• Published 27th Jun 2012
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Living in Equestria - Blazewing



A young man finds himself in a world beyond his wildest imagination...

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A Day with Pinkie Pie

I was honestly expecting Pinkie to pop up at my house the next day, declaring that it was time for our day together. She said it could be any day, at any time, but I had figured she would want it to be as soon as possible. Also, even though she said it would be any time, I felt sure that she’d want to drop by in the morning, to maximize the time we could spend together. I even expected her to pop up during the morning walk, during which, once again, Lyra and Bon Bon seemed more content with walking side by side than making much conversation, but I hardly noticed.

I was mistaken. The rest of the morning passed on, and there was no sign of my pudgy pink friend. If today had been the day, she would have surely shown up by now. So, I wiled away the day by practicing the piano some more. I couldn’t start slacking now, especially if there was a possibility that I might play a song for Hearts and Hooves Day. I also had to eventually stop by the music store and see what they had to offer.

As evening drew near, there came a knock at the door, which turned out to be Moonlight, wondering if we could finish Stone of Light that night. I was more than happy to oblige. Thankfully, I hadn’t overstressed my throat despite giving a speech and interview last night, so the two of us settled down on the couch, with hot mugs of cocoa from my new brewer, and pressed on.

***

By the end of it, much like when we last left off, both of us could only stare at each other, open-mouthed. The last sips of our cocoa sat forgotten in their mugs.

“So Dowser was never...?” Moonlight asked, sounding both stunned and relieved.

“I guess not,” I said. “Thank goodness for that. That stinking Caballeron, though!” I added, angrily. “I can’t believe he’d try to...”

“And just because Daring snubbed him!” said Moonlight, outraged. “She could tell what kind of stallion he was from the start!”

“Exactly! She’s lucky to be rid of him! Her and Dowser.”

“Right.”

All in all, in spite of these angry feelings, it wasn’t a bad ending to the day, even though I still would have been glad for a sight of Pinkie.

Wednesday, January 20

***

Another morning, another walk with Lyra and Bon Bon, and still no sign of Pinkie. I know she said she would pick the day herself, but I still was convinced she’d want to have it as soon as possible, since she already knew what she wanted to do. Was she held up by something at work? The best-laid plans often went astray, especially when you were sure of being able to do them. I knew that feeling all too well. Still, it couldn’t be that much longer. I’d never known Pinkie to fail with an obligation.

“Are you ok, Dave?”

Bon Bon’s voice jerked me out of my thoughts. She was looking back at me as we walked, a look of mild concern on her face.

“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “I was just thinking random stuff, is all. Besides, I figured you two would rather it was quiet. I didn’t want to ruin that.”

Bon Bon said nothing, but gave me a small smile, then turned back around. I couldn’t help but notice that her and Lyra’s tails were swishing pretty close to each other. If they kept up, they might end up getting tangled together. They must have known it, walking so close, but neither seemed to be paying attention. They seemed as listless and preoccupied as I’d been. Weird.

Thursday, January 21

***

By the next day, during the morning walk, I was beginning to wonder if Pinkie had reconsidered her ideas since telling me. Maybe she was having second thoughts, and wanted to try something bigger or better, something that would need more time to put together. It wasn’t impossible.

When I got home, I went to the brewmaker to make myself some soothing tea. I had been up a little late last night, losing myself in piano practice, and I needed a little more sleep. Even if Pinkie did show up today, I had the feeling she wouldn’t care how she found me, as long as it wasn’t in the shower. I’d lived with her for a week or two, after all. And besides, on a day like this, I really felt like snuggling back under the covers and falling asleep.

So, taking my cup of tea with me, I went back to bed. Ohh, it felt mercifully warm and cozy, and the tea was working its wonders more and more as I sipped it. My eyelids felt heavier and heavier, and soon, setting the teacup on my bedside table, I drifted off.

***

It felt like no time at all had passed when I opened my eyes again. However, what I saw was not the ceiling, but two large, baby-blue eyes staring down at me.

“Hi, sleepy-pants!”

“GAH!!”

