//------------------------------// // Just smile // Story: Just smile! // by Slick Dash //------------------------------// The weekend passes, and with it comes more misery, obliterating all happy feelings brought on by my arrival in the new town. Will it ever end? A small cardboard box addressed to me lies outside my door when I rise on Sunday. My mood had been unusually chipper since my first night here. The treats that that mare had sent me were more than appreciated, and I'd already made a sizeable dent in them, but all the treats, job offers, and hope would be able to stop what the box brought. When I open it, my heart shatters more than I thought possible. Our memories! Our pictures, our gifts. Even the ruby necklace I bought her for her birthday, here they all sit before me, crammed and shoved heartlessly into the small container. Atop them all lies a note. The swears and the curses I can deal with, but the message is what cuts deepest. Basically, she never wants to see or hear from me again. SHE doesn't want to see ME, just one final insult to hammer in the nails of my coffin! With a heavy heart, I pick up the box and take it inside, my heart and insides quickly freezing over, going cold and numb. ..... Tuesday, my second day at work, and still that numb feeling hasn't left me. All I can say is, at least I'm serving a bunch of ponies who look as bad as I feel. I don't speak much, I simply serve the drinks. The stallion who hired me is called Liquid Pours, what a slick name (Pardon the pun) He's cool, he permits that I'm in a bad place at the moment, and he ensures his schedule works around that. It's a small comfort to know he's looking out for me, but it doesn't really do much. I leave after my shift, picking up my pay as I say goodbye to Liquid. With that I'm outside in the night. The beauty I noticed before doesn't seem as important now. I just begin to make the robotic journey from work to home. A light rumbling sounds from overhead. I look up to see a Pegasus -her mane and tail made of every colour of the rainbow- pushing a dark rain cloud in to place amongst a large clump of dark water vapour. The Pegasus glances down at m as she kicks the clump into life. I realise it's a female. She gives a short wave to me -probably warning me about the rain- then zips off into the distance at breakneck speed. Before I can lower my face, the first drop of rain strikes my muzzle softly. It's cold, I can feel it trickling down my chin towards my chest. Another gentle tap signifies another drop falling to the spit just beneath my eye. Soon a gentle blanket of rain begins to fall from the sky, light and cool. I close my eyes, the feeling of the cold water is actually...relieving! For the past two days I'd been walking around without feeling. The cold helps me believe I'm still here, still able to feel! I'm not gone, not yet. I don't know how long I stand there but soon from the gloom behind my eyelids I hear splashing hoofsteps as well as a giggling voice singing quietly. "Splish splash splish, the rain comes down! Splash splish splash, but I don't frown! Splish splash splosh, It's all ok, Because playing in the rain really makes my day!" I open my eyes, and sure enough it's who I'd guessed it was from that high pitched carefree voice. The pink mare was happily trotting through the puddles while singing her song. The sight brings a faint smile to my lips. It's wiped and replaced with confusion, why did that make me smile? when I've been feeling this bad? But when I look again, the smile comes out again, maybe it's just some emotion brought on by the rain. I remember the welcome gift and realise I haven't actually seen her since I'd received it. "H-Hey..." I shout gruffly, a lack of use making my throat sore when suddenly called upon. I cough, conscious that the pony was quickly disappearing back into the rainy gloom in the distance. I try again. "Hey! Blinkie Pie!" I see the pony stop and turn in the direction of my voice, she looks confused. When she spots me, she gives a little skip of glee. "Oooh Zombie, hey!" She sais happily as she makes the wet journey towards me. Suddenly she changes to a state of bewilderment, she halts and tilts her head to one side, her brow furrowed in a frown. "I'm not 'Blinkie Pie' silly! That's my sister!" "Oh... sorry." I say laemly. "Look, I just wanted to thank you... for that welcome gift you got me the other day." I look at her, she smiles and plants her haunches on the ground with a loud wet splash. "Okie dokie lokie... Go ahead!" She sais beaming up at me from the ground like a young filly. Now I'm the one who's confused. "Huh?" "You wanted to say thank you, so go ahead!" "Uhh..." I choke slightly with surprise and her oddness. "Umm... Thank you?" Immediately she bounces up still beaming that dazzling and disarming smile. "You're very welcome!" I realise it's still raining, I thought it had stopped when I spoke to Pinkie. But now I notice my fur clinging to my fur clinging to my skin, my short spiky mane is now is now flat , clasping my skull tightly. Yet when I look at her, this random pink mare, she seems bone dry! How?!? Her mane still looks dry and bouncy as the day I met her, her fur seemed fluffy and soft even in this downpour. I note it as