One telescope in the hands of a non-brony. It's a one of a kind, and able to show Equestria.
A grandma with an obsession of girly things passed away. She passed on her most precious valuable to her only grandson. That valuable is a telescope. This, however, is no ordinary telescope. It has one special ability, and that's to be able to view Equestria with it. No, it's not simply a children's toy.
My grandmother was unique, probably more unique than any other woman of her age. What made her so unique was that she never lost that child inside of her. Maybe it was because she always wanted a granddaughter. She never had a granddaughter, nor did she even have a daughter to call her own. She was the grandmother on my father’s side. Along with my father, her only other child was my Uncle Steve. I was an only child, and my Uncle Steve and Aunt Jen never had children. It’s not that they didn’t want to… they just couldn’t. Aunt Jen has ovarian cancer, preventing her from having children. Bless her, I hope she lives happily for the rest of her life, whenever it may end.
So I’m actually her only grandchild. Funny how that works. I always got extra money for my birthday, and even more when I got ready for college. She was a very generous and thoughtful woman. I remember those car rides we’d go on to visit my grandparents. They were long, but I always looked forward to seeing them again.
My grandmother had a hobby that wasn’t so common. She was a doll collector. She especially loved Cabbage Patch Kids. Being a typical young boy, I wasn’t interested. I flew model helicopters and launched rockets with my grandfather, instead. They sure were fun, but I do bet that my grandmother got lonely having nobody to talk to about her expanding collection.
My mother would try to relate when she could, and it did make her smile a bit, but grandma would always go off on a tangent. She would go through each specific detail on where they were from and how she collected each doll. She’d also try to explain the smallest details on each of the dolls, like what box they came with, and how they looked better surrounding other specific dolls. I feel bad for my mom; she was never able to keep up with her.
Back in the eighties when the My Little Pony cartoon came out, she would collect tons of the figurines. I wonder if she watched the show at all. She probably did, since she memorized their names so fluently. I was hardly alive in the eighties, there’s no way I could relate to that stuff. She never stopped collecting them, each new generation of My Little Pony going by. When you spoke with her on the subject, sometimes you would question whether or not she was a ten-year-old girl. It’s not like this was a bad thing, though. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t lost the kid inside of me so easily, either. Being an adult really sucks sometimes. I miss the times where I would watch cartoons on a Saturday morning on the couch while eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes. Those were good times.
One day, she did lose that kid inside of her, as well as the old woman outside of her. She’s gone, now. She wanted to give this to me. It wasn’t a Cabbage Patch doll or something alike… it was a telescope. I didn’t even know that she owned one! Maybe she bought it for me, thinking that I was keen on astronomy. Don’t get me wrong, I love looking at the stars and all, but I was never into studying the constellations.
Today is the day that I’m going to set up the telescope. I would have done it earlier, but I was too exhausted from work. It’s also Saturday, and I don’t have to do anything aside from feeding myself and using the bathroom, so I’ll have plenty of time to set this thing up. I’m still wondering, though… why a telescope?
The box is unmarked, so I have no idea what brand this telescope is. I cut through the packaging and unravel the bubble wrap to reveal a few basic parts. It seems pretty simple to set up, and moderately lightweight, too. I’m thankful for that, as I do not cope with complicated instructions, especially those of other languages with no English. Yeah, that gets frustrating.
I think I’ll just bring it to the guest room, it has the best view of the sky and I’ll be able to check out the stars there. I don’t expect to end up getting much use from it, though. I carry the partially-opened box up there with the parts of the telescope, then set the box down in the guest room. I take out what seems to be the base of the piece. It seems to be set up similar to your typical tripod. I set in the middle piece, and then finish off with the viewing section at the top. It was actually really simple. Are most telescopes like this?
I might as well test it out, I might have to adjust one of the knobs to get a clear view. I’ll head back when it’s nighttime afterwards. Let’s see… right eye to the small glass, close the left and I’ll get a view of- that’s not my town.
Okay, so this is a fake telescope. I knew it was too simple for its own good! I’m seeing colorful and decorative buildings and… horses. Colorful small horses with tattoos on their… oh wait, now it makes sense! This is a My Little Pony telescope. I don’t really have many positive things to say about My Little Pony, though this is pretty detailed for a kid’s toy. I can see why my grandmother would want to give it to me. Whoever made this has some real amazing craftsmanship. It’s like I’m watching the cartoon from here.