I leaped up, nearly falling out of bed as I sat up. Pinkie was sitting beside my bed, smiling at me, looking completely unperturbed about the reaction she had incited from me.

“It’s 9 o’clock, and the day’s still young!” she chirped.

“Pinkie! What the-?! How did you-?!”

“The window, silly!”

She pointed to my bedroom window, which was closed. I stared back at her, perplexed.

“Well, I wasn’t gonna leave it open!” she said, shrugging defensively. “It’s cold out there, and you looked so cozy!”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes.

“Pinkie, we talked about this,” I said, trying to be patient. “Remember that talk we had about using the door?”

“I know,” said Pinkie, looking slightly embarrassed, “and I’m really sorry. I was just so excited for us to have our day together, that I kinda forgot.”

Despite my irritation, I couldn’t stay mad at her when she was smiling so sweetly at me. I reached out and ruffled her mane.

“It’s alright, you big goofball,” I said. “Of course I want us to have our day together. I just need some time to get ready, ok? I won’t take too long.”

“Okey-dokey-lokey!” she said. “I’ll go wait in the living room. You do your thing.”

She had only just left the room, and I’d just gotten up to start getting ready, when I heard her give an excited squeal.

“Is that a Kureigh? Oooh, look at all the flavor thingies!”

Mr. Cake’s warning floated into my head at these words, and I called,

“Don’t touch it, Pinkie! Help yourself to anything in the fridge, if you’re hungry, but the Kureigh’s off limits!”

“Aww, phooey,” came Pinkie’s disappointed reply.

(Well, there’s a disaster narrowly averted, even at the potential cost of some of my fridge’s contents. You’re welcome, Ponyville…)

***

As soon as I was dressed and ready, Pinkie bounded out the door like a happy dog. It was adorable to see her so excited, and I was willing to follow through with anything she wanted us to do today, within reason, of course.

Once we were out of the house, she started bouncing, not towards Ponyville, but past the Hooves’ house, towards Sweet Apple Acres. Curious to what she could have planned for us there in that direction, I followed without comment. I simply watched her hopping along ahead of me, humming and giggling to herself. This was the happiest I’d seen her in quite some time.

Our destination, however, was not Sweet Apple Acres. We ended up skirting the whole farm, without seeing a sign of any of the Apple family. They were probably inside, and wisely so. No, our destination seemed to be further on, and all I could do was let Pinkie lead us there.

As we went, I wondered if it was my imagination, or were we steadily going up? The ground seemed to be slowly, gradually growing steeper, like an incline. I was beginning to feel it in my legs, and my feet were finding difficulty in keeping straight. Pinkie didn’t seem to pay a care to any of it. On the contrary, the way she was bouncing ahead, one would think she still fancied herself on level ground.

“Pinkie,” I said, after a while, feeling a bit short of breath, “are we...almost there?”

“Almost!” said Pinkie. “Not too far now, Davie! I know you had a long walk early this morning, but just trust me! It’ll be worth it!”

Trust her...Yes, that’s what friends did, and I would trust Pinkie. I therefore kept silent and trudged on as doggedly as I could.

At last, we reached the top of the slope. Good thing, too, because I didn’t know how much further I could walk, regardless of devotion for my friend. There, sitting at the top, nested at the head of a small clump of trees, was a large two-person sled, hot pink with balloons painted on the side. Pinkie turned to face me, smiling widely.

“This is it!” she said. “At least, this is Part 1! Whaddya think?”

That was it, then. Pinkie wanted to go sledding with me, for a start, anyway. Well, fair enough. That seemed innocent and fun. The only problem, as I could see, would be going back up after going down, depending on how many times Pinkie would want to do so. However, this was what Pinkie had set her heart on us doing, and I was not about to object.

“Looks fun!” I said.

Pinkie’s smile grew even broader.

“Well, hop in, Davie!” she said. “No more walking! Just an easy-peasy ride down the slope!”

She hopped into the front seat, and eagerly patted the one behind it, indicating me to sit in it. Grinning slightly at her enthusiasm, I stooped down and settled inside. It was a bit cramped for someone my height, and I had to draw my knees in in order to properly sit down. As I did so, it only dawned on me how high we must be. I could just barely see Sweet Apple Acres, quite a distance away and below. I couldn’t suppress a gulp.

