Within seconds, the door flung open, and Storm Stripe was greeted by a pink earth pony, with a rather puffy mane. It looked like cotton candy. The pony put on a huge smile, and welcomed him in.
“Hiya! You must be Storm Stripe! My name’s Pinkie Pie! Or just Pinkie! Hey, can I call you Stormy? Or Stripy? Wait, Stormy sounds a lot better! Ohhh, I’m so glad you could make it to the party!”
For a moment, Storm(y) Stripe looked at Pinkie Pie as if she had slapped him across the face. Bringing himself back to reality, he smiled at her, and stepped inside.
“Thank you very much...uh...Pinkie! I don’t mind if you call me Stormy.” Only one other pony called him Stormy. Bright Wing. “How do you know my name?”
Pinkie Happily bounced around Storm Stripe as she spoke. “How do I know your name? I know EVERY pony in Ponyville, and that includes you silly!” Pinkie stopped bouncing and thought for a moment. “Ohhh, and that one time you delivered those bags of flour here? I ordered them! I needed them to make cupcakes for the party! So all this food is thanks to you!”
Pinkie Pie hugged Storm Stripe, who immediately stiffened up. He wasn’t used to being hugged, by friends or strange pink ponies. He grinned awkwardly, and pushed Pinkie away.
“Oh..uh...no problem! Glad I could help!”
He surveyed the party. Surprisingly, there wasn’t that many ponies. Enough to get lost in the crowd, sure, but there was a lot of empty space. Aside from the lack of ponies, the usual party stuff was there. Streamers, balloons, a table lined with delicious food, a very bored looking alligator wearing a party hat, sitting on a stool, and music. It wasn’t his kind of music, but he tried to enjoy it. He made a mental note to ask Vinyl to DJ the next Pinkie Party. Keeping his nervousness in check, he wandered through the crowd of ponies. Most of them recognized him as “That pony who helped me do that thing”, but Storm Stripe preferred it that way. He really didn’t like it when all eyes were on him. After weaving through the crowd, he reached the food. He scanned the table until he found what he was looking for. Cupcakes! He looked them over, trying to find just the right one. He spotted one with extra frosting on it, and reached his hoof over towards the pastry. His hoof came in contact with another, and Storm Stripe retracted his arm in surprise. He turned his head. Staring right back at him was a light blue pegasus mare. Her mane was a bit messy, but it was multi-coloured; A dazzling rainbow. Both ponies stared at each other, until the Rainbow maned pegasus spoke.
“Hey...are you gonna eat that? I mean, I kinda saw it first.”
Storm Stripe shook off his bewilderment. He didn’t really know who saw the cupcake first, but he didn’t want to upset anypony. “Oh, sure, go ahead! I’ll just get myself another one...with less frosting.”
The Pegasus smiled and tossed the whole cupcake into her mouth. Through her loud chewing, she managed to introduce herself.
“Thanks. Name’s Rainbow Dash.”
“Pleased to meet you! I’m Storm Stripe.”
“Storm Stripe huh? Cool name.”
“Oh...uh...thank you! Your name is pretty cool too!”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah....”
Storm Stripe rubbed the back of his head. The conversation was dying. He really didn’t want to bore the mare, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, he remembered something.
“Hey! Aren’t you the Pegasus who did the sonic rainboom? At the young fliers competition?”
That was all Rainbow Dash needed to hear. She leaned back against the table and grinned at Storm Stripe.
“Yup! That’s me! Best young flier in Equestria AND the one and only pony to have pulled off a sonic rainboom! Good to know some ponies recognize me! By the way,that wasn’t the first time I did a sonic rainboom. See, when I was just a filly......”
Storm Stripe began to regret bringing the whole thing up. He stood there for what seemed like hours, listening to Rainbow Dash talk about how awesome she was. He didn’t want look bored, so he tried his best to look interested, occasionally smiling and nodding at Rainbow Dash. He had nearly fallen asleep on his hooves, when Rainbow Dash spoke to him.
“So, what’s your story Storm Boy?”
Storm Stripe cringed at his new nickname.