My hand slips and I move the telescope… and the scenery moves as well. I see ponies now walking in and out of a bakery instead of just some typical town’s streets. There’s this pink unicorn with blue hair that’s levitating a box above her head. Her horn’s glowing, too. I don’t remember ponies being enchanted in the series before, but then again, I never really paid attention to it. That’s not what should be on my mind though. I think that whenever I move the telescope, the scenery changes! That would be amazing, but just to be sure…
I move it again and squeal a little with excitement. This thing is amazing. It uses motion sensing to move across the town. With technology improving these days you don’t know what they’ll come up with next. I’m impressed. Who made this?
I check for a label but I don’t see anything on it. That’s a shame. Regardless, I’m very impressed by this creation ahead of me. I bring my eye straight back to viewing the town. This’ll keep me entertained for a little while. Let’s see here…
There’s two ponies arguing. Over what? I don’t know. What would ponies argue about? I thought they would be too peaceful for that. I move the telescope again to see a pony with wings kicking some of the clouds in the sky. Apparently not only are they able to fly, but they can control the weather, too. I hate to admit it to myself but that’s actually pretty cool. I wonder if they control other parts like rain and wind… maybe even lightning… nah, they wouldn’t do that in a little girl’s show. I pull the top of the scope downwards and I- I burst out in laughter. That just made my day.
I’m seeing a flying grey pony with crossed eyes. Are you serious? Is this a glitch in the system or- Nope. They just moved. The right eye moved up, the other moved downwards. This was intentional! I can’t tell if it’s cruelty or simply a good joke. I hold my hand over my mouth trying my best to keep myself from cracking up even further, but it won’t do. The eyes were plenty enough, but now she accidentally just crashed into a yellowish pony, sending the two of them toppling straight to the ground. Oh god, I think I need to watch this show now. I’m not one for little girl’s shows, but this was too much for me. How could you not laugh at that?
Thank you, grandma, for giving me possibly the most amazing gift ever. Now if only I could stop laughing and think straight for a moment.
-------------------------- A/N: This fic's pretty much something for me to work on when I'm not working on my other fic, Sour Dreams. I'm not quite sure where to take this one yet. Do you guys want him to explain more about his life, or simply explain more that happens with the telescope? Maybe a little bit of both? I feel more confident after hearing suggestions, so if you guys would provide me some I'd really appreciate it.
It didn’t take me very long to find an episode on YouTube. Apparently some shows actually don’t always get taken down due to copyright claims. I suppose that’s good news for me. I just hope this show’s half as good as that telescope was. I don’t want to end up gagging from a show that’s unrealistically cheesy.
I suppose I ought to start from the beginning. I search for “My Little Pony Episode 1" and quickly click on the video. Seems like this one is a two-part episode.
Once upon a time... in the magical land of Equestria...
Oh god, I’ve seen these types of openers before. I’ve got a feeling this won’t end well.
Well, that went better than expected. I just finished watching the first two episodes and actually enjoyed them a bit. I even recognized some of the ponies from the telescope. I think I’ll watch a few more episodes to get an idea of what went on in Ponyville. I need to learn as much as I can to make sense of that thing.
Gurgle rumble...
Okay, maybe I should eat first… I check the clock and notice it’s 1:30 PM. Guess that’s a time as good as any to take care of that whole “feeding myself” ordeal.
I walk up to the cabinet I keep my Hot Pockets in. I’m feeling a bit lazy today and don’t quite feel like cooking. I sure can make a mean meatloaf, but a couple Hot Pockets will settle me for now. I open the box and throw those bad boys in the microwave. Around a minute and I’ll be chowing down on some cheese and pepperoni. I suppose that’s enough time for me to find a new episode to watch.
I check my laptop and look for another episode, hopefully one a bit less girly than what I’ve seen prior. I scan through the episode guide on Wikipedia. Hurricane Fluttershy. Now that seems promising.
I search up the title, click on the video, voila! I pause it and leave it to buffer. It got in the way a little bit last time, which annoyed me to no end. Right in the middle of Pinkie Pie’s song, too.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Alright, hot pockets are done. I check up on them and almost burn my hand. I bring them back and start the episode, waiting for them to cool off.