“I don’t want to sound critical, Pinkie, but are you sure this is safe?”

“Of course, Davie!” said Pinkie, reassuringly. “I’ve done this every winter, and nothing bad’s ever happened to me!”

“Well, if you’re sure…”

“You ready?”

“Er-”

“Let’s GO!”

Pinkie pushed forward with her back hoof, and the sled slid forward. My heart gave a jolt. I wasn’t ready yet!

“Wait, Pinkie, hold on! I need a moment to prepare mysEEEEELLLLLLF!”

My objection was reduced to a terrified yell in an instant as the sled went plummeting straight down. Snow billowed past us like water plowed through by a speedboat. The wind roared in my ears and sent my hair flying. My glasses were plastered against my eyeballs as all I could see before me was the rushing snow, the sled, and Pinkie waving her forelegs over her head, squealing in glee.

“PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR, DAVIE!” she yelled joyously over the rush of wind. “WHOO-HOO!”

I did so, and quite suddenly, as if this was all it had taken, the ride became less terrifying, and much more fun. This was just like when I overcame my trepidations of riding Space Mountain at Disney! I gave a great crow of laughter as we sped down.

“YEE-HAH!”

“I KNEW YOU’D LOVE IT!” Pinkie cried. “TALLY-HOOO!”

The sled swerved, swayed, and zig-zagged all the way along the hill, as though determined to cover as much ground on it as possible before reaching the bottom. At one point, it even felt like we turned right around and went back up the way we came, before turning around to go down again. It might have been just me, but it felt like the kind of thing Screwball would do. I also thought I heard the clicking of a camera, but maybe that was just my imagination.

We finally did reach the bottom, and the sled, carried on by the momentum of the slope, continued on at a great speed, gliding along the snow as though it were a ship on water. Pinkie was still waving and squealing, and I had to admit, I was feeling a lot more lighthearted about the situation. Then, all of a sudden, as though they had popped out of the ground, trees began cropping up in our path. The laughter died in my throat at once.

“Pinkie! Trees!”

It didn’t seem like Pinkie had heard me. We just kept speeding on, getting closer and closer. The closest tree was barely feet away!

Pinkie!”

At that precise moment, Pinkie put her hooves down, gripped the sides of the sled, and leaned to the right. With a great swerve, we missed the tree by inches. More trees loomed in our way, but Pinkie deftly guided the sled through them as well, making some rather complicated maneuvers, never once losing that tranquil little smile on her face as she looked back at me.

“Relax, Davie,” she said. “Like I said, I’ve done this every winter. Now hang on tight! We’re coming into Ponyville!”

We were indeed heading ever closer to Ponyville itself, and the sled still showed no signs of stopping.

“Have you done this every time, Pinkie?” I asked.

“Yep! It’s practically a winter tradition for everypony, watching me sled down the street! And now they get to watch you too!”

“Joyous day,” I said, rolling my eyes with a smile.

As it was later in the morning, there were a number of ponies out in the streets. They glanced up at the sound of our approach, and I could see some of them waving, some laughing, and some leaping out of the way. Some leaned out of windows to catch a good look at us, cheering us on. It felt like we were on the home stretch of a bobsled run at the Olympics. It was kind of embarrassing, but also kind of funny.

“Coming up on our stop!” Pinkie said, after a time.

Sugarcube Corner was coming up fast. At the rate we were going, it looked as if we’d crash into the wall! Pinkie, however, had obviously planned for this, as she steered the sled toward a big snowbank piled up by the door. It all became clear now.

*POOMF*

All was white, and very cold. I pulled my face out, brushed the snow off my glasses, and saw Pinkie extricating herself from the bank. She gave a shrill ‘Brrrr!’ as she shook the snow from her body, and I stood up from the sled, wiping my coat down with my hand.

“Whoo!” she said. “That was wild, huh, Davie?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I have to admit, that was actually pretty fun.”

Pinkie beamed.

“And it gave me plenty for my scrapbook!” she said, proudly.