yet another odd characteristic of this strange mare. "So..." She begins, coming extremely close to my face without warning. For one wild second I thought she was trying to kiss me! But after a moment, I see she's simply staring into my eyes, yet again I'm struck dumb by their shocking blue colour. Still so much like Apple Cider's. "Watcha doin' here Zombie?" I open my mouth to speak, but she cuts me off almost immediately with a giggle. "Oops silly me, I mean, what are you doing in Ponyville, not HERE her like this exact spot of grass, hehehe." Still she's so close, all I can see are those bright blue irises, shining and glinting just ahead of me. I swallow hard and try to remember this isn't my e I'm talking to! "Uhh, well I've moved here." At those words the pink pony explodes into a burst of high pitched squeals. "Really?!? That's supertastic! A new pony in town means a new friend! I'm so happy to that!" She runs out of steam quickly however, and her eyes become a little sagging with hints of worry. "Wait, you moved here all on your own?" She backs up slightly, giving me some personal space again. I cough slightly then answer. "Well... yeaqh." I open my mouth to continue explaining, then bite back thinking otherwise. It doesn't go unnoticed. "Uhuhh?" She asks. "I..." I don't want to go into the whole sad tale, not since I'd only just felt a slight glimpse of happiness. "I... needed to get away from my old life, too many bad memories." I can feel the gloom mood that goes with my name fast approaching at the mere mention of my past. It must have registered on my face, as the mare's face showed sorrow at my words. "Well that's not fun at all!" "Yeah..." I agree glumly, looking to the floor with a sag in my neck. "Hey mister moody muzzle!" She suddenly sais to me in a soft tone that I have yet to hear her speak in. I glance up, and though her big blue eyes are filled with sad sympathy, her lips are curled in a smile. "I know how to cheer you up!" I raise an eyebrow in question. "Just smile." Though her words sound childish and naive they still seem to hold some obvious truth behind them. When I don't respond, she continues. "Just smile, and everything bad just washes away with the rain!" The words make me let a small laugh, which makes my lips curl slightly. When she sees, she smiles even wider, as though competing against me, which brings an even bigger smile from me in reaction to her odd antics. Surely enough the smile fills me with a little warmth. "See!" Pinkie exclaims to me, beaming all the more brightly . "Yeah..." I mumble, gazing at her blue eyes. "Yeah I guess I do see..." and though as if on cue, the patter of rain fall around us ceased, and the gloomy clouds started to drift apart to show the star spangled sky above. The end of the rain sparks movement in me. "Well..." I say ruffling my mane with my right hoof to make it resume it's natural spiky look. As I did, light little droplets fell around me from the soaked hair. "I'm pretty hungry, so I think I'll head home and make some"- "Dinner?" Pinkie bleats excitedly. "Come with me! You can come eat at Sugar Cube Corner! You can come and meat Mr and Mrs Cake and their babies, and we can talk more, and get to know each other..." She came behind me and surprising strength, began to push me towards the centre of town, still talking about what we could do. ..... "And eat cupcakes, and carrot cakes, and potato cakes, oh silly me they're not sweat, their savoury, plus where would we find some potatoes at this time of night? Oh we're here!" Pinkie had been babbling giddily the entire time she'd guided me through town, and finally once we reached a crazily bright and flamboyant building topped with novelty icing, she stopped and beamed at the place. 'What a suitable place for this mare to live!' I think silently before we enter. "Oh Mr and Mrs Cake!" The mare calls as she crosses the threshold. I hear movement from within some unseen kitchen. "I'm back, is it ok if we have a dinner guest?" Soon a bright blue -slightly tubby, but still wonderfully kind and warm looking- pony poked her head out from arounf the corner. "Ooooh Pinkie dear, o'course we can!" She came out and held out a hoof. "I'm Mrs Cake, pleased to meet yah deerie! Please excuse the mess!" She gestured down at apron coated in what looked like orange slime. "Feedin' the twins is hard work!" She finishes. I stretch out a hoof and shake hers gladly. "Pleasure Mrs. I'm Sombre, Sombre Mood." "Oooh, What a fascinatin' name!" Celestia! Does everypony think my name's odd? "I bet you have plenty of interestin' stories for us Mr Mood, I'll be looking forward to them! Pinkie could you show your friend to the dining room? We're just goin' t' put the twins to bed ehh?" "Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie chirrups and bounces into the next room, her eyes shut as she smiles widely and enters the dining room, followed cautiously by myself. "Here yah go Zombie! You get the chair of honour!" The mare cries happily, pulling out an unassuming chair from the dining table. "Chair of honour?" I ask bewildered. "It's the chair where the most important guest of the meal sits silly!" She gestures for me to sit on it, so I do. As my flank touches the chair, a bright