Okay, I’m a little lost for words right now. I saw another three episodes, but I think I need to stop for a bit after this last one. Hurricane Fluttershy was pretty cool, I loved the idea of pegasi forming a tornado while flying at ridiculous speeds. Hearts and Hooves Day made me laugh throughout the entire episode, which was a nice change of pace for a Valentine’s Day themed episode… but neither of them compare to the last one I just watched.
Family Appreciation Day has my grandmother written all over it. Granny Smith has got to be my favorite character throughout the entire show. When’s the last time I’ve cried? It’s difficult to for me remember, but my shorts have a few tear stains on them. They weren’t there before that episode started.
My relationship with my grandmother was a lot like Apple Bloom’s relationship with Granny Smith. Like… nearly identical, aside from the fact that I didn’t live with her. I’m happy that Apple Bloom realized there was so much more to Granny Smith than being a “kooky old lady,” though I wish I realized that when I was a child. My grandmother embarrassed me quite a bit, always wearing her frilly dresses and having her strange collections… she even has a parasol to go with a few of her outfits...... yeah, she was pretty over the top.
Still, I didn’t spend as much time with her as I should have. Behind that “kooky old lady” was a person, a person like me. She wasn’t always out to embarrass me, she was there for me to capitalize on my future and get the best out of life. I should have been there for her more.
No. She wouldn’t have wanted me to act this way. That’s why she sent me this gift. She loves me, and I love her. Maybe another look through that telescope is in order.
I guide the scope across Ponyville, looking for the farm in particular. It didn’t take me very long to find it, with the barn being such a huge indicator. You couldn’t miss that barn if it camouflaged with the scenery behind it. Surrounding the farm were loads of apple trees, too many to count, just like in the show. They looked exactly the same, too.
Come to think of it, after actually watching the show, this scenery is strikingly similar to it. The ponies looked exactly the same, and the backgrounds had the same storyboard-looking feel to them. It was almost as if I was watching another episode, except not being able to hear anyone…err--anypony. The trees were apple-shaped, and the apples were different sizes when looked at from a far distance.
And now as I have zoomed in, the perspective changed once again. I was up and close, and I could see the branches and the details on the spine. The apples looked much more like apples as well, not simply red circles on a tree. I’m thinking that the creators of the show must’ve provided some help with this thing.
I take this moment to get away from the telescope. I can’t stand it any further. I search on the internet for “My Little Pony Telescope” and “Ponyville Telescope.” No matter how far I scroll down, I don’t see anything related to the device I have. How is this possible? This is way too detailed to be made by anyone but someone who worked on the show.
Perhaps maybe… nah, that’d be ridiculous. That would be something that could only be imagined… but evidence is starting to lean in its favor.
I check back to the telescope and zoom out a little, readjusting the clarity to find Apple Bloom and her two friends playing out on the farm. Call me crazy all you want, but I think this might just be able to view the actual My Little Pony world. I know I’m probably wrong and will be proved wrong later, but at least I can go by that theory for now, silly as it sounds.
My thoughts are interrupted by the sight of none other than Granny Smith walking out of the barn. She’s yelling. I can’t tell exactly, but- oh, the kids are coming towards the barn. I guess she’s calling them in for some reason, like inviting them over for a meal, just like when I was young and my mom invited my friends to come inside and eat with us… and occasionally my other friends’ parents inviting myself in. Maybe we aren’t too different, us people and those ponies. I sure could get used to this thing. Looking at it’s pretty enjoyable. I’m glad I found it.
Then it hit me. I run over to the phone and dial a special number.
“Hey, dad. It’s me, Jimmy.”
“What’s going on, Jimmy? It’s been a few days since you last called me.”
“You’re not busy, are you?”
“Not at the moment, no. Why?”
“I was wondering if you could tell me one of your stories about grandma.”
I wait through a bit of silence before my father answers in a tone of surprise. "Really? I don't remember you having much interest in her, before. We're talking about MY mother, correct?"
"Hehe, yeah. I know I wasn't always fond of her... but she's my grandmother, for pete's sake. What kind of grandson would I be if I didn't ask about her, especially after her death?"
"Well, if you insist. How about Halloween?"
"What about Halloween?"
"Well, usually your grandfather would take me trick-or-treating as a kid. One day he caught a fever and had to stay inside. I was eight and Steve was thirteen. I wanted to go trick-or-treating and Steve felt he was too old to go, and opted to pass out candy. I wanted to go with him but your grandfather wasn't having it."