“Scrapbook?” I asked, puzzled.

Pinkie pulled, from out of nowhere, as far as I could judge, a thick scrapbook and opened it up to a blank page. One by one, she began pasting photos into it. Looking at them, I saw, to my bewilderment, that they were photos taken while we were sledding! So I had heard a camera after all! Pinkie was an incomparable shutterbug of a pony!

But, what was stranger even than that was that some of the photos were taken at angles from behind or above me. How in the world had she managed to do that?!

“You like it?” Pinkie asked, innocently.

I struggled for words for a second or two, then, with an effort, I decided not to question her. I doubted I’d get a straight answer from this lovably crazy pony.

“It’s...really nice, Pinkie,” I said, and she smiled broadly. “So what’s next on the itinerary? Did you want to take the sled back and go again?”

“As fun as that’d be, that would take way too long,” said Pinkie. “No, I’ve got something even better in mind! Come on!”

She hopped off the sled, brushed the snow from it with her tail, then brought it with her through Sugarcube Corner’s door. There, she beckoned to me eagerly. Taking the hint, I followed her inside, where it was mercifully warm and smelled like freshly-baked gingerbread. I took a big, grateful whiff of the aroma, and so did Pinkie, smelling so vigorously that she lifted herself onto her hind legs, and might even have left contact with the floor completely if she didn’t stop.

“Are the Cakes home?” I asked.

“Nope,” said Pinkie. “They’re out right now, and Gummy’s asleep in my bedroom. It’s just you and me, Davie.”

She led me into the kitchen, where a pan full of gingerbread ponies sat, the smell coming off of them intensifying the closer we got. Pinkie ran her tongue across her lips, and I heard her stomach gurgle.

“Curse you, gingerbread ponies!” she said, shaking her hoof as though berating a supervillain. “Tempting me with your seductive sweetness, when you know Mr. and Mrs. Cake told me not to eat any of you! You win this round, but you won’t be so lucky next time!”

She was glaring so intently at them that I was actually starting to feel a little scared. Then, as though someone had flipped a switch, she abruptly returned to her old, chipper self.

“Okey-dokey-lokey! Are you ready, Davie?”

“Er, for what?” I asked.

“We’re gonna do what I wanted to ever since you came to Equestria,” said Pinkie, producing a chef’s toque out of nowhere and plopping it on her head. “We’re gonna bake together! I still owe you a batch of cupcakes, after all.”

A brief leap of eagerness jumped inside me at the idea, but it quickly died away as I was reminded of something.

“Er, Pinkie,” I said, “I don’t want to disappoint you, but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” asked Pinkie, tilting her head quizzically.

“Well, because I’m on a diet until Winter Wrap-Up,” I said. “And I don’t really think-”

But Pinkie cut me off with a dismissive wave of her hoof and a raspberry.

“Relax, Mr. Fretful. I know you’re still on a diet. That’s why I dug around for a cookbook that had healthy sweet stuff in it.”

She lifted her toque off her head, held it over the counter, and gave it a shake. A thick cookbook tumbled out of it and onto the counter with a thud. I was about to question how she had hidden a book of that size in there, but she was already busy rifling through its pages, murmuring to herself while she searched. Finally, she stopped with a triumphant ‘Aha!’, and pointed to the page she was on. Looking over her shoulder, I could see that it was a recipe for apple cupcakes with cinnamon-marshmallow frosting.

“That looks amazing!” I said, feeling my mouth watering already.

“Yeah,” said Pinkie, dreamily.

“But is it really diet-safe?” I asked.

“Of course!” said Pinkie. “Why would it be in Weight Watcher’s Diet Delectables if it wasn’t diet-safe?”

The name threw me for a sudden loop, and I was about to question that, but Pinkie had closed the book to show me the cover, as if to demonstrate her point. It was not Weight Watchers, but Weight Watcher’s. There was a picture of a middle-aged mare, much thinner than an average pony, but fairly pleasant in appearance, with a lettuce-green coat, teal mane, and eyes the same color behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles. She was holding a plate laden with what looked like grilled vegetables.

“Were you gonna say something, Davie?” Pinkie asked, looking at me.