yellow, skinny stallion enters the room with a tray of sandwiches clenched between his teeth. I immediately realise this must be 'Mr Cake' so I stand and rush over to him, smiling politely and taking the tray with my magic. "Please, allow me sir, it's the least I can do after dropping in on such short notice." The stallion smiles at me as I relieve him of his tray. "Why, thank you young man!" Once I place the tray on the table, to an approving smile and nod from Pinkie, the yellow stallion reaches out his hoof, "Mr Cake, pleased to meat you, and your name is..." I open my mouth to speak, but as I do I catch a glance from the pink pony in her seat. "Hello Mr Cake, my name's Zombie!" I don't know what possesses me to say it. Maybe it's some unknown need to repay Pinkie for the dinner, or the welcome gift, or most likely pulling me out of my mood only minutes ago. In response to my word, Pinkie bursts into fits of giggles, punctuated with the occasional adorable snort. Mr Cake glances over to her and smiles. "I see, one of Pinkie's nick names?" he asks of me, I smile and nod. "Fai enough." And with that, Mrs Cake enters. "We;; the twins are asleep now dears, so let's tucking ehh?" The food isn't extravagant, but its barn well good! The sandwiches go down at a terrific pace, and soon nothing is left but crumbs. Pinkie suddenly lets out a long and loud belch, I can't help but laugh at the loud deep noise coming from such a femininely coloured and looking mare. "Hehehe, excuse me!" She giggles when it's finally over. "Impressive!" I compliment her, to which she actually blushes! Or at least, her already pink cheeks went a little darker. She adopts a very serious and formal tone, looking down her nose at me, she says slowly. "Why thank you dear Zombie!" To which we both laugh. As I fill with the warm feeling of joy I had thought was long gone, I notice the Cakes exchange knowing and smug smiles. I'm not sure why they do it, Pinkie doesn't even seem to notice, so I dismiss it. A few more minutes, and the convocation turned to the establishment they were now sitting in. "Me and my sweetheart here built this place, we just wanted a fun place where ponies could come and eat with friends and family." Mr Cake explained. "Well, though I haven't seen it open, judging by all the chairs you have, the space, and the amount of luxury you live in, I'm sure that's exactly what you made here!" I compliment. "Naww thank you deerie!" Mrs Cake cooes happily. "Well you see, I'd have to agree with you there, because you see, unfortunately you aren't the most important pony to sit that chair dontchaknow!" I glance over at Pinkie, who beams to me and nods, agreeing with the blue mother figure. So she wasn't actually joking when she called this the 'Chair of Honour.' I turn to the Cakes. "Really? So who is it who sat here, if you don't mind me asking that is." "Not at all!" Mr Cake smiles. "None other than the Princess of Equestria Princess Celestia!" My eyebrows sky rocket. "You mean I'm sat where... the princess sat?" All three residents of the house nod happily. "Wow! I'm honoured!" "Well that's the point of the chair of honour you silly billy!" Pinkie comments to which we all laugh. Half an hour later, I find myself leaving. Mr and Mrs Cake give me a warm goodbye before heading to bed. As I'm heading for the door, my heart shudders slightly after such happiness when I realise what's waiting for me back at the Sleepy Mare, that box. As Pinkie opens the front door to let me out, a cold wind breezes through the hall. I give a small sigh. "Zombie?" I look up to see a concerned look on Pinkie's face. "It's nothing Pinkie, don't worry." Pinkies face grows annoyed slightly, her brow furrows and her tone is all too knowing. "It definately isn't 'nothing' or you wouldn't be going all frowny!" Her face becomes warm once again. "Are you missing home?" "NO!" I exclaim a bit too loudly, filled with sudden frustration at the thought of the city and it's pain. Pinkie jumps at my loud voice. Immediately, I regret it. "I'm sorry." I say quickly to her, "No, I'm just... having trouble moving on that's all." "Do you want to talk about it?" "No, no, you don't wanna hear all that! It's all a bunch of miserable prattle." I make for the open door, but my vision is suddenly blocked, yet again by the dazzling blue of Pinkie's eyes. She's stood between me and the door, her muzzle mere millimetres from mine. "I do Zombie!" She says, all giddy nonsense gone, replaced with genuine concern, "You're not happy, I want to help." I feel her gentle breath on my face, I can smell the faint hint of candy on her tongue. The smell is overwhelmingly wonderful. "Y-you have helped!" I stutter, backing awayto try and keep my head about me after that delightful smell. "Tonight was great, it really got my mind off of stuff! I loved it!" That seemed to make her happy. "You did?" "I did!" "Ok then!" She yipps joyously moving aside to let me pass. As I move out I smile to her. "Thanks Pinkie! See you round?" She begins to shut the door, but stops it just with a crack of space and peeks through. "Definitely!" Then the pink vanishes. But before it closes I swear I hear one last word beyond the door. "Sombre" Then it closes, leaving my head whirling with surprise.