* * *
"But daaaaaaaad..."
"No buts. You go with your mother and that's final... Achoo! The older gentleman sneezed.
A woman dressed up in an overly-sparkling blue dress bent over towards the young boy, smiling. "Don't worry, Ricky. You'll be sure to get a ton of candy. It'll be loads of fun!"
Ricky simply crossed his arms, clearly not amused. "We were supposed to be Batman and Robin."
"Cinderella and Robin can still get you just as much, if not more candy!"
The gentleman started to walk away from his costumed family, turning back once to look at his young teenage son. "Steve, if you need anything I'll be in bed. Don't get into too much trouble while I'm napping."
Steve grinned. "Yes, dad."
* * *
I stare back through the telescope while listening to my dad's story. Not much going on with the Apple Family's home at the moment, but I realize that moment I have with this thing is precious. Thinking back on what he said, I recollect a bit. "Compared to what I've seen of her lately, going as Cinderella was actually fairly tame."
"It was still a bit embarrassing, but I was mostly disappointed my father and I couldn't go together."
"That makes sense. So what happened next?"
* * *
Ricky and his mother were walking across the streets and heading towards another house. They only stopped by a few, but it seemed like the woman in blue sure knew her way around the neighborhood as the candy bags had pretty large chocolate bars in them. Ricky especially was thankful when he got his favorite kind, the classic Hershey Bar.
The two of them walked up by another house and rang the doorbell to be greeted by a woman dressed up in a witch's outfit.
"Trick or Treat!" they shouted.
The woman smiled at the sight of the two of them.
"Isn't that cute? Robin and Cinderella. It's good to see some families come out today and spend time together." She reached into her bowl and dropped a handful of candy into Ricky's bag. She was about to do the same for his mother until she heard a loud and ignorant voice.
"Ha ha! Looks at the twerp in tights and the overgrown princess. Those crappy costumes are ruining Halloween! Get lost, losers!"
The woman scowled at annoying teenager and then apologized to the pair, dropping the handful of candy in the bag for Ricky's mother.
"Jerks, the lots of them. Here's another round of candy for you two." She gives two more handfuls, one to Ricky and the other to his mother. "Thanks for coming."
"No, thank you." Ricky's mom smiled and she guided her son back to the sidewalk.
* * *
I can't help but smile after hearing that. I can't say I had quite that special of a moment with my grandmother, given that we only visited her on occasion... and I tended to spend more time with my grandfather during said visits. That being said, this was a nice story and makes me appreciate her even more.
"That's pretty awesome," I remark.
"What's even more awesome is when we ate candy together afterwards. We got so much we needed Steve to help us out, and I don't think our feet were even sore from walking. It was a fun night."
"I bet."
"So how's work been treating ya? Staying out of trouble, right?"
"Yeah, things have been going well." I paused at this moment to debate whether or not to explain to my dad about the telescope. On one hand my dad would probably think the thing was a toy, or I just made the whole thing up. On the other hand, my dad was usually pretty understanding of me. Tough call.
"Well, it's good to hear that you're fairing well on your own. If you ever need any help or feel like asking for another story, just call."
"Will do, dad. Thanks." With that all said and done, I hang up and set my phone down.
I guess telling him will have to wait. Time to take another look through this thingamajig. No real news at the apple farm, though it's pretty enjoyable to even intake the scenery. I scroll across the town and don't see much going on. Most ponies are either working or socializing regularly. Maybe I'll catch up on some more of the episodes so I can figure out what's going on.
A scroll across a little more until I see someone- err... somepony that catches my eye. Pinkie Pie, you know, the super active hyper one that looks like she's had too much sugar? It looks like she's almost waving at me. I check to see who she's really waving to and no ponies are around. Hmm...
I scroll back to her to see what's going on. Now she's sitting down and waving across in my direction with both of her front hooves, like a distressed person on an island trying to flag down a boat. She mouths some words but I can't hear them. I can't hear anything in this telescope, I can only see.
She seems to realize that and raises a sign from behind her back. It says "PRESS THE PINK BUTTON." I can't help myself but think that maybe she's telling me to do so. I step back and gaze at my telescope. I'm pretty sure there was never such a- oh, there it is.
As if destiny called, there is indeed a pink button on the bottom of my telescope. I didn't see it before but maybe I missed it. There's only one thing to do now. I reach my finger over and press the button.