“...No, nothing,” I said, giving my head a shake. “So, er, what do we need?”

Pinkie flipped back to the recipe and ran her hoof down the list of ingredients. Then, she took in a deep breath, and I had a feeling I knew what was coming. Sure enough…

“Peeledapplesdriedapplesbrownsugarcinnamoncanolaoileggsvanillaextractpastryflourcakeflourbakingsodasaltbuttermilkwatereggwhitescreamoftartar!”

She stopped, beaming toothily up at me, while I felt like I’d just been bludgeoned by the force of her compound list of words.

(This girl could give the Micro Machine Man a run for his money.)

“Well, let’s get cracking, Davie, m’boy!” said Pinkie, eagerly.

“Er, yeah, let’s,” I said.

***

“Oh, man...I still can’t believe these are diet-friendly. These are delicious!”

“I knooow!”

Baking with Pinkie hadn’t exactly been easy. Having me around seemed to inspire her to be even sillier than usual, and she’d do things like poof flour in my face, or else boop my nose or cheek with batter on her hoof. It was very distracting.

However, just because it wasn’t easy, doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun. Her goofy, playful attitude was refreshing after so much work for the council. In fact, she even got me poofing and booping her eventually, while the cupcakes were in the oven, and the two of us just kept at it, laughing like a couple of school kids.

Three hours after starting, the two of us could be found sitting together on the floor, besmirched in flour and batter, munching on our finished, delicious cupcakes. Bon Bon was sure to find out about this, but this time, I had confidence she’d understand. All the same, I let Pinkie have most of them, as I thought it best not to risk it. Besides, I felt like I could only handle a few of something this sweet.

“You wanna know something, Davie?” asked Pinkie, licking her frosting-splattered lips.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I remembered what you said when I was kinda worried about being fat, and I’ve decided that I don’t want to get skinny. I’d have to miss eating so many tasty foods! Besides, I like my Pinkie pudge too much.”

She gave her round belly a fond pat, which made it wobble. I chuckled.

“I don’t blame you, Pinkie,” I said. “It shows you’re happy with who you are, and that’s something I definitely respect. Besides, I still think it looks cute on you.”

Pinkie smiled sweetly.

“Aww, thanks, Davie. But how come you wanna lose your tummy? You don’t look that bad.”

“Well, not as bad,” I said, putting a hand to my gut. “I mainly decided on it because I didn’t want Lyra to have to diet alone, but I figured a few pounds off the waistline couldn’t hurt. Besides, even if it’s a pain to get out of bed so early, it feels nice to be doing something for once. I was never really that active back home. Something about Equestria’s really rubbed off on me. Figure of speech,” I added, remembering the last time I’d said that phrase in front of Pinkie.

She just smiled, then slid herself over so that she was nestled up beside me.

“What?” I asked, raising an amused eyebrow.

“Nothing,” said Pinkie, with her tongue poking out. “It’s just nice being here with you, when we’ve both been really busy. You’ve been helping out your council, and I’ve been throwing the first Crystal Fair in 1,000 years.”

“Both exhausting, though not for the same reasons,” I said, dryly.

“So after all of that,” said Pinkie, as though she didn’t even notice the sarcasm, “I wanted to just unwind, spend some time with my first ever human friend, like we used to.”

I smiled down at her in return.

“I’ve missed being with you too, Pinkie,” I said. “It’s why I suggested this in the first place. I felt like, with one thing and another, I wasn’t being fair to my first ever pony friend.”

At this, Pinkie blew another raspberry.

“Aw, come on, Davie,” she said. “I might have missed having you around all the time, but I wasn’t about to hold it against you, not when you were getting so used to living in Ponyville. I know I was being silly about it at first, but I really am happy for you. You have your own home, you’re making new friends, and you’re doing your own thing for Equestria. You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.”

I could practically feel my heart melting. That was what made Pinkie so special: beneath the silliness, the spaciness, and the randomness, she was a sweet and caring pony deep down.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve such a great friend like you,” I said, “but I’m glad for it.”

“Me too, Davie.”

