. And there I was, happily humming as I bounced around town until—” “Tea anyone?” Mr. Cake announced, making the five ponies groan. Mr. Cake's smile became a confused frown as he blinked twice. “Did I do something wrong?” He blinked again.