> Pinkie's Lament > by Carrot Quill > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pinkie Pie stared at the sky, her usual puffy hair style was worn down. She was in the back alley of sugar cube corner sitting on a soapbox. It was getting close to sunset and light still shone through the cloud layer that the pegasi had been tirelessly preparing all day. Pinkie watched as the last bit of cloud was placed. "Heh," sighed the sad pink pony, shivering as one the first raindrops hit her on the nose. Tears began to fall from her eyes and down her cheeks. “F-finally,” she whispered. – Today was like any other day for Pinkie, being that she had taken it as a personal mission to make all her friends smile! But today there would not be a party; she would have to do it manually! She bounced happily through the street thinking of the funny stories she would tell Twilight Sparkle. Twilight always enjoyed stories and talking, but sometimes the purple unicorn would say big words or phrases that would take the energetic pony a second to figure out, she didn't mind though, Pinkie Pie always enjoyed her friends company regardless. She looked up at the pegasi busy at work in the sky. They were making a HUGE downpour to make up for some recent missed storms, this seemed to happen a lot. Pinkie quietly thought to herself of a the meeting she had had with Sky High and what he’d told her... "Got a message fer’ you to deliver to rainbow dash: cause of 'er slackin we gots another big storm headin in, jus’ tell ‘er to get into work befer noon OK?" Pinkie imagined his gruff tone, Sky High was rather intimidating. "No need to rush, but the sooner she get ‘ere the better," the imposing pegasus had informed, Pinkie Pie noted this fact, and also noted how much better sounded like butter, and how butter was pretty good on muffins, she suddenly felt very hungry inexplicably. As her mind wandered she saw some birds flying overhead singing a happy tune, that was right! Fluttershy would be singing in the meadow with the birds today, the kindest pony she knew always worked hard with the birds to get the perfect tone, Pinkie resolved she would have to help her with the birds singing today, that's what she would do. She snapped back to reality once she saw the library come into view, a smile crept on her face and her eyes lit up as she picked up her pace nearing the home of Twilight Sparkle. "TWILIIIIIGHT~" shouted Pinkie leaping at the door, and slamming right into it. "Haha whoops forgot my Pinkie breaks!" the silly pony giggled rubbing her nose and knocking on the door with her hoof. "Twilight!" Twilight came to the door looking a bit more grumpy than usual. With a groggy groan the unicorn narrowed her eyes on her friend “Pinkie?”. Twilight’s mane was a mess and there were huge bags under her eyes, her stature was suffering too, head hanging low. "Wow Twi, you look like flower food," Pinkie Pie pointed out giving her a concerned look. "Thanks for noticing Pinkie," grumbled Twilight. The pink pony gave a proud grin, proceeding to ask, "So mind if I come in?" "Go for it," sighed the exhausted mare, stepping back in, almost tripping over one of the many books strewn all around. It seemed twilight had done an all-nighter studying again. Pinkie being Pinkie started looking at the books "Please, don't move anything, ok?" Twilight Sparkle warned the curious earth pony, a bit irked at the mare’s intrusiveness. "Sorry, Twi. But what’s with all this stuff?" Pinkie raised an eyebrow at a nearby precariously stacked tower of books. "I have a big exam coming up" Twilight groaned, plopping in front of a open book, her eyes gazing over it. As they did her eyelids slowly crept down until they closed. After a minute she began to snore. "Uh twilight?" Pinkie Pie poked her, causing the purple unicorn to buck up in shock and knock over a tower of books. "ARGH, PINKIE PIE!" Twilight sparkle shouted, making the pink pony recoil a bit, Twilight rubbed her forehead vigorously. "Could you just leave? Now?" she asked almost demandingly "B-but Twi you..." started the concerned party pony. "Pinkie PLEASE I am VERY busy" the unicorn huffed sitting down again "We can talk later, this is important." Pinkie stared at the ground "Aren’t I too?" Pinkie Pie whispered below a whimper before trudging out of the library. – The rain was pounding down hard now, hiding the fact Pinkie was crying, no-pony could hear her sobs and moans of sadness. She stared at her hooves trying to breathe through her powerful sobs, Pinkie Pie didn't mind the loss of air though it seemed, she felt like she deserved it. "Why am I always so inconsiderate," Pinkie choked out letting her hooves fall to the side. She stared up again, and slowly begun scraping at the wood of the box with her hoof. "They'd be better off without me" the wet pony lamented as the fat drops of water hit her face and mingled with the water from her eyes, she was soaked now and shivered in the cold. – Our favourite pink pony sighed