She leaned up and gave me a warm nuzzle on the cheek. It didn’t even matter that it resulted in smearing more flour, batter, and frosting onto my face.

“So, what did you want to do next?” I asked. “Remember, anything you want to do, we’ll do it.”

“Actually, the big sled ride and baking cupcakes were the two biggest things,” said Pinkie, shrugging. “After that, I just wanted to hang out with you, do what you wanted to do.”

“Oh really?” I asked.

I hadn’t really been expecting this. I’d thought Pinkie would have the whole day packed with things for us to do. While it was sweet that she only really wanted to be with me, I hadn’t really planned anything myself, except an errand or two.

“Well, why don’t we take a walk?” I suggested. “See what comes to us?”

“Okey-dokey-lokey!” said Pinkie, springing to her hooves. “We’ll wash ourselves up and be on our way!”

“And the kitchen?” I asked, getting up in turn and looking about at the mess we’d made.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake said they’d take care of it,” said Pinkie.

“Did they?”

“Mmm...I dunno,” said Pinkie. “I remember them saying something about the kitchen and cleaning up, so I assumed they meant they’d take care of it while we had fun!”

(Was that what they meant? If not, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.)

***

Soon enough, the two of us were flour and batter-free (Pinkie merely used her tongue in an efficient, yet gross, method, while wondering why I’d taken so long), and afoot (or ahoof) in the streets of Ponyville. At first, I didn’t know where we would actually go, and was just planning on an innocent, aimless wander, but then I remembered the errand I’d set myself a couple days ago. At the same time, a question popped into my head, and I decided to put it to Pinkie.

“Pinkie, what can you tell me about Hearts and Hooves Day?”

“Hearts and Hooves Day? It’s one of the best holidays ever! Although, personally, I like Hearth’s Warming and Nightmare Night a lot more, but that doesn’t mean I like Hearts and Hooves Day any less!”

“Of course, Pinkie,” I said.

“It’s when ponies everywhere celebrate finding their very special someponies! Or, if they don’t have one, it’s the perfect day to find one!”

“I do remember Twilight saying something like that. Do you have a special somepony?”

Pinkie looked a little surprised at this.

“Me? Nope. I mean, I’ve got a lot of friends who are all special someponies, and you’re a special somehuman, but I don’t have a special somepony. Know what I mean?”

“Err...I think so. What would you look for in one?”

“That’s easy!” said Pinkie, brightly. “I’d like somepony who’s really nice, but likes to have a lot of fun, too! Somepony who likes sweets and parties and making ponies smile just as much as I do!”

“That’s reasonable,” I said, honestly. “Well, Bon Bon wants me to help out during the week Hearts and Hooves Day is happening, and Lyra suggested I play a piano song for the customers. I know it’s not exactly the height of fun, but I figured we could just pop by the music store so I could browse around for a song.”

“Not the height of fun?” asked Pinkie, skeptically. “Puh-lease, Davie. You can have fun anywhere, anytime! You just have to know how. That’s one of my mottos!”

“How many mottos do you have?”

“Way too many to count,” said Pinkie. “And what a coinkydink! Here we are!”

Sure enough, we’d come right up to Serenade’s, Ponyville’s music store. It wasn’t that hard to miss, with the superimposed collection of musical notes atop its sign. Pinkie pushed open the door, which set its bells jingling very musically indeed, and we stepped inside. The inside was divided up into sections devoted to instruments, records, and sheet music. Pleasant tunes trickled through the P.A. system, adding to the atmosphere.

While Pinkie went to play with the instruments (it’s what I’d normally do in a music store), I browsed around the sheet music, searching for something appropriate for Hearts and Hooves Day. As my eyes roved over the selection, I couldn’t help humming a few sentimental songs to myself, ones I knew from movies.

I know you, I walked with you
Once upon a dream…

There’s a calm surrender
To the rush of day…

I will always be with you
Makes no difference where your road takes you to…

Far longer than forever
I’ll hold you in my heart…”

Finally, my eyes rested on one song in particular, simply titled ‘My Special Somepony’. Flipping through it, it looked easy enough, and it even had lyrics to it. As I read them, my interest peaked, and I couldn’t even help grinning. The song itself was even in one of my favorite keys. This might just be what I’d been looking for.