“Oh, there really isn’t too much to tell. I was with the Manehatten weather patrol for two years. Then I got invited to the Storm Chasers, and I’m still with them... I’m on brea---
“Your in the Storm Chasers!?” Rainbow Dash cut him off. Suddenly, she was really interested, her wide eyes looking right at Storm Stripe. “That is so AWESOME! How’d you get in? Was there a big flight test or something? How much action do you guys see? Were you there for that tornado they got rid of in New Haygas?”
Storm Stripe blinked. He didn’t like talking about himself, but he knew the pegasus wouldn’t leave him alone, even if he tried to change the subject.
“Well, yeah I’ve been with them for about five years, but I’m on break right now. They usually look for anypony who’s really good at handling the weather, and for the entrance exam, they make a whole bunch of storm clouds, and you have to get rid of em as fast as possible....” He paused. Rainbow Dash was looking at him like he told her she had won the lottery. He knew what she wanted to hear.
“If you want, I could write a letter recommendation for you.”
Rainbow Dash squealed and grabbed Storm Stripe in a (Bear) hug. “Omgomgomgomg! Thank you so much!”
After releasing him from her (Death) hug, the music died down, and ponies began making they’re way out the door. Rainbow Dash Smiled again, and turned to leave.
“Talk to ya later Storm boy!”
Storm Stripe waited until everypony had left, and then trotted towards the front door. He was almost outside when he halted.
“Woops, I almost forgot!”
He turned back to the room, looking for Pinkie Pie. He spotted her, sitting over in the middle of the room, her back turned to him. He trotted over happily, and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Hey Pinkie Pie! I just wanted to thank you for inviting me to the party and all! The...uh...cupcakes were really good!” He grinned sheepishly.
Pinkie Pie turned around slowly. Since the beginning of the party, her mess of hair had straightened out, and her vibrant pink hair was now a darker hue. There were tears in her eyes, and her cheeks were stained from them. She looked up at Storm Stripe and smiled, sniffling.
“R-really? You liked my party? Really really liked it?”
“Yes, I really, really did!” He smiled for a moment, but then look concerned. “Um...why all the tears? Did somepony not like your party?”
Pinkie Pie’s smile faded, and she looked at the ground sadly. “Oh no! Everypony looked like they were having fun....It’s just....” She paused and looked back up at Storm Stripe, her eyes getting watery. “Whenever I have a party, A LOT of ponies show up! But lately....there’s been less and less ponies coming. Even my best friends haven’t been showing up! I mean, only Rainbow Dash was here, and I had to REALLY beg her to come! I don’t know what’s wrong.....”
By now, tears were streaming down Pinkie Pie’s face. Storm Stripe felt really sorry for her. He didn’t know her all that well, but he couldn't stand to see anypony sad. It really tugged at his heart, and sometimes, it even made him tear up. He sat down beside Pinkie Pie, and tried to comfort her.
“I’m sure there’s nothing wrong at all! Some ponies are just busy, or can’t party ALL the time. Everyponies different right?”
Pinkie Pie wasn’t convinced. “No! Your wrong! I know my friends, and they....they....they probably don’t wanna even be my friend anymore!” Now Pinkie Pie was REALLY crying now. Storm Stripe was at a loss for words, so he just lay there beside Pinkie Pie, wishing he could say something to stop the tears. After a while, Pinkie Pie stopped crying, and she suddenly looked at Storm Stripe pensively. She stared at him, as if there were something hidden on his face. Without a word, she got on her Hooves, and slowly went upstairs. All Storm Stripe could hear was the sound of a door opening, then closing. With nothing to do, and nopony around, he left Sugarcube corner, and made his way back home. He wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight.
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The following day, Storm Stripe awoke to a knock at his door. He quickly cleaned himself and ran downstairs, nearly tripping and falling as he did so. When he opened the the door, a Grey, blond haired mare greeted him. He recognized her as the Ponyville mailmare, Derpy. She smiled and began rummaging through her mail bag.
“Morning Derpy!”