a bit with a frown on her usually cheery face, as she dragged a small trampoline behind her. Pinkie shook her head vigorously "Ok keep it together pie of pink." Pinkie Pie nodded affirmatively, "Twilights just busy, I’m sure she'll be ready for fun once she's done," she begun monologuing staring at the advancing cloud fortress of Rainbow Dash "Besides, Dashie is always up for a good prank." grinned the mischievous pony to herself as she placed the trampoline in the proper place. "RAIN~BOW," shouted Pinkie as she sprung up off the trampoline to the blue mare’s window "DA~ASH," she said on her second passing. "ugh...pink...eee?" moaned Dash in a daze as she slowly became conscious. "RRAAAIN," "BOOOOW," "DAAASH." Came Pinkie's voice from the window. "Huh?" The lightning quick pegasus shot up out of bed. "Dashie! C’mon!" Shouted Pinkie impatiently as she appeared in the window, arms crossed. The blue mare walked up to her window, "What’s the big deal Pink-" Dash took a full pie pastry to the face, the tin and base fell to the floor as apple bits stuck to her unamused looking face. "Ehehe- heheh- haha you- fell for- the oldest pie in the cookbook!" Pinkie giggled excessively as she bounced up and down. Rainbow Dash grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wet it, she quickly washed off her face grumbling. She took flight out the window and down to meet the prankster, who was packing up the trampoline. "What the hay Pinkie?!" the miffed blue mare grumped, "That was so NOT cool." "Oh c’mon Dashie it's just a prank," Pinkie beamed with a grand grin. "Yea ok I’ll give it to you, that was pretty funny," giggled Dash "But you know it's my day off, You know I always catch up on my cool sleep on my day off!" The cheese filled pony struck a pose, "Being this cool takes effort you know!" "I bet," Pinkie Pie giggled, something was nagging at the back of her head though, but she ignored the feeling. "C’mon Dashie lets hang out!" "Fine ok, ok," sighed Rainbow Dash giving in to the silly filly. "What did you have in mind Miss Pie?" she asked cocking a brow. "Oooh I have the most awesomest prank ever to pull!" the mischievous pink mare told her, "You're gonna love it!” beamed the peppy party pony, grabbing her shovel and giving a wink to Dash… Soon enough, the trap was set, the bait was positioned and the suckers were on their way. The trap being a pitfall, the bait being a cupcake and the suckers the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Haha Pinkie this took ages, but it's gonna be totally worth it!" whispered Dash from behind the bush "Ah’ told you it weren't gonna work." Applebloom was huffing, covered in tree sap....again. "Ugh this stuff is just everywhere," whined Sweetie Belle. "Admittedly we are getting covered in tree sap a lot lately...more than usual...oh hey a cupcake!" Scootaloo chimed seeing it. "I call dibs!” "Hay y’all can't just call dibs like that!" Applebloom yelled as she and Scootaloo both leapt for the cupcake... and fell straight into the pit-trap. "AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHA." "R-Rainbow dash?" asked sweetie with a gasp. "Ehehehehe," Laughed Pinkie "And Pinkie?" growled Applebloom. "Hook line and sinker!" Rainbow Dash chortled, looking into the hole, she saw Scootaloo and Applebloom covered in feathers from the pillows that broke their fall. "Haha good one Dash!" grinned Scootaloo. Sweetie peered into the hole, "See this is what being greedy gets you," she pointed out smugly. Pinkie giggled and looked at the sky with a happy sigh, why was she thinking about buttered muffins all of a sudden? That was weird, it was also weird how butter sounded like better....her eyes went wide like she'd seen a ghost. "What’s wrong Pinkie?" Asked the blue rainbow haired mare raising an eyebrow at her. "D-D-Dash! I almost completely forgot, oh I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Pinkie. "I got a message from Sky High today! He wanted to work on today’s storm, I'm SOOO sorry!" Pinkie choked out, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Rainbow dash's irises shrunk to pinpricks. "Wh-What?" stammered the shocked pegasus. "I'm so sorry dashie! I just forgot. Eheh.” Pinkie Pie forced a smile as she shrunk back from her friend. "FORGOT? I could be fired for this Pinkie!" yelled Dash, who looked like she was about to catch on fire with rage, "Oh god I’m so boned!” Rainbow Dash gasped exasperatedly. "Dashie I..." started Pinkie "DIDN'T THINK?" finished Dash, "Yeah you didn't, thanks a lot pal," she gruffly huffed as she turned and flew into the sky in a burst of speed, sending the mocking Sweetie Belle head first into the hole. "OOF." Went Sweetie Belle, landing face first on pillows. "I...guess I didn't," whispered Pinkie looking up from the ground to the shrinking pegasus, she sighed heavily and headed off in the direction of town. "Uh, we're still down here!" called Scootaloo "Hello?" sweetie belle shouted "Ah horse feathers..." huffed