As it turns out, the button doesn't do anything aside from make a sound of a whoopee cushion. Underestimating the humor of it, I have to take a step back and get on one knee from laughing so hard.
After keeping control of myself, I look back into the telescope and see Pinkie Pie lying on the ground. She's kicking her hooves up and down in an uncontrollable laughter, and then finishes off by wiping a tear from one of her eyes. She then sits up again and raises another sign. "NO, BUT REALLY. PRESS THE SOUND BUTTON."
Doing as she wishes, I look for that button. I can't seem to find it until I glance underneath it again and find a button with a speaker, which happens to be right next to the pink one. The symbol on it is like one you'd find to adjust your computer's volume level. Although I'm surprised to see it because I'm positive it wasn't there before, I press it right away.
Next thing I know, I'm greeted by Pinkie Pie's voice.
I'm a little stunned at the moment. Pinkie Pie just altered my telescope, giving it a voice. The wonderful voice of Ponyville. Her voice, along with background chatter and birds chirping. They're the kind of sound effects you'd hear in the show, and they just became available for me to hear. Yet I felt my body tighten up. The combination of the ability to talk with a fictional character and the worries of thinking what I should say are holding me hostage at the moment.
Taking notice of my shock, Pinkie's happy face turns into one that's more confused. "Are you alright there?"
I blink and take a deep breath, preparing to attempt something I thought was impossible. "I suppose I'm okay. Thank you."
Her eyes suddenly beam up. I can tell what's going to happen.
"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! I just noticed that you're new here and I wanted to personally welcome you. But first you weren't able to see me, so I sat here waving my arms, hoping to get your attention, and then I thought 'what if he can't hear me?' Then I decided to grab these signs and-"
Smile and nod, Jimmy. Smile and nod.
"-so here we are now and now that I've finally met you we can introduce ourselves. I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?"
So it's finally over. I once again take a deep breath and reply. "Jimmy. My name is Jimmy."
"Jimmy! That's a weird name... but it's a good one for you! So is that spelled with a 'y' or an 'ie?' Those always get me so confused at times."
"J-I-M-M-Y."
"Okie, dokie, loki! So now that we're here, I can introduce you to all of Equestria! Where should we-"
"Actually," I interrupt her, "I like to ask you some questions first."
"Ask me away!" Pinkie shouts as she takes a seat on the nearest bench.
"For starters, do you know how I'm communicating to you?"
"Of course I do, silly! You're using the telescope!"
"Uh-huh. And just how is this telescope different from any other telescope?"
"It's supposed to be some sort of magical-" Pinkie Pie waves her forehooves shortly and quickly to emphasize this. "-telescope. It lets you look into other worlds, or at least this one. And not normal magic either, because that's normal. That's the stuff that Twilight does and whatever. This is abnormal magic." Again, she shakes her forehooves to emphasize it.
"Do you know why I have this?"
"I'm not sure. An old lady used to have it, but she told me she had to leave and give it to someone special. Do you know where she might be?"
This is one of those moments where you feel frozen in time. Did ponies even know about death? Think... Yes, they did. Family Appreciation Day showed Granny Smith's ancestors. Okay... now I just need to break it onto Pinkie Pie easily.
"That old lady... was my grandmother."
"No way! Nice to meet you, Mr. Old Lady's grandson! Oh, this is awesomely amazing! It's rare to realize when two of your friends are related, but that makes that moment even more special!"
"Indeed. Unfortunately-" It just got even harder to do this as I could see her smile disappear. "-she had to give the telescope away for a reason. She got terribly sick and it was just her time." At this moment I could make a bunch of metaphors or come up with a new creative phrase, but I really wanted to get this over quickly. "She's dead."
And the waterworks commence. I don't know how she does it, but a stream of tears launch from her seemingly closed eyes at an upward angle. As interesting as it looks, it doesn't make the moment feel any better. Come on Jimmy, just because Pinkie's crying, doesn't mean you have to.
I can hold it in, but it's hard to ignore Pinkie's voice, even if I look away from the telescope. You've heard the news before, you don't cry, especially not when sad. Now is not the time...
...damn it, I need a tissue!