“Morning!” Derpy smiled. She took a letter out of her mail bag, and gave it to Storm Stripe. He looked the letter over. It was plain white, and had no designs or pictures on it. It was completely boring. On the front it read “For Storm Stripe”, along with his address. He stared at it curiously, then looked back to Derpy.
“Do you know who sent this?”
Derpy shrugged “Nope, sorry! It just had your name and address on it. Kinda weird huh?” and with that, she flew off to her next delivery. Storm Stripe went back inside his house, still looking at the letter. He went into the kitchen, sat down at the table, and opened the letter. It read; “Hey Stormy. Just wanted to let you know I’m having another party tonight at 8:00 PM. Be there. From: Pinkamina Diana Pie.” Storm Stripe was confused. Pinkamina? He figured it was Pinkie Pie, but why had she written the letter so... “Bluntly”? Having another party right after the last one didn’t surprise him, but he figured the invitation would be more festive, and pink for that matter. He got up and placed the letter on the kitchen counter. It was 1:00, so Storm Stripe trotted out the door, and into to town, looking for a way to pass the time. It was pretty hot outside, and the lack of wind made Storm Stripe wish he had just stayed home and stuck his head the the freezer. He was about to follow through with his wish when he heard somepony call out to him.
“Hey Storm Boy! Up here!”
Storm Stripe looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Rainbow Dash, waving down to him from atop a cloud. He Smiled and waved, as she came down, landing right in front of him.
“So, ready for some flight practice?”
“Huh? Why?” Storm Stripe looked confused. He hadn’t planned on doing anything physical today, especially when it was this hot outside. “I mean, couldn’t you find a better pony to practice with? I’m pretty rusty....” He tried to look tired, but Rainbow Dash wouldn’t buy it.
“Come on, you said you’ve only been on break for a year! Besides, how can you write a letter of recommendation if you haven’t seen my awesome flying skills? It’ll just be for a while! Please!” Rainbow Dash made what she thought was a pleading look. To another pony, she would have looked down right ridiculous, But Storm Stripe was gullible enough to give into Rainbow Dash’s “Puppy Dog Eyes”.
“Alright, fine, but just for a while, okay?”
“Awesome! Well start right now!” Rainbow Dash took off into the air like a rocket. Storm Stripe groaned and flew after her. This was going to be a really long “while”.
It was 7:46, and Storm Stripe was making his way towards Sugarcube corner, sweaty and tired. His flight practice with Rainbow Dash had been tougher (and longer) than he thought, not to mention he was getting tired of being called “Storm Boy” the entire time. He was relieved when an orange filly had flown in during the practice, and convinced Rainbow Dash to leave with her. Arriving at the door, Storm Stripe noticed how quiet it was. He couldn’t here the usual sounds of music playing and ponies chatting with each other. He figured he was just early, and knocked. A calm voice answered.
“Door’s open. Come in.”
He didn’t recognize who the voice belonged to, but took the invitation anyway, opening the door and stepping inside. He looked around, a confused look on his face.
The entire house was dark, save for a few lit lamps. There were no ponies around, no food, no streamers and balloons, and no bored looking alligator wearing a party hat. It was dark, dull, and cold.
“Okay...maybe I’m just REALLY early.” Storm Stripe said to himself. He was considering leaving and coming back later, when the same, emotionless voice that had invited him in spoke again.
“I’m upstairs. Hurry up.”
Storm Stripe shook off his confusion and obeyed the voice, slowly making his way upstairs. At the top was a wooden door, with a big heart carved into the center. In the middle of the heart, it read “Pinkie’s Room” . Storm Stripe pushed the door open, and looked inside.
There was a Pink earth pony lying on a small bed, an emotionless look on her face. Storm Stripe thought she was Pinkie Pie but....she looked a lot more....different from the pony who had happily greeted him at last nights party. She was no longer a vibrant shade of pink, but much more darker, almost colourless. Her mane and tail were completely straight, no longer puffy and wild. Storm Stripe almost cried out in surprise at the sight of her. Pinkamina Diana Pie slowly looked up at Storm Stripe, and a cold smile played across her face.
“I knew you’d come.”