*BLARRRRP!*

I nearly jumped out of my boots! Pinkie had snuck right up behind me, a sousaphone tucked around her middle, and let loose with a loud, flatulent note. She giggled at my frazzled look.

“Gotcha!”

“Yes...yes, you did, Pinkie,” I said, one hand over my thudding heart.

“Find what you’re looking for?” she asked.

“Actually, I think I did. This song should be easy enough to learn.”

I showed Pinkie, who scrutinized it closely.

“Aww, that’s cute,” she said, as I took it back. “I think they’ll really like hearing this one.”

“Think so?”

“Know so! Victory note!”

“Wait, what?”

*BLAAAAARP!*

That one scared me even worse than the first one, and I actually stumbled backward into the rack of sheet music. Sheets went tumbling out onto the floor at my feet. Looking up from this mess I’d made, I saw the shop owner giving me a dirty look. I grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

*Whaa whaa whaa whaaaaaaaaa*

Don’t even ask me how Pinkie swapped the sousaphone for a trombone so quickly. I wasn’t in the mood to question it.

***

It took a little while to clean up the mess, but eventually, we got it straightened out, and the shopkeeper seemed mollified. After that, I purchased the song I’d found, and Pinkie and I were on our way again. From there, one thing seemed to lead to another.

Serenade’s was close by Ponyville’s movie theater, so I let Pinkie choose a movie for us to see, and she chose Adventures of Pluto Neighsh. As luck would have it, we were the only two attending, and the movie itself was so stupid, we were roaring with laughter and making comments about everything.

“Who wrote these lines? I’ve seen elementary school plays that put in more emotion than that!”

“Looks like somepony doesn’t know how to work a camera! It’s all over the place!”

“Pfft, are you serious?! Look at him! He looks like he doesn’t even care what’s going on!”

Two hours later, we left the theater, and ran into Rainbow Dash. She told us she was going to practice some aerial moves, in order to both stay active in the winter, and toughen herself up to withstand harsher weather. She invited us to come and watch, something I realized I hadn’t been able to do since arriving, even though Rainbow had mentioned it when we first met. Guess we’d both forgotten.

In any case, Rainbow took us out to an open field, and from there, she proceeded to wow us with her athletic aerial acrobatics. She pulled spins, twists, corkscrews, loop-de-loops, somersaults, even mid-air ‘swimming’, just to show off. Boastful as she was about her skills, I had to say, she could back up her bragging very well. The way I saw it, it could only be a matter of time before she became a Wonderbolt.

At last, satisfied that she had given us quite the show, she bid us goodbye and flew off, and it was some time before I could pick my jaw up off the ground.

***

The daylight was beginning to fade, so I took Pinkie back to my house. While I browsed through my cookbook to find something to make for dinner, Pinkie put on Vinyl’s record, and the house was soon full of her wub-tastic tunes. My pink friend actually started dancing in the middle of my living room, busting a move like nopony’s business. I actually had to put the book down to watch, because it was just hilarious.

Then, out of nowhere, Pinkie dragged me off the couch, evidently wanting me to dance with her. At first, I felt inclined to refuse, but the bass seemed to be beating my blood into action, and I soon found myself dancing alongside her, even though I doubted anyone could call what I was doing ‘dancing’. Pinkie looked like she was having the time of her life, and, to be truthful, I was having a blast, too.

At last, when we’d danced ourselves stupid and could dance no more, I whipped up dinner for the two of us: grilled cheese sandwiches with sweet potato fries. I must have done a good job on them, or all that dancing must have given Pinkie an appetite, because she helped herself to seconds. How could this girl eat so much and not gain more from it than a little potbelly? Her metabolism was truly remarkable.

After dinner, Pinkie started looking sleepy, and I saw her eyes stray to the Kureigh. No doubt she was hoping to get a coffee buzz to stay awake, but Mr. Cake’s warning rang in my head, and I steered her away from it and to the couch. She didn’t fight it, but lay on her back on the couch, her head in my lap, peering up at me with those cute baby-blue eyes.