I run off to the bathroom and grab the nearest roll of unused toilet paper, ripping off a piece so I can blow my nose. I follow up with washing my face to get rid of any signs of tears. As I shut off the water and dry off my face, I'm reminded of what Pinkie's crying sounds like, because apparently she hasn't stopped. Guess it's time to return to Pinkie Pie and see if I can calm her down, now that she's had some time to take it in.
Who thought the reason I'd cry next would be along with a pink cartoon pony?
I approach the telescope and notice Pinkie's tears have slowed down a bit, though surrounding ponies seem concerned for her. Now's a time as good as any to try and calm her down.
"Pinkie Pie?" I ask her gently.
She blows her nose again and looks up at me. She stopped crying but it looks like she's on the verge of shedding tears once again.
"I know this is terrible news, but life goes on. My grandmother was a wonderful woman, and you should be thankful you had the opportunity to know her. I know I'm grateful."
She sniffled once again and wiped her tears. It looks like that did the trick. "You're right, Jimmy. Thanks."
Even though she stopped crying, she still seems a bit upset. I can't really blame her, but she needs my help right now.
"Hey there, let's get rid of that frown, shall we? My grandma wouldn't like seeing you sad. She'd want you to be happy."
"She would," Pinkie agreed. It didn't take much longer to see a grin on her face, expanding in time. "And I guess since she's gone, she left me with a new great friend. I'm glad you're here, Jimmy."
"I'm glad I'm here with you." I wink to signal her that things will be okay. "Hey, Pinkie?"
"Yeah?" She looks up at me, curiously.
"Would you mind organizing a funeral for her, if it's not too much trouble?"
"A funeral? I don't know... it doesn't sound very... me."
"You'll have a great opportunity to throw an after party for her, afterwards."
Pinkie Pie set out to help Jimmy give his grandmother a proper funeral, but how could she approach such a feat? She never organized something like that before. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have a choice. Nopony else in Ponyville could handle it, so she had to take it into her own hooves. It was her time. She had to help Jimmy and make something his grandmother would be proud for.
She had to think of a plan, and apparently trotting around in circles wasn't helping her. Realizing this, she collapsed and held her hooves over her head in embarrassment. Her humiliation was interrupted after being touched by a slightly wrinkled hoof.
"Miss Pinkie?" he asked politely.
Pinkie looked up to be greeted by Mr. Waddle. Usually he was very up and positive, but he looked pretty concerned. Pinkie decided from this that she should try to maintain her composure. She smiled passively as she welcomed Mr. Waddle.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Waddle," said Pinkie Pie in a nervous tone.
"Are you alright? You don't seem quite like yourself today."
"What makes you say that? I'm fine." Pinkie's teeth chattered a bit.
"Miss Pinkie, I may not have good eyesight, but I can still see that something is troubling you." Mr. Waddle adjusted his glasses.
Pinkie surrendered and shrank back to the ground. "Alright, you got me."
"What's wrong, Miss Pinkie?" asked Mr. Waddle.
Pinkie let out a sigh. "A good friend of mine passed away, and I met her grandson and he's really nice but I don't know what to do because I'm supposed to run a funeral and I've never ran a funeral before but I don't want to disappoint him and... I'M FRUSTRATED!" Pinkie Pie started breathing heavily after a combination of stress and lung overuse hit her. Mr. Waddle waited a bit before responding.
"Feeling better?"
Pinkie shook her head. "Not really."
"Well... how about we take this one step at a time. Is that alright with you, Miss Pinkie?"
Pinkie gave a meek smile. "Where do we start?"
"Well, you're supposed to run a funeral. I'm actually licensed to give them, myself."
Pinkie's eyes shot wide. "You, Mr. Waddle?"
"Indeed, and I'll be more than happy to provide it for you."
Pinkie couldn't contain herself, and gave Mr. Waddle a ferocious hug. Not necessarily painful, but it sure felt uncomfortable. Seeing her happy face, however, made it just alright for Mr. Waddle. Pinkie happened to notice her grip was a little too much for the elderly pony and released.
"Heh, sorry." Pinkie gave an apologetic grin.
Mr. Waddle recovered fairly easily and waved it off. "Now now, Miss Pinkie, I'll be fine. In fact, I don't even need much equipment to set it up. I just need some chairs, a podium, and guests. Then we'll be all set."
"Be right back!" shouted Pinkie as she ran out of his eyesight. She stopped by once and delivered a podium, then again with some chairs, and once more with some of her friends sitting in them. Each time formed a small cloud of dust, and the last provided some very confused ponies.