applebloom. – "ACHOO" Pinkie rubbed her nose as she began to slowly slide off her box. She finally plopped on the ground and rolled on her side, her head resting in a shallow puddle, the mud being soaked up by her mane. "Smile smile smile...." she sang softly staring at the opposing wall the rain pelted her face, and for a moment she almost seemed calm, before she suddenly struck her hoof against the water puddled about her. It caused the calm surface to be shattered as it splashed everywhere. She closed her eyes tight and gritted her teeth in pure abject rage. "ARGH" she shouted, hitting her head with her hoof. "STUPID. STUPID. STUPID." She shouted, each word accompanied with a hoof hit to the head. "I should be better but I'm not, my best isn't good enough", she growled grabbing her head and heaving it back and forth with rage at herself. She slowly began to calm down and sob lightly to herself again. – Pinkie Pie still felt a bit torn up about letting Rainbow Dash down, She sighed and lamented the facts to herself as she walked, but when she saw Fluttershy's cottage come into view her eyes lit up with determination. "Nothing like a good song to cheer one’s self up!" she announced, beginning to bounce along the road, seeming to cheer right up at the thought of singing with Fluttershy. "Ahh ahh ah~" sang Fluttershy, her birds replied with their aria. "Very good!" she chirped happily. "Even you sir, are getting better" she smiled at the off-key bird, who blushed a tad at the compliment. "Hehe," giggled Fluttershy. "Fluttershy!" smiled Pinkie coming over to her with a hop and a bounce. "Oh hello Pinkie," smiled fluttershy back at her friend "I'm just in the middle of practice." "I can see that!" Pinkie chirped, staring over at the bird who looked a tad uncomfortable at the jumpy pink pony. "Aheh yea..." the nervous pegasus backed up away from Pinkie a little Pinkie cleared her throat. "So, should I get this party started?" she asked, ready to sing. "Oh Pinkie..." Fluttershy bit her lip, "I...no please don't," the yellow and pink mare sighed "We're on a deadline, we really can't waste time, I'm really sorry" "Huh?" frowned the usually peppy pony "But I'm here to help!" "Pinkie we...um...we don't need your help" the timid ponies head was low and her ears were lowered "Oh...ok, sorry, I need to go...do things...good luck," whimpered Pinkie, frowning and turning to head back down the path. "Sorry" Fluttershy called once again Pinkie pie felt devastated, she almost dragged her hooves on the ground as she walked down the path. She had messed up Twilights studying, she'd forgotten something really important she needed to tell Dash and to top it all off she was just plain unwanted by Fluttershy. She was beginning to think, maybe her friends would just be better off without her, the forgetful annoying clutz. – The rain was dying out now, the pegasi had really done a good job with it, like they always do. The last few drops hit Pinkie's tear drenched head as she lifted herself from her puddle. "Achoo..." She rubbed her nose with her hoof again as she stared at the slowly dispatching clouds, the first sign of the stars and the newly raised moon peeking through them. Pinkie sighed heavily as she stood up, a little weak and wobbly. "I...I have to stop doing this to myself," the tear and rain soaked mare groaned, concentrating on her balance. "I'm not a bad pony...I just...I just need to try harder...yea..." Pinkie nodded affirmatively to herself. Her head was pounding, her nose was inflamed and she felt a cold coming on, only one cure for that...a BUBBLE BATH! Pinkie Pie opened the door to the cakes shop carefully, heading for the wash room. Luckily the cakes were currently indisposed so the somewhat deflated pony didn't have to worry about them seeing her, they already knew sometimes she needed to let some emotions out anyway. Pinkie stopped on her quest for the wash room as she saw her pet alligator, Gummi, on the ground looking up at her. He blinked at her, first with the left eye then with the right, which made the down-trodden pony smile. "Hi gummi," Pinkie whispered softly, picking him up, "Did you want to take a bath with me?....thanks," the pink mare softly sighed as they headed up to take the bath. Pinkie ran the bath at a nice warm temperature and poured in a huge amount of the bubble solution, she sighed a bit as she watched the bubbles rise in front of her eyes. "Do you think I’m a horrible friend Gummi?" she asked him, "Cause I really don't think I am...I just...I just wish I could do...." Pinkie Pie sighed closing her eyes, "Better." She turned off the bath tap and slid in with her pet alligator, getting comfy. "Well..." she started, staring at the ceiling, "Even if I am, there's no point giving up, just gotta keep trying right...Yea, keep trying, keep smiling." She smiled to herself, her hair slowly regaining a bit of puff as the mud was washing out. She slowly closed her eyes "Thanks for listening Gummi...it means a lot." -fin-