“Are you always this silly even when you’re tired?” I asked, amused.

“Applejack’s the silly pony, silly,” said Pinkie, with a giggle.

“Applejack?” I repeated, confused. “But how’s she...You know what, never mind. You’re obviously tired.”

“Mm-hmm,” said Pinkie, letting out a huge yawn. “It’s been a busy, fun-tabulastic day, and it’s all thanks to you.”

“Oh, what are you talking about?” I asked, teasingly. “You had the ideas from the start.”

“Maybe, but you kept us going with your own ideas,” countered Pinkie.

“You know, let’s just make it simpler and say it was a team effort,” I said.

“Good enough for me,” said Pinkie. “It took the two of us to take down an entire tray of cupcakes in one sitting.”

“And I’ll bet you still had room even after that,” I said, poking her soft belly.

“Heehee, maaaaybe,” giggled Pinkie. “How bout you?” she added, prodding my own gut with her hoof.

“Pfft! Not a chance,” I snickered.

The two of us sat in cozy silence for some time, Pinkie resting her head across my knees. I could have fallen asleep right then and there, but I didn’t want to show disrespect to a guest, and I tried to stay awake. In any case, when Pinkie next spoke, it gave me a start.

“Davie?”

“Whuh? Er, yeah, Pinkie?”

She was looking up at me again, very drowsily, but still with a smile on her face.

“You don’t mind if I stay the night, do you? I’m too sleepy to walk home.”

Was that all she wanted? Well, why not?

“Nah, of course I don’t mind,” I said, tousling her mane. “I’d say that’s the perfect way to close out today.”

Pinkie’s smile widened ever so slightly.

“Thanks, Davie,” she mumbled. “And thanks for today. I had a great time.”

“Me too, Pinkie. It was the most fun that I’ve had in a while.”

“So, who gets the couch, then?” she asked.

I raised a puzzled eyebrow at her.

“What are you talking about? Me, of course. You’ll be more comfortable in my bed.”

“But what if I want the couch?” Pinkie asked, sticking her tongue out at me.

I couldn’t help cracking a grin.

“Then you’ll have to fight me for it,” I joked.

“Oh yeah?” Pinkie challenged, grinning in turn. “How?”

“The most dastardly way possible,” I said.

Reaching over to my right, I grabbed one of the couch’s pillows and fetched her a good whack with it.

“Pillow fight!” I crowed.

Pinkie sprang up, all tiredness forgotten. There was a dangerous smile on her face, and her eyes were narrowed.

“Oh,” she said. “It’s on.”

She grabbed a pillow from the other side, and the two of us fell to one of the most heated pillow fights I’d ever taken part in. However, I soon realized I’d made a big mistake. Pinkie obviously had a lot more experience than me. Maybe it was because it came with being a party pony, but she had me disarmed and at her mercy in less than five minutes, forcing me to yell ‘Uncle’ as she thumped me over and over.

“Ok, Pinkie, ok, you win!” I cried, half-laughing. “You can have the couch!”

Satisfied, Pinkie tossed her pillow aside, where it landed neatly against the armrest, and smiled at me.

“Good fight, Davie,” she said, patting me on the head, “but I never knew a Pie to lose a pillow fight, especially when those pillows were rocks.”

(Now there’s a scary thought.)

Then, without warning, she flopped her head upon the pillow, and fell asleep, snoring.

Now that she was asleep, I could act. Taking her under the forelegs, I managed, with difficulty, to haul her pudgy bulk into my bedroom and set her in my bed. I could take the couch tonight, and she deserved a comfy place to sleep, anyway, no matter how much she actually wanted the couch.

Thankfully, she didn’t wake up once, so I was able to brush my teeth, get changed, then set up the couch to crash on. Going back into my room once more, I looked down at Pinkie, so peaceful and serene. It was hard to believe anyone as hyperactive and exuberant as her could look so calm and at peace. Smiling, I pulled the covers up to her chin and lightly patted her mane.

“Sweet dreams, Pinkie,” I whispered, before backing out of the room, closing the door behind me.

Friday, January 22

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