"Oh my goodness, Miss Pinkie. I knew you were speedy, but that was quite unusual. I suppose this'll be just fine, though. Did you want to start now?"
"Just a second," Pinkie told Mr. Waddle. "Hey, Jimmy! Are you there? We've got the funeral ready!"
Mr. Waddle was a bit confused. Why was Pinkie Pie shouting at the sky?
Pinkie nodded and gave Mr. Waddle a wink, and headed to one of the empty seats. A curious Spike that sat behind her poked Pinkie from behind.
"Hey," Spike whispered. "Why are we here?"
"Yeah," appeared Rainbow Dash. "What's up, Pinkie?"
"You'll see soon enough," claimed Pinkie. Shrugging it off, Spike and Rainbow Dash leaned back, as did a few others listening to their conversation.
Mr. Waddle stood at the podium and cleared his throat. "We are gathered here today to remember and comfort those who were hurt by the loss of a very important individual. Though we may not all have had a chance to meet her, including myself, somepony has. Would you care to come up here and explain, Pinkie Pie?"
Pinkie Pie nodded and trotted up to the podium.
"Hello everypony. Thank you all for coming."
"You kinda dragged us up here," remarked somepony from the crowd. She was then followed up with a 'shoosh.'
"For several years, I have been staring up to the sky and talking to a stranger. She was one of the nicest aliens I knew!"
"Aliens?" Somepony spoke up. "That's what you brought us here for?"
"Well, not exactly. I don't know what she is! But she wasn't from our world. None of that mattered so much, as she-"
"This is ridiculous. I'm out of here!" one mare interrupted.
"You're being even more silly than usual Pinkie. I'm sorry but I'm too busy right now to deal with your shenanigans," a rather bitter stallion agreed.
The chain continued as pony after pony began to leave the area. Most of them were either complaining or silent. Some had looks of sorrow on their faces directed to Pinkie but left as well, honestly thinking that the funeral was purposeless. It was at this point that Pinkie couldn't help but break down in tears. She fell backwards and continued to sob.
The ponies who decided to stay were none other than Twilight, Applejack, Spike, Fluttershy, Mr. Waddle, the Cakes, Rarity, and a very angry Rainbow Dash whose tail was being pulled by Applejack's mouth.
"Did you see what they did to her? Let me go!" struggled Rainbow Dash.
"Ah knur ets uffly roo-" Applejack attempted to speak while holding onto Rainbow's tail. The other ponies looked at her in puzzlement before Twilight offered to hold back Rainbow Dash with her magic instead. Applejack complied and released Rainbow Dash's tail.
"Ah was trying to say, Ah know it's awfully rude of them to leave Pinkie like that, but that doesn't justify ya wailing on them like a bullheaded bronco!" said Applejack.
"I don't care! They deserve it!" Rainbow Dash continued to try and fight Twilight's hold on her.
"I don't think they're the issue here," said Twilight as she directed a hoof in Pinkie's direction. The crying from her was only growing worse and a puddle had formed underneath her back.
Rainbow Dash sighed. "Alright, let's go help her."
Twilight nodded and released Rainbow Dash. All of them trotted over to Pinkie except Mr. Waddle, who was by her side the whole time.
Twilight attempted to gain Pinkie Pie's attention and spoke up. "Pinkie, I know this is really upsetting for you, but can we talk about this?"
Pinkie Pie wouldn't let up her frustration. "I let her down! I let them both down!"
"Pinkie, I'm sure you didn't let anyone down," Twilight replied.
"But I did! They must hate me!" Pinkie wallowed.
"Miss Pinkie," Mr. Waddle spoke. "You showed to me that you were concerned for them ever since I came across you today. You are by no doubt one of the most selfless ponies I've ever known. I'm pretty sure they want to help you as much as you want to help them, from what I've heard of them so far." At this point Mr. Waddle stuck a hoof in front of Pinkie Pie for her to reach out for.
Pinkie sniffled and was indecisive for a moment. She then offered a smile and took his hoof in hers and accepted the help up.
"I'm sorry," Pinkie Pie said as she got on her hooves once more.
"Oh Pinkie," said Rarity. "There's no need to be sorry."
"Yeah," spoke Rainbow Dash. "We just want to know what happened. We're concerned for you, and if it means so much to you, we're concerned for them as well."
"How about we all talk this over some food at Sugarcube Corner? On us!" Mrs. Cake wrapped a hoof around her husband.
The rest of the ponies cheered in excitement as they heard Mrs. Cake's offer. They all gathered over to Sugarcube Corner so that Pinkie could explain her situation. Mrs. Cake put up a 'CLOSED' sign up on the door of the store. They all went in except for Pinkie Pie, who stood outside and looked up to the sky.
"I'll see you soon," Pinkie waved. "Thanks for everything."
She then trotted into the store, being a little more than her usual happy self. Something special was added to her and she knew it was there, but she couldn't quite explain it.
All of the ponies and Spike gathered around a large table except for Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who were placing several plates of baked goods onto the table. According to prior experiences, sweets tended to get Pinkie Pie in a better mood or at least help her cope with an unfortunate event. She was also surrounded by friends, which also helped.
Aside from Spike and Rainbow Dash, everypony directed their attention at Pinkie Pie. She didn't have her usual happy-go-lucky smile, but instead had a more nervous one. Nopony could blame her for feeling that way, though. After the previous event that took place, they were thankful she was smiling at all.
After topping the rather large table with an enormous amount of cupcakes, pies, cookies, and other goodies, Mr. and Mrs. Cake sat down to allow the discussion to start.
"So," Mrs. Cake started off the conversation. "What are those friends of yours like?"
Everypony had their eyes glued to Pinkie. Even Spike and Rainbow Dash were paying attention to her now. She felt pressure for explaining them to her friends, especially after she was ridiculed for her earlier exposure of them.
"They're really nice," said Pinkie Pie.
"What do these ponies look like?" asked Applejack.
"They aren't ponies," Pinkie Pie corrected.
"Are they dragons?" Spike asked curiously.
"No," Pinkie answered.
"Minotaur? Buffalo?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"They aren't anything like the species around here," Pinkie continued. "Well, they walk on two legs like minotaurs. They're also hairless."
"Hairless? My word, darling, that sounds so uncouth," said Rarity. She held up a hoof in a distressed manor until she noticed most of the ponies at the table were eyeing her angrily. She let out a small laugh to attempted to lighten the mood. "Please, continue."
"Well, they aren't entirely hairless. They both had some sort of mane on top of their heads. Jimmy's was brown and the old lady had white hair."
"'The old lady?' You mean you don't know her name?" questioned Twilight.
"No, I don't. I never knew all that much about her, to be honest. I couldn't hear her either," said Pinkie.
"So how do you know Jimmy's name?" asked Twilight.
"Well that's the weird thing. I found out how to hear Jimmy when I first met him. Apparently there's some sort of communication from his side. I wasn't sure what it was, but I took a chance and wrote down 'press the sound button' on a sign to see if he could talk to me. I don't know how, but it worked! And so did the pink button, which was obvious."
"Pink button?" asked Applejack.
"Well duh," Pinkie continued. "The pink button makes the whoopie cushion noise! Everypony knows that."
Ignoring the question, Twilight pressed on further for answers. "So there's some sort of device that connects you to Jimmy and the old lady?"
"Yeah, I don't know what it is, but I can see and hear them in the sky. Maybe they can see and hear me through the ground! Hmm... I wonder if their ground looks like our sky, and their sky looks like our ground! Would they have clouds on the ground? And I guess that means thunderstorms would be like four times as scary! And-"
Twilight interrupted Pinkie Pie. "Is there any chance we can talk to them now?"
Pinkie Pie frowned at hearing this. Her ears drooped as well. "Well, not really. The old lady is..."
Twilight gasped at Pinkie's remark. She was so intrigued by this discovery that she forgot all about the funeral.
"I'm so sorry, Pinkie," Twilight apologized, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
"Me too," Pinkie sighed. The room was silent. Nopony dared to even breathe loudly. They felt her pain. Applejack even took off her hat and placed it on her chest.
"But I guess it's not all bad," Pinkie broke the silence. "If that never happened, I would've never met Jimmy! He's the old lady's grandson. We can find out her name that way!"
Everypony's frowns turned into relatively small smiles, while Pinkie was beaming. Just the thought of being around Jimmy, one of her newest friends, was really exciting. Then the thought occurred to her. One of my newest friends? Hold the salad!
Pinkie placed both of her hooves on the table in a dramatic fashion. "I haven't thrown him